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    China Joy

    2.7 (107 reviews)
    InexpensiveChinese
    Closed Closed

    China Joy Photos

    CHINA JOY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Emily Y.

    Given this is the only Chinese restaurant in Bar Harbor and my friends parents wanted Chinese food, so China Joy it is. Right off the bat, some issues emerged: tea is charged for by person, not as a pot for the table. We had to grab our own chopsticks from a tray further back in the restaurant (otherwise forks and knives were provided, but for Chinese food that is super weird). We had 5 people so an extra and slightly wobbly table was added on to our booth. On to the food. Mixed vegetables with tofu: decent, not too salty. Tofu is of the crunchier exterior variety, and the vegetables are somewhat stewed in sauce but overall one of the better dishes of the night. Fried shrimp: couldn't eat because it was spicy, but others seemed to like it. Beef slices: mistake. Way way too salty. Boiled lobster: alright I suppose, but not the best I've had in Maine. Rice: not good. Dry and un-fluffy, which is the opposite of what you expect rice to be. Overall, come here only if you need a quick fix of "Chinese" food.

    Says 15% suggested, but they mandatory tip 15%
    Ray R.

    Apparently, this is a restaurant below the average. We came here just for a different taste of lobsters. We have eaten boiled lobster for 3 days in a row. This time we come here to taste scallion ginger fried lobster. The taste is just mediocre. Other food like broccoli chicken, broccoli shrimp, fried rice and etc are all Americanized food and are not authentic at all. One more hilarious issue is that they almost have no service and give a suggestion for 15% tip, but they mandatory tip people 15%.

    Hot and spicy tofu (aka mapo tufu)
    Erin C.

    I agree with previous reviewers who say you shouldn't eat here unless you are seriously craving a soy sauce fix. The food here doesn't really taste like Chinese food. Obviously being the only Chinese restaurant, without competition, this place can stay alive regardless how terrible the food tastes. We had ma po tofu that had more vegetables than tofu and was not spicy at all. It also did not taste like mapo tofu and how it should be cooked. We also had braised eggplant that was sickeningly sweet and had large chunks of pork. I think they might have used ketchup as the sauce base. Some of the pork were just not chewable. The food came with rice, it was a very small portion of rice, maybe equivalent to one bowl. We asked for additional white rice, and it cost $1.50. Ridiculously expensive for that tiny little bit of white rice. The staff was friendly and helpful. That's about the only good thing here.

    Lobster!
    Zheyuan F.

    If you want to try a different but more DELICIOUS cooking style of lobster, you should dine here for just once. Maine lobster is fresh and tender, but most establishments only steam it and serve with lemon and butter. Way too waste of great seafood! I highly recommend Lobster with salt and pepper, along with chili if you like spicy. That's the dish I ate twice in a day! Just imagine! I didn't eat any meat dishes or other Chinese dishes like Lo Mein, etc. So I cannot guarantee the authenticity of this Chinese restaurant. BUT if you want a decent lobster dish, you won't be disappointed!

    people walking in front of a chinese restaurant
    Matt Y.

    Talk about a restaurant which rose well above expectations! Our family chose China Joy on a Tuesday August evening after walking back and forth across Bar Harbor for reasonably-priced dinners and to take a break from Americana food for one evening. With many dishes in a $10-15 range, we were hard pressed to find competition from elsewhere. It had a modest Chinese-American feel on the interior, with comfy booths and much seating when we arrived. Service proved timely with our waitress, including fresh black tea to start. We even received two pots for our whole table. Not long after, our entrees arrived in more than generous portions, including my garlic and pepper-spiced calamari with brown rice. It blended a great balance of heat with savory, alongside tender calamari and vegetables alike. My sister and parents also enjoyed their spring rolls, sauteed vegetables, and General Tsao's chicken. By the time we left, almost 3/4 of their seats were filled. Again, this is Chinese American food, not Chinese food. Well worth the value to check out China Joy!

    Michal K.

    We did a take away. The hot & sour soup was average minus. The other soup was not what was expected. As for the beef Sichuan , never got such a dish that had 90% of vegetables and no more than 5 pieces of beef. Felt like they took all cut celery and carrots they had left and put them in my dish. I could not eat it at all. When doing a take away as a tourist you can not go back and complain . 30$ spend for nothing. Not recommended at all.

    N B.

    Best orange tofu! Crispy with a wonderful sauce. Came with eggroll and fried rice. Husband enjoyed his meal (he got something different) but wasn't as happy as I. When check came, we started to pay when the waitress pointed out that she expected a tip! We were both stunned, we were going to tip her. But why remind us? Very odd.

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    11 years ago

    When you are sick of paying $30 for freaking lobster then you come here. The food was great and the price is fair.

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    12 years ago

    Omg! It was so good! We live in ny where the Chinese food is great, and this is RIGHT up there with home. Def recommend china joy.

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    Thai Sana Restaurants - Chicken drunken noodle spice 4.5

    Thai Sana Restaurants

    3.9(169 reviews)
    13.6 mi
    $$

    Solid Thai spot. After three days of seafood, we needed a change for our taste buds and Thai Sana…read morewas exactly what we needed. The outside of the restaurant is very unassuming. It's connected to a motel which isn't something you would normally see. Had I not order online, I would have driven by and not given the restaurant a shot. The menu had all your Thai standards along with a few items would find at a Chinese restaurant. Prices seemed fair considering the amount of food you receive. We ordered the pad thai with chicken, drunken noodles with chicken, basil chicken, red curry with tofu, and pineapple fried rice to feed a group of 6 which included a few vegetarians. All the dishes met the standard for takeout Thai food but the drunken noodles and basil chicken ended up being the crowd favorites. I would recommend this spot for anyone visiting Bar Harbor and Acadia looking for quick takeout that's only 15 minutes away.

    Having read tons of other reviews where I thought other people were too harsh or critical, I'm…read moredoing my best to find something nice to say about the food here and I'm just really struggling. We did takeout and it was ready fast. Like, 10 min fast. It was ready for us when we pulled up to get it, and the person who handed it to me was friendly. That's about it, unfortunately. The food we received was some of the worst Thai I've had in a very long time. I ordered the Drunken Noodles with Tofu. The noodles were overcooked and it was sitting in a pile of grease as if I'd ordered a soup dish. I ordered it medium spice level, and it didn't even make a flavorful impact. I was starving so I ate some of it, but for me to leave Thai food uneaten in the container means that I really didn't like it. Bummer of a dinner.

    Photos
    Thai Sana Restaurants - Dated but very clean interior

    Dated but very clean interior

    Thai Sana Restaurants
    Thai Sana Restaurants - Fresh shrimp rolls with sweet & sour and peanut sauce

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    Fresh shrimp rolls with sweet & sour and peanut sauce

    Pho Hoa Grill - Pho noodles separated from broth (left over)

    Pho Hoa Grill

    4.4(129 reviews)
    40.6 mi
    $$

    Got the lemon grass story dry lunch special. It came with soup and rice. Good flavor, good size…read moreportion. Friendly woman taking orders and cooking (I assume she is the owner). Very small indoor space that seats 9 people total, so it gets cozy quickly. There are a few parking spaces right in front so parking is convenient. Can't wait to come back and try the Pho!

    It's a converted garage with two tables & a counter. The storage area is in full view; the rest of…read morethe place has full on tenement vibes. We ordered chicken wings & a large pho that allegedly had three kinds of beef in it. The wings were excellent: properly seasoned & lightly breaded. The kind if crunch you only hear in commercials. The pho broth was delicious, but the amount of meat in it was meagre, as were the condiments you could put in it: less than a handful of beansprouts. Some basil. At least there was the requisite slice of lime & siracha was on the table But the wait!? Almost an hour to get those two dishes. The hostess/server's attitude swung between totally oblivious & condescending. We asked for a ladle to move the big bowl's contents into each individual's bowl & were icily told that they didn't have anything for customer use. You can imagine how tedious it was to try to fill two individual bowls using Asian spoons and a lone tablespoon. What were these people thinking opening a restaurant?

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    Pho Hoa Grill - Inside the mini restaurant

    Inside the mini restaurant

    Pho Hoa Grill - Spring rolls

    Spring rolls

    Pho Hoa Grill - Pho eating contest signage. That's a jumbo bowl of soup?

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    Pho eating contest signage. That's a jumbo bowl of soup?

    China Joy - chinese - Updated May 2026

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