The Joy Luck

Great food, and the wait staff is excellent.
Love that you can modify anything on the menu so it’s vegetarian. Really gives you lots of options.
I usually just let the waiter or waitress choose what I get, so long as it’s spicy and veggie. They seem to know the menu really well.

Some people try to find the best burgers in their city, others are on the hunt for the donut of their dreams. I am a wonton connoisseur. Like cream cheese, crab, fried into perfection; that’s the kind of girl I am.
And The Joy Luck is my new enabler. I blame you guys for the ever increasing roll of blubber around my mid-​section. Wontons all day every day, baby.
But really, in all seriousness, this place is really good. The crab cheese wontons are in my top three I’ve ever had (if not #1), the sesame tofu is pretty nummy and the bartenders are killing it at the wine recommendations.
I am proud to call this my weekly asian take-​out spot.

What a pleasant surprise Joy Luck was. We went on a weekday and sat in a cozy corner by the bar where we had the bartender’s full attention. The food is a mix of Taiwanese and American versions of Chinese food. Everything we had was super tasty, but the star was the Szechuan chicken. It was airy, crispy, spicy and all-​around delicious. The braised pork belly was in a sumptuous sauce that worked perfectly with the rice.

The Joy Luck is a perfect go-​to restaurant because the food is very good, the wine list more than adequate (at a Chinese restaurant no less), the prices are reasonable, they will let you tailor dishes to meet your food requirements and it’s open seven days a week without a break between lunch and dinner.
Let’s start with the food. It’s an ambitious menu given they spell out a lot of options but in reality many of the ingredients are the same for several dishes so they cook everything fresh as it’s ordered by mixing well-​blended spices and a mixture of ingredients. One would assume the chef has been cooking these dishes for a long time and knows exactly how to make the magic happen somewhere behind the curtains of the well-​appointed dining room.
When I asked about a dish that would settle well within Weight Watcher points, the server was quick to give me an option that spelled about three points! Shrimp with broccoli – well it was broccoli rabe – but it was perfect. The sauce was nuanced and light. I passed on the rice that is served with all the entrees, but could have steamed, fried or brown. A dollar extra for brown.
The menu takes time to absorb, but, we were told, the portions printed in red are those of «an old family recipe from Taiwan.» The black portions more American Chinese favorites. We started with lettuce wraps with chicken and they came with the chicken and other ingredients nestled into a small round lettuce section. Easy to eat and totally delicious. The kim chi quesadilla was so good one party member re-​ordered it for her entrée. Just the right amount of cheese and light with great seasoning. It comes with a dollop of sour cream but you really don’t need it.
The” five-​flavors” speaks to the sauce. I’m not sure why it’s five flavors since the sauce contains ginger, garlic, onions, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, chili, oil and lemon, but it’s terrific. You can order it with anything – tofu, shrimp, pork, beef, fish and veggies – plus in different incarnations of cooking.
The big problem with the place was the noise. I really couldn’t hear my dining companions. The audience leaned heavily toward females so I don’t know if it was just this occasion, but it was very loud. I think women speak loud when together and being served alcohol and there was nothing to eat up the excessive sound waves. We were there on a Wednesday so I can’t imagine it on Saturday.
The service wasn’t up to par with the food. We had a great primary server but she was swamped so several men would stop by, fill the water glasses and nod that they’d get her if we needed something else. There is a bar and many around us were enjoying the speciality cocktails. We stuck with the wine and was very happy with both the white and red selections.
The Joy Luck is a very good Asian restaurant, not over the top, casual, a little on the expensive side, with reasonable portions. The food is great for sharing and everyone was very pleasant. We’ll be back because we had fun and enjoyed the food and wine, but we would love to see some sound barriers installed!

If you’ve never tried duck and want to see how it’s supposed to taste, come here and order any duck dish you want. And be prepared worth a full glad of water if you want anything spicy, because they do not disappoint! Their Bloody Mary had kick that I assume came from kimchi or some other incredibly delicious thing, so order that if you need a bit of waking up after church!

Tried the Taiwanese sausage, Sichuan chicken and Beijing roasted duck. They are all pretty good! The duck is quite tasty. I loved the crispy skin and how tender the meat tasted with the bun.
A little bit expensive though for the portion of the dishes, but overall very good experience.

I’ve held off coming to The Joy Luck as I didn’t want to be disappointed. I’ve heard some rave reviews from foodie friends, but also some less than stellar reports from others. I finally gave in and went to decide for myself.
I met up with a friend for a holiday lunch this past Friday at prime, weekday lunchtime — 12:15 pm. I was shocked when I walked in and was the only customer in the place. The host was warm and had no problem seating me in my requested area, up front in the bright and airy lounge.
The full menu is available at lunch and contains both Taiwanese and Chinese-​American dishes. We decided to go for the economical, but large, lunch specials ($ 10) which include soup of your choice (hot & sour, egg drop, or wonton), a veggie spring roll, entrée and rice of your choice (white, fried, or brown),
I went for the hot and sour soup and five flavor shrimp with fried rice. My friend opted for wonton soup and five flavor chicken with fried rice. Both our soups were delicious. Flavorful and warming, just as expected. Our spring rolls and entrees quickly followed (we hadn’t gotten even half way through soup yet), so we were juggling a lot of food all at once.
The spring roll was standard, nothing special. It was very greasy and I had to pat it off before eating. The five flavor sauce, I ordered it slightly spicy, was good. Not much heat, but with a deep flavor profile. The texture of the shrimp was a bit squishy as if it hadn’t been fried long enough. The fried rice was drier and more clumpy than I prefer and the egg was in very large pieces rather than being distributed among the rice.
Overall, the space was beautiful, the server nice, and the food adequate. It’s better than you’ll get from a quick takeout place, but also more expensive. I’m going to try again for dinner and select a Taiwanese dish to see if maybe this is where they really shine.

Scott and I have been talking about this restaurant for a very, very long time. We have both wanted to go so badly but the time has just not come up for us to visit. So a few months back I said, The Joy Luck, that’s where I want to visit for my birthday, and we did just that.
Last night we showed up around 8 p.m. and we were immediately greeted by the host and sat at a table near the Joy Luck «customer wall.» Our server, Michael was very friendly and was on point with getting us what we needed in a speedy fashion.
While we waited for our friends to meet us we went ahead and got some drinks. I ordered up some Sake because, when in Rome, and Scott order the Oriental Fashion (a very unique take on the classic cocktail). I took a sip of his drink and holy lord, I almost regretted getting the sake because I wanted one (or two) of those and I will probably get one myself soon! My biggest complaint is that I wasn’t offered if I wanted my sake hot or cold and it came out cold. I much prefer my sake to be warmed up, unless it’s sparkling and I opted out of that choice.
Tony and Jada show up and we’re still perusing the menu, but decided to order the crab rangoon and they come out almost as quickly as we ordered them. They weren’t the style that I normally like (I prefer the ones with the four legs facing upward) but they were warm, gooey and delicious. They also came with this orange dipping sauce that wasn’t needed but added a special bit to it that you wouldn’t get with take-​out.
I ordered the orange chicken with fried rice, Scott got the sweet and sour chicken with brown rice, Jada got the tofu lettuce wrap and Tony got the Taiwanese sausage roll. Their food looked and smelled fantastic (and while I wanted to reach over and steal a nibble, I wasn’t about to be a rude person just because it was my birthday)!
I had a little bit of Scott’s sweet and sour chicken, reluctantly because as a rule I hate sweet and sour sauce, but I actually really enjoyed it. It came with big chunks of carrots and bell peppers through the mix. When it comes to orange chicken, this is how I base Chinese and Oriental restaurants, because I know what it should taste like since it’s my comfort dish. Joy Luck knocked it out of the park! Normally I skip eating the orange rinds because they are way too tart and usually come in huge pieces that make it hard to swallow, however the pieces here are the perfect size and actually add to the flavor of the spices in the sauce. The portion was pretty big across the board and I was going to take some in for my lunch break but I ended up going back for more once we were home.
Because it was my birthday and I had seen pictures of that deep-​fried (wait for it) … CHEESECAKE! I had to have it. I was, literally, looking forward to it all. Night. Long!
It finally comes out and it was warm and kinda crunchy with a chocolate and raspberry syrup drizzled on top. I have to admit that things between the cheesecake and I got a real and I basically inhaled it.
It is a slight bit more expensive than your typical take out considering we spent right around $ 65 after tip, however we ordered a couple of drinks each, appetizer and two entrees. So if you subtracted the drinks it probably would have been about $ 30 or less, which is typically what the two of us spend after tipping the delivery man for take-​our Chinese.
Great food. Great drinks. Unique layout. I say yes to The Joy Luck and I’m joyous lucky man for getting to nosh here for my birthday! Next time I’m getting my own Oriental Fashion and I have to try that duck meal!
Joy Luck is a bit on the pricier side of

If Unilocal had ½ stars, I would rate The Joy Luck as a 4.5. It was worth the 75 mile 1-​way drive.
We started with Taiwanese Sausage Roll, a sweet Chinese sausage rolled in nori and chicken skin, coated with panko, and deep fried. Sari doesn’t like heat so they served the sweet chili sauce on the side. It was excellent. Crispy, juicy, and nicely seasoned. The chili sauce only has the slightest hint of heat.
Sari did a build-​your-​own Mu Shu pork. The pork was strips, breaded and deep fried, and tender. The veggies were crunchy, fresh, and plentiful. It’s served with hoisin sauce that they make in-​house; it’s much better than bottled, smoother and not cloyingly sweet. It was a good complement to the Mu Shu.
I had the Szechuan Chicken. It was much less heat than I expected from Szechuan style preparation, and I thought the chicken was slightly overcooked. But it was delicious and the chopped parsley was a great dimension.
The restaurant is very noisy and a draft blew through each time the front door opened. It’s clean, and welcoming, staff is great. It’s a small place, there were 8 – 10 4-​tops, a few 6-​tops and a few 2-​tops. I don’t believe they take reservations for less than 5 people and it filled up quickly on Friday night.
We’ll be back to work our way through the menu!

During Unilocal’s Art in Action event I got to try The Joy Luck’s vegetarian Singapore style rice noodles. I was so impressed that I’d been thinking about those noodles ever since and couldn’t wait to give this place another try after my visit in July. During my first visit my entrée was charred and our communal bowl of rice (we thought that was strange) was hard instead of fluffy and moist.
We arrived at about 9:00PM on Friday and there were only three other couples in the whole eatery. Just as the first visit, it did take a few minutes to get seated. Once we were seated we were immediately presented with glasses of ice water. I felt that our waitress was pleasant throughout the entire meal and was quick to refill our glasses and bring out our dishes.
I ordered the Singapore rice noodles with chicken, a ginger dressing salad and hot green tea. I am happy to say that the ginger dressing salad is my new number one favorite salad. It was crisp, fresh and had just the right amount of carrots cut into very thin strips. The dressing was delicious. It was the perfect tangy, light goodness that I’ve come to expect from an Asian eatery, but elevated. The Singapore noodles were beautifully presented. The dish was full of color from the fresh veggies, even through the cooking, many of the veggies stayed crisp instead of wilting. The dish had copious amounts of fresh chicken in it, much more than I expected for a $ 10 dish of rice noodles. Even through the deliciousness of the veggies and chicken, the noodles remain the star. The texture of the noodles were spot on. The spicy flavor of the overall dish was perfection, just the right amount of curry flavor. My green tea was a bit disappointing. I was presented with a metal teapot with a tea bag thrown in. The string was thrown in as well… so much for steeping time. The water far outweighed the tea to water ratio and I had to ask for another bag. I loved the flavor, but even with two bags it was still weak.
Logan ordered the orange chicken and rice. He said that he was stuffed and the food was to his liking. He ate every morsel… including the garnishing.
Overall: I am really pleased with my second visit and I will be back. I must be honest, if it weren’t for their presence at Art in Action it would have taken me much longer to come back here than it did. Asian food is my go-​to food for life. Its my favorite and I eat it upwards of four times a week. I’m glad to finally be able to add this place to my rotation, where it belongs.

I ordered from The Joy Luck when I was in Louisville for a conference. The weather was atrocious and I wanted Chinese food more than anything in the world.
I ended up going with the spice tofu and the hot and sour soup. Both were fantastic and totally hit the spot. The tofu especially was really well-​prepared. The sauce was delicious and the accompanying veggies were awesome.
I normally go for takeout Chinese in the lower price range, but this food was good enough that I’d definitely go back if I’m in the area again.

Delicious food, great service!
This is a great place to come on a date night, or a night out with friends. As always, I recommend getting more than one dish and sharing them to taste more of the menu! I have had both the five flavor chicken (with basic spice level) and the cashew chicken (again, with basic spice level). Both were delicious. Their ginger salad (which is a must for me) is also great. Our waitress took time to describe the dishes and spice levels to my husband and I, and made us feel very confident in what we were ordering. It was a hot July evening, we sat outside, and she made sure we always had cold drinks in front of us. The entrées are a little pricey, but the atmosphere, flavors, and service are all there.

Typically, when I give a review, a local business is going to get the benefit of the doubt from me. Unless things are just wrong/​off, you’re getting four stars. And I feel like the Joy Luck is just right. The service and friendly attitude I’ve found amongst the staff is seriously some of the best in the city. Cooper (dog) and I visit, and they make sure that Cooper is 100% comfortable and has water. I love to see a business take interest in my dog. The Joy Luck killed it in this area.
The food is very tasty. As far as flavor/​taste, I think the Joy Luck is probably the best in the city, for what they are.
The service is undeniable. The food is fantastic. The portion sizes? A little skimpy. The prices? A bit more than I’d wish to pay for what I’m getting.
Overall, the Joy Luck is a must visit, but it’s not somewhere to visit all the time if you’re on a budget.

The food here was amazing! However, the service wasn’t. Our server reeked of smoke and would stand so close to us, it was disgusting. Service was also slow and we were the only ones in our part of the dining area. Had we had just decent service I’d give it 5 stars, who knows… maybe your experience will be better!
As for food. The Taiwanese pork belly sliders… just shut up and take my money!!! The slider bun is the heavenly pillow of a roll and the ingredients on top are perfect together.

My fiancé’s family took me here on Saturday to celebrate my birthday. This was my first time here and I was pretty impressed. I had the Honey Walnut Shrimp and it was one of the best shrimp dishes I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. It was sweet and crispy and perfectly cooked and I would like to eat it everyday! My fiancé had the General Tsao’s which he devoured and my future mother in law had the Orange Chicken which I tried and loved.
We will be back, those Soup Dumplings are calling my name!

This is my new favorite restaurant.
Our waitress was great. I wish I could remember your name, because you were great. She explained everything and was great with questions; didn’t act irritated at all, with us or other customers. She was a very pleasant girl.
Because of her we got the Five Flavor dish and it was absolutely incredible. You have to get that.
The kimchi quesadillas were wonderful and the fried rice was some of the best, in Louisville, where, sad to say, you do not get good fried rice, in many places.
The drinks are also nice. The Oriental Old Fashioned may be my favorite Old Fashioned, now.
I want to go back and sit outside and go back again and again, to try everything. But, how can I get anything, but the Five Flavors? Maybe I can move around the corner.

Like other reviews, I had to dine-​in a couple of times before I could give my thoughts on it. The first time I had their food, I honestly didn’t think I would be coming back so often. It just seemed like something I could get somewhere else at a cheaper price. I soon found out that when you pick something completely out of your comfort zone, and it turns out 10x better than you expected, it quickly becomes your regular hangout spot.
If you are stuck on what to order, please consider one of the following (or all if you wish! Plus, having these as leftovers is great!):
1. Cantonese Duck
(It’s crispy and seasoned very well.)
2. Chicken Wings
(There are 4 sauces to choose from. I enjoyed the General Tso’s and the Szechuan Chili.)
3. Taiwanese Fried Rice
(Combination is the way to go.)
4. Any cocktails.
(The presentation is on point.)
Besides the food, the staff and management are friendly and polite. Very attentive!
What sets this place to be great vs. others is the outdoor patio on top of all their delicious food and drinks. Hello gorgeous! The string lights does it all.
Don’t forget to look at my pictures! It really does help!

I’d been here several times and left with the thought of «expensive price for so so food», but then I had a change of heart after our last visit there this past week. We were there again to support a good cause, because the restaurant’s donating 20% to the Nepal Relief.
My husband really like the Cantonese duck there. The duck’s skin is crispy and the meat is moist and well seasoned. Even our daughter enjoyed the duck’s skin and fat. She left me with the meat which was perfect for me since I don’t need any of the fat. I ordered the Kung Pao tofu and loved it. The tofu is crispy and plentiful with mixed peppers and peanuts. The dish has just enough amount of sauce for flavor. I peeked over the next table with a large group, seeing most of them ordered «the farmer’s beef». I’m definitely coming back again to try that one out!

In a nutshell:
– Great outdoor seating
– Fabulous menu
– Friendly owner and waitstaff
The Joy Luck has become one of my new favorite places. Nestled between Ramsi’s and Kashmir on Bardstown Rd, it’s the perfect venue to discover a new favorite Asian fusion dish. Inside, it’s cozy for when the weather is cold, with a comfortable bar area that looks over the outdoor seating area. Speaking of outdoor seating, when the weather is warm, it has a very nice patio in the front with plenty of seating for enjoying the tasty Asian fusion cuisine and the people watching.
I visited recently with a friend, where we quickly bumped into more friends. After briefly waiting at the bar for a table, we all ended up sitting outside on the mild spring evening. Once seated, we were quickly greeted by the owner, who made some excellent recommendations for our meal. Given that we are both light eaters but who enjoy trying new things, we decided to split a number of items on our meal that evening.
We started with the Formosa chicken roll, which was savory with just enough crispness to the outer tofu shell to give its texture some variety. This was followed by a salad with the standard (delicious!) Asian ginger dressing. Next came the Kim Chi Quesadilla; I love heat and spice, my companion does not. However, we were both happy, as there was just enough spice to keep me happy with the pickled Kim Chi, but enough tempering from the queso to allow them to enjoy the quesadilla as well. We topped off the night with the fried cheesecake, which reminded both of us of an Italian cannoli — light on the outside but with a sweet, creamy filling. Under the twinkling strung lights of the patio, it was truly a wonderful evening!

Atmosphere: 5 stars!!! Unbeatable vibe and such a breath of fresh air!
Service: friendly and efficient
Food: this is a hard one to rate since The Joy Luck does not exactly bill itself as a traditional anything. It is «Taiwanese with a twist». Taiwanese food is «Chinese with a twist». I will just list some of the true Taiwanese items I have tried:
Roast Beef Noodle Soup: It is only on the Sunday brunch menu, but it should be on the regular menu!!! It is the best thing I have had here. Tender chunks of marbled beef long braised in a star anise broth along with daikon radish and carrots… all of this goes on top of a bowl of chewy wheat or rice noodle and some bok choy. It is the perfect thing for brunch or any other time of the day.
Braised Pork Over Rice: soft, savory, tiny cubes of five spiced pork belly in this dark sweet soy sauce gravy. It is so very good! I only wish there were more of it for $ 12.
Taiwanese Pork Sliders: the same pork cubes as above get stuffed in these pillowy white buns, plus pickled mustard greens and peanuts. Even hubby liked these!
Formosa Chicken Roll: These were a revelation when I tried them for the first time. I needed them so badly I returned to The Joy Luck just for these. But for some reason they have suffered from inconsistencies; sometimes they can be dry and shriveled like they were fried for too long or sat under the lamp for too long.
Soup Dumplings: um… not soupy enough.
Taiwanese Sausage Roll: I thought this was just a bit too sweet for my taste. But I have heard that they are supposed to be sweet like this… kinda like the Cantonese sausage is also too sweet for people not used to them.
Cantonese Beef Rice Noodles: this one baffles me. It is too soft and mushy for true Cantonese hall fun. The flavor was good, but it was just too wet and the noodles were all broken in little bits.
I will definitely be back for the Beef Noodle Soup. There are items I really like and there are items I do not like. But that is true for any restaurant in my opinion. Joy Luck fills the niche not many Chinese restaurants can occupy: great atmosphere and sophisticated drinks.