The Joy Garden

I really wanted to like this place based on the 5 star reviews. Called for takeout and was told 15 minutes. I arrived after 20 minutes, got ignored by a guy with headphones on for 3 more minutes, and then was told my food wasn’t ready so I waited around another 5 minutes. Finally a woman came out to help me and was much nicer. There were a few other people waiting for takeout as well. A pair of girls left with their bag and then returned when they realized they had taken someone else’s order. As for the food– fried rice was good, but the chicken hardly had any sauce. Eggrolls are decent. They call the crab rangoons «cheese wontons» but they’re the same thing and there is definitely fake crab in there. Nothing special though. I’ll probably try it again, since there are hardly any places that serve crispy sesame beef.

Delivery took over 90minutes. The food was cold through the center moments after plating it out; our guess is that it sat under a heat lamp until four or five orders came in. There is both a delivery fee and a service fee. The flavor was unexceptional for delivery Chinese: there was nothing to redeem the down sides.

Our family has enjoyed meals at the Joy Garden for the past 20 years. We have always enjoyed the food and friendly service.
The Joy Garden is a staple in Scott’s Addition.

Very good combination Lo Mein and veggie spring rolls! I am picky about both and was happy to find this place. Plus they deliver — bonus points!

I think the service was wonderful but the food and overall quality was lacking, it appeared to be well off and outside of one other table we were the only ones inside. Don’t get me wrong the staff was friendly as can be, but when we order hot tea. It wasn’t hot barely warm and it was from a large container of premise tea so it wasn’t even a tea bag or concentrated enough to taste better than colored water. This was the just the roll than impeded my experience and I felt lack luster for sure… The food tasted great but the next day everyone in my party of four had some digestive issues to say the least

Nicer on the inside than the outside would lead you to believe. Brocolli was cooked perfectly and the tofu was just the right texture (homestyle). The service was gracious and not intrusive. Their prices are ridiculously low. The food here perhaps won’t astound you, but it’s good.
Update: they finally raised their prices and they’re now closer to other local restaurants.

I ordered delivery which was rather quick. The food, however, was not very hot. The TSO was tasteless and had no spice. I could barely find the shrimp in the shrimp roll. Very disappointed in the food even though their service was good.

Wow, what’s old is new again! This place has been around forever and with food like this it’s plain to see why.
My mom and I decided to eat in, and the service was really nice. We were seated immediately and our orders taken. Drinks were then promptly bought to the table. There was very pleasant music playing (a variety of oldies) there was also a tv over near the bar area.
Let me get to the food!!! I decided to stick to a Chinese food basic and I ordered the chicken fried rice. My thought was if they mess this up then they have no business even being open! My mom ordered shrimp egg foo young, we both ordered egg rolls.
The food came out after a short wait, the egg foo young came out on a plate loaded with patties, gravy and rice! The chicken fried rice came out in a covered stainless steel pedestal platter which was old school and freaking AMAZING!!!
The shrimp egg foo young was cooked to perfection, well seasoned gravy and loaded with shrimp. The chicken fried rice was loaded with chicken, eggs, onions, sprouts etc. It was so good it’s all I can freaking think about!!! This place is really not near my house, but it was definitely worth the trip. They will definitely be seeing more of me in the near future!
I believe they do a lot of delivery & take out business, but if you can I would recommend that at least once you eat in. It’s an older restaurant so it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of the newer joints, but don’t count this place out because it’s definitely still a contender!

Below average Chinese, food with off-​notes like the oil has been re-​used too many times for frying.

Solid Chinese delivery… Great special wonton soup with veggies, pork shrimp chicken. Good egg rolls. Tried the triple delight… It was very flavorful. Wait for delivery 40 min on Sat. night.
Great option if you do not want to go out!

Looking for my go-​to Chinese delivery in RVA. I’ve tried Joy Garden twice. I might re-​order, but I wasn’t wowed by anything.
Pros: quick, hot delivery & decent price.
Cons:
Egg Foo Young was packed in its gravy so it was soggy when it arrived. Most places package the gravy separately.
General Tso’s chicken was not spicy at all. It had a sweet watery sauce, the broccoli was overcooked, and there was pineapple. It was more like sweet & sour chicken.

If you are an experienced Chinese food eater, this is basic level one Chinese food. I ordered the General Tso but I don’t believe it was General Tso’s unless they just make theirs differently it was very sweet and had pineapples. The fried rice was pretty plain. The food was pretty inexpensive and friendly quick delivery.

Nice restaurant that provides both delivery and takeout. The price was reasonable and the food delicious! The staff was friendly and gave me meal recommendations based on my taste. Nice portions sizes too, so I was able to save some for lunch the next day.

Great Chinese restaurant with convenient parking and a surprisingly good atmosphere considering its low price.
Went here with a lady friend a few weeks ago and it really impressed me. It’s right off of Broad street with its own little parking lot (much appreciated!). The typical things most Chinese restaurants fall short on don’t affect this place: the service is great, there’s no real language barrier, and we weren’t pushed out as soon as we finished our meals. If I’m in the mood for Chinese, this is where I’m headed!
Overall: 4.0
— — — — — — — —
Pros:
–Great little parking lot right next to the store right off Broad street. I wish other Richmond restaurants had such easy parking!
–Service was great and expedient.
–Food was excellent and every bit what I expected. General Tso is victorious again!
Cons:
–None, really. It was quite good. :)

I received a warm welcome when I walked in the door… the aroma coming from the kitchen smelled delicious.
Service and Food was so much better than the large chain restaurants I visited in Richmond. The Pepper Steak was delicious! Outstanding Egg Drop soup… tastes just like the soup at the famous Canton Village in New York City.
I love the classic Neon sign on the building… it is so inviting. The stylish interior has a «1960’s moderne» sort of feel. Our food was ready fast and served graciously. Very Reasonable prices that match the cool Retro Décor!
My bill was very reasonable, plenty of cash left over to leave a real nice tip for our most gracious server. (I believe it was the owner’s wife.)
I enjoyed my visit on 9 January and will definitely come back on my next business trip to Richmond.

For cheap chinese takeout, this place can’t be beat. Egg drop soup was just right which rarely happens! Best General Tso’s Chicken in the city. The crab rangoons are a must. Friendly and fast service.

First off, looks are deceiving. This establishment looks so ghetto and run-​down from the outside, BUT once I stepped in, I was so pleasantly surprised! This place is very nicely decorated, clean, and a cute Chinese restaurant. You could tell its a restaurant that has a lot of loyal regulars. Apparently it is the oldest chinese restaurant in Richmond! The staff was very friendly and attentive and the food came out quick.
I had the teriyaki sticks, crab rangoon and seafood soup. Everything was flavored deliciously. I especially loved the teriyaki sticks because they were so flavorful and tender. The crab rangoon was crunchy and delicious, and the soup kept me wanting more. The only downside is that I wished the seafood soup had more seafood in it ;) But other than that, I enjoyed my experience here, and the prices were very affordable. I will also be returning for those teriyaki sticks!

Three weary travelers placed an order for Chinese food before embarking on a night on the town. Joy Garden not only managed to get our food to us ahead of schedule, it was some of the best stuff I’ve eaten for a great price. Seriously thinking of making the 700 mile drive south for this pork with rice noodles dish I got and can’t remember the name of but it was so good.

A coworker raved about this place so I decided to give it a try (thank you to the heavens that she paid). Even for Americanized Chinese food, this place is bad.
The interior is worn down and I was truly surprised this place had business. My water had something floating in it, my Sweet & Sour Chicken (picture) was bland, and the sauce was runny.
The staff was very friendly. They say everyone has a bad day, but I’m sorry, I will not be giving this place a second chance.

I’ve been to this restaurant exactly once, and I will not be going back. It was smoky and worn down, and even our booth was sticky. My husband ordered General Tso’s, and it was greasy with an overly sticky sauce.
I ordered egg foo yong and was APPALLED when it came out– it had brown gravy on it! Like the stuff in the cans that you buy for your turkey on Thanksgiving! I couldn’t believe it.
I mean, I understand that a lot of restaurants have adapted their dishes to meet the palattes of Richmonders, and I can totally see diners serving gravy with french fries…
But brown chicken gravy on egg foo yong? That’s not for me.