Joyful in Newport

I recently dined here for a Staff Party. Service was friendly and attentive. We had a good range of the menu and all dishes were lovely. Highlight was the wontons for me! Im a sucker for a good wonton!

I had wanted to return to Joyful as my one previous experience was positive. We got there on a Saturday night with no reservations so couldn’t have a table...no problem we would have take away. We ordered 6 deep fried wontons, sweet and sour pork, combination rice and vegetable dish...we got 24 steamed wontons...no flavour, a beef dish with more grizzle than beef, and 2 seafood vegetable dishes with tofu I think. I called after getting home and they said bring it back! We live to far to drive back, but they just told me the meal we got was worth more than the one we ordered! We will not be back! It was an awful experience!

Original chinese dishes , great for 6 or more people for there are great round tables with a lazy susan so you can share these great feeds easily

The waitress who bring us food is the only one can smile in this restaurant, others just don't care and the manager doesn't even look at you when you pay the bill. Food is below average and I don't think it can be called Chinese food at all.

A fan for good chilli oil.. dumpling was good and tons better with that chilli oil!!! They have a cute cake cabinet too

I was visiting NZ and missed Chinese food after a week, and when I got to Christchurch I found this restaurant. It's unpretentious, very clean and features a pretty extensive menu. And, service was very quick. I have always found that you can judge the finesse and authenticity of a Chinese restaurant by their won ton soup...and theirs is fabulous..delish, fresh tasting, and with a delicate won ton skin. All in all, the food is very good and this restaurant will easily hold its own in any city in the world. So glad I found it.

Perhaps this was good by Christchurch standards, but I found the food tasting pretty average. The "boss" at the cash register was not very interested in us, seemed more concerned about collecting payment. Not someone I'd recommend.

We had lunch there, dishes are Nice, friendly service crew and clean restaurant. Would recommend for family and friends gathering.

Can never go past this restaurant when in Christchurch, have been here on a number of occasions and has never dissapointed yet. Quick and efficient for a lunch time food is fantastic well worth a visit

We are a group of Singaporean visitors, scourging the land for Asian food after a week of burgers, fries, fish and chips and steaks. Oh boy, were we satisfied. Imagine cold winds blowing at you while you run from your car to the restaurant. You are freezing and the traffic light refuses to turn. You enter the restaurant, hungry, cold and angry. You feel a warm blast of air and a familiar waft of fried rice and noodles. You smile, you found home. Back to the review, big portions of food. most dishes are priced at NZD$20. we had 4 people, we order 3 dishes and a medium portion of rice. It was more than enough. Beef with broccoli was our favorite dish. We came back the next day for lunch. They have a cheaper lunch menu, serving rice and noodles of different variety. I had the roast duck noodles which was mmmhmmm. Recommend to go for Asian tourists who missed home-cooked food.

Food is superb, not greasy and very quick service. Toilet is also nice and clean unlike some other Chinese restaurant. We come here at least twice a month for those reasons.

We are rating this place based on they foods not the staffs. Dumpling are lovely and the lemon chicken are yummy. The mushroom soup also yummy. Highly recommended. Don't expect good service.

I love this place! Have been so many times and never been disappointed!! The dumplings are my favourite.

Really good food and very generous servings. Staff could do with bit more smiles on their faces but having said that we had booked for 8pm and were their last customers - they were still very helpful. Definitely will be going there again when we visit Christchurch next.

I love taking my family to Joyful when we visit Christchurch, the staff are friendly and accomodating, the food comes out quickly, and the delicious dishes are freshly cooked with decent ingredients. All the old favourites you'd expect at a Chinese restaurant. The small portion size is huge!

旅馆工作人员推荐的中餐馆，分量十足，服务也不错，味道比较地道。。。如果门口满了不能停车，可以绕到饭馆后身的停车场停车。。。

Quality Asian food, fresh fast and tasty a must try. I throughly enjoy the chicken and corn soup. Try the dumplings they are my favourite

The food is very good. Must try their fried dumplings, dumpling soup,or wanton soup, steam prawns, and many more exciting dishes. Their fried dumplings are the best in Christchurch. Everyone would definitely enjoy their deep fried chicken nibbles and their deep fried pork ribs.

I havent been to joyful for years, as we consider its food is more like Western-Chinese food rather than real Chinese food. However I cannot forget its wonton soup, it used have the best Wonton soup in town! So we visited Joyful recently for wonton soup and ordered two more other dishes to share. The other dishes were OK, not outstanding but quite tasty. But the wontons were a little bit disappointing. The meat didn't taste as good as before. Overall the experience was just above average, and the price was a bit high compare to the other Chinese restaurants in Christchurch.

Quite good but is not cheapWent there for lunch and they had pretty good chinese food.Good serviceGreat enviromentIf you like chinese food or want to try chinese food is definitely a must go!

We lived just 250 metres away at No. 10 bed-'n-breakfast, Bradshaw Terrace. We soon warmed to this first-rate Chinese-Indonesian Restaurant, 'Joyful'. We have not encountered it's match.The clientele is decent; middle-class Chinese, mainly. The food is tasty, of excellent quality. Served delightfully. The interior fittings and furnishings are tasteful. Finally, the prices are reasonable, servings very generous.Who's asking for any more!

We were a party of eight. We found this place walking along the road, looking for a restaurant. It was crowded but they found a table for us. The crowd appeared mainly locals, mix of Caucasians and ethnic. There was a big group for bachelor party and a birthday party. The service was great, prompt but not rushed. The food was great, tasty, spiced just right.It was not oily as Chinese food in restaurant often is. We had shrimp and chicken.Would highly recommend this place.

Was recommended by Chinese motel owners to try the wonton dumpling noodle for lunch. Heard it was operated by Hong Kong chef. Chili sauce was self made. Portion was large (about 10 dumplings) with noodles for NZ$11. It was very good. Went back to do take-away for dinner and ordered the pan-fried dumpling and fried rice. Had good and hearty meals there.

This is a favorite of our family. We always have extremely good meals here at a great price. The size of the dishes are ample even for a family of teenage boys. Staff are always helpful and greet us in a friendly manner.

Great meal, great service, good, clean and very reasonably priced restaurant.Was there with a group of ten and had a great night.Will be back.

Great Chinese food and lots of it! Been here lots of times - never disappoints! Kids love it too! Make sure you book a table if you are going for dinner! Oh and you'll probably need to ask for a takeaway container!,,

My friends and I ordered four dishes, of which, 2 orders were mixed up. The waitress serving us wasn't very friendly and took our dishes before we could finish. It was a bit of a rushed meal, overall, not very impressed

Superb Chinese restaurant with awesome service. We have to reserve at least half a day in advance as the restaurant is packed. The quality of food is very good. Only problem is that their portions are huge . Order small portion if you are 3 or less.

Just had another great meal at the Joyful restaurant last night.The food is always fresh, plentiful and flavoursome, The service is prompt & efficient, and to complete a lovely meal there is the added option of picking a cake/dessert from the in-house bakery displayed at the rear of the restaurant. I had the Coffee Mousse cake, yum.Keep up the good work, always a pleasure to dine at the Joyful, well named

Delicious dumplings! If you're picky about what you eat and want you're own dish, don't come here, it's not that type of place. But if you want a range of delicious treats, like to share your dishes and are in a group then don't go any where else. After many office lunches and having sampled probably half of the menu, I am yet to find a disappointing dish. The crispy skinned chicken and dumplings are tastiest. The fitout on the other hand is one of the ugliest things you could ever see. It's sort of like dining in a really bad office, with lights bought from Bunnings (from their sale rack). But that adds to the semi chaotic charm really. Dumplings!

After we had placed our order, we got our dishes delivered one by one, and we waited ages for everyone to get their food. They brought some dishes without rice, so even those that had received their meals, couldn't start eating until they had received all they had ordered. When we did start eating, our complaint that the dishes were so big (yes, big)that there was just too much food for us all and a lot was wasted. I ordered the Vegetarian Delight, which had only 2 pieces of tofu on it, and the sauce covering the dish was awful, making my food inedible. There was just no care or passion in this place for food or service at all. The glass of wine I got was certainly not out of a bottle, let alone the wine I had asked for either.All round, an awful experience for all of us.

A good Chinese spot that is very consistent compared to other locations nearby. Great dumplings, crispy skin chicken and beef with black bean sauce.Should be mentioned the location is 102 Riccarton Rd and not 590 colombo st.Takeaway is a nice option also.

Delicious dumplings and noodles. We did takeaway instead of eating in, but the service we got was quick and courteous. Will definitely be back the next time we're in Christchurch.

We have been to this restaurant a few time now and it is always busy which is a good sign I think. The drawback though is the service is slow and can be a long time between courses where sometimes you have to leave your table to find someone to investigate why you haven't received your order. The food is great though when it arrives. The restaurant decor is quite basic so it lacks any kind of ambience and can get quite noisy but is worth it for the food.

We went to Joyful restaurant after heard recommendations from friends. We had Fried Dumpling, Fish Maw & Chicken soup, Ginger Spring Fish and Steamed Tofu. All the dishes were great. Services were fast and efficient. The kids loved Fried Dumplings and we came back the next day for more Dumplings at lunch before we left Christchurch with our trip.

Joyful is a very popular Chinese restaurant. Food is always well presented & very tasty. Always need to book to get a table.

I brought my parents here as they wanted a Chinese dinner. Found the service relatively fast and efficient. The portions were huge and we struggled to finish! All in all, a nice hot meal without too much fuss. Would bring my parents here again.

Fresh, very tasty. had the Mar-PO tofu and beef with broccoli. Not oily and not sticky. Just right. Adequate choice of Wine by the glass or the bottle.This is a great restaurant to visit if you are in the Riccarton Rd area, right near the Westfield. Very busy when we turned up without a booking on a Friday night, so we were lucky to get a table. Be sure to book!

I was part of a large group that booked for dinner and they but us at two different tables which was odd. Service was slow and the meals didn't come out together so we were all eating at different times. I think the waitress didn't speak english as many of us had problems telling her what we wanted. The food was delicious however and the prices were reasonable. I don't think I'd return.

We were with a large group enjoying a workplace reunion. It is likely that the experience in a large group is going to be different to that when just the two of you. Regardless the food quality was excellent. we had a number of dishes and couldn't fault any of them. The service varied during the evening, but I think in fairness, it was probably the big group that was a factor there. The place is a big dining hall type setup, not intimate dining, but that is what it is. I would have no hesitation in returning, just the two of us, on a non-busy night, just to enjoy the excellent food.

We were wanting Chinese food and saw that they were crowded, so we figured that they would be good. It was Outstanding! If ever in Christchurch stop here and you won't be disappointed.

Great for big groups yummy food thy comes out really hot. The smallIs a big size so remember that when ordering. The fried dumplings are delicious!Great for a shared starter

Used to frequent this restaurant in the past (pre-quake) and it was so much better then. This trip was very disappointing. Served us ice water on a frigid cold night instead of chinese tea. When it was requested, a small pot was brought out to fill 10 cups ... Had to place my orders in Mandarin because some of the staff couldn't understand English (shocking!).

Lucky enough to be back here again (from the UK) I can happily report that the food and the value remain as excellent as we found them in 2013. Of course the dishes are a matter of personal taste but the chicken kung-po, sautéed pork & chili and the dumplings were superb. I cannot commend it highly enough.

You know this place is good because you have to make a booking or you won't get in & it's full of Chinese patrons (always a good sign)! The servings are generous - I would suggest ordering several small dishes to share if you are a group of 4 or more wanting a lot of variety or just a couple of large if you aren't too fussy. Smaller groups or couples stick with the small size. Everything I've ordered from here is consistently great! Plus they have a specialist dessert section where you can order extravagant cakes & delicious looking treats.

One of the best value places in Christchurch. The portions of their meals extremely generous. The food is freshly cooked, and the dumplings, roast chicken etc are all house made. The service is not that flash, but they get the job done. When you dine out in Chinese restaurant you should not expect top class service like what you will get in good Thai or Japanese places, because Chinese people don't know how to serve. At least they are not rude. Recommended.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Joyful. In terms of value for money Joyful is very hard to beat. Huge platters of well cooked food. The waiting staff are very friendly but I can't understand why they don't clear away finished plates. By the time we had completed our meal the plates were having to be balanced on the egde of the table. As readers might imagine, eating Chinese (shared platter) style, this is an issue. If it was fixed I would rate this restauarnt as Excellent.

Joyful is a supermarket style Chinese restaurant not a boutique intimate sort of place. It is very popular and even mid-week was busy with guests from across a wide spectrum: couples, birthday parties, clubs and social groups. The meal was very good and our table enjoyed the wide range of course we ordered and shared. The cost was certainly acceptable and we had an enjoyable evening. We would return but . . . The staff were anything but joyful. They all looked so sad and made little effort to relate to the diners. Not a smile or even a pleasant comment. And this was noticeable and commented upon as they dealt with any table not just ours.We got a smile and a cheerful comment when we paid and were leaving!

A small group of us dined at the Joyful last week en route to a show. The food is very good with large helpings for reasonable prices, service was good and staff friendly. We had told them we were going to a show and they hurried our meals through which was great as it is a large restaurant. Best dish was the spring rolls for me, oh and the crispy chicken.

We went as a group of 8 friends to Joyful and had a ball!! Chose the $30 each fixed menu which is a cheaper option which gives you a very good variety of starters and mains as well as a soup. I love the atmosphere of the place and the consistently good food, our 5th time. It is becoming famous for their huge wontons, worth a try but you only need 6 between two I promise you:)

It is rare for restaurants to remain consistently good for a long time, but this one does. As they say, you can gauge the quality of an ethnic restaurant by the patronage. This is a rare example where this Chinese restaurant truly serves Chinese food, attracting Chinese diners in large numbers, and where the locals take their overseas friends with pride. Book a table in advance on the typical very busy times like weekend dining or brunch times. Yes, some of the serving staff are not the most skilled, but the food is most important still. It is a family business - the entire extended clan at that are about 65% of all the people who work there, mainly in the kitchen, not serving the tables. And the prices are modest and the portions are large, great for sharing in groups.

I recently went for dinner here again with close family as it was their anniversary.We did not had any dinner reservation but they were able to accommodate us.we had a seat at the table and had to wait for few minutes before we got the menu and water served to us.we ordered our usual pork dumplings,shredded chicken soup,crispy chicken,chicken stir fry noodles,Kung pao chicken,vegetarian delight and steamed rice.The food was delicious and service better this time around.we tried the chocolate mouse cake or something similar as there was no description of cakes displayed in the glass cabinet.

Went along for a family dinner with 8 of us. Service did take some time before they actually gave us menus to select our food. They didn't ask if we had been there before so knew how it worked. We all ordered a dish expecting them to come out all at the same time but instead they came out one at a time about 15 min apart, so some were finished eating while others hadn't even got their meal. We did not realise that the idea is you order a few things & everyone shares the food around, as your group finishes one dish the next dish arrives at the table. All the food was lovely though! So despite the average service the food made up for it. Would return for another meal.

We were looking for a Chinese restaurant in Riccarton and this stood out as the best. The food was delicious although during the night we both had a raging thirst (excessive salt or msg?). The service was friendly but uncoordinated. We were unable to enjoy our courses together as they arrived at different times with a long delay between them. Furthermore they were huge and, although we ordered small or single portions, we had to leave a great deal of the food. We were offered containers but were travelling so we couldn't take advantage of that facility. The restaurant was clean and attractive and the staff very friendly. The service simply needs better management and organisation.

I've been visiting this restaurant for over 10 years and never disappointed, my standout dishes are lemon chicken, egg foo yung, crispy skin pork and BBQ pork. Go you will not be disappointed

great food, good price, nice surroundings and excellent staff. What more could you ask for!!! We are regular visitors and are never disappointed.

Hands down this is the best chinese restaurant in Christchurch. Been around for many years (although fairly new location) always busy. Decor of restaurant is very nice, well presented, new and tidy. Food is always good. Dumplings are the best I have ever had. Consistently.

First time at Joyful and highly recommended by friends in the past. Now at Riccarton Rd. Unlike most Asian restaurants, we had to request service so that we could place our orders (they were NOT that busy at that stage). Superb food arrived....best Ginger beef I have ever had I think.However, as we were paying ( 2 of our party were still seated) 2 staff arrived with a trolley and proceeded to clear the table of not only dishes but cutlery and glasses as well. Four members of our party were planning to stay for another round of drinks. When I commented that we weren't finished, the staff continued to clear the table. Appalling behaviour given the fact it was only just after 8pm. Half our group left and half stayed on but all were really very unimpressed. We won't be returning as a result which is a real shame/

I've been eating here since it opened in Colombo St many years ago. Still to date it has an unbeatable wonton soup and fried dumplings. My partners not usually a fan of dumplings but he'll swear these are the best dumplings he's ever tried! Also managed to practically eat a plate of fried spare ribs to himself!only downfall is prices creep up year after year but hey, if business is booming then why not?great for everyone of all ages and taste preferences!

The food is average and the service is terrible. Lady at the checkout has too much pride in her face and doesn’t even reply with a thanks. Don’t think I will be stepping inside this restaurant again if they don’t change their attitude.

The restaurant was packed the night we went. The service is friendly and very efficient. Small plates were more than ample for us. However, the flavour of the food overall was a little disappointing. The dishes had a certain sameness but this may have been a result of what we chose. OK for a "feed" but not a special dining experience.

The new Joyful has better food compared to before the earthquake.We actually stopped eating there cause we find the quality of food poor and salty most time. Must be new chefs at the new place. We enjoyed our lunch there. Worth a try.

We got a take-out from here and found the food to be all round excellent. Furthermore the portions were large and the price very reasonable at about NZ$20 per head. When we went to collect our order we noticed that the restaurant was full with a line formed - obviously very popular. I would definitely eat here or from here again and consider this one of these best meals that I had in NZ.

Recommendations by others and difficulty getting in raised my expectations which were clearly inflated! Everything about our visit (food, decor, service) was very bland. Wouldn't bother returning or recommending.

We used to go to Joyful before the earthquakes in Colombo street .Because we live 250 km away we did not realize that they now have new premises on Riccarton Road.So when we found out ,we HAD to go there.And it is so good to have them back.Lovely premises ,everything new.Parking next door.We went for lunch and there is so much to choose from.We had springrolls,my husband had Satay chicken with rice and I had Lemon chicken with rice.Be aware the portions are huge.A small portion was more than enough for us.It was lovely ,very tasty.We will be back.

Dined here recently with six others.We arrived by 6pm and the restaurant was not busy, but we sat for about 20 minutes and no staff had approached our table, we had to signal that we would like to order some food. The set menu is for a minimum of 8 people but we were allowed to order it with only 7. The food arrived quickly and each course was of good quality, the scallops with broccoli was one of my favourites, along with the crispy skin chicken, juicy not dry. We had to fetch water for ourselves when we ran out, staff service is not what I would call good. We will return here in the future as the food is above average for the price.

Quick meal before a show. Food was more than adequate, quite tasty and very well presented. Great value and needed the doggie bags. However a little disappointed with the service - a bit off hand and had to ask for water and follow up with drinks orders. Staff pleasant enough but not that extra bit for great and friendly service.

Ate here on a Saturday evening, 5.30pm, with a party of 10 people. Only a few tables full when we got there but the restaurant rapidly filled within the hour. I found the service somewhat lacking . . the waiters were slow to come and take our orders; we had to request water; cutlery was not offered; not enough menus given to us. It was like there was no coordination or intuitive staff on duty. However, when they did come to our table they were pleasant enough. The food took varying times to come out as well. Each person ordered for themselves and about 4 people were left waiting for quite a while, while the rest of us happily chomped on. However, on the up side, the food was delicious and hot. A menu with lots of choices. Lots of locals eating there and a busy, noisy restaurant, as it should be when a restaurant has a good following. Also, lots of seating available - quite a big restaurant. I like it being at Riccarton, instead of in the city. It's nicely airconditioned and no noise comes in from the street. Great having a street view as well. Parking was easy to get that evening as well, and for $1 an hour you can park in the lot next door. I will be going again and will see if the service has improved. Take care of your customers, people!! Also, they don't appear to have a website . . . that would be a plus too. Very handy to search a menu before we get to the restaurant.

My work takes me to various places around NZ and more often than not I dine alone. As mentioned by jessiev25 this restaurant is now at 102 Riccarton Road. This is a very busy place and when I entered without a reservation they sat me at one of the smaller round tables that I shared with a woman and her daughter and asked me to be finished by 7.30pm as the table was already reserved. You get a choice of small or large meals - small does not mean entree sized - it is the size of a normal main and would be more than enough for all but the largest of appetities. I had the vegetarian chow mein and a glass of wine and it all came to $19 - great value for money.If I had one grizzle is that the service is indifferent - some of the staff can be somewhat blunt.

well what a great meal and night out it was my sons girlfriends 21st as see has recently moved over to nz we decided to go to "Joyfuls"for a meal. it was just fantastic. service was spot on very friendly staff nothing was a problem. we each choose a dish and had two starters soup and wongtongs. the soup was fantastic as was the wongtongs and mains were just as great. we could not eat it all and took it home in containers offered to us. over all a fantastic restaurant great and very friend staff make sure you book as it was full the whole time we were there. we will visit again very soon

We had heard good things about this restaurant and decided to give it a whirl. Luckily we booked as they were very full and turning people away at the door. The food was delicious. Fresh ingredients equalled great flavours. We started with fried dumplings and followed with squid and Chinese beef. I was very pleased we ordered the small servings as these were generous. We will be back. A great place to dine with children. Value plus.

Joyful has moved to 102 Riccarton Road, Christchurch. I did try updating the location for Trip Advisor but unfortunately I couldn't save the address.It's a new building, and the noise level despite being full, was reduced - no wooden floors causing a noisy restaurant. We could actually hear the conversation from over the table - makes a nice change.The restaurant was full - luckily we had a booking for 12 on a busy Friday night. Seated around a circular table. We all shared a platter of (pork I think) dumplings as an entree. Each ordered a different 'small' dishes for our mains - a variety of pork, scallops, chicken, omelette and vegeterian dishes, including a bowl of rice. Desert for some of ice cream sundaes, or lychee icecream. Bill was split between the 12 of us, only around $23 each.Service was efficient. We will be back.

We are so glad that Joyful has restarted in a brand new building on Riccarton Road. We have missed them since the quake. Went back last week and were welcomed warmly. Had our favourite meals of Chicken and Cashew nuts plus Ginger beef with green onion. Still absolutely divine.Lorraine

Take the free bus service around town and get off near the main supermarket on Colombo Street ( it's a #590 across from the mall). Excellent servings, friendly staff and full of local Chinese enjoying their meals, which is always a good sign. Get ready to ask for a doggie bag as the sizes were largish. Have a bill in front of me from March this year - a simple lunch of friend rice and dumplings(for two) with Chinese tea came to NZ$22 and we needed a doggie bag for the leftovers! I believe they were opening a bakery nearby this year