Happy Jack’s Restaurant & Tavern

I promise it is worth the trip over the boarder to Happy Jack’s. It’s a quick drive so it won’t even feel like you left the country! It’s only 6 miles from North Buffalo.
Happy Jack’s has been a favorite of mine for years. I was introduced to it by a friend who has been going there for 10+ years. I’ve only gone the past few years. I’ve also introduced it to a few other friends and they love it as well!
The food tastes so fresh. I judge Chinese food restaurants by the quality of their wonton soup and you can tell that the wonton soup is freshly made. The rest of the food tastes the same way. You can definitely tell the difference between their food and the food you can get at your local takeout location.
It was a beautiful day during my last visit so we took the opportunity to sit on their outside patio. This was our first time sitting out there and it was nice to sit along the water. I’ll definitely be requesting to sit out there every time!

We usually enjoy Happy Jacks several times throughout the summer just to take in their wonderful riverside outdoor patio… gorgeous. The food is good typical Americanized Chinese… sweet/​sour chicken balls, etc. We find the wait staff to be friendly and the service prompt.
Good food, decent price, great patio. A Fort Erie staple for generations.

I don’t understand the praise for this place over the years. Then again, it might be telling that my parents and grands and my in-​laws were the biggest fans. Maybe it was the Kim Novak of Chinese restaurants in 1971. If so, it’s the Madge the Palmolive-​soaking manicurist of today. I remembered to order rice, too. I don’t really care for rice, so I asked about the «Crispy Rice» I saw on the menu with a different entrée, and asked to upgrade to that. I was told, «It no taste good with your food. You get white rice, «which might have been authentic and charming, if I had been in Chinatown in New York, and not in Canada. I ordered a $ 20 entrée of primarily seafood. It was delicious, but I have to tell you that I was subjected to the old scallop sleight-​of-​hand in which one perfectly formed sea scallop, about an inch and a half in diameter, is sliced three times horizontally so that it makes four thin discs. They resemble water chestnuts. These, of course, are then overcooked at high heat. Honestly, charge me an extra 5 bucks and give me more than one scallop, left thick and moist inside. On second thought, do what you want, as I won’t be coming back; I’ll be next door.

Had Christmas dinner here. Both rooms were almost full. I had the Happy Jack’s Special Chicken. Excellent! My wife had some sort of beef dish that was also very good.
Just remember to order rice. I still don’t get that. I’ve been to more than one Chinese restaurant in Canada where rice must be ordered. Thankfully, our server asked if we wanted it after we forgot about it.
Quick trip across border, no crossing fee on Christmas, and no dishes to clean.
Merry Christmas to me!

This place is located 2.2 miles from Buffalo, and just across the Peace Bridge. We decided to order the hot shrimp, almond beef, lemon chicken, and the BBQ fried rice. The shrimp was not at all spicy, but just lightly seasoned with crumbs and deep fried. The lemon chicken and almond chicken was good for those that like sweeter foods. A fan of spicy food, the BBQ fried rice was my favorite.

Bad services mgr says complain to Groupon because they won’t honour $ 40 usd since it is not cash. So your groupon is just canadian but you paid for it in usd i will never come back

The décor is kind of dumpy, at least in the dining room I sat in, but the food was pretty great.
I decided to stop by on my way back to Buffalo from Toronto for dinner, since I heard a lot of really great things. It’s later in the year, so a lot less traffic than I imagine is usual.
It was also fairly late on a Sunday night. There was one or two other tables in there, and one couple that was incredibly and obviously drunk, who made a lot of noise and then wandered out, after declaring loudly that that was the best glass of wine they’d ever had.
I had the Stuffed Crisp Bean Cake Balls, which were balls of tofu and shrimp, fried and served with Oyster sauce. They were really quite nice, crisp and hot with a nice flavor.
Service was pretty adequate, nothing overly friendly, but nothing particularly rude. I suspect this place is a lot of fun when you go with a large group, I’d love to visit again with a group of people.

We were on vacation in the area and came in with a Groupon ($ 20 for $ 40 of food). Wanted to sit out on the patio overlooking the river that we’ve heard so much about in reviews but it was closed.
I had eyed the menu online so we could be speedy with our order. Pricing has increased from online menu. Our order — Happy fried rice, sweet & sour pork, shrimp with snow peas and Cantonese chow mein. We wanted to order the Chinese broccoli as well but was warned by the waitress that it was just the stocks, no leaves (I wonder what they do with the leaves).
Food came pretty quickly and I would say quality was about the same as a Ho Lee Chow. The sweet & sour pork was basically battered pork pieces with the Chinese «red» sauce dumped over it (and pieces of tomato in there, not pineapple).
Service was fine for us — I think previous reviews said the service was surly — let’s just say it was fine for a Chinese restaurant.
Total was $ 60 after tax and tip. A bit on the expensive side for mediocre Chinese food but having the Groupon helped a bit.
Plenty of parking available in private lot across the street and in front.

Having lived in Chicago for a number of years, this was my first visit to HJ in over 20 years. Thankfully, the place has not really changed in this time. Walking into the dining room is like stepping back in time to when my late father would bring us to Canada for Chinese. Everything was neat and clean, and the service exceptionally fast & helpful. We had the sampler for two. The meal started with a very good won-​ton soup, then your choice of an egg roll or 3 crab rangoon. Since the Mrs and I share everything, we got one of each. Both were excellent, the egg roll wrapper was light and crispy with sprouts inside. The rangoon was sweet and creamy with a crisp wrapper. The presentation was excellent.
The main courses with «combo C» were beef & green peppers, General Tso’s chicken, chili shrimp and bbq pork fried rice. All were lighter than typical Americanized Chinese food, no heavy oil or sweet sauces, not even on the General’s Chicken. The rice was amazing, dark brown and rich. No «yellow» take out rice here. Exactly what I remembered. While the portions were smaller than if you ordered off of the menu, there was still way too much food for a couple. Certainly a bargain at $ 36.95. The Groupon was accepted with no issues, but it was redeemed in Canadian funds. Something to keep in mind before purchasing another Groupon. With tip an the original cost of the Groupon I was out less than $ 40, which is reasonable for a nice dinner out. We will return!

We went a week ago with a $ 40 Groupon. The food was ok, but it ended up costing another $ 40 for the meal for two. They refused to honor the groupon in U.S. funds. We did have one glass of wine, but $ 80???
The service was good, the place is neat and clean, but the price for no better than OK food will keep me from going back.

There is a weird little strip of Chinese restaurants in Fort Erie. They are lined up next to the Niagara River underneath the Peace Bridge. My friend and I went to Happy Jacks and got a lovely table on the back patio overlooking the river. The best part about Happy Jacks is the retro style cocktail menu. They have all the old sweet 50s cocktails at very reasonable prices. The food is also retro-​style sweet, deep fried Chinese food. Next time I would just stick with the cocktails.

This place is just awful. Wouldn’t let us sit outside for some reason and it was a beautiful day. We drove there from NY and crossed the bridge just to eat there and sit outside and they wouldn’t let us. Had to sit inside their dark, dingy dining room. Should have left then but heard the food was good and we were hungry. Food sucked. The worst was when the d*ck guy yelled at me and berated me for using a Groupon on my phone instead of having a print out. Stay away people!

This restaurant used to be an old favorite, however the quality and traditional food preparation methods are slipping. Staff is very friendly. Hot and sour soup was all sour, and not hot. Lo mein was in a watery, white garlic based sauce instead of the traditional brown sauce they used to make it with. The shrimp was under-​cooked. The dumplings came with some type of fish sauce that tasted very fishy. I’ll be giving it a little break before I go back, maybe they were having an off day.

I took my sweetie here as a treat on Mother’s Day. We’ve both been a time or two before, but we were particularly impressed on this visit. Because it was Mother’s Day, the restaurant was pretty full. Not jammed up, but busy enough that they had clearly brought in extra staff for the event. But even with the crowds, the service was still impressive. Our drinks were replenished (repeatedly) without us having to lift a finger or say a word.
The wonton soup was probably the best I’ve ever had. The menu promised that the stir-​fried sugar snap peas with chicken would make our taste buds dance with delight, and it didn’t lie. The lemon chicken was great, and the fried rice, which many Chinese places are tempted to kind of «phone in» because it’s so simple, was remarkably good.
My sweetie kept on going «Mmmm!» with every mouthful. There used to be a pretty lame excuse for a Chinese restaurant in her home town, so I asked her, «Now do you understand why I said that the Panda wasn’t really Chinese food?» And she said, «Mmmm-​hmmm!» (And then went back to saying «Mmmm!»)
So Happy Jack’s is now on the list of our places to go for special occasions.

Best Chinese food I’ve ever had. It’s one of those places that reminds you how good it is every time you go. Hot and Spicy beef is my favorite dish. Even their general tso is not like one you’d find at your normal Chinese restaurant. It’s better! In the end: I’ve never had a bad experience here, the food has always been amazing, service is great too in a real family atmosphere. I wish I didn’t have to cross the border to eat here.

I will not be capable of eating Chinese food anywhere else anymore. My family insisted we go here while everyone was in town. I was extremely confused to as to why. Why Chinese? Why over the border? Why to a place called Happy Jacks?
Well, now I know.
Food: fresh! Delicious! Doesn’t make you hate yourself afterwards! You don’t need to eat again an hour later! Plan it out and this place makes for a great family style experience. We were sharing left and right and still went home with left overs.
Staff: fun! Light hearted and extremely friendly!
Interior: standard family style restaurant.
I was skeptical, but I will be going back. Sorry neighborhood Chinese restaurants, you’re out. Happy Jacks is in.

Ive been here many times. Great food, great service and beautiful patio with view of the Niagara river. Very friendly staff who makes you feel like family. There’s nothing else like it in town. Very affordable prices too.

The best Chinese food I have ever eaten.
We stay at a beach house on Lake Erie and the service and food at Happy Jack’s is wonderful.
If the weather is nice sit outside and enjoy the river view.
While the grown ups enjoy after dinner conversation, the kids can run around the water front park area.

Let me tell you a tale. A tale of the orient. A journey into fine Chinese dining and servers that love to serve. I’ve been a glutton for Happy Jacks nearly 7 years. I’ve ordered the same thing every time. Two egg rolls, medium war bar, and orange chicken. Every single time it is a euphoric experience. It takes me to a plateau of consumption bliss.
The egg rolls are deep fried and crispy, yet the interior veggies are fresh and wholesome. They aren’t very heavy and tend to come off much lighter than a take out restaurant would serve. I like to crack these babies open and splash a smidgen of the hot mustard on them. However, these are only the prelude to the sizzling war bar.
Promptly delivered on something that resembles a very well used frying pan but bent in a half a bit, the war bar sizzles and pops in the same pan that it was cooked in. The shrimp is always plump and fresh, the chicken is tender and juicy, the sweet sauce that delicately bathes the components within the war bar frying pan is sensational. Just watch out for the little bits of hot pepper swimming around, cunningly searching for the unsuspecting pallet. This is the dish that I torture myself at the border crossing for. I do not care about anything else on the menu, I may never try anything else, and that’s fine with me. Except for the orange chicken, which is also very good, but not necessary.
Aside from the food I typically order water with a lemon to keep the cost down, like most Chinese restaurants I believe they charge per glass of soda or whatever your beverage choice may be.
The décor is typical Chinese restaurant styling, cheap in appearance and confusing in style. When first entering the dining area, hungry patrons may notice the large glowing red orb in the wall surrounded by odd stylings of the orient. One of my favorite parts of the restaurant. Out back they offer some really nice seating outside which is great for the summer meal. Diners may sit right by the water and it can be somewhat romantic.
The wait staff usually isn’t very conversational, and that’s fine. However, they are fast and very eager to please you. Although, I believe its one of the owners who usually works the register, is quite talkative and pleasant.
I may add that I have never tried the deserts, but in conversation at the register I was told that the deserts are shipped in from a topnotch bakery and they are absolutely divine. One day i will treat myself and see if this is true.
Parking is more than ample with street spots directly in front of the building as well as a lot right across the street.
Typically for two it costs about $ 20 or so, considering splitting the war bar and ordering about 3 egg rolls. My girlfriend doesn’t have the same food lust for it as I however.

The best Chinese food in Buffalo… okay slightly outside Buffalo/​the United States.
What’s not to love about this place? The food is wonderful, the service is very fast, and everyone there is anxious to please. Portions are large and served family style. I’ve never had a bad thing here. I have introduced many people to this restaurant over the years and they have always vowed to go back.