Joyce’s

Hubby and I have been here many times over the years. The food is usually pretty good. Service can be hit or miss.
We opted for dinner here Saturday night, I ordered the tomato and mozzarella sandwich. The sandwich was missing the mozzarella, honest mistake. But they should have comped my meal, they didn’t. It was their fault not mine. Not good customer service.

Great location, terrible food and service. Strange menu with frozen ingredients. Avoid if you can.

My wife and I really enjoyed one of the previous bartenders here, so we would visit when we wanted to go out on a Friday or Saturday night but did not want to be surrounded by a ton of people. As many of the reviews state, the food is pretty average. The saving grace of their menu is their Reuben, which is very good. As other reviews also mentioned, they also have a killer view of the river and have the best outdoor patio to enjoy it.
Where my review turns from a 3 – 4 star review that I would have written 6 months ago to a 2-​star review has been the service I received the last two times that I have been there. On both occasions, I ordered cocktails that were favorites of mine from Joyce’s and on both times, they have come out tasting bad. When I politely told the bartender that I did not like it and wondered if I could get something different, they instead insisted that it was made correctly and although they offered to try and add ingredients to my current drink to improve it, they refused to let me get something different. The Maine House or Slates would likely never serve you a bad drink to begin with, but they would certainly give you a different one if you did not like what you had received.
Joyce was even present last night when this happened to me most recently and when the bartender checked with her on what to do, she agreed that I could not get another drink. Eating out is one of my favorite activities and I will not be doing that any more at Joyce’s. If you decide to visit Joyce’s, stick with the beer, wine or call drinks and avoid the complicated $ 10 cocktails.
Customer service isn’t that hard to get right and I think I understand now why this place was the place we would go when we did not want to be around a lot of other people.

Joyce’s can be hit or miss with its food. I’ve had great meals and not so great meals, but it is the cocktails (and occassionally dessert) that keep me coming back for more.
My two main criticisms are that the cocktail menu never changes — which is particularly disappointing given all the seasonal options that can contribute to different flavor combinations — and sometimes they are made from a premix. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that it is faster and easier to premix ingredients prior to a drink being ordered, but half of the reason for paying $ 8 – 10 for a drink is so that you can watch is being made ingredient by ingredient.
The Maine House down the street is my number one place for cocktails, but Joyce’s is my number two if they’re too busy.

My family, and I ate here twice during a recent visit to Maine. Their outside deck, overlooking the Kennebec River, was certainly worth a few stray mosquito bites. Our dinner waitress was outstanding, and our lunch waitress was pretty good. Their prices were reasonable, and all of our food was top quality.
I particularly recommend trying their duck wings appetizer.
My one serious complaint is that the lemonade which I ordered was totally artificial swill which left a bad chemical aftertaste in my mouth. It might have also been polite if they had made their tables against the riverside railing available on a first come, first served basis, instead of allowing their regulars to hog them with advance reservations.
On the whole, my family, and I were quite happy with this restaurant. We might well go back there again when we are in the area. I certainly do recommend this place to others.

Joyce’s has excellent cocktails, so if I’m going out with the ladies we often stop here first. I also recommend the carrot cake (life is uncertain– eat dessert first!).

Had lunch and enjoyed the crab dip and the thai noodle salad. Lovely atmosphere and great service.
The salad was the perfect size and very flavorful with a nice medley of spice.
The crab dip was to die for. Highly recommend.

Delicious hand prepared food. Pleasant Variety on the menu, wonderful presentation. The very Best crab cakes. Casual slightly energetic ambiance.

Went there for the first time. Sat at a table for 15 minuets and watched 3 different servers talk to other dines and even look right at us, NO ONE asked us if we needed anything or were being helped. After the 3^rd one walked by and looked at us we got up to leave. The restaraunt was NOT busy there were only 5 tables in use on a Saturday night. When I spoke to the guy who seated us, he acted like he could care less as we walked out the door. If they treat the tourists this way, thats one thing, but to tret local long time residents this way can lea to very bad word of mouth and we will certainly exercise that right. Stay away from these arrogant ignorant people who work there.

next time I will just drive by .not worth the stop .just poor food and poor service

The bartender was rude and the wait staff was visibly annoyed that we decided to sit at the bar when we walked in. The BBQ chicken was too spicy — all I could taste was heat. They ran out out of the dinner special crêpe? Disappointed.

Great atmosphere. Much quieter and more relaxing than Slates across the street. We eat here 4 to 6 times a year. I think the food has improved since Joyce’s first opened. Recently I had Thai noodle salad with grilled shrimp that was excellent. Then my husband and I shared a gigantic piece of warm raspberry pie with vanilla ice cream; it was fabulous! I look forward to summer when we can enjoy a meal on the deck overlooking the Kennebec River.

Good, but not great. There are other areas which provide better food. The service and view were both excellent.

Comfortable booths. Nice atmosphere. My wife had baked halibut which was very well prepared. I had a turkey dinner which was great traditional comfort food. Service was friendly and attentive. Too cold to sit outside, but they have some nice seating overlooking the river. Overall a nice place that we will visit again.

Horrible, bland, over done.
There are many places in Hollowell that are better
Ken J must have been on drugs to give this place a 5

Ambiance, attentive waitstaff also a well balanced wine list combined with good food could make You and a guest glad you made the trek to Hallowell. Thankyou Joyce’s were comng back soon… Ken.

We’ve been to Joyce’s twice. Once where we sat on the deck which was quite nice and once inside. Joyce has a nice décor. The deck overlooking the river is beautiful.
The only thing missing is good food. Last night I ordered a chicken breast with BBQ sauce. It was clearly store bought and not very good.
Joyce’s could be a great restaurant but they really need a new chef.
Till then go across the street to Slates.

I’m really suprised at the negative reviews. I have been here about 5 times over the last couple of years and never had anything other than delicious food in a beautiful setting.
I have only ever been at lunchtime though on sunny days and always sat on the gorgeous patio overlooking the river.
The food has always been absolutely delicious and very nicely presented. I still have drooling dreams of their Baked Onion and Smoked Gouda Dip.

The genuine waitstaff must have all had the night off on my recent Friday night trip to Joyce’s.
I had been dying to try this place for a while. It seemed so cute and cozy. And a warm summer Friday night with live music outside overlooking the river, what could be better?!
We arrived and requested the deck. We were told a table would be ready in about 20 minutes. The waiter was friendly, but super frazzled. Rule number one, no matter how busy, never let the customers see you are so stressed. But we were fine to sit at the bar and have a beverage, I enjoy that.
In the mood for a handcrafted cocktail, I looked over the martini list. I couldn’t decide between two, so I asked the bartender which was better. His response? «I don’t know, I don’t do girly drinks» which would have made me laugh if he was at all joking. Trying to lighten the mood I jokingly quipped «Come on, real men drink girly drinks» and laughed, which only caused him to sigh loudly and walk away in a huff. Oops… I’m sorry, I thought customer service and playful banter with customers still existed.
We were lead to a great table and we finished our drinks and were loving the live music. We sat and sat with empty glasses forever. Finally, after 30 – 40 minutes, I went inside and tracked down the man who had seated us. I told him nobody had been to our table yet, and he apologized. After about 10 more minutes, our waitress finally came. She apologized and took our order and brought more drinks. The food was forgettable, which was too bad because we were starving at that point.
I’m never one to look for a handout, but having worked in the restaurant biz for over 20 years, at the very least I would have comped at least a drink after waiting for almost an hour without being greeted.
I would go back to Joyces for a drink and live music, but that is it. And I would never again sit at that bartenders bar.
Too bad, this place could be amazing.

Joyce’s brings another unique dining perspective and experience to the eclectic downtown of Hallowell. Its unpretentious dining atmosphere and unbeatable patio makes for a relaxing evening for any local or passerby.
The entrees are forgettable, but the crab dip full of flavor. And the wine list is copious, providing 30 wines by glass and 60 by bottle.
So come to Joyce’s to raise a glass or two while noshing on the apps and listening to live music, but opt for dinner elsewhere, especially if you’re looking for excellent cuisine.
I love you, Hallowell!