An unexpected pleasure for lunch today. Stopped in for the first time while visiting from out of state. My guess is that the chef trained in NY. The first clue was the Cold Sesame Noodles appetizer that we tried. A generous portion and as close as I have had, to Chinatown taste. The hot and sour soup was served cold and had to be sent back to the kitchen to be heated, but once it was hot it was as good a soup as I have had. Egg rolls were crispy and crunchy and we all enjoyed them but the Duck Sauce was very watery. That could be improved. We had shrimp with lobster sauce which couldn't have been any better. Wonderful flavor and huge fresh shrimp. The boneless ribs were the star of the show. Big meaty chunks of pork rib piled high on the plate. Every table around us ordered them. Sweet and charred crispy, they are a must have! The fried rice was NY style with bits of pork and a hint of vegetables mixed in. I would have given Joy Wah 5 stars for the food but our waiter was just a little bit below par. We ordered several dishes to share but never were offered plates to share with. When we asked for to go boxes he bought us boxes too small for amounts of food on our plates. And he had his face in his phone the entire time we were there. If he paid more attention this would have been a 5 star review. read more

While a lovely location and a pleasant decor make for a pleasant experience, and the service is always efficient and friendly, the food has taken quite a down-turn in recent years. My family and I have eaten here for more than twenty years, since the Han family owned it. They ran it as though their customers were members of their own family. The food was always top-notch back then. More recently, the meat dishes tend to be tough and nearly indistinguishable from one another. Cold "sesame" noodles are slopped with peanut butter, no hint of sesame. We keep going back, keep trying to give them another chance...this latest take-out experience was the last straw. My husband ordered his usual favorite, orange beef, and was pretty disappointed in the tough and gristly meat. He ate perhaps three pieces, then put the rest in the fridge since it was so late in the evening. Next day, he called to discuss with the owner; she offered to return the entire cost of the WHOLE meal if he would bring down the remainder of the meal that he didn't finish. He told her he eaten a few pieces and said all he wanted was the cost of his one dish reimbursed as a credit, and we would dine in next time. He made the 20-minute drive down to return the remainder of the meal in question; she looked in the container and clucked her tongue at him and said he had eaten most of it, she would not reimburse anything. Utterly humiliating way to treat lifelong customers. We're done. read more

Service here was amazing and the atmosphere is super nice! Unfortunately, the food just okay. We got the Pork Dumplings, which were great. However, the Beef Lo Mein was disappointing--good noodles, but the beef was rubbery--and the Cashew Chicken was mostly veggies with barely any chicken or cashews. Fantastic service, but the main dishes could definitely use some improvement. read more

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I ordered Orange Beef as take out with other things. The meat was of low quality with layers of gristle. Orange Beef should be tender meat that comes apart easily. This is not the first time it has been this way, but this is the first time I have complained. $16.95 plus a 15 minute drive to fetch. The next day, I called and spoke to the owner, explained the issue and she told me if I brought her the remaining dish she would give me a credit for next time. I wasn't even asking for my money back. We ate there at least once a month. I drove back with the remains and she looked at it, gave me a frown and told me she would give me 1/2 the credit. This used to be a good restaurant with good service. It has gone very poor in many respects. Being one of three Chinese places in driving distance, we are something of a captive audience, but never again. We will go without rather than pay for food we end up not eating. Do yourself a favor and save your money. read more

Our second visit here what an awesome lunch, the sesame chicken was excellent eggroll the service was excellent as well It was served to us in less than five minutes the view made the meal very peaceful and the excellent service by the staff as well. read more

Joy Wah Chinese Restaurant - Sesame chicken with pork fried rice and an eggroll - Chinese Near Me - Bellows Falls, Vermont

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The food is fresh and tasty, I think one of the best in the state. Shrimps are large and crunchy fresh. Service is good. Drinks could use improvement read more

We just came from dinner here on Christmas Day. Let me just say that we are all nauseous. The servers were very nice, but the food needs a lot of help. read more

Went for lunch. Let me make it simple food was gross. General Tso was just bread balls. They also charge extra for using credit cards. Go somewhere else read more

Joy Wah Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Bellows Falls, Vermont

We ended up going out for dinner at Joy Wah (kind of last minute) on Christmas night. As they were one of the only restaurants open, it was quite busy. It also sounded like they had been a bit short-staffed earlier in the evening, which was no surprise because, again, it *was* a holiday. Even with less staff and a steady flow of holiday customers, the service was fantastic, the dining room staff was friendly and attentive, and the food was great. Overall it was a wonderful experience and we really appreciated that they were open for Christmas. side note : the two folks in line ahead of us pitched a massive fit because Joy Wah was not doing takeout (only dine-in) at the time of our arrival. They were both not only quite rude about it, but they were loud and hostile as well. It should be stated that our party made NO assumptions prior to venturing out on Christmas - we called ahead and looked online, just to assess the situation. Joy Wah clearly stated that they would be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas, as well as New Years Eve and New Years Day, but also informed the public that they would likely be too busy on those four days of the year to offer takeout during prime dinner time. They could not have been more clear about this, and they posted it for 10 days prior to the holiday. If folks go out to dine on a major holiday, they should do just a few minutes of homework ahead of time. We saw some pretty shameful behavior by the public that evening, but the staff handled it both calmly and politely. read more

We actually hated our experience here. The portions were extremely small and we were charged extra for using a credit card for takeout. The chicken was slimy and way over velveted. Like way over, it literally was sliding around in the container. The egg rolls were basic and heavy and the fried rice was atrocious. We were really excited to try this place and we will absolutely never be back. read more

We ordered take out last evening and were fully dissatisfied with most of the food. Overly dry pork fried rice and poor choice of rice used, over cooked chicken wings, one egg roll soggy as it was put in General Tao's chicken, no sauce for the crab ragoons and there was virtually no crab in them, no sweet and sour sauce (I had specifically requested all sauces be included) and the duck sauce was watered down and tasteless. The only thing edible was the pork lo mein and wonton soup. The other 3 egg rolls packaged separately were okay. After the long time owner retired for good this place has not been up to the same standards. I will not be back while under this management. read more

I like this place! It's not upscale but if you're craving Chinese food it hits the spot. Right on the Connecticut River with pretty views, the place could use updating but it's clean. We usually stop for lunch when over this way, service is good and fast, so if you are starving you won't have to wait long lol. In all seriousness it's hard to find good Chinese food in VT, so we're happy to have this place not far from home. read more

Stopped in a couple of times when in the area. I now look forward to trips to the area just to grab a meal there. The service is good, the view is great, the food is great. Overall, a great value and a favorite place to lunch when I can. read more

What a surprise this was. We had been shopping at the Vermont Country Store and we're tired and hungry. Joy Wah is perched on a cliff overlooking the Connecticut River in an older building. We had a table with a view of the river. The interior could use something updating but was clean. We chose from the lunch menu which was the typical entree, rice and choice of soup or egg roll. I'm a fan of hot and sour soup and this one delivers. Just spicy enough that it got my nose running. Filled with tofu and two types of mushrooms and egg. I chose the sesame chicken, battered and fried tender chunks of chicken in a sweet and savory sauce with perfectly cooked broccoli and red peppers. My husband had the beef and broccoli in a savory brown sauce. The service was efficient and our meals delivered quickly. Would like to try the full menu at another time Our server was efficient and helpful . read more

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I've eaten here maybe 15 times over the past few years since it's in a good location to see my extended VT family. The food and service have always been very good, and the views are excellent of the river- bald eagle sightings aren't rare. They even have a Toasted Almond drink on the menu and I laugh my wife is the only person who's ever ordered there. read more

Great food and incredibly affordable lunch options! Service was fabulous and fast. The view is amazing too. The restaurant itself could use some sprucing/upkeep but overall great experience. read more

Joy Wah Chinese Restaurant - View from Joy Wah - Chinese Near Me - Bellows Falls, Vermont

Awful. Not worth it, seriously McDonald's is more worth it than this place. Mediocre food, stale soup and absolutely terrible service. Our waiter who also was the host spoke rudely, rolled his eyes at us when we ordered four appetizers instead of one and told us we were confusing him when we said we wanted a full platter instead of a small serving. His breathe also smelled awful and we left very disappointed. read more

We have driven past Joy Wah many times over the last decade and finally gave it a try this past weekend. Given the mixed reviews I saw on Yelp, I was hopeful but did not set my expectations very high. As others have said, the decor is a bit dated but the restaurant was clean. The river view made up for the outdated decor. I made a reservation as recommended by the website since we had a party of 6. Several tables were occupied but there seemed to be plenty of availability. We were seated immediately and our waiter asked us what beverages we wanted. He took our order and the food came out efficiently and piping hot. We ordered egg rolls and vegetable potstickers for appetizers. Both were delicious. The dumplings came with a yummy dipping sauce. I tried to choose items that were more authentic/home style or items that my family usually orders at a Chinese restaurant in NYC Chinatown. Entrees included pork fried rice (no soy sauce), scallops with pea pods with ginger/scallion, walnut prawns, bean curd with vegetables, chow mei fun (aka subgum rice noodles), and sesame chicken (for the kids). The waiter was very accommodating as I asked for "white" fried rice (no soy sauce), the mei fun which I did not see on the menu and less sodium in all the dishes. Everything was delicious. My only negative comment is that the sauce in the bean curd dish was too salty. Other than that, we were all impressed with the quality of the food and had leftovers. Our interactions with other employees were positive as well. One of the female employees let my kids keep some Christmas origami decorations they saw by the Christmas tree up front. Another lady appreciated my kids' admiring her goldfish tank. We had a great experience and will be back soon! read more

Joy Wah Chinese Restaurant - a plate of snow peas and scallops - Chinese Near Me - Bellows Falls, Vermont

This place is comically under estimated based on Yelp. Delicious Chinese food every single time, good service, traditional and American style foods, and a good atmosphere. Good place for kids or family, not super fancy or anything. Like a taste of NYC style Chinese food without having to travel to Manhattan. read more

if I could give this restaurant zero stars I would. Not only was my meat undercooked. The service was crap, but the manager herself was an overall bitch never in my life when I recommend this restaurant to anyone I have been here more than once so I waited to give a review those that have good or nice reviews. You must have real good people that were working. Because never in my entire life, have I ever been to a restaurant with such horrible service and food Gordon Ramsay would be utterly disappointment. read more

Our waiter was nice, but rushed us a bit. He got everything right though! The food seemed like it was also cooked in a hurry. It was just a little overcooked without being burnt. The drinks are campy. South Pacific blends in silly cups. They were really good too! read more

I ordered the Szechuan chicken but got up to ask the waiter to change it to the General Tso instead. Too late. What? Too late? Thanks buddy, you literally just punched in the order on your little touchscreen. Then, our food order came out before our water. It makes me wonder how much care is being taken into the preparation. I mean, food shouldn't come out THAT quick. Should've trusted our noses when we first arrived -- it doesn't smell appealing once inside the restaurant. If you're looking for cheap, quick, possibly microwaved, "Szechuan" chicken, this is your place. It seems like the view of the Connecticut is the only thing going for this restaurant, but we were sat in a booth, with no view. LOL. Not going back. read more

I've dining at Joy Wah sporadically since I moved to the area several years ago, so I was surprised to find out that I hadn't reviewed them. I can honestly say that its the best experience I've had at a Chinese restaurant in the area. Good Chinese food is difficult to come by in VT/NH. Joy Wah is located in Rockingham, just before entering Bellows Falls. The restaurant is a building that was probably a large house at some time and for this reason, they have ample seating. I've never had to wait for a table. It over looks the river and a mountain (not sure of the name). These views are definitely a plus. An older gentleman (the owner I'm assuming) greets you at the door most days and welcomes you. Everything is what you'd expect: Hot Tea at table, large menu, large portions, strong cocktails, etc. The service is always fast and I've never had an issue with anything I've ordered. There's many great menu selections, but a couple I can recommend are the Honey Garlic Chicken and the Tangerine Chicken. They do a buffet on Sundays from 11-3 I believe. I've never been, but I'm sure it wouldn't disappoint. If you're passing through heading on 91, it's easy enough to get off and stop here. A very relaxing place to eat. read more

Never eaten inside the restaurant itself, but it has great take out.. and what looks like a rather nice view inside if you decide to dine in.. read more

We called a half hour before closing and asked if they could make a vegan dish for us. We didn't see a menu, just ordered over the phone and arrived 5 min later to sit down to this delicious meal. Everything tasted so fresh! We were grateful for the fast service, kind staff, and their familiarity with vegan food. read more

Joy Wah Chinese Restaurant - Stir-fried veg and tofu - Chinese Near Me - Bellows Falls, Vermont

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Walked in to get food the girl knitting behind the counter did not even knowledge us, so we walked out, wont be back

Excellent food and service!!! We especially appreciated the our meals were not drowning in oil.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! THE WORST CHINESE FOOD I'VE EVER HAD! Let's start with the order to go. Very long hold time. Placed order and was told there is a $2.25 up charge to replace one of the white rice including fed with order with brown rice. A FIRST!! Never had that happen before. When asked, the woman on phone said, "That's because we give you a large order." Got home and the reason for this critique becomes abundantly clear... - There was 1 large and 1 small container of white rice. - There was 1 small container of brown rice. I called for explanation and owner realized the error and would credit me the $2.25 against my next order. (DOUBT THAT WILL HAPPEN) Continued to unpack the order and realized they did not include the fried pork dumplings even though we were charged for it. I called and owner said they just realized it and will add the price of the missed order to the credit against my next order. Now to the taste... overall horrific to fair Hot & Sour soup... no taste except over cooked mushrooms and faaaaar too much black pepper. We threw it out. General Tso Chicken - edible... just Imperial Duck - bland and duck did not taste fresh. Tossed it. Egg plant and in garlic sauce - inedible. Tasted foul. Tossed it. Overall nearly $60.00 of food thrown out. Lesson learned- next time drive 25 mins to Panda North. read more

This was our favorite Chinese restaurant for years, but then it sold and the new owner was horrible! However, he didn't last long and there is now new ownership. The food is back like it used to be, good service, reasonable prices and a beautiful view of the Connecticut River. Weekday lunch specials are a bargain. read more

Great location. Beautiful view of the river and gardens. Full menu served lunch and dinner. Plus there are lunch and dinner combo specials plus a Sunday Brunch Buffet. Friendly staff- Cindy is the new owner. She's added some healthy choices like General Tso Tofu, along with the normal Chicken option. Healthy portions, tasty food. Scenic views · Classic cocktails · Large menu · Best brunch · Large portions · Great food · Healthy options · Child-friendly read more

Another yummy meal at Joy Wah! Prompt greetings and seatings and always attentive staff. One of our favorite restaurants in the area.

Joy Wah seems to elicit extreme responses from Yelpers. And we find ourselves somewhere in the middle. Of course, finding a Chinese restaurant in Bellows Falls recalls Samuel Johnson's observation about "a dog walking on his hinder legs; it is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all." But it is Bellows Falls and it is a decent if unremarkable Chinese restaurant. The food is not too greasy though a bit under-spiced for us, it has generally tasty ingredients, though some sauces are gummy and ... well, not always pleasant tasting. The restaurant has a pleasant if a tad gaudy atmosphere. Prices are very reasonable, servings very large, the servers sometimes friendly, occasionally distant. We are fond of the Hot and Sour Soup, the Tangerine Chicken and Scallops, the Ho Yu Gai Poo (chicken cooked in a thin almost buttery batter) and Bruccoli Chicken. There is a buffet on Sundays, and take out is always available. Joy Wah is hardly be the last word in Chinese cuisine -- we'd definitely suggest sampling one of our favorite area restaurants, Panda North, in Brattleboro if you have the time. It's better in almost every way. read more

Positives: a very friendly and hard-working staff. The General Tso's was tangy and tasty. I also liked the lo mein. Though we ate the buffet, we saw a seafood bird's nest that came out of the kitchen that looked pretty impressive. Negatives: this is the middle of VT, so don't expect anything spectacular. I think the 5-star ratings are a bit inflated considering the clientele probably doesn't have much experience with authentic Asian cuisine. Very telling: most of the patrons were eating with forks. Bottom line: if I lived in the area, I would probably frequent it due to the scarcity of Asian food in the area. It was a reasonably pleasant experience, but would not compare to Chinese in most areas. read more

For Bellows Falls, VT it's OK. Have been there a number of times for Sunday buffet it's fine. On one occasion my son & I stopped in for dinner. I recall ordering a spicy beef dish extra hot. when the dish arrived I was quite disappointed - tabasco not chillies for the heat - oh well. In some respects I'm probably a snob as far as Chinese food is concerned. I eat Chinese food sometimes two to three times a week in NYC's Chinatown. read more

Now known as the Golden Fortune and under new ownership Great Cantonese food. We found the staff to be very helpful. Hard to find authentic Chinese in Vermont! read more

So, following in my tradition of visiting and reviewing cheap Chinese-American restaurants, here we are again. Today I found myself visiting family in Bellows Falls Vermont and needing a quick lunch spot. Since just about every restaurant in the area is closed on Monday (and a lot on Tuesday as well) we found this place. Judging from previous reviews and the website, we thought it looked okay in a pinch. I gotta say, man, for a cheap Chinese place I was kinda let down. I've been to some real dive joints for Chinese food. This place didn't look like a dive joint, it's in an old house. As previous reviews have mentioned the decor is a bit dated, but overall the place didn't look too bad. It sits next to the Connecticut River and the section of the dining area they seated us had a very nice, sweeping view of the river. Table was pretty clean, typical place settings etc. Waiter was an older guy, all business but could maybe wash his cloths once in a while. It looked like he had been wearing the same outfit for the last 3 days, stains all over it and what not. Anyhow, moving past that, the lunch menu was VERY limited. For the first time in probably 1000 visits to cheap Chinese restaurants I was just so underwhelmed by the menu. They gave us the lunch menu. A printed sheet that was laminated. 1 page. There were probably 16 lunch special plates, but they were very basic. Back side was alcohol and drinks. That was it. All they had on the menu. I'm sure the dinner menu is more extensive, but really?! This is all you have on your lunch menu? Anyhow, you could pick pork fried rice or white rice, entree and either egg roll, egg drop soup or hot and sour soup. No app choices (cost extra or are considered one of the entrees. Like chicken fingers is considered an entree, not kidding...). Just bizarre. We ordered 4 lunch specials. Everybody got egg rolls except me. I got hot and sour soup. Soup and egg rolls were pretty good. We're off to a good start I thought. 2 of us got pepper steak lunch specials, 1 got chicken with mixed vegetables and 1 got pork strips (yes, just pork strips, PFR and an egg roll was one of the lunch specials...). Amount of food was a let down. Considering the cost (about $9 per plate) I guess the portion size wasn't THAT terrible, but still, compared to most Chinese places the portions were tiny. The worst part though was the quality of the food used in the entrees. My wife's chicken had a weird texture and tasted kind of bland. The 2 pepper steaks were horrible. They clearly cut the quality of the beef they were ordering, it was almost like stew beef, had TONS of gristle and fat. Was basically inedible. I ate the onions and peppers and used the rice to catch some of the sauce and left most of the beef on the plate. My wife maybe ate a third of the chicken in her meal. Apparently the pork strips were good. Well, it's my own damned fault for planning to visit a relative and not doing a better job of scouting the food scene before telling them we'd visit and realizing that all the good restaurants were closed on Monday's. Note to self I guess. Definitely will not be back to this place. Service was good, view was good. Food was, well, not so good. read more

This is the area's go-to for Americanized Chinese cuisine, but I did not have a pleasant dining experience. The service was fast, but a bit rude. I could see that they were busy (with take-out), but I did not need the waiter to tell me that, as if I was inconveniencing them by dining there. The drinks were fine, but the fried tofu was gray, and sat uneasily with me. Although I was hungry I could not bring myself to finish the soup or the stale fortune cookie. The restaurant itself is large, but dated. It is also NOT PEDESTRIAN ACCESSIBLE. read more

This place used to be great, but sold and is now called golden fountain. The cleanliness and food are rock bottom. To start, the hot tea was Luke warm dishwater with no taste at all. The "duck sauce" was nothing I've ever had... looked like dissolved tissues in pink water with a few sprinkles of sugar. Wonton soup was Luke warm and no flavor. The wonton in the soup were slimy and seemed days old. Looking around the table, we noted stains and a gift from a previous diner... elastic rings from their braces! Do yourself a favor... avoid this place! The stacks of dirty dishes hanging around the dining room was a glaring testament to just how much food does not get eaten because it's so bad. read more

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We would have been better off going to a Gas station food market. Service 2*: our server was nice, but service was way too slow. Water was not refilled. We walked into an empty restaurant and were seated in the corner by the road.... why not seat us at a the table with a view? Food 1*: no hair or vermin, but the food took a long time to come out and when it did, the temperature was lukewarm. With almost no other people in the restaurant, it's hard to figure this one out... was the chef cooking outdoors? Sirloin steak house special was cooked well done, under seasoned, and placed on a bed of sad looking veggies on an over-cornstarched borderline cold sauce. Chicken wings were weirdly rubberized. Chicken with garlic sauce had waaay too much green bell pepper, black mushrooms, and cardboard few bites of chicken. The sauce was too salty. Small rice bowls, with cold rice. The chicken fingers were the most decent bite. Bathroom 3*: clean enough, but drafty and freezing cold temps Value 1*: the food is way overpriced for its quality. Service is too slow. read more

This place is absolutely gorgeous, with great food and service to match. My teammate and I arrived approximately 30 minutes before close, so I was not expecting a "high-end" dining experience. I was very pleasantly surprised. The hostess initially told us that they were closed, and then we all laughed when she remembered that it was Saturday and they close later. Once seated, we waited about 30 seconds before tea and water were brought to our table and our drink orders were taken. Owing to my indecisiveness, we were served our meals within 10 minutes of our arrival, and the food was to die for. I would definitely recommend. read more