Joy Wah Restaurant — Restaurant in Rockingham

We have driven past Joy Wah many times over the last decade and finally gave it a try this past weekend. Given the mixed reviews I saw on Yelp, I was hopeful but did not set my expectations very high. As others have said, the decor is a bit dated but the restaurant was clean. The river view made up for the outdated decor. I made a reservation as recommended by the website since we had a party of 6. Several tables were occupied but there seemed to be plenty of availability. We were seated immediately and our waiter asked us what beverages we wanted. He took our order and the food came out efficiently and piping hot. We ordered egg rolls and vegetable potstickers for appetizers. Both were delicious. The dumplings came with a yummy dipping sauce. I tried to choose items that were more authentic/home style or items that my family usually orders at a Chinese restaurant in NYC Chinatown. Entrees included pork fried rice (no soy sauce), scallops with pea pods with ginger/scallion, walnut prawns, bean curd with vegetables, chow mei fun (aka subgum rice noodles), and sesame chicken (for the kids). The waiter was very accommodating as I asked for “white” fried rice (no soy sauce), the mei fun which I did not see on the menu and less sodium in all the dishes. Everything was delicious. My only negative comment is that the sauce in the bean curd dish was too salty. Other than that, we were all impressed with the quality of the food and had leftovers. Our interactions with other employees were positive as well. One of the female employees let my kids keep some Christmas origami decorations they saw by the Christmas tree up front. Another lady appreciated my kids’ admiring her goldfish tank. We had a great experience and will...

If you like American Chinese food, this place offers exactly it. We tried 3 dishes - none were authentic Chinese. You could tell from the names of the dishes 🤷‍♀️The chicken in general Tso is was tender but sadly the gravy overly sweet which spoiled the whole dish . It wasn’t spicy either. Shrimps and mix veg was alright - shrimps were cleaned and large and the mix veg is a good variety of bok choy, snow peas, bro potatoes, canned mushroom . Spring roll was American Chinese as well - fat roll but lacked quality flavor. We ordered to-go; food was still piping hot when we ate in the car. Portion was on small side for the individual box meals.

The host at the front was a nice friendly young man. Service was quick.

The prices were on the high side but consider the setting and location, it was justified. It’s not a cheap Chinese take out and the quality is definitely better than those small joints where you’ll pay a lot less for your entree.

5 stars for the river/ water views. I saw a young couple with their child all dressed up like going to a fine dining restaurant - this place can offer that kind of experience because the ambience is pretty.

Huge free parking lot - so big they can add another restaurant on it. They aren’t set up for RVs, trucks or long vehicles though - the long narrow strip does not allow turn around.

Overall, if you like American Chinese cuisine, this is it. Otherwise, note that the reviews here aren’t referring to authentic...

I have been a frequent customer over the last 18 months. After tonight, Joy Wah has lost my business indefinitely:

I ordered shrimp with cashews & vegetables. The menu does not specify what vegetables are included per dish.

I received a plate of 8 shrimp , some with legs. The vegetables included 5 snow pea pods, some diced carrots, and lots of chopped celery. The majority of the dish was chopped celery.

I dislike celery. I tried a few bites - all I tasted was celery.

I informed my server that the dish had too much celery. I couldn't eat it.

I was told I had to place another order. So I ordered shrimp fried rice.

The prorioriter stopped by my table to inquire about my dish. I informed her that it had too much celery.

The owner then stated that Joy Wah expects each customer to inform the server of any vegetables to exclude when ordering.

I asked how the customer would know what to exclude when the menu does not list the vegetables included per dish.

Again, I was told that I was at fault for not informing my server to exclude celery.

Then my shrimp fried rice arrived. On my third bit, the rice was crunchy??!! Egg shells and lots of them!!!!!

Hmmm, was I also at fault for not informing my server to exclude eggshells from my shrimp fried rice????

I asked for the check, paid, and left.

$50 later and no dinner.

Do not waste your money...