Joy Luck Chinese Buffet

I recently visited Joy Luck Chinese Buffet and had a fairly average experience. The food options available were not bad, though I found the selection to be somewhat minimal. If you're looking for a wide variety of dishes, this might not fully meet expectations, but what they did offer was satisfying. The highlight of our visit was definitely the service. Despite the restaurant being fairly busy, we were seated right away, which was a pleasant surprise. The staff was courteous and attentive throughout our meal, which added a positive note to our experience. As for the atmosphere, it was a bit on the bland side. There wasn't much going on in terms of decor or ambiance, so it felt a little understated. If you’re looking for a vibrant or themed environment, you might find it somewhat lacking. Overall, Joy Luck offers decent food and excellent service, but could benefit from enhancing its ambiance and menu variety. A solid choice for a straightforward buffet experience.

Sad to say this has been my least enjoyed buffet. Food was average at best. Surprised at the amount of fried food on the buffet. Indonesia want fried foods, I want a selection of various meat and vegetables dishes. There is no need for a return trip for me.

Definetly a Chinese buffet, atmosphere is great. Very calm and nice environment. The service was quick, they made sure you were taken care of but also left you alone- Perfect balance in my opinion. Decent amount of variety in food. Appetizers, main meals and desserts. All very clean and workers were restocking and mixing food regularly. Decent price for what you're getting. My favorite Chinese buffet in stl for sure.

Honestly, I don't do buffets and normally I order for pick up from this place. Most of the complaints I see in the reviews just come with the territory of buffets. (What good does it do to complain about other customers' behavior? Really doesn't mean anything about the place itself, they can't control their guests. 😂) The buffet is alright, like I said, I don't normally do buffets, so the few times I've eaten it has been alright- but I prefer my food made fresh for me. Their Sichuan specials are what I go here for, and they are excellent! 👌 A friend of mine is from Chengdu, Sichuan and she recognizes most of the dishes I get from here, which I think says a lot. I only get the things she recommends. If you're worried the buffet won't be what you're expecting, I recommend ordering from the menu instead. Their hotpot looks good, but I haven't tried it yet.

Their dishes are hidden gems! Very tasty and authentic Chinese food at a fair price! It’s underrated in the Google Map reviews. I’ve been there several times. This is also a great place for vegetarians. This time, I went with my Indian friend who only eats vegetarian, and he liked the eggplant and tofu dishes a lot.

My boyfriend and I got takeout after a day of traveling and this did NOT hit the spot. The Chicken and Broccoli was cooked in what I can best describe as chicken broth, there was no sauce or flavor to be seen. The Beef Lo Mein was a strange yellow color and tasted off. My boyfriend did like his Egg Drop Soup, but said it was also more yellow than it usually is at other places. Food was edible, just strange or no flavor. Dinner for two did only cost around $30 though, so price is reasonable. Food was ready on time as well. I'd only eat here out of desperation in the future.

The food just was not that good. The steamed rice, fried dumplings, potatoes, and the green beans were the only foods I enjoyed. The fried rice looked horrible and dry. The noodles were a strange color. A decent variety for a Sunday but the hibachi grill was closed.

The buffet is consistently good and am never upset to have chosen this spot. If you order for takeout the food is even BETTER and that isn't saying it was bad in the buffet but it seems individual versus for a hot line, just has something a bit more I guess. Either way this is my go to place 90% of the time

We visited Joy Luck on a Saturday evening at around 6:00 PM. It was moderately busy, but there was plenty of space and we were seated promptly. The buffet itself was clean and nicely organized, with a good selection classic Pan-Asian cuisine. All of the food seemed fresh and was replenished regularly during the 90 minutes our party of four dined and talked over dinner. The sushi, seafood salad, and other cold items were very cold, and the hot items were steaming hot, all with good flavors. The crab Rangoon was mild and slightly sweet, and the broccoli beef was well prepared with mild spicing. There was a small array of dessert items, including very tasty melon and a few cakes and ice cream. Service was good and everyone seemed to be friendly. With regard to those reviews stating that staff was unfriendly, we certainly did not notice rudeness, but we did encounter two persons tending the buffet who seemed unable to understand English...so they weren't going to be able to manage a "friendly" conversation. The servers were fluent in English, and very nice! Overall, this is a moderately priced Chinese buffet, not a Five Star steak house, but it was clean and the food was plentiful and tasty. We liked this restaurant, and we will be back!

Food was good. They had a huge bar to choose from! Go during lunch time for best price. Take a friend or Family Member. Sue S.

There was a time where this place was fun, and fairly decent to eat at. Now it is without a doubt on the Worst Restaurants in Saint Louis list. Dirty. Stuffy/hot. Food is old and gross. Options have disappeared. Have had bugs crawling in my hot pot veggies more than once. Skip this one, and head down the road to Hokkaido or Hibachi Grill.

Food was not that good/Seems like food had been out for a while and had not been refreshed/sushi was room temperature and hard and was afraid to eat it. They did not bring out more/I've had much better. This was our first time at joy luck/air conditioner. Seems to be not working very well. Was hot inside restaurant. More than likely will not be returning/had to stop on the way home and throw up

Food was not flavored well. We only saw an employee when we were seated. The food was lukewarm. Would not recommend this place.

I haven't been to a Chinese buffet in ages. I'm definitely going back to Joy Luck. They had a nice selection of food. It was fresh and tasty. The prices are reasonable. Customer service was great. The restaurant was busy with plenty of customers. Clean.

The food has declined and I came in today for my mom's birthday u usually pay at the end I paid early so we can just leave when done. we got there at around 3:15. I ask the server do they still serve mussels and crawfish they said only at dinner time. I asked what time was dinner and they said 4pm I looked at the time and it was currently 4pm I said oh great. The server then proceeded to ask me to pay the difference for dinner which I was confused on why since we hadn't left , paid before we sat down and ate and it's a buffet! There were customers there before us that remained after we left however no one else was asked to pay the difference except us and we are black ! I never had that happen to me before and I will not be returning!

Ok, I eat here from time to time. Food is common fair Asian buffet. Nothing stands out. That said, they get the job done and the place is clean. Easy location from my work.

Wonderful assortment of buffet selections. They have hot & cold food choices. I like how they have a variety of chicken options. Their fish is delicious too. They offer something for everyone. I've seen happy children eating & cleaning their plates. They are closed on Tuesdays.

We ordered the buffet on our visit to Joy Luck, but I wish we had ordered from the menu instead. The food was pretty bland and nothing was good enough for us to make a second trip to the buffet. It was also pretty expensive, especially for how lackluster it was. However, the person at the table next to us ordered from the menu, and his food looked and smelled amazing. I definitely want to come back to try something from the menu. The booths are all set up for hot pot. This means that there isn't much leg room, but that there is potential for some great food if you ordered from the menu. If I could go back in time, I would forego the buffet and give the menu a chance.

Yikes. This place went down hill fast. Ordered hot pot which includes buffet. Nothing on the buffet was warm. Icecream had hair in it - when we alerted the waitress she went straight to the register to give us a 10% discount - but we weren't looking for a discount- just wanted them to address the icecream station cleanliness.. sadly, I think Joy luck ran its course & it's time to shut down. God speed.

Immediately given bill, before seated to dine, weird. Fresh roasted green beans, garlic and olive oil, yumm. Best part of meal for two cost $36. Enjoyed chicken wings. They gradually brought out fresh options, most disappointed was crab Rangoon -- prefer it fried til crispy. Trying place once was enough,

A quiet place for a quick lunch or a relaxing dinner. Off the beaten path near Manchester and Hanley road lot Parking. Can be easily missed not a lot of signage on Manchester. The buffet is plentiful with all of your favorite Asian Fare. My favorites are the roasted chicken tender juicy and delicious cut like Peking duck with the skin attached but not as crispy. Seafood delight with crisp zucchini and baby corn and carrots. Stir fried green beans and the spring rolls. They have everything from egg drop soup to sweet dumplings. You can also order ala Carte from the menu, or to go. They are known for their hotboxes as well, but I've never tried it. Friendly staff and fast service make for a pleasant experience. The lighting is low and atmosphere subdued so great for a date night. The crowd had light chatter when we arrived. We will visit again.

This place needs some TLC it's a little run down a little dirty. The food is tolerable. All of the fried food was undercooked barely crispy. I'll not be back

We've been eating there more than 10ys. Quality has substantially declined, wife with diarrhea and allergic reaction from too much MSG. We used to love this place.

My buddy Andrew told me this is the best kept secret in St. Louis. It brings him Joy when he's down on his Luck... Quite literally!!! Every time he leaves, he buys a couple scratch offs & wins every time!!! All the food was delicious!!! It definitely lifted my spirits on that cold rainy day.

Just your average Chinese buffet. The spicy chicken dish was pretty spicy, but I liked it.

Family restaurant fairly quiet very good Chinese food and a little sushi fast service

We came to joy luck buffet for dinner. Dinner buffet is $13.50 per person on Saturdays. This is now crowded though the buffet offers a good selection of choices. My favorites from the buffet options include: salt pepper shrimps, mayonnaise shrimps, beef with broccoli and spicy chicken. Everything is decent. I'd visit again when I don't want to cook, while want good selections.

Nope! Ok so the reviews are very mixed and I see why. First the service is absolutely horrible. No greeting when you walk in or anything. The staff seems like they can careless to be there. The food was just ok. The sushi was horrible. Definitely a big no.

I came two days in a row and can confirm the hot and sour soup and fries are the most decent items out of everything. The exterior/ interior has no personality to appeal to customers. Trying the hot pot was disappointing as the broth and other sides were bland. I won't be returning unfortunately.

Joy Luck is a hidden gem that serves classic Asian buffet dishes, but also surprisingly good hot pot. As a seasoned veteran of Chinese buffets, I have high standards. However, they impressed me with their quality selections, my favorites of which were the BBQ ribs and Chinese fried chicken. They have a hot pot option that fully includes the buffet service. Got this with a group of friends today and we were impressed by how good the hot pot was! They provide a seafood platter with shrimp, fish balls, tofu, and vegetables. You also get beef, pork, and tripe (hard pass for me, but each to their own). Overall, this place is a solid Asian buffet/hot pot destination that deserves more attention!

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

This food was so disgusting. Watery and no flavor.. Assumed we were taking food from The Buffet. Rudely apologized when proven wrong. Racism's with races in different sections... And when they noticed we couldn't eat the food and we remarked on the lack of flavor the manager came out and told my daughter and myself we were no longer welcome here. Find somewhere else to go. I politely informed him that we were never coming back because the food is not appetizing. And we are sick from it. The service and atmosphere was atrocious. This place is terrible. I will never eat here again....i recommend you do not either if I could give them zero stars I would.

I usually don't leave reviews but I feel it's important for people to know before they come back there were two separate instances where I saw a waiter pick up a piece of cake off of the buffet right in front of me and eat it with his hands. I didn't see it but I heard a customer last time I was here say that they put part of her food back into the buffet to not waste it.

Best Chinese food buffet that I have been to in the St. Louis Area. the service is good, well, its all you can eat, but they keep the drinks replenished, come by to pick up plates, to keep your table clear. The food is very good, its all you can eat buffet, and I think, for Chinese Cuisine, it is hard to find a restaurant that can keep up with good tasting food. Joy Luck does a good job, Bringing out food that tastes good. its not lousy food, its good. and thinking, all you can eat, Lunch I believe cost me in the neighborhood of $12.00 and that you are limited to "all you can eat" its really not bad at all. The Location is very nice, very clean, spacious. A lot of tables were available. I would Normally rate a restaurant like Joy Luck in the 3 star's but I gave them 1 more star, because in my opinion, being that this place is ALL YOU CAN EAT, what you pay for and what you get, this place is the best All You Can Eat restaurant in this caliber. that should stand for something. I have been to places where all you can eat was 3 - 4 times as much, the food was slightly better, but it wasn't 3 - 4 times better, maybe just slightly better. Good Value, Good Quality food, Good Service, Good Ambiance, and in this caliber of all you can eat, they are the best, that I have tried in the St. Louis Area

Solid buffet. Food selection was ok and there's some gems in this buffet like the chicken on stick which sits in a yummy sauce and is not on a stick lol or the coconut shrimp. Lo mein is good and so is egg drop soup. Service is prompt and drinks are kept full. The restaurant itself is clean and upkept with nice decorations to help with atmosphere. Only reason it gets 4/5 is because some of the food could have been more hot/fresh and some items needed to be rotated especially on Sunday when there is a premium charge all day.

I'm giving 5 stars on all of my past experiences here. I've only experienced the dine in HotPot with buffet once, you just need to know what you're choosing,carefully from the buffet. The hot pot was great! More than that I am a long time follower of the Szechuan menu and regularly picking it up to go for lunch at work. This restaurant has been hard to access since the closing of the Hanley Manchester bridge,. So excited that Manchester is open and I can start picking up delicious Szechuan items to go. I have been hoping that Joy Luck would make it through this time as access to their place has not been so easy

It's a buffet, they're service is decent, they have almost everything you could want on an Asian cuisine buffet. Nothing that will blow you away, but better than most in STL.

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.

Either I caught them on a bad day or I didn't like my visit here. I went there just after lunch and was seated at a booth, the booth had the burner in the middle. The one who sat us down took our drink order right away and told us we can go ahead and go up to the buffet. I didn't find anything extraordinary there. The usual chinese buffet fare. It wasn't terribly hot, the food was a little old where the employees come up and mix it up because they need to keep it moving because it doesn't get replenished enough. We were there at 12:45 on a saturday. Employees were nice, the used plates got picked up quickly, the drinks were refilled. So I am giving two stars because of decent service, but not the type of food that I'll be craving to go to again. There's a chance we give it a second chance if we're in the area but we aren't going to make a special stop.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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