The Joy Luck Club is a hidden gem in Thornhill. Highly recommend. We'll be back.We ordered a 4 dish combo on a Friday nite. We ordered takeout but observed they have ample seating for dine-in service.Tasty and affordable. Food was still piping hot by the time we got home. And well packed (ie no sauces leaking).Pictured: Fried squid with spices. Cantonese chow mein. Bitter melon and beef. Curry chicken (very mild).
Mars D.B.O
Love this little place!!! Definitely a must try. Their chicken wings , fresh and hot right out the fryer. Oh man let me tell you, finger licking good and if you get the honey garlic with it . . You won't regret it.Another winner is their beef brisket noodle soup. I like it a lil spicy, definitely must have during the winter months or even when your congested. A bowl of soup will fix your problems ?
Henry C.
What I like about this classic Chinese restaurant are the slight variations of traditional dishes. The food is always fresh and well prepared, service is incredibly friendly, and I can see the care that goes into each dish. The portions are not as large as other restaurants or chains, but the quality is evident. Their hot and sour soup is my favourite all time soup, and it's made fresh to order. The seafood is on point, and they don't use MSG. I normally order the same dishes, but the owner is always helpful in suggesting dishes she thinks I would like. They are super busy with takeout orders and very popular in the community as well.
Bosco H.
It's alright. Maybe I'm consistently spoiled by Congee Queen when I'm craving some cantonese style rice/noodle dishes. Got takeout from here a couple days ago. Their menu is extensive and has pretty much everything you want from a cantonese restaurant with individual dishes to full meals. Ordered the Shanghai Fried Noodles which is an instant classic anywhere you go. They use the thinner rice noodles which is a little odd as I'm used to the more thick noodle type in this dish specifically. There just wasn't too much going on in the dish. The quantity of beef, veggies and shrimp was good in the dish but I wanted a more salty, flavourful taste in the dish entirely. This was really the only complaint with it but it just missed the mark there. Value-wise, really solid and will definitely fill you up at $11.50 for the lunch specials. Probably won't come back but I think it could be a good option for families as they have tons of options to mix and match at 1 dish to 4 dish prices (more value as you order more obvs).
DrMark Erwin
I just had takeout for the first time from Joy luck and had the pleasure of meeting Marion (hope I got that right). Best I’ve had in Toronto!! Superb service, fresh food, perfectly prepared!!Top marks!!! I highly recommend Joy Luk!!!!
Pop Smoke
(*)VERY(*) VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY -- you can order custom dishes w/o meat, no problem. (Many restaurants will simply pick the meat off the dish in the kitchen after it is made). Hostess friendly. Prices are typical of the post-Covid world, every single item on the menu is about $15 w tax. Strange mico-mall with limited parking unless you want to take a chance in back of the bldg. Will definitely do take-out again.
hungrysheepie
Decided to grab some dinner at The Joy Luck Club on my way home the other night. Definitely a lot of feels about the name of this restaurant because I absolutely loved reading that novel by Amy Tan back in high school and I also adored the movie!I couldn't exactly locate a clear menu online, so I walked in to order on the spot. The lady at the store greeted me, and she speaks fluent English and Cantonese. Menu is in English and Chinese, and they sell it as combos (you can mix and match items).I ordered the following:1. Housemade Veggie Spring Rolls with sweet and sour dipping sauce. It was very tasty, and it comes with some light chips underneath, would order this again!2. Braised E-Fu noodles with Vegetables Medley. I'm always a fan of this Asian noodle, though it was on the saltier side... I'm going to ask for no added salt next time ^^3. Fried egg with Vegetables. It is like an omlette with vegetables + sauce BUT there are shrimps inside, so not exactly a vegetarian dish though the name says otherwise. I should've ordered some white rice to go with this!I'm definitely going to come back and try more food; there are so many options here!
Shawn Sussman
Several months ago, I spent a great deal of time chatting with Mary-Ann, about her passion for offering quality, delicious food, while creating a friendly neighbourhood atmosphere.Tonight, I finally had the opportunity to enjoy a meal from her restaurant. Marianne most definitely delivers on both. Take-out was promptly made to order and the dishes were executed to perfection.I am looking forward to returning, to try some classic dishes, with The Joy Luck Cub's own signature twists.
Ruby Ann
JOY-fully delicious! This woman-owned restaurant named after the bestselling novel (The Joy Luck Club) serves fresh, made to order, authentic, Chinese cuisine.The location is in a residential area, with many loyal customers, and is super busy with take-out orders. It’s not your typical Chinese restaurant!Mary Anne is incredibly friendly, engaging, humble, and appreciative. She offers the classic dishes, but also some items with her own spin. The ingredients are locally sourced, and FRESH! A great deal of care goes into the prep and cooking, and it shows. You can even hear the chef frying up dishes with awesome “wok hei”! The food does not contain MSG, and the chef is always responsive to our request for less oil and salt!The menu offers a’ la carte, a lunch menu, or set meals. We usually order four dishes for $46, with plenty to take home.Hot & Sour Soup: Spice lovers will enjoy this comforting, homemade, and made to order soup!Cantonese Chow Mein: With fresh veggies and clean, plump shrimps (not soft, mushy, or rubbery)!⠀Deep-Fried Squid with Salted Spices: I was hesitant to order this dish as it can be chewy and rubbery. This was NOT the case. The squid was fresh and tender, with a bit of heat!⠀Sweet & Sour Pork: This version has lean pork (no fatty or grisly pieces here), with plenty of bell peppers and fresh pineapple chunks!⠀Braised Beef Brisket: The brisket is braised for a long time, meaning it’s oh so tender! Very generous meaty portions with a hint of five-spice powder. It also comes as a curry!I think we are slowly working our way through the menu! There is also a 10% discount when paying cash.
Ruby A.
JOY-fully delicious! This woman-owned restaurant named after the bestselling novel (The Joy Luck Club) serves fresh, made-to-order, authentic, Chinese cuisine. The location is in a residential area, with many loyal customers, and is super busy with take-out orders. It's not your typical Chinese restaurant! Mary Anne is incredibly friendly, engaging, humble, and appreciative. She offers the classic dishes, but also some items with her own spin. The ingredients are locally sourced and FRESH! A great deal of care goes into the prep and cooking, and it shows. You can even hear the chef frying up dishes with awesome "wok hei"! The food does not contain MSG, and the chef is always responsive to our request for less oil and salt! The menu offers a' la carte, a lunch menu, or set meals. We usually order four dishes for $46, with plenty to take home. * Hot & Sour Soup: Spice lovers will enjoy this comforting, homemade, and made-to-order soup! * Cantonese Chow Mein: With fresh veggies and clean, plump shrimps (not soft, mushy, or rubbery)! * Deep-Fried Squid with Salted Spices: I was hesitant to order this dish as it can be chewy and rubbery. This was NOT the case. The squid was fresh and tender, with a bit of heat! * Sweet & Sour Pork: This version has lean pork (no fatty or grisly pieces here), with plenty of bell peppers and fresh pineapple chunks! * Braised Beef Brisket: The brisket is braised for a long time, meaning it's oh so tender! Very generous meaty portions with a hint of five-spice powder. It also comes as a curry! I think we are slowly working our way through the menu! There is also a 10% discount when paying cash.
Had been meaning to try this location for quite a while. I was very pleasantly surprised. Ordered the lunch special of Broccoli, chicken and vegetables on rice($13.00). Was quite good. However, the portion was a bit small for the price. Hostess was very helpful and polite. I will definately return. Thank you.
Reza Parnian
Mary-Anne (seen in the photo holding up my order of black bean beef with crispy noodles) is one of the most welcoming, genuine restaurant owners and hosts I have ever met. I already knew the food was going to be excellent here, but I did not expect the service to be so personalized! She quickly guided me through the menu, and helped me make a great choice. As a bonus, the restaurant is situated in a peaceful area with lots of green scenery. I highly suggest you try their fried squid. You'll thank me later!
Karen
I was really looking forward to supporting local and finding this seeming hidden gem (as most reviews seem positive). Unfortunately, we were really disappointed in both the food and experience. We ordered the "Deep Fried Squid with Salty Spices" and "Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork." I called ahead to ask if the squid was spicy and was told no. But it was. I called to inquire about this as this dish was meant for my kid, who has eaten it many times in other restaurants. I would assume they treat inquiries about their food seriously and would respond honestly (e.g., on their website, they sound accommodating with allergies etc). The response I got was basically the word "spice" was in the title so I should have assumed it was spicy. I already TRIPLE checked: (1) the actual name of the dish did not say it was spicy (spices and spicy are not the same), (2) there was no chilli symbol on their menu that is supposed to be their own system to indicate was is spicy, (3) I explicitly asked. On top of this, I was made to feel it was somehow my fault for not knowing. The dish itself was edible. The pork on the other hand, was not. We ended up throwing most of it in the compost. There was something off about the pork (it was quite stale). The sauce itself was standard sweet and sour.
Ksenia Safonova
Delicious food and reasonable prices. The owner really cares about her customers and quality of food.Definitely recommend to visit and we will come back again!
Aaron Arieli
Came here for the first time last week and I wish I tried this restaurant earlier! By far the best Chinese food in the Thornhill/Markham area, the owner is so nice and their dishes are fresh and very flavourful. I'll be coming often, great portion sizes and their prices are more than fair. Looking forward to trying some new dishes, I have recommended this restaurant to my friends/family already and would 100% recommend for anyone interested.
The Joy Luck Club is a hidden gem in Thornhill. Highly recommend. We'll be back.We ordered a 4 dish combo on a Friday nite. We ordered takeout but observed they have ample seating for dine-in service.Tasty and affordable. Food was still piping hot by the time we got home. And well packed (ie no sauces leaking).Pictured: Fried squid with spices. Cantonese chow mein. Bitter melon and beef. Curry chicken (very mild).
Love this little place!!! Definitely a must try. Their chicken wings , fresh and hot right out the fryer. Oh man let me tell you, finger licking good and if you get the honey garlic with it . . You won't regret it.Another winner is their beef brisket noodle soup. I like it a lil spicy, definitely must have during the winter months or even when your congested. A bowl of soup will fix your problems ?
What I like about this classic Chinese restaurant are the slight variations of traditional dishes. The food is always fresh and well prepared, service is incredibly friendly, and I can see the care that goes into each dish. The portions are not as large as other restaurants or chains, but the quality is evident. Their hot and sour soup is my favourite all time soup, and it's made fresh to order. The seafood is on point, and they don't use MSG. I normally order the same dishes, but the owner is always helpful in suggesting dishes she thinks I would like. They are super busy with takeout orders and very popular in the community as well.
It's alright. Maybe I'm consistently spoiled by Congee Queen when I'm craving some cantonese style rice/noodle dishes. Got takeout from here a couple days ago. Their menu is extensive and has pretty much everything you want from a cantonese restaurant with individual dishes to full meals. Ordered the Shanghai Fried Noodles which is an instant classic anywhere you go. They use the thinner rice noodles which is a little odd as I'm used to the more thick noodle type in this dish specifically. There just wasn't too much going on in the dish. The quantity of beef, veggies and shrimp was good in the dish but I wanted a more salty, flavourful taste in the dish entirely. This was really the only complaint with it but it just missed the mark there. Value-wise, really solid and will definitely fill you up at $11.50 for the lunch specials. Probably won't come back but I think it could be a good option for families as they have tons of options to mix and match at 1 dish to 4 dish prices (more value as you order more obvs).
I just had takeout for the first time from Joy luck and had the pleasure of meeting Marion (hope I got that right). Best I’ve had in Toronto!! Superb service, fresh food, perfectly prepared!!Top marks!!! I highly recommend Joy Luk!!!!
(*)VERY(*) VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY -- you can order custom dishes w/o meat, no problem. (Many restaurants will simply pick the meat off the dish in the kitchen after it is made). Hostess friendly. Prices are typical of the post-Covid world, every single item on the menu is about $15 w tax. Strange mico-mall with limited parking unless you want to take a chance in back of the bldg. Will definitely do take-out again.
Decided to grab some dinner at The Joy Luck Club on my way home the other night. Definitely a lot of feels about the name of this restaurant because I absolutely loved reading that novel by Amy Tan back in high school and I also adored the movie!I couldn't exactly locate a clear menu online, so I walked in to order on the spot. The lady at the store greeted me, and she speaks fluent English and Cantonese. Menu is in English and Chinese, and they sell it as combos (you can mix and match items).I ordered the following:1. Housemade Veggie Spring Rolls with sweet and sour dipping sauce. It was very tasty, and it comes with some light chips underneath, would order this again!2. Braised E-Fu noodles with Vegetables Medley. I'm always a fan of this Asian noodle, though it was on the saltier side... I'm going to ask for no added salt next time ^^3. Fried egg with Vegetables. It is like an omlette with vegetables + sauce BUT there are shrimps inside, so not exactly a vegetarian dish though the name says otherwise. I should've ordered some white rice to go with this!I'm definitely going to come back and try more food; there are so many options here!
Several months ago, I spent a great deal of time chatting with Mary-Ann, about her passion for offering quality, delicious food, while creating a friendly neighbourhood atmosphere.Tonight, I finally had the opportunity to enjoy a meal from her restaurant. Marianne most definitely delivers on both. Take-out was promptly made to order and the dishes were executed to perfection.I am looking forward to returning, to try some classic dishes, with The Joy Luck Cub's own signature twists.
JOY-fully delicious! This woman-owned restaurant named after the bestselling novel (The Joy Luck Club) serves fresh, made to order, authentic, Chinese cuisine.The location is in a residential area, with many loyal customers, and is super busy with take-out orders. It’s not your typical Chinese restaurant!Mary Anne is incredibly friendly, engaging, humble, and appreciative. She offers the classic dishes, but also some items with her own spin. The ingredients are locally sourced, and FRESH! A great deal of care goes into the prep and cooking, and it shows. You can even hear the chef frying up dishes with awesome “wok hei”! The food does not contain MSG, and the chef is always responsive to our request for less oil and salt!The menu offers a’ la carte, a lunch menu, or set meals. We usually order four dishes for $46, with plenty to take home.Hot & Sour Soup: Spice lovers will enjoy this comforting, homemade, and made to order soup!Cantonese Chow Mein: With fresh veggies and clean, plump shrimps (not soft, mushy, or rubbery)!⠀Deep-Fried Squid with Salted Spices: I was hesitant to order this dish as it can be chewy and rubbery. This was NOT the case. The squid was fresh and tender, with a bit of heat!⠀Sweet & Sour Pork: This version has lean pork (no fatty or grisly pieces here), with plenty of bell peppers and fresh pineapple chunks!⠀Braised Beef Brisket: The brisket is braised for a long time, meaning it’s oh so tender! Very generous meaty portions with a hint of five-spice powder. It also comes as a curry!I think we are slowly working our way through the menu! There is also a 10% discount when paying cash.
JOY-fully delicious! This woman-owned restaurant named after the bestselling novel (The Joy Luck Club) serves fresh, made-to-order, authentic, Chinese cuisine. The location is in a residential area, with many loyal customers, and is super busy with take-out orders. It's not your typical Chinese restaurant! Mary Anne is incredibly friendly, engaging, humble, and appreciative. She offers the classic dishes, but also some items with her own spin. The ingredients are locally sourced and FRESH! A great deal of care goes into the prep and cooking, and it shows. You can even hear the chef frying up dishes with awesome "wok hei"! The food does not contain MSG, and the chef is always responsive to our request for less oil and salt! The menu offers a' la carte, a lunch menu, or set meals. We usually order four dishes for $46, with plenty to take home. * Hot & Sour Soup: Spice lovers will enjoy this comforting, homemade, and made-to-order soup! * Cantonese Chow Mein: With fresh veggies and clean, plump shrimps (not soft, mushy, or rubbery)! * Deep-Fried Squid with Salted Spices: I was hesitant to order this dish as it can be chewy and rubbery. This was NOT the case. The squid was fresh and tender, with a bit of heat! * Sweet & Sour Pork: This version has lean pork (no fatty or grisly pieces here), with plenty of bell peppers and fresh pineapple chunks! * Braised Beef Brisket: The brisket is braised for a long time, meaning it's oh so tender! Very generous meaty portions with a hint of five-spice powder. It also comes as a curry! I think we are slowly working our way through the menu! There is also a 10% discount when paying cash.
Restaurantji Recommends
Had been meaning to try this location for quite a while. I was very pleasantly surprised. Ordered the lunch special of Broccoli, chicken and vegetables on rice($13.00). Was quite good. However, the portion was a bit small for the price. Hostess was very helpful and polite. I will definately return. Thank you.
Mary-Anne (seen in the photo holding up my order of black bean beef with crispy noodles) is one of the most welcoming, genuine restaurant owners and hosts I have ever met. I already knew the food was going to be excellent here, but I did not expect the service to be so personalized! She quickly guided me through the menu, and helped me make a great choice. As a bonus, the restaurant is situated in a peaceful area with lots of green scenery. I highly suggest you try their fried squid. You'll thank me later!
I was really looking forward to supporting local and finding this seeming hidden gem (as most reviews seem positive). Unfortunately, we were really disappointed in both the food and experience. We ordered the "Deep Fried Squid with Salty Spices" and "Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork." I called ahead to ask if the squid was spicy and was told no. But it was. I called to inquire about this as this dish was meant for my kid, who has eaten it many times in other restaurants. I would assume they treat inquiries about their food seriously and would respond honestly (e.g., on their website, they sound accommodating with allergies etc). The response I got was basically the word "spice" was in the title so I should have assumed it was spicy. I already TRIPLE checked: (1) the actual name of the dish did not say it was spicy (spices and spicy are not the same), (2) there was no chilli symbol on their menu that is supposed to be their own system to indicate was is spicy, (3) I explicitly asked. On top of this, I was made to feel it was somehow my fault for not knowing. The dish itself was edible. The pork on the other hand, was not. We ended up throwing most of it in the compost. There was something off about the pork (it was quite stale). The sauce itself was standard sweet and sour.
Delicious food and reasonable prices. The owner really cares about her customers and quality of food.Definitely recommend to visit and we will come back again!
Came here for the first time last week and I wish I tried this restaurant earlier! By far the best Chinese food in the Thornhill/Markham area, the owner is so nice and their dishes are fresh and very flavourful. I'll be coming often, great portion sizes and their prices are more than fair. Looking forward to trying some new dishes, I have recommended this restaurant to my friends/family already and would 100% recommend for anyone interested.