Joy Asia Offers a Mediocre Buffet, but Plenty of Community Events

There are more happenings at Joy Asia Oriental Cuisine & Cocktail Lounge than at a lot of bars.

Karaoke runs on weekends from 8:45 p.m. till almost 1 a.m. (must be 21 to participate). The large bar resembles a sports bar serving Oriental food rather than the typical potato wedges. On Thursday nights, the restaurant transforms into a .

The menu seems as long as the establishment is large. Vegetarians are in luck with a portion of the menu devoted to vegetable and tofu dishes such as the spicy szechuan tofu with broccoli. The nine different varieties of soup, including the traditional egg drop and wonton soups, will help warm patrons on cold days.

But in order to dine at Joy Asia, patrons must have both patience and time on their hands because service is very slow and at times hard to come by. Being seated at a table required circling the restaurant several times in a hunt for the host or anyone working there. And at one point patrons had to refill their own water because the waitress was nowhere to be found.

Folks have the option of either ordering off the extensive menu or dining at the buffet. Before committing to the buffet, carefully check out its contents. Although steam rises from the dishes, the food might not be hot or even warm.

And pay attention to how much food is available. If the quantity is low and they are slow to refill the dishes, the buffet becomes an every man for himself feeding frenzy. Dishes commonly found at the buffet include crab rangoon, lo mein, general gau's chicken and peking ravioli. It was difficult to judge the quality of the food because nothing was hot.

An alternative to the questionable buffet is to choose from the list of lunch specials. These generally include a main dish, such as sweet and sour chicken or garlic shrimp, and either a spring roll or chicken wing and fried rice (range in price from $5.50 to $7.50).

Joy Asia Oriental Cuisine & Cocktail Lounge is located at 735 Boston Post Road. Check out their Web site to view the full menu. Call (508) 481-0100 for delivery.

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