So we had restaurant road trip at Joy Luck. It was a large group, 28 individuals occupying 4 tables for dinner. I've never done hot pot before so I was excited to learn the ways of boiling my food and indulging in new flavors and textures. You pick your broths and let the simmering begin! I tried tripe, fish tofu (which was surprisingly tasty and one of my new favorite foods), seaweed salad, fish balls and who knows what else. It was such a fun experience! Great company definitely kicked up the experience! One thing to note: They don't serve alcohol! However, you are allowed to bring your own. I wish I'd gotten a picture of all the cases that accompanied our tables! Lol! What a hoot of an evening. I'd definitely come back for more hot pot. read more

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Food is great and fresh! Very nice service and clean organized buffet. Bathrooms are very clean. Best Chinese buffet in st.Louis!! read more

Joy Luck Buffet - Lo mein, fried rice, crab Rangoon, seafood bake, potatoes, sugar pastry - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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As of 5/28/20, I was very pleased to find that Joy Luck was open again as it is one of my favorite restaurants. They are only open for take-out right now, which is to be expected. I neglected to take a picture, but they have a clever window set up at the inner door to facilitate pick-ups while supporting distancing. I would also suggest calling your order in before arriving. I really missed the salt and pepper calamari and it was done perfectly, as usual. Very happy they are back! read more

Don't go here!! Make the longer drive someone better. The price isn't cheap compared to other places and choices are limited and 99% of the time was thinking I'm definitely getting food poisoning read more

Cheap Chinese buffet, and I am a fan. A great place to go for a guilty cheat meal. Lots of posts talk about the low quality of the food, but what do you expect from an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet?? It is definitely quantity over quality here though. Have a wide selection of typical Americanized Chinese food, but also have some foods unique to the Sichuan region. In addition to the buffet, they also have a full menu of Chinese food including hot-pot. read more

If I could give a minus 1star I would. The name should be Oh Boy Yuck The egg drop soup tasted fishy. The food was not hot. The sushi tasted like plastic. The women's restroom stalls were nasty, one had toilet water on the floor and another had poop on the floor. Will never go there again. Was told once they had pests. Now I do believe that. Will never go there again. Take your changes and meds if you do. Also, the manager refused to make amends. Even refused to acknowledge us upon leaving so we just left the money on the counter while he sat against the wall with his eyes shut. So unprofessional and childish! read more

This place has been on my radar for years but as Covid hit and I shied away from buffets, it was put on the back burner. I decided to give it a try via GrubHub or pick-up and it's now one of my go to spots. The food is always fresh and tasty. It's maybe a little more moderate on the price side for a combination plate but everything has been good so far. read more

My dad found this buffet and we all went for lunch on a weekday. He was super happy that he got a few dollars off for the senior discount. Normal price is about $8 per person for lunch. They do charge for kids, even for my 2-year old daughter who probably ate 1 piece of fish and 1 dumpling total. I didn't expect much because...2 words: Chinese buffet. But, it was still tasty, with tons of options, if you're hungry and wanting variety. The buffet had the usual array of fried everything: shrimp, chicken, crab rangoons. I filled up on the green beans, which were delicious stir-fried and flavorful. I also enjoyed the dumplings, sushi, clams, fish, various soups, and my mom loved the custom-made-to-order noodles where you can choose your meat/veggies/sauce and the chef makes it for you on the spot. One of my favorite desserts is jello, and their jello and ice cream did not disappoint. However, the cakes were super dry and flavorless so I wouldn't recommend them. The people at a neighboring table ordered a hot pot which arrives with tons of meet and veggies to cook yourself, and I'm totally trying that out next time because it looked pretty authentic! read more

Food is mediocre. But the filth and nasty neglected cleaning is disgusting. I urge you to go anywhere else read more

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My son found this restaurant online, and suggested that we give it a try. Last night we did it. The food is incredible. The experience is even more incredible. The hot pot at your table last for several hours if you sit to enjoy all of the delicacies of this experience. Many people came in while we there, and enjoying what we would call and consider Excellent food and excellent service. Definitely put this on your places of must go. read more

Holy moly..so much food for 10.99!! Just go..its fresh and tasty food. Furthermore,lots of choices of chicken, beef, shrimp and sea food. If you want to do hotpot with buffet, its 20.99. There is an ala carte menu of interesting schezuan items which i will try next time. The selection included soup, salad, dry fried appetizers, wontons, shumai, crawfish, shrimp, frog legs( did not try!), all varieties of Chicken and beef main course, sushi bar and made to order hibachi. The dessert selection is amazing too. Don't miss the sauce bar at the back. All the items were being replenished regularly and my used plates were taken away promptly. Food-5 Ambiance-4 Service-5 read more

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

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Read the reviews and was scared when I showed up to their crusty ass building... the inside was nice and food was delicious (we had their hot pot). The service, however, was HORRIBLE but the food was good so I will definitely come again. read more

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

Service was good, minimal talking and didn't bother us much. Overall vibe was okay. If you're tall I recommend a table bc the booth and table are so close to each other; there's no leg room. Most of the food is just not good. A lot of old stuff out. I did however enjoy the egg drop soup. What really got me tho was the black mold growing in the rice cooker in the buffet. It is clearly never cleaned. Needless to say I'm not going back. read more

Ok their Sichuan menu and its items off that menu are LEGIT! One of the best chili fish dishes I've had in STL and just overall the 4 dishes we ordered were all very well made (fish, crispy chicken, green beans, intestines....all "chef's kiss" good). I am pretty thrown off by its 3 star average rating! They're open for dine-in. Not to pit other places against each other but this is wayyyyy better than the places on delmar/loop area. read more

This buffet has the pretty standard Chinese buffet menu. The cost was $30 for two people with drinks which I think is a fair price. I came for a late lunch which I do think effected the freshness and the quality. The trays of food were only 20% full and they never brought out any refills during the time I was there which was kind of disappointing. I had to find an employee to ask for a refill on my fountain drink, but they were very quick to help me. All of the employees were very polite and helpful. The vibe was really quiet and relaxing. The sushi and fried donuts were out the entire time, the chicken wings and majority of the food were unfortunately pretty dry. Overall I would give this place a second chance because the price and staff were good, the food had good variety and if I went at an earlier time it probably would have been 5/5. read more

I really wanted to like this place since I love Chinese Buffets. The service was great! The food left a lot to be desired. Very dated menu- based many on fried meat products. I liked the baked seafood and fish dishes the best. No tofu or veggie stir frys. Probably would not return. read more

Came here for the first time for dinner with a large group. We were seated quickly, and they were prompt in organizing what we wanted. Almost all of us ordered the hot pot. They have special tables with stove tops for the hot pot ($21). Hot pot comes with buffet!!! If you order just the buffet, it's $11. I was debating between hotpot or buffet, but my friends said you really only come here for the hot pot so I tried it. Hot pot comes with buffet, so I couldn't lose really in terms of food, not cost. We did the regular half normal, half spicy hot pot (first one on top on hot pot section). Lots of ingredients were set out for the hot pot, but it was unclear which meats were what when they came out until we had to ask again. Imo, hot pot was okay. Wasn't really my favorite. Friends said it's either you like it or you don't. Especially based on the spices and broth. I was thirsty from all the gorging of salty food, and I never really got my refills of water when I needed them. Plates took a while to get out of the way sometimes, but we were there for a while...so I get it. Other than that, it's a fair place to eat. You can get better Chinese buffets for sure (mediocre sushi, etc) BUT If you like Chinese style hot pot, then definitely try it out. read more

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A Saturday night at 8pm I was looking for some good Chinese food in a relaxing spot. This wasn't the place for either. The food wasn't awful: It just wasn't as good as it could have been if items weren't overcooked. And, in an era of mega-buffets, Joy Luck had fewer selections. On the plus side, the hibachi grill allows you to choose your ingredients for a customized, quickly cooked entree. However, the hibachi ingredient trays lacked enough kitchen tools (spoons, tongs, etc.) for all items, making me wonder if some tools were cross contaminated by sharing between veggies and raw meat. True, meals are cooked on a hot griddle but the lack demonstrated inattention to details. The buffet did have a few items not seen with other buffets. Something called Old Bay Seafood included small crawfish claws, skin-on prawns that were a challenge and messy to open, and chewy calamari. Some food items were anonymous because no labels described what were in the food trays. From experience I knew one side item I enjoyed was seaweed salad but a label would have been helpful to someone unfamiliar with the dish. Several small children--either another diner's or some of the staff's family--were allowed to run and play unattended in the dining area. They weren't misbehaving but a restaurant isn't the same as a playground. The men's bathroom was a horror: It was dirty and smelled like a porta-potty. The paper towel dispenser was empty. For $12.50 the meal was competitive with other buffets but the food quality and dining experience weren't. read more

Joy Luck Buffet - Chicken Shumai was a crispy fried dumpling. - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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The food and service were absolutely amazing. This makes the 2nd time we have eaten at Joy Luck. I will choose this location every time we're visiting the St. Louis area. Thank you. read more

Food: 1 Star Service: 1 Star How does this place maintain a 3.5 star rating? Are we reviewing the same place? What the heck do these people eat at home??? D: I'm sorry, but the stuff they serve here can't be described as "food" as it's foul, stale, and hardly edible. We came to try their hot pot (their specialty) as it also included the buffet. The Buffet Line: Dingy, dirty, old "food". Not sure how long it had been sitting out. I think the only item I could stomach was their pepper chicken. The Hot Pot: Stale broths with equally stale veggies with freezer burned meats. We spent nearly $200 for 5 of us. I would have rather dined out in Clayton for the same amount... read more

I've been craving hot pot so i called up the restaurant and luckily they are doing dine in for hot pot and order off the menu just not buffet. I've always enjoyed joy luck's hotpot even though the selection is not super diverse but it is plenty choices. We got everything except for the pork slices, which includes: Napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, tofu, fish tofu, fish balls, noodles, squid, lamb, beef, tripe, head-on shrimp, taro and tofu skin. The staff are super nice and accommodating, they got us all the dipping sauce components we asked for: garlic, cilantro, green onions, sesame paste, hoisin sauce, Chinese bbq sauce, black vinegar, and chili oil. During the pandemic, they are not doing fountain drinks so all the can sodas came complimentary. $20.99 per person. read more

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

Sadomasochism isn't really my bag but occasionally I will find some pleasure in a tongue numbingly spicy hot meal. I had the day off on Friday and it was roughly the second or third day in a row of premature beyond frigid temperatures. I needed a fix. I enter Joy Luck Buffet during the lunch hour on a Friday. It's packed. I tell the hostess I'd like to order off the menu so we head to the back where the air is a little fresher. We pass the vat of crab rangoon steaming, the tub of red jell-o cubes, and the sushi station. I settle in with the menu and a fresh pot of hot tea. There are decisions to be made and I'm dining alone so I don't get to taste what everyone else is ordering. I look longingly at the picture of the chengdu dumplings in chili oil and realize they will have to wait until next time when I show up with more people. I decide on the Pork with Garlic Sauce (Julienned pork stir-fried with green and red bell peppers, garlic, and bamboo shoots in a sweet, sour, and spicy sauce.) It was delicious. Exactly what I wanted. Tender and spicy with a faint hint of sweetness at the end. Thankfully there's an ample amount of white rice if I need its relief after the exquisite agony of a Szechuan peppercorn. I ate less than 1/4 of this and boxed the rest up. Portions are large! Until next time my friend. I'll be thinking of your chili oil and the lovely beef and seafood served in the lip numbing red fiery broth. read more

Joy Luck Buffet - Pork with Garlic Sauce - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Its a typical Chinese Buffet. Same as every other we all have been to. Place is pretty clean. But isnt a Must Try at least at 230p

This place seemed dirty and was dark. Items advertised in the reviews were not on the buffet. No crab legs, no frog legs, no beef roast. We filled our plates anyway but after bites of 2 different dishes that tasted old and soured, we got up and walked out. $14.99 a plate for nothing special and I was worried about food poisoning after trying the mushrooms and green beans. My husband loves a buffet but needless to say, we won't go back. read more

loved it. and i'd come back and do the take out. food was hot, and tasty. i couldn't find the bowls at first but ended up finding some, there was another bin that contained dirty ones. read more

Honestly this is a very good and interesting buffet. I would definitely recommend this buffet to everyone living in St. Louis

Highly recommend!!! My boyfriend and I got the buffet; we went through 7 plates for $25 total! No brainer. Have to say, the set up has a great variety of foods, not the best Chinese I have had, but definitely did not disappoint and we will be back. The dessert tables were great, would not recommend the sushi; it was just.. wrong. The buffet was constantly replenished, everything was warm, lots to choose from, family place too. Even though the food wasn't absolutely amazing, we were really impressed and wish we could have tried everything. read more

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Not so "secret" menu these days - literally their t-shirts say to ask about the secret menu. I don't think there's actually a non-secret menu these days. When you get sat by the host, you are asked if you're ordering off the menu or doing the buffet. And the big shiny menu with pictures and English descriptions of sichuan dishes is the menu you get. Very approachable! Not a piece of paper in only Chinese you have to ask for in Chinese. I first came craving hot pot. Its AYCE, and the buffet comes with the hot pot. A good deal for a lot of variety. You can like have buffet as appetizers or a break from the hot pot. The selection of hot pot stuff is pretty abysmal, but they do have all the basics. For me, I eat hot pot in a restaurant for the variety and don't want to gather a small amount of a million things for home, and here it's literally the same 10 items my mom has in her house at all times. It's convenient enough to have though... Most importantly there IS a sauce bar! It's pretty tucked away, so be sure to ask where it is. It's more comprehensive than their hotpot selection, hah The buffet itself is pretty standard. Actually better fake Chinese than any of the crappy joints near me. A good 1/4 is devoted to pizza/wings/salad/white people food too, more than I'm used to. The sushi is pretty below average but can't blame them for that. I never do the hibachi diy bowls but they have that too. A+ for the variety and value We recently also went for the sichuan menu, and it was pretty alright! Aside from being expectedly on the salty side, all the standards were flavorful and not so watered down. Unapologetic use of raw garlic, mountains of chili's, etc. I don't know that it's the best versions of these dishes ever, but it's still real Chinese food and satisfies a craving for those flavors any day. Now if only I could find a proper pad kee mao in this city ;( Joy luck spreads themselves pretty thin to cover all your bases for Chinese food but it's pretty impressive that they do all the aspects relatively well. You can eat here every day and not get bored! read more

The food here is a good bang for your buck! Getting a substantial amount for just $15 is a steal - probably the best deal around. Btw it is a buffet so you can eat as much as you want! While I might not make it a regular spot, it's a cool experience to indulge in a variety of dishes for that price. It's worth it if you're super hungry and looking to save some cash! read more

Decent chinese buffet with great hot tea, and I love the all you can eat hot pot option and al la carte menu, even if it's a little pricey. Definately try the hot pot as it also comes with the buffet, and there is a make your own dipping sauce station in the back behind the buffet. I wish they had more options on the hot pot, or maybe open a second restaurant dedicated to just all you can eat hot pot. We need one in St.. Louis! read more

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The old waitress is incredibly rude! Her rudeness is non heared of. I ordered all you can eat hot pot, and I asked one more plate of lamb, after she brought me that( with attitude), I asked her if they have any cilantro, and she replied so impatient and said, yes, but you can't ask me these requests one by one, you need to ask them together, I'm bust, I can't go back and forth for you. she was also rude generally speaking. after a while , the pot is almost dry , she finally came, and I asked her: how long you have been working here ? She said : working here ? I own this place ! Then she just walked away... later , I complained about her to the manager. After a while, the most unbelievable thing happened. She walked angerly to my table, and bean to scold me, and said why you tell the manager? I'm the owner, I don't care! Don't come here again! what a crazy lady! unheard of . The food is also not as good as before ( they changed the owner and cooks) . She is right , I will never come back to this absurd place that customer is bullied and shout at. read more

Used to be a pretty good place to eat. Second time I was really disappointed. Went at 5 and nothing was fresh. The soda was also bad. They were willing to take off the soda the bill, but when you go to tip, the hiked up the tip percentage after tax which is sneaky. The bathrooms were very dirty. Both men and woman. read more

I don't care what anyone else says, probably on of the better buffet spots I go to in STL. Although the inside and outside of the restaurant looks a little run down, don't let that fool you from the food. I would say the buffet side is better than the hotpot side but I still enjoy doing the hotpot. The broth can be improved but again, I still enjoy it. Highly recommend! read more

Food was not good. The interior needs a good cleaning. An hour later I had an upset stomach. I will not be returning.

Joy Luck Buffet is the best buffet In Maplewood. The service is Great. The food is excellent. 4 Buffets and also a sushi bar. Our party thoroughly enjoyed Every tender morsel of food. 7.99 for the Buffet. Its a gift From the Chef gods. read more

They are delivering right now! My usual place was not. So I thought I would change it up, my original Chinese spot I've been eating at for the past 20 years seems to be steading declining across the board. The guy who answered was super nice! The total bill was cheaper than my normal place and I ordered more food! The food was good. The chicken lo mein was a little bland but everything else was amazing! The sweet and sour chicken was great and the beef and broccoli was good! No fortune cookies but that's ok! I will order again. read more

Joy Luck Buffet - three containers of food on a table - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

At a Chinese Buffet, the typical expectation is quantity over quality. Walking into this establishment gave that expectation a twist. You are presented with four buffet tables, however two of them are dessert tables. I was expecting a bit more entree-related food for the price I was paying ($17.78). I started out with a plate of white rice and honey chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly. The rice was a different story. Was cooked, however was distasteful. Next, I had Lo Mein with broccoli beef. Noodles were excellent, but the beef was also distasteful. Finally, I finished off with some chocolate pudding and strawberry cake. Both were lacking in coldness. It almost felt as if I was eating an entree based on its temperature. Overall, some food lacked in quality, which is most important in a review. I may return sometime soon, but only if I'm really craving it. It will not be a planned visit. read more

When looking for a nice lunch spot after a day of tracking thrifts and watching the random people of St Louis, we found this place...after missing the turn off due its failry small sign on the road. After going through the car washy and placing our jeep into 4 wheel drive to jump a curb, we managed to acoid hitting another car that decided to turn through the parking lot at the average speed of a normal highway police chase for this time of day. Moving along to the buffet itself, we were greeted quickly and they have non-sweet tea and Coke products so Diet Coke it was. There are about 5 food stations ranging from cold foods that I NEVER touch and neither did anyone else by the lok of everything barely touched by 1pm at this point but the chicken slection and beef entres were vary aplenty of options indeed. The fried donuts were good, but the crab rangoon and egg rolls were a little tough to eat and to throw due to my Tommy John's Surgery arm still not diagnosed yet. OVerall, a decent little lunch spot and a fair price but there are more options if you need to be blown away. If you're just hungry and not too picky, this place will do. read more

We arrived about 15 minutes into the start of dinner buffet ($14.95 for adults) and there wasn't much selection (many pans were empty). Within 15-20 minutes they had brought out more and we were able to find dishes that were fresh. Compared to other Chinese buffets, it was overall very bland. The pork ribs were tough, dumplings undercooked, and the egg rolls tasted like they had been out for hours. The most shocking part was that gratuity was added for our party of 5, without notice. I always tip well for many reasons, in part because I'm a former server. Always 20% or above. And I always give it directly to the server in cash, because some smaller places don't allow them to keep their tips. But as our server wasn't allowed to take payment for us I doubt she will see a dime of the $12 tip. Anyway, next time we drive through St Louis we will choose another spot. read more

My boyfriend and I went in at 7pm to get the hotpot! Got it half spicy. Does get even more spicier the more you eat from that soup. Choices: beef, pork, lamb, tripe, shrimp, o-deng (fish cakes), tofu, noodles, veggies, etc. Fun experience! Refills are included. No complaints. If youre going for the buffet, go earlier because they dont replenish it after 7pm because the workers are ready to bounce outta there. Food was decent, but the service was horrible. We wanted refills on water and didnt get that. Also, the server forgot about us and never brought us our check either, so we had to look for him/her. Sauce area was messy. Cilantro wasn't fresh and black in color. The Only hot pot place in St. Louis (or that I know of). read more