Food was not good. I would say the taste was the main issue. The servers and staffs were friendly by the way.

I'm always nervous about going to buffets anyways because I don't like the thought of so many people's paws near the food I'm going to eat. however, I'm even more nervous when there is not a single patron's car in the lot! Who knows how long the food has been sitting out! Place was reasonably priced $9 for dinner. Food was ok but, well let me rephrase it was acceptable given that I was famished. Nearly all the chicken dishes were fried/deep fried and if you had told me they just went and picked up some popcorn chicken nuggets somewhere and added it to some sauce I totally would have believed you. Not much variety here either, maybe only 5 entree options. Overall - if you go to a Chinese restaurant that is run by mostly Mexicans and a couple fobs then be prepared to use some pepto as a chaser read more

This is seriously my FAVORITE buffet! I got delivery today because it's my lazy Sunday and I didn't feel like getting out. Their honey chicken is awesome! Their crab Rangoon has great flavor; however.... They need to quit skimping on the amount of cream cheese they put in the wontons. I let them know... Because there really was hardly anything in them! But great quality chicken and amazing food! read more

Joy Luck Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

We went there Tuesday night granted it was 830 they closed at 9 but right away they were not refilling things at 9 they pulled everything and started turning lights off and mopping. I was not a happy camper. I would have rather them to tell me they were closing then to make our dining experience so bad! read more

$19 for hot pot, which includes the buffet (so you can grab a couple pieces of sushi or crab rangoons or whatever) seems like a pretty good deal to me! They have both spicy and non-spicy soups, and you can make it half-and-half too which is really important if you have people in your group that doesn't eat spicy. To start, they give you a plate of beef, a plate of chicken, and a plate of pork. They also give you a plate of vegetables--pretty standard stuff: cabbage, enokitake mushrooms, cellophane noodles, etc. I *think* it's unlimited plates of food. I'm not sure on this one because the initial amount of food we got so much that had trouble finishing. We ended up asking for more cabbage and mushrooms and that was free so I would assume more plates of meat would be free as well. read more

Absolutely awful. I have unfortunately been here at least 7-8 times (client/business lunches) and each time was unpleasant. The food has always been cold-lukewarm at best and on one occasion there was a black hair in a sushi roll. I pointed this out to the manager, as he was standing nearby, and he shrugged it off and mumbled something under his breath. Do not go!! Save your money and go anywhere but here! read more

Went there last night with my fiance and 4 year old son. We were seated quickly, the waiter offered us a menu, but we opted for the buffet. I was in the mood for something quick and easy and really wanted to try their sushi. So the bad stuff first: The wait staff wasn't as attentive to us as they were to others. We are an interracial couple and we are both modified though so we are use to the stares. We had a kid sitting next to us who was constantly staring lol. We had to pretty much run down two different servers to get a refill on tea. And that's the end of the bad stuff :) The GOOD stuff: The buffet was actually pretty good. It's Americanized Chinese food, but it was done right. The food was constantly changed out and fresh, there was a fairly large variety of meats and sides and everything was really good. They had the typical style buffet, full salad bar, a good selection of deserts. I will warn, most of everything was fried. They had roasted chicken, some steamed seafood, baked seafood and that was it. There were a variety of different sides to compliment the dishes. The fried rice was good, not great, but it wasn't bad. I did enjoy their hot and sour soup, it was delicious. The sushi selections were few and varied from eel to basic California rolls. They only had a few out at a time and the sushi chef offered to make me something. The quality was good, rice was cooked properly, cut into proper sizes and not falling apart and/or dry like other buffet styled sushi. Random decoration thoughts: It was functional, but don't expect elegance, it was a very laid back place. The bathrooms were kept clean and well stocked. Dishes were clean, food areas kept clean and floors clean. Nothing sticky and no smushed food around the buffet floors. Overall I enjoyed it, when I don't have my son we'll be going back to try the things on the menu. read more

Absolutely NOT authentic Sichuan food. I was born in Sichuan Province, China. I can assure you their food are not authentic, NOT even close! They have no idea how to make Sichuan cuisines, do not get fooled cause you would misunderstand the real Sichuan food! 作为一个土生土长的四川成都人，我负责任地告诉大家这叫餐馆的"川菜"完全乱整。他们对四川料理一无所知，这样的水平也好意思说自己卖川菜？误导消费者 read more

I really enjoyed my visit on Chinese New Year. The service was prompt, the quality of the food was excellent. Ill be back soon! I got the schezuan chicken which was flavorful and crispy, the green beans had great flavor, not too salty and just the right amount of crunchy, the wonton dumplings were a great appetizer as well. read more

Joy Luck Buffet - The best - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Skip the buffet, ask for a menu! New and improved menus now featuring English! Sort of. Fans of the 'Engrish so Funny' meme website will understand. They have a very solid selection of Sichuan style dishes. Very spicy if you aren't familiar with it. The Chengdu Beef was very tasty. While very spicy, it had a delicious flavor that wasn't overwhelmed by the all the peppers. My mouth was a bit numb. But it was not unpleasant. If things get a little too real, you'll also have a huge bowl of rice with your dish. It will help with the heat a bit. Don't worry about running out either, its a much larger bowl of rice than you will need for your entree. I really want to come back sometime with a group and try the hotpot. Unfortunately my usual partner in crime has no desire to try it. So I'll have to put a crew together and go without him. If the buffet is more your speed. They do that pretty solid too. We have done that option many times, as I was afraid to try the menu before they added English. I speak no Cantonese, and don't think I know anyone who does. So that option was kind of closed to me before. Just know that the menu items are far superior than anything you're going to find on the buffet. read more

This is a review of the buffet. We considered trying the hot pot but didn't this time. There was a fairly good selection, but most of the items were barely warm. There wasn't an abundance of flavor in the buffet items, either. On the other hand, a chef was preparing sushi. My son had a few pieces and liked it. There was also a small Mongolian BBQ section that was my favorite part of the meal. After all, it was exactly what I picked, well seasoned, and was served steaming hot. All-in-all a mediocre buffet experience, but I think the (not so) secret hot pot menu is the way to go. read more

The grossest food by far! Felt like the air was broken! No one filled water. Floor was filthy to the point I felt like I was actually working in a kitchen! The food was not good at all. The chicken skewers were about the only thing edible, even desserts were awful! I've never had worse Chinese food. No joke read more

I'm grading this solely on the buffet, as that's what's they've called the restaurant. I would have absolutely loved to have tried the real Chinese food that apparently exists here, but unfortunately they've decided to name their place a buffet and motion people who come in straight to their troughs of nearly-inedible food. Why do they do this? I don't know, but it doesn't speak well of their business. What speaks worse of their business is the food on the actual buffet. Blech and forgettable, like the Chinese food you'd get out of a freezer case. I think I found seafood that was crunchy when it should not have been. Otherwise, completely forgettable food and nothing giving me any reason to go back. The wait staff was also servile to a fault. read more

This is probably the best Chinese restaurant in St. Louis. Don't get too excited: it's definitely not the best Chinese restaurant that I've been to, but hey, it's Missouri. It gets five stars for besting its modest competition, although in other cities I would probably go for 4 stars. I've never tried the buffet, but if you want to stuff your gullet it looks pretty good for that. The real gems are on the menu. They have an excellent selection of authentic Sichuan dishes generously seasoned with Sichuan pepper. If you've never experienced this, it partially numbs your mouth while infusing a unique flavor rather than making it feel hot. It's a whole dimension of culinary experience that you can't get at the vast majority of Chinese restaurants in the US (or anywhere else for that matter). The cold Sichuan noodles are an excellent example of this style. They recently added hotplates to a lot of their booth tables for hot pot dishes. It's also one of the only Chinese restaurants in the area that has hot pot that I'm aware of (big heated bowls of delicious hearty soup that you share with a group). Some foolish white people complained in previous reviews that this made their fat, buffet thickened legs uncomfortable because it takes up space under the table. Boo hoo: if you knew what it was for you wouldn't be complaining, and you would probably have skinnier legs too. I encourage you to try this place out and explore some things on the menu that you haven't tried before. Joy Luck has plenty of delicious dishes that you can't get for miles, but you have to be adventurous enough to say no to the buffet and give them a try. read more

Just stop by today and they still have not finished up the remodeling. The sign says November 18 but I talked to the manager there to make sure the date. It looks like to me the date to open the restaurant is still pending in the air. It is getting cold now and I really miss my hotpot. I am dying for hotpot now and my Sichuan beef. Gosh can they just open the restaurant. read more

Joy Luck Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Joy Luck is our favorite Chinese restaurant. My picky-eater daughter even finds plenty to eat at the buffet. (Of course she loves the desserts and ice cream too.) Besides typical fare, like hot & sour soup, egg drop soup, pot stickers, lo mein, Sesame chicken, pepper chicken, broccoli beef, General Tso's chicken, etc, there are more unusual choices at the buffet, like coconut shrimp, frog legs, seaweed salad, sushi/sashimi, and even a Mongolian BBQ (be sure to add an egg, and also tip the guy who's sweating over the hot, smoky grill, cooking your food). That you often see many tables in there, full of Asians happily chowing down should testify to the quality of the food. I keep thinking about ordering from the "secret" menu, but then I always just cave in and get the buffet instead. read more

Decent food at a great price. Only issue we had was one member of our party asked for a water and got a coke. Was excited to see frog legs but they were a bit too stringy and gamey for me. read more

As far as inexpensive Chinese buffets go, this is the best around. Great selection, fresh food, and the price is right. Keep up the good work! read more

Ahhh Joy Luck. Best super cheap chinese buffet in St Louis County. Seriously its like less than $10 for a full buffet and dead uncooked fish bait (i am told this is called sushi and is a good thing). The restaurant is very much your standard chinese decor of strange lights and little fat happy guys. Pretty comfy and quiet place. What you want to know: food ratings. 3/5 - General Tsos 4/5 - beef and broccoli 5/5 - fried rice 4/5 - pepper chicken 3.5/5 - dumplings They have scoop ice cream And lots of non chinese foods as well. But what you really want here is the Chicken Stick (also called the "rat on a stick" by my slightly racist baby boomer mother. Forgive her she is old and from another generation). The Chicken Sticks here are other worldly. Its like God himself blessed these with his personal teriyaki flavorings. Every time i come here i get one plate with just fried rice and chicken sticks. I then cry from how sad i am those delicious sticks are in my belly and then I realize its a buffets and i can get more. This place is dope. read more

If you visit this place, be sure to order off of the menu. The buffet offered is run-of-the-mill American Chinese fare, complete with a salad/dessert bar, and some very decent egg drop soup. The menu, however, is delightful. I've ordered from this place many times (delivery) and love their fried rice, which is a world apart from the brown fried rice offered in most St. Louis Chinese restaurants. You can actually taste the ingredients, instead of soy sauce. A funny story: I visited Joy Luck with a friend, and sampled the buffet. While we were picking away through our beef and broccoli, we noticed people filing into one of the back rooms, behind a curtain. One of the servers asked a patron if he was Chinese and he said he was "half." The server opened the curtain and allowed the young man in, where I spied a large round table, with a lazy susan in the middle of the table, complete with a communal hot pot that was being enjoyed by all. I immediately looked at my plate, filled with crab Rangoon, rice, and sweet and sour chicken and wished I was Chinese. I asked the server if that was something that people did all the time, and he said mostly Chinese people ask for that, and that particular group was a private party. That's something to consider if I ever decide to bring a large group into Joy Luck. read more

The food was ok but not really hot, just warm. Service was okay. But the bathrooms were gross. Overall not real clean.

I go here when I'm in the mood for Chinese, most of the time, they are really good. Great food and service; but today wasn't exactly great. Not 2 minutes after I start eating my food, ants decide to invade my table. Of course I was moved to another table; but I still had to pay for the food. There is a drain in the bathroom that looks to be a little corroded. But the food was fantastic still; although they could've chopped the lettuce up more. read more

the food was decent, average amount of choices. sushi though from a buffet was edible sliced pretty decent and looked fresh. Regular choices nothing to over the top. would i come back yes but only to do with my kids, no date night or just something for me and an adult to do absolutely not. P.S. horrible bath rooms. I did not order from the menu so i can only go on the buffet. read more

Joy Luck Chinese Restaurant and Buffet doesn't need a review from this Asian Lady, it's good, plain and simple. Order from their Chinese menu and experience Szechuan at its finest, here in the Mid West. Actually, I prefer their food off the menu verses the buffet, and they offer a hot pot that is always a favorite here. So if you're adventurous and looking for a more "authentic" experience Joy Luck is a must do! read more

We arrived for lunch at 11:20 and the restaurant was clean with a beautiful array of food on the multiple buffet lines. Pretty standard fare so I took the green beans, mushrooms, fried zucchini, and a spring roll. My husband made a plate with assorted other dishes. Here's the kicker, when we started to eat, NONE of the food was hot. It was barely warm. Unable to eat this food safety disaster, we told the host that we weren't able to eat and left. I understand that sometimes a dish hits a buffet in less than prime temp, but ALL of it? Yikes! read more

We went last minute on a Sunday afternoon. Good thing the food was cheap because it's not as good as it used to be.

I've been to Joy Luck several times because I have a group of friends that love ordering off their "secret menu." The "secret menu" is all authentic Chinese food, but they are best known for their hot pots. It's all really good, but everyone tends to order really spicy dishes and I don't have the best spicy food tolerance. They also have your tradition American Chinese food buffet. It's decent and about $10/person. Joy Luck recently reopened after a much needed remodel. The interior of the restaurant is now very nice but still has a slight 80's feel. Several of the tables have built-in heat pads that are nice if you order a hot pot! read more

Love it !! I always have the hot pot here, they got fresh shrimp and great sliced pork. Sichuan chicken was great too ! Just one thing, servers are not attentive, didn't refill water, have to ask them all the time read more

Eating some sushi today may require a bit more effort. Although there are about eight kinds of ingredients, it makes me feel similar, not much different, there is no special feature to highlight its taste, and hot food area has much room for improvement. , I hope there will be new dishes next time read more

Awesome food and value. Friendly servers and workers. They are willing to help you with question you might have when ordering.

Went on a Saturday afternoon around 1:30. The place was pretty much packed...that's always a good sign when it's your first time trying someplace...especially a buffet. Very large selection...everything was well-stocked and steaming hot. My personal favorites were the chicken on a stick, crab rangoon and the sushi (yes! I ate sushi at a buffet and lived to tell about it!) But seriously...the sushi was well wrapped, fresh and cold. $6.99 for the lunch buffet...lots of choices...friendly service. We'll be back! read more

I was thrilled to find this lunch buffet right down the street from our companies new office. Im sure it will quickly become a staple, with a wide variety of dishes that are all above the normal american-chinese average. My only complaint, and I brought this on myself, is the Sushi. The Sushi buffet is great in concept, but quality is really lacking. I didnt like the taste of most of the rolls, but hey, for under $10/person, its really difficult to complain. read more

I have been to this buffet twice (once for lunch and once for dinner), and I must confess I thoroughly enjoyed it both times. The Chinese entrees were fresh and solid and the Hot and Sour soup is a favorite. The Mongolian Bbq portion of the restaurant is a nice option but I consider it "good but not great". Overall this restaurant has a great selection of food and the prices make it a very strong value for your dollar. Highly recommended and very little in terms of direct competitors in central St Louis. read more

I ordered for pick-up. They said it would be 10 minutes but it ended up being over 30. The General Tso's chicken combo was too sweet with no other flavor except breading and chicken. It wasn't even spicy - at all. There was more breading than chicken and the chicken was so chewy, I couldn't finish it. The garlic shrimp I ordered (which costs as much as the lunch combo but is about a third of the size) was more flavorful but not especially good and not good enough to make up for the inedible chicken. The only good part was the egg roll, which seemed to be homemade. Unfortunately it was sat on top of my chicken so it was soggy by the time I got back to my workplace 5 minutes later. I'd like to say this place is your average Chinese, but it's not even average. There are better and cheaper places. read more

Haven't tried the hot pot but most of the Szechuan dishes I've ordered off the menu are extremely salty. If Most Chinese buffets in St. Louis are 1-5 on a 10 point scale, I'd have to give joy luck a 2 because it's among the worst. Normally I don't do Chinese buffets but I was by myself and wanted some variety. The egg rolls were laying in a pool of oil. Most of the dishes were dried out or the trays were empty. It was so nasty i had to leave because it killed my appetite. I point for the buffet. 3 for the dishes on the menu. 2 points overall. read more

Joy luck has an exceptional atmosphere and large selection. However, it is overpriced for the quality. 28 dollars for two people to eat and have a soda. I'd give the restaurant a 4.1 out of 10. read more

Good lunch buffet. Plenty of foods. Ice cream hidden in the back, you wouldn't know until you see people eating it. Crowded during hour. Minus two stars for the boss arguing with a parent for charging his 9 year old son as an adult. Talk about rip off! Not cool! read more

We have eaten at Joy Yuck 3 times and each time the food got worse. Not fresh, not authentic and barely warm. Won't be going back a 4th time. Yuck! read more

On Friday of last week i wanted some shrimp egg foo yong. I ordered from Joy Luck. The shrimp were hard and the patties were black and dry. The gravy had flour lumps in it. I could not eat this mess. I know it cheap eats but give a break. This was food I could not eat. I will never eat here again. read more

We had to ask for service every single time we needed anything. There were several staff members sitting in an empty booth playing on their phones the entire time we were there. Not on break, just ignoring everyone until a customer went up to then to ask for something. On top of that, one of the toilets had overflowed and they didn't bother to clean it up. We won't be going back. read more