As vegans visiting the Lexington area, choices for 100% vegan restaurants are extremely limited. We found exactly one, and it was not exactly 5 stars. Luckily there are many Chinese, Thai, etc. places where one can find plenty of tofu-veggie options without too many questions (do the spring roll wrappers have egg? Can we get rice noodles with no egg? You plant-based diners know the drill). Joy Food is one such place. Recommend for takeout. Good food. Low prices. I have notes. We ordered veggie spring rolls (made in China, not on site) which were as expected - mid. But the General Tso's and Hunan tofu dishes were excellent. General was a little sweet for our tastes but we combined it with the Hunan as leftovers and it was balanced. We ordered a noodle-with-vegetable dish which may or may not have been on the menu (after a phone convo regarding egg content) and it was not as good. Lesson learned: leave it to the experts. Friendly, solicitous Asian woman spent time with me on the phone parsing the dishes. One can totally order online but the first time I eat somewhere I like to make sure we only get vegan food (lest we suffer the consequences of gastric distress ). We ordered ahead and food was ready in 25 minutes. As the nice lady packed it up, she snatched back the fortune cookies, saying better safe than sorry - she understood the assignment . In a world where vegans are vilified, it's nice to have someone looking out for us. A word about the ambiance: the small dining area had about 4 tables covered in layers of plastic tablecloths in various states of decay. Did not appear to be the cleanest dining room, and an old friend who was a city health inspector in another state always looked askance at Chinese restaurants, saying they tended to be less than sanitary. Ray Crock famously said to his employees "if you've got time to lean you've got time to clean." Our staffer was busy chatting animatedly with the friendly patrons at the one occupied table, and I doubt she'd heard from or even of the McDonald's founder. I'd still order from Joy Food again. I hope you will give it a try. read more

They can busy because of limited staff, but their food is always very good and always fresh. Great fried dumplings, vegetable fried rice, hot and sour soup and Singapore noodles. read more

Good warm food, has some inside seating to eat. Service is great friendly and helpful. Returning customer and recommends

Love it, was very yummy, chicken was tender, crab rangoons are the balance of crab and cream cheese, fried rice was delicious, highly recommend read more

From the moment I walked in, I knew the food was going to be delicious. It seems to be a mom and pop Chinese restaurant and the people there are really welcoming and friendly. Their food is hot and delicious because they wait until you arrive to pack your food so that it's fresh. I will be returning read more

Good food and big portions! Always welcoming with fast service. I will definitely be returning in the future read more

Joy Food - Bourbon chicken, sweet and sour chicken, Chicken Lo Mein Combination Platter, fried rice, 15. Egg Drop Soup, Rice (Steamed) - Chinese Near Me - Nicholasville, Kentucky

Food is the best we have found since we've been in Kentucky. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for great Chinese food. Food portions are amazing and everything is super fresh. Order the dragon and the Phoenix for my husband. Taking home for him. We definitely will be back! read more

Joy Food - 50. House Special Egg Foo Young steamed rice - Chinese Near Me - Nicholasville, Kentucky

The food is decent but it is so dirty. The bathroom is disgusting, windows filthy, floor gross. It's time to clean up!

Great spot for carry out! Easy online ordering and friendly service. Everything we tried was delicious and exactly as we ordered

Consistently good food, staff are super friendly. General Tso chicken is spot on as are the wontons

I lived in New York city for 53 years and visited China Town every time I could so moving to the KY Bluegrass area was a culture shock. Definitely no decent Chinese food around until I found Joy Food. Their dishes are very tasty and well made. Realize that most Chinese food in the US is Americanized but this "Americanized Chinese" takeout is simply delicious. I later found out one of the husband-wife team there is from Brooklyn, NY. - no wonder! Try it, you'll love it... read more

The food is so nasty, just the texture, the bland flavors and lack of effort, you could taste it, and it's not a pleasant experience. Wouldn't recommend to anyone read more

Lovely food and family atmosphere. Recommend the orange chicken and the soups! Good folks

Friendly staff. I ordered hot and sour soup and scallops with garlic sauce. Food and service was excellent. I will be back! read more

Joy Food - Scallops with garlic sauce. - Chinese Near Me - Nicholasville, Kentucky

We tried this restaurant a few months ago & we really enjoy it. The huge menu has something to please anyone's palate. The spring rolls, dumplings, chicken lo mein & mei fun are our favorite dishes. The service is great & you're sure to find a savory dish to satisfy your taste. read more

Used to me my go to but they are not adjusting well to the COVID world. Ever since it is an extremely long wait to get your food which has clearly been cooked and thrown together in a huge rush. Looks like they try and run the whole restaurant with one or two people working. It just isn't working. Too slow. Got home tonight with soggy sweet and sour chicken pulled too early from the fryer and no freaking sweet and sour sauce! read more

Joy Food - Sweet and Sour chicken but got home and no sweet and sour sauce. Soggy chicken. - Chinese Near Me - Nicholasville, Kentucky

My favorite Chinese restaurant in the Lexington area. The owners are so nice! They always welcome us warmly when we come in. My favorite is the Sesame Chicken and the Honey Bourbon Chicken. Both are delicious. They are also very fast when preparing the food. It typically only takes like 10 minutes! We make this our weekly take out meal. It's a must! Also, they are closed on Mondays so keep that in mind. read more

Joy Food - C21A. Sesame Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Nicholasville, Kentucky

Awesome food, but it takes some time for Chinese (usually 30-40 minutes), as they have a small staff. Worth the wait though.

We've gotten carryout a few times during Covid. Food is hot and delicious. It's not super fast I assume because they are super busy. Every time we've been there they seem slammed. Which is a good sign for a restaurant! Great menu selection and they are taking the necessary precautions to make us comfortable eating their food. read more

Good Chinese food that delivers quickly. I like that i can order online or by phone. They deliver quickly and are friendly when the food is delivered. The food is tasty and arrives hot. read more

This is at higher end of strip mall chinese. The hot and sour soup is some of the best I have had. They have some unique dishes. The golden pot...oh I can't think of it but it's pork and tofu and it's good. The mushu is good...pad thai is good. I have not had a bad dish here. Worth a drive to eat here. read more

Recommend the sesame chicken, veggie egg rolls, and rice!!!!! Chicken flavor is sooooo good

First time ordering from Joy Food! The food. I ordered Chicken Chow Mein (instead Lo Mein) by my mistake. Also ordered the steamed dumplings and always an egg roll, which both dishes were good, fresh food! Skimp on the sauce packets, so I guess you have to ask for extra when ordering.Delivery was prompt. I would give Joy Food a 4 or even 5 stars but a big turn off was when my delivery arrived, when I was signing the reciept for the cc charge, the tip line was circled and marked with a star in pen- implying that a tip was required? I always tip though implying a tip was a big turn off. read more

Excellent food and delivery service. There are lots of dishes on the menu that I like but my all time favorite is the Empress Pork. (Extra spicy with extra cabbage). It's as good as any (Double Cooked pork dish I've had at a fine dinning Chinese restaurant. The delivery service is timely and order is always correct. Better than that it's always hot out of the kitchen. Other great dishes: Chicken Egg Fu Young, Beef with Broccoli, Mongolian Beef, Orange Beef or Chicken. read more

We stumbled in here yesterday and were surprised at how good it was. We usually do not eat inside these joints (we're delivery people)...However, tables were clean, staff was friendly, and the food was surprisingly very good. Our lunch meal came with the option of soda, soup, or egg roll and white or fried rice. We ordered steamed dumplings and they were good and different. The dipping sauce had an orange hint and was a pleasant surprise. Like most other Americans, we ordered the General Tso's chicken which tasted a little too sugary, but was pretty good overall. We would stop in here again. read more

Horrible! This place used to be a great spot for Chinese food. Don't know if staff has completely changed or what. Avoid this place at all cost. If you like indigestion this is the place to go! read more

They will leave items off your delivery and refuse to make it right. Go with Cheng's instead.

Good overall We ordered the Mongolian beef, garlic chicken which was great! And the chicken with broccoli. All were tasty and the vegetables were delicious. read more

My order was to go and I stopped in to pick it up. My order was Pork egg fu young and Sesame beef. The pork egg fu Young was extremely flat and small , and I found no pork in it. However, there was plenty of egg shell in it . The gravy was a Yellowy Brown watery gravy, too thin and no flavor . I was very disappointed in this dish and threw the whole thing away after my third bite of egg shell. I gave it a chance up to three bites because accidents do happen and bits of shell do occasionally fall into any egg dish. But I've never had an egg fu Young that was so tasteless and so thin....not to mention, I paid for pork , and there was none found, but there was plenty of shell. The next dish, sesame beef, was another disappointment . There were four small broccoli heads. The beef: Too much breading, too sweet, too thin , too chewy and just tough pieces of beef. Another waste of money, and it was tossed in the garbage as well. All in all, none of it was eatable and a waste of money. I don't know that I'll even give them another chance . read more

They are the best Chinese restaurant hands down! They are so friendly, and remember every little detail each time we visit. Very kind, and food can't be beat. Highly recommend paying them a visit. Never a bad experience. read more

My husband and I love Joy Food! We randomly discovered it while shopping at the Brannon stores around it and I cannot believe we've been living in Lexington all this time without it! Not only are their lunch specials super inexpensive but you get a TON of food. We usually order the General Tso, Sesame Chicken or the Beef and Broccoli plus egg rolls. Everything we have ever had was fresh and hot. All the times we have ordered delivery it was timely and the person delivering it has always been really nice and friendly. Also, I just think their actual restaurant is really neat inside, very authentic experience. Definitely go and try it out! read more

General Taos chicken and egg drop soup were great. However, lunch portion was very small, actually smallest I've ever had from a Chinese restaurant. Appetizer order of crab Rangoon was terrible. It had an odd texture and strange taste. There was no filling to speak of. It seemed like it was liquid and had run out. Overall I will probably not return. read more

This is the only Chinese food in Lexington that I order ever! The staff is professional, kind, & courteous. The delivery drivers will not give up until they find your house too! I recommend ordering the General Tso chicken, it is the best in town! Thank you Joy Food! Keep up the good work, we love you!!! read more

Best Chinese food in town! I love the general tso tofu. The store is clean and the workers are professional. Large portions at a great price. Definitely kid friendly. read more

Probably the best takeout style Chinese in Nicholasville. The food is exactly what you'd expect. No better, no worse. I do love their Egg Rolls though. Friendly delivery and fast service. When I want Takeout style Chinese, this is my go to. Otherwise, it's Beijing Cafe for me. read more

First time ordering from here! Ordered probably the simplest of items. Shrimp fried rice. Rice was ok but shrimp over cooked. Asked for no vegetables and came loaded with them. Will not order from here again! read more

Overall, pretty tasty. Can't say it's the best Chinese food place in the area, but pretty much par for the course.

Arrived in a timely manner The food was extremely, hot which is always a plus for delivery. I ordered two different combos and steamed dumplings. The Combos were mediocre and the sauce for the dumplings was repulsive, thoroughly disappointed in this Chinese restaurant probably will never order from them again. read more

Don't waste your time. There's too many good Chinese restaurants nearby to stop at this place. Some of the rice in our fried rice was undercooked. Ever had undercooked rice? It ruins everything. Dishes need more seasoning and you get mostly huge pieces of veggies and very little protein in the dishes. Spicy is not spicy and they use way too much sugar in their brown sauce. Try Wah-Mei or #1 China Buffet for better tasting Chinese Food. read more

I grew up eating Chinese food. I just moved to Kentucky 2 months ago. Joyfood is one of the few americanized chinese restaurant that is close to authentic chinese food. And i have tried fair share of chinese food in the states. Highly recommend it. And Definitely will order from them again. read more