Yummy and home style Chinese food. Favorite dishes were A10 Northeastern Style Cold Mung Bean…read moreNoodles, B01 Lamb Skewers, H02 Stir Fried Green Bean, and H03 Fried Chicken Wings!

Saw this place years ago when they first opened but never got around to dining in. Got there about…read more11:45 am just before the noon. Only about two tables were occupied and we were seated right away. ordered the claypot beef brisket with tomato, boiled fish, and eggplant with green beans. The beef brisket was very tender in a sweet ginger sauce with wood ears. The tomatoes replaced the usual daikon in this dish which added to the sweetness. The boiled fish looked like they used Snake fish which was a pleasant surprise and soy beans instead of bean sprouts. Lots of Sichuan pepper corns and chilis as expected. Always one of my favorite dishes and didn't disappoint. The veggie dish consisted of eggplant, string beans and pumpkin. They were deep fried to a crispy but still tender texture. I would then guess quickly stir fried in a very hot wok to get the "wok heh". The garlic sauce was a perfect compliment. Everything was delicious and I would come back. The server forgot the tea we ordered, and the place was full when we left around 1:30.

Wowwwwwwww! What a great dim sum restaurant!!!! It is located in a mall. Ample parking in…read moreparking lot. The carts come around and you begin your feast. My favorites are chicken feet, spare ribs in black bean sauce, salt and pepper lobster and stir fried Chinese broccoli (not pictured). The bbq pork buns and pineapple custard buns were fantastic as well. Chicken feet were tender and flavorful. Pork spareribs had great flavor but wasn't as tender as I would've liked. The salt & pepper lobster was crispy on the outside and meat was delicious. I could've sat there all day eating it. The bbq pork buns had a little sticky glaze on top and the bun was so soft. The bbq pork filling had sweetness to it. The pineapple custard bun was a great dessert item to finish off a wonderful meal here. It was soft, topping was crumbly and the custard filling just oozing like an egg yolk. The bun was soft, sweet and delicious! Service was great. Staff were helpful and friendly Highly recommend and I will definitely return when I'm in the area again.

I always laugh a little when I read reviews saying, "This isn't the best dim sum in Greater…read moreBoston." You're right. It's also not in Chinatown, where parking is an Olympic sport. And it's not in Quincy or Malden either. Sometimes convenience matters. That's exactly why Joyful Garden has become my family's go-to. If you're coming for dim sum, weekends are absolutely the time to go. You'll get the biggest selection, everything comes out piping hot, and the carts are flying around the restaurant. The tradeoff? It is BUSY. Don't show up starving. Show up with friends, accept that you'll probably have a wait, grab the electronic buzzer, and spend some time chatting while wandering around the strip mall. (Yes, you'll probably end up standing near the vape shop. It's all part of the experience.) The ambiance is classic Cantonese restaurant: big round tables, banquet energy, families everywhere, and enough space for everything from dim sum to celebrations. I've been here for birthdays, baby one-month celebrations, weddings, banquets, and casual meals with a friend. There's also a bar area where you might find people watching Jeopardy or whatever else happens to be on, which honestly adds to the charm. The two biggest reasons we keep coming back are surprisingly unglamorous: 1. Parking. 2. Prices. The parking is fantastic. Front lot, back lot...it's in a strip mall, so you don't have to circle for twenty minutes hoping someone leaves. The prices deserve their own paragraph. ::IT'S STORYTIME:: My parents are from Guangdong and Hong Kong, and they are, without question, the most price-conscious people I know. They track grocery prices like they're following the stock market. They debate whether shrimp is worth ordering because it's gotten too expensive. AND despite living near Flushing, New York, every single time they come to visit me, they insist on going to Joyful Garden at least once because they cannot get over how reasonable the prices are. When there were rumors that businesses in Arsenal Yards might have to relocate, they were genuinely worried about Joyful Garden. That, more than anything, tells you what they think of the place. The Cantonese entrees are solid too. My family's favorites include the clay pot dishes, while I keep coming back for Buddha's Delight, Poached House Chicken, and the braised E-fu noodles with mushrooms. One last thing: I sometimes see reviews saying the dim sum isn't as good as Toronto or Vancouver. Well...yes. Neither is most dim sum in the United States. I think it's more useful to judge Joyful Garden for what it is: an affordable, dependable neighborhood Cantonese restaurant with good dim sum, plentiful parking, and prices that somehow still make my Cantonese parents happy. And trust me, that last part is a remarkably high bar.

Casual, lively, and always a good time. Shabu-Zen in Allston is popular with the college crowd and…read morefamilies. The space is clean, and they have a parking lot right behind, though it fills up fast. Street parking can be tricky. They have a great selection of broths, from veggie-based and savory to Sichuan spicy. You can load up on meats, seafood, and veggies, and there's a lot to choose from. I also like that shabu-shabu is interactive. You get things uncooked and cook it yourself in the bubbling broth, so we're constantly dipping in different meats, seafood, and veggies. We usually get sake here because it pairs so well with the meal. They have cocktails too, but this is definitely more of a sake-and-shabu kind of place for me. Overall Service: The staff here have always been great. I've been several times now, both with bigger groups and just a couple of friends, and the service has consistently been friendly, patient, and attentive. Even when it gets busy, they're always pleasant and on top of things.

The broth was good and the meat was also nice! But i found it lacking on spice for some reason,…read moredidnt had the hit i usually get. The service was quick and nice. The ambience was quite nice too, we didnt had to scream.

Sichuan cuisine is super popular but I've been reluctant to try it because I cannot really handle…read morespicy. However, I decided to give it a try with my friends and was very surprised that the spiciness wasn't too bad. Well, I've requested very mild. To my surprise, I absolutely loved the food here. Each dish had its own unique bold flavors. The staff were friendly and helpful with recommendations. The atmosphere is chill. Definitely a must visit!

one of the best general tsaos i've ever had in my whole life. the service is good but the place…read moreisn't really a fancy or luxury sit down place, it's very casual but honestly has one of the best schezuan food i've every tried. general tsaos is my favorite and im from new york and have tried it from all over so i would say i know what im talking about - and the general tsao is so so so good.

Rented the "private" room a few days ago with fifteen people... Great food (as always) with…read morewonderful, attentive service​​, free karaoke...a great evening with family at a lovely restaurant. ​​

This might be my new go to spot for AYCE hotpot during lunch hours…read more My two reasons are, their mala broth is amazing and is actually spicy. Second reason is, the quality of their meat selection is excellent. Literally tastes so fresh and clean. I love that it's thinly sliced, too. Maybe I have a third reason too lol their dumplings, their dumplings (chives or cabbage), are so tasty. It comes out steaming hot in a whole order. Please try! We came here Monday for lunch. The waitress that was there and served us, she is amazing. Super friendly and helpful. We opted for the VIP selection because why not. For $40 a person, it's still not bad for the quality of food you get. I highly recommend it. Just check out my shortrib picture, you'll drool! The only reason I gave this review 4 out of 5 is because, there were not much seafood selection.

This was my first time going to Happy Lamb Allston since they converted to AYCE. The layout is…read moreslightly different to accommodate the buffet bars. We were lucky to get a table for 8 pretty easily as it can be quite busy. My only qualm is that booths for large parties are a pain when it comes to buffets. My go to drink is usually the rock sugar pear drink or the fresh coconut. In addition to the hot pot items, they also have some unlimited sides, build your own dessert soup, and unlimited sweet teas. Happy Lamb has one of the best broth selections. They pride themselves on having great flavor and no need for dipping sauce. The meat and seafood selection was very fresh, and everything was neatly organized. I love that they have they out in individual portions so there's less waste and cross-contamination. The spread for vegetables also had a great variety.

None of us in our party could handle spicy (yes we are wimps) so we got the 8-hour bone broth. It…read moreis milky colored and tastes delicious, comforting, and nutritious. They had nice and orderly selection of msuhroom While they had good air conditioning I wish they had better ventilation so you would not feel like you're in a sauna. A low vent hood or a fan to direct the steam away would've been nice. Be cautious of what you wear and accessories you bring because you will be smelling heavily of hot pot hours after you leave! Our server was friendly and attentive. She even gave us a bag of their broth to bring home. Come here early. We arrived at 5:30ish and there was no line but when we left there was a giant crowd waiting.

Food was goooood, especially given Boston's food scene. Everyone at the table enjoyed every dish,…read moreand this place is a great bang for your buck. The portions were also fairly large, which was a big reason I rated it so highly. The dan dan noodles were really flavorful, and the pork was . Easily one of my favorite dishes. The beef with green peppers had the perfect spice level. The beef was tender and well-seasoned, the peppers were cooked nicely, and the two flavors complemented each other really well. You also can't go wrong with the stir-fried green beans and eggplant. Both were cooked and seasoned well, and this was another favorite. The small Szechuan dry pot was pretty good too. We chose beef, lotus root, cabbage, and cauliflower. It wasn't overly oily, and I really liked all the vegetables. The beef was just okay, but we had already ordered beef in another dish, so we probably should've chosen a different meat for more variety. Overall, the food was flavorful, the portions were generous, and the prices felt very reasonable. Definitely a solid option for sharing a bunch of dishes with a group.

I checked the reviews before I wrote. As everyone commented, the food is not bad but the service is…read morehorrible. They don't even have any service and ask you to tips at least 15%. The employees like to gossip the customers. I sat right next to the front desk. I heard they said the big table didn't order too much food and didn't order expensive food (there was a table with 6 people). I didn't order the rice with my meal on purpose because they will bring my rice first before the meals come. They didn't happy with it. They were complaining about it in the front desk and I heard it. I ordered the soda after the meals came, they didn't like it either. One of the waitress pushed another waitress and said, I don't want to go to grab. The other waitress said, I don't want to go either. If they don't like to work or they don't like servicing people, they don't have to work as waitresses. I don't understand why the owner hired them or maybe the owner agreed what they do? I ordered the food from chowbus. They just delivered the food out. They even asked for at least 15% tips? They didn't even want to deliver my soda or rice, they asked me to tip them??? DONT GO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SERVICE DONT GO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A HAPPY DINNER

Spicy sour broth the golden broth is our favorite. Service…read morehas been fine! Our server this last time was very kind! We usually order: Small combo golden spicy sour broth - 1lb. Beef + fish - bean curd skin + spam - fried milk curd + spicy chicken (cold) or crispy pork belly This is definitely enough for 2 of us, probably 3 people even depending on how big of an eater group you have! Everything came out quickly, i enjoy the broth a lot, it's not overly spicy and the sour tang is yummy. The beef is super tender, we usually bring the beef to the top so it doesn't end up overcooking while being in there. Feels like a good portion. The sides you add to it are also dumped in there pretty hefty. The crispy pork was alright, it would be nice if a bit crispier, ours didn't have that crunch when initially biting into it. Maybe not the way it's supposed to be but for me anyways. The milk curd was good to me, light flaky crispy. The lady loves the cold spicy chicken dish, that's almost a meal in itself. Will be back!

B2J Tasty Pot is so good, I ended up coming here two nights in a row for dinner!…read more My first visit here, we ordered a combo for 2. This comes with a small pot with 1 lb of your choice of broth & protein (fish, beef, or both), 2 add-ons to your pot, 2 appetizer sides, and 2 bowls of rice. We did: - fish and beef with signature spicy sour broth (mild spicy) - 2 add ons: bean curd sticks + spam - 2 sides: spiced chicken w/ chili sauce & house made fried milk custard The combos are such a good deal! If you order a small pot of fish & beef on its own, it's $39.99. For $26 more, you get 2 add ons, 2 sides, & 2 bowls of rice. BUT I guess if you're not too hungry, you could totally get away with ordering just the pot! We typically order appetizer dishes whenever we go out to eat & had planned to get some sides anyways, so the combo deal worked in our favor. With that being said, i think next time we come, we could totally do the small pot with 1 side = $50. Honestly, it did end up being way more food than we could finish & we had leftovers to take back with us. For my second visit, we were a party of 5 and decided to get the combo for 3! This includes a medium pot (1.5lb protein of choice), 3 add-ons, and 3 side dishes. This was the perfect amount of food for us. I think if we had done the combo for 4, it would've been way too much. I'd say, the combos are great but totally not necessary. Only go for it if you actually see some appetizers & add-ons you'd like. The spiced chicken is my favorite side/appetizer! It is served cold & is decently spicy. Both visits, I opted for the same broth & protein: fish + beef. Fish & beef were cooked perfectly. I liked that the beef was soft & not hard to chew. The mild spicy broth is spicy but not too spicy where you'd need to take a break in between or need a beverage. I liked that the spice did not take away from the flavor. Service was great! The staff that helped us were all super kind and helpful. Well air conditioned & we found the restaurant to be very clean. Would totally come back again.