Joyful Chinese Restaurant

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Reviews

1. SAM PRAJA ★☆☆☆☆

   I ordered fried rice and paid $23 upfront. After paying, I decided to sit and eat inside, but the lady brought my food in a takeaway box and told me I couldn’t dine in because it was a “takeaway price.” I even offered to pay the extra dine-in difference, but she still refused to let me sit. I found that really disappointing — I was a paying customer willing to cover any extra cost, yet I was turned away. It’s not about the money, it’s about how customers are treated. A bit of flexibility and respect would’ve made a huge difference.

   almost 5 months ago
2. Graeme Ting ★★★★★

   Had a wonderful meal here at Joyful Chinese Restaurant. The staff were attentive and provided excellent service, and the dining area is well kept and comfortable. The menu had a large range of choice and we found the food to be authentic and really tasty. In particular, our vegetable dishes were superb, perfectly cooked, not oily, nicely seasoned and beautifully presented. The restaurant has been going for 27 years. It was really great to talk with the owners, who are friendly and take great pride in their service to customers and the food they serve. I recommend the tasty food at Joyful Chinese Restaurant.

   almost 11 months ago
3. Hao ★★☆☆☆

   Joyful Restaurant, Epsom, Auckland** I had been looking forward to dining at Joyful Restaurant, given its reputation as a 30-year-old establishment in Epsom, Auckland. Unfortunately, my experience today was far from joyful and left me deeply disappointed. I feel compelled to share my experience in detail, as I believe it reflects significant issues with both the food quality and service. I pre ordered the Chinese herb duck, which was decent but nothing extraordinary. The real letdown came with the pre ordered black fur BBQ pork, which was recommended by the lady boss. When the dish arrived, I was shocked to see that it was almost entirely fat with very little meat. I politely brought this to the lady boss’s attention, and while she acknowledged that it was fatty, she insisted it was still tasty. I tried a few bites, but the texture and overwhelming fattiness were so unappetizing that I couldn’t finish it. It felt like a waste of money and left a bad impression. To make matters worse, the service was excruciatingly slow. We waited 45 minutes for our initial dishes to arrive, which is already excessive for a restaurant that wasn’t particularly busy. After realizing the BBQ pork was inedible, I ordered a lamb dish as a replacement, hoping it would salvage the meal. However, it took another 40 minutes to arrive, bringing the total wait time to nearly an hour and a half for a complete meal. This level of delay is completely unacceptable, especially when the food quality doesn’t justify the wait. The lamb dish itself was average—nothing special to write home about, and certainly not worth the extended wait. By the time it arrived, I had already lost my appetite and just wanted to leave. The entire experience felt like a waste of time and money. For a restaurant with such a long history in Auckland, I expected much better. The combination of poor food quality, slow service, and lack of accountability (defending a dish that was clearly subpar) was deeply disappointing. I truly hope Joyful Restaurant can address these issues and regain the trust of its customers. As it stands, I cannot recommend this place based on my experience today. There are far better dining options in Auckland that deliver both quality and timely service.

   1 year ago

1. Alice PB ★★★★★

   Our all time favourite. Their lobster and steamed orange roughy fish is a must eat and best in town!

   1 year ago
2. Lilian Monaghan ★★★★★

   Celebrated my friend’s birthday here. Everything was so delicious and service was impeccable!

   almost 2 years ago
3. 夏日稻田杜杜 ★★★★★

   Had a birthday dinner with 10 friends last night. The food are great. I am from Canton. The Cantonese food here is the one of the best Chinese restaurants in Auckland. The service are very nice and friendly. My husband’s non-Chinese colleagues love the dishes too. The peking duck is so good. I love the sauce so much and no one take photos( lol). Last night the restaurant was full house, so the space was a bit small for a big table. next time I might choose lunch time to come or dinner in weekdays.

   almost 2 years ago

1. Keng Lee ★☆☆☆☆

   Don't believe their photos. What you see is not necessary what you get. They prefer cash payment even when it costs so much!

   almost 2 years ago
2. Amornwan Silapadech ★★★★★

   Very reasonable price. We ordered snapper fish and chips. It was big and yum!

   almost 2 years ago

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