Happy Restaurant

I took my daughter there for her birthday dinner and we ordered lemon chicken and got lemon and the rice was burnt… and it was cold… It was the worst food ever!

Dirtiest place I’ve Ever been in. There were literally ants crawling on the tables. Sick. I will never step foot in there again.

The service at Happys is very friendly and prompt. The portions are generous and inexpensive. Don’t let the «look» of the interior of this place deter you! Happys is a little gem in Gladstone.

Just tried this place a couple days ago. Have to say not much to look at from the outside, but I don’t go to a place because of the building they are in. The food was great, the staff was so friendly, and I left with extra food. I loved that the food wasn’t greasy, the servings were plentiful and it was a decent price. I’m definitely going back.

This dump was on Dirty Dining last night. Scored a whopping 52 with the Clackamas County Health Dept…70 is the minimum passing score. After «fixing» their problems, they skated by with a 72. Blech.

Tasty, non-​greasy Chinese food. My family has been going here for pretty much my whole life, — we all love $ 8.50 Combo #1! I realize the décor’s shabbiness is probably off-​putting to those who didn’t grow up in Happy Rock, but for the locals it is weirdly endearing. I like that it still looks like 1989! I also like that the prices are great, and the combos will fill you up (unlike most Portland-​based restaurants, where you will pay twice as much for half as much food). And the servers have been so nice for as far back as I can remember. Long live the Happy!

Been in Gladstone 15 years and I love this place. Staff is sweet and accommodating and super fast! Prices are very reasonable and they let me substitute however I want in the combos. Don’t listen to the haters this is a staple of our town and loved by all Gladstonians!!!

This place’s health standards is really low, I was walking down the side of the building from the restaurant after ordering some food. The side door was open to a screen door so you could see into the kitchen clearly, what I saw would probably make the health department scream and shut the place down, and slapped with a big fine. I’m a chef so anytime I see anything not quite right about an eating establishment I find it my duty to warn the public who eats there. I saw an older Chinese gentleman on the cooking line cooking the food while he had a cigarette he was smoking hanging out of his mouth, now I know this doesn’t sound like too big of a deal but there’s a law in place for this reason alone. I know people from different parts of the world have different standards how food should be prepared, but this is America and I’m worried about cross contamination, ashes in my food, you touching your cigarette and then touching my food, if your smoking while preparing food what other things might you not be doing, like maybe washing your hands after going to the bathroom or using the same knife to cut both meats and vegetable. I feel like if you eat at this run down dumpy place you get what you pay for low standards in service and questionable food, I certainly won’t be eating there ever again, the food made me sick so I threw it away. I should have known better the second I walked up in this place and how run down it looked from the inside You can imagine what the kitchen looks like. Scary!

Want to get overcharged and aggressively argued with? Food is average at best, tasteless and stale at worst. Inside the restaurant is so old and filthy it hasn’t been updated since the 80’s probably, the good old days when they used to be popular. I know because I went there as a kid. They must not be doing well and decided to raise prices to compensate. They charge $ 4 for a tiny cup of watery egg flower soup. Nearby Mai Wah’s charges $ 1.75 and it tastes awesome. When ordering take out, I was charged more than $ 22 for ONE combination meal. I was aware that substitutions cost more, but honestly how can pork chow mein be that much more than an order of fried shrimp? When I pointed out the price on my to go menu (that was only two months old) she said that was an old menu and prices had gone up. Okay, but double? Apparently they’ll charge whatever they like, no explanation. I finally gave up and paid. Will never be back.

I’m honest. The outside of this place looks gross, the inside looks nasty. The bathroom is really gross but the food is amazing.
If they toss some new paint on the outside, maybe use some Windex and clean the windows and they have improve business.
Either way, I’ll be back. The chicken is yummy!

Tried this place on a whim one night after seeing our favorite Chinese place on dirty dining (GROSS!). We ALWAYS go here now. Food is always hot and presentation/​taste is consistent.

I too have been coming here for quite a few years. The food, service and over all experience is very consistent. The food is always very good, hot, large portions and decent prices. The building and inside is old but very clean. American Chinese food is typically fried as is Happys but it is not greasy. I do recommend eating here.

The food is very over priced. And it isn’t any good. Not to mention the restaurant stinks really bad! Pretty gross!

Been going here over 10 years and will be going today. Friendly staff. Consistent dishes. Great prices. They know what I like. They have my favorite style of Chinese. People who know happy, can’t enjoy any other Chinese. They spoiled me.

Has gone down hill

I actually like the food here. It reminds me of the Chinese food I grew up eating. I had a combination plate and I probably ate ¼ of it before I was full. They have a banquet room and it worked great for a small wedding party.

The OC is totally devoid of edible, fat face American style Chinese food. Wait wait, I know all about the Panda Express but I kind of like a cup of scalding, vague oolong and a Chinese astrology chart when I slurp my egg flower soup, so in a we are all sick of turkey, quality ingredients and eating at home mood we flung the children into the car and down the hill to Happy Restaurant.
My parents live 3 blocks from the Happy, and have been raving for ages bout how perfectly icky and delicious it is. I knew it was dumpy, I had no expectations about the cleanliness, décor or service inside and that worked in my favor I’m sure. The waitress who helped us was nice and efficient, helped me figure out the ancient high chair and brought out tea and water with a quickness. We ordered off the combo menu with the exception of my 8 year old who only likes white rice and orange chicken.
I felt like the combo prices were a solid 2 bucks too high, and although they serve ungodly portions for said price it’s hardly worth it when my hungryhungryhusband doesn’t even begin to clear his plate.
The shrimp egg roll was huge and tasty, the pork fried rice was so plain, and sad nary a frozen carrot or bite of meat to be found and utterly lacking flavor. Chow mein was awful. Just gross and I love salty, mushy, weird ass chow mein, but something was totally wrong here.
We still wolfed it down, read our «fortunes» and high tailed it back home. Within an hour of eating my 8 yr old complained of a screaming head ache which was cured by an aspirin and 2 big bottles of water, and my poor hubs head was hurting so bad he put himself to bed. Me thinks MSG is to blame, and I suspect my childhood eating horrible Chinese in and around Gresham saved me from a similar fate, anyhow I’m not happy with Happy.

I have eaten at «Happy» (as I’ve grown to refer to it as) for over 20 years. I grew up on Portland Avenue in Gladstone. Happy Restaurant was a weekly ritual with me and my father since I was a wee one. A lady that used to manage this place (I’d imagine the mother or grandmother of the current staff) always made sure my pockets were stuffed with dum dums before I walked out the door and routinely presented me with a tin of danish butter cookies every Christmas. I give this place five stars, not only because it’s close to my heart, but their food truly is THE best Chinese cuisine I’ve ever had. I moved to California as a teenager, and was «happy» to find that (after moving back a decade later) my childhood favorite was not only still standing, but still delectable as ever.
I do realize what a, literal, dump this place is. Upstairs, there used to be an apartment. In fact — my grandparents once lived there, probably 40 years ago… and to be fair, Happy Restaurant has probably not done much for their ambiance or décor since then. However, this is one of those mom and pop dives that does not warrant anything more than it is. The bathroom smells. The carpet is ugly. The parking will allow for 6 tandem spaces, plus the street. The vinyl booth seats are torn and tattered, and the building is about a toilet flush and door slam from being condemned… but TRY it. Relish in the true definition of dive, and just enjoy delicious food.
I’m an avid BBQ pork eater. Not sure that I’ve ever really had bad BBQ pork, but I order it EVERY time. Their eggrolls are to die for, even just the spring rolls. They are massive in size and I’ve never had one so crunchy and moist at the same time. My Dad traveled the U.S. for business. He said he will continually return to Happy, simply for their egg rolls. The pork fried rice is moist but not sticky and has the best flavor of any I’ve ever had. My husband and son are quite simply addicted to their orange chicken. I’ve never had a bad thing on the menu.
The value is ridiculous. $ 7 will feed you twice. The food always comes out hot and steaming. I can’t even fathom the thought of having a bad dish here. Go eat. You’re sure to leave «happy».

I have been coming here for the past 10 years, as long as I’ve lived in Gladstone and I must say if you are looking for some good Chinese food then this is the place to go.
The food is straight forward and doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. The staff is always very nice and helpful. I must say that I end up getting take out and it’s always a short wait and hot when you get it home.
If I had to pick one item to try, there is nothing better than their shrimp egg roll. I also think the spareribs are pretty outstanding.
Don’t let the outside fool ya!

«Ancient Chinese secret, huh?» Well no secret here just straight up «American» Chinese in the heart of Gladstone. The food certainly lives up to a Woohoo, but will the entire visit be a «Calgon take me away» experience?
Now I am a lover of Chinese Cuisine, «American Style» being my favorite. Call me boring but that’s what I was raised on and I have always enjoyed it. I would say its number three right behind Mexican, and certainly a distant third to my beloved and heart warming desire for… PIZZA… Ok… focus.
I have been enjoying the «Happy» Restaurant for well over a decade now and their food is top notch. The food is hot, out fast, and the staff is completely on top of the experience. Royal Crown is the soda of choice here, not always a popular pour yet satisfying enough for yeeplets and those who choose to skip the limited however popular selection of domestic brews, and hard lemonade varieties that sooth the throat for the minimal wait on your food.
Some of my favorite dishes here include the Mongolian Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, General Tao Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Fried Rice, and a great starter in their Fried Won Ton which is light, fluffy and crisp. Mmmm. Food portions are enormous as Chinese goes and I have always left with lots for a quick lunch heat up the next day.
So you say a Woohoo sure seems in order, well not quite. The food is amazing however you have to get past the façade. The building, as a previous review described it, is «a hole in the wall». In fact I think I saw several of those around the room, in the seats, in the carpet and… well you get the point. Take out is the method of choice here Yeeple. The place is not very clean, the bathrooms are nothing short of unsanitary and a couple of the small booth’s are full of stacked books etc. Mind you, none of this has or will keep me away from enjoying the Happy Restaurant. The food is prepared with a precision that far outweighs the ailing structure that houses so much Happy Cuisine.
Sometimes the greatest of gifts are found in some of the most tattered wrappings. Happy Restaurant falls in this category. Great food, very reasonable pricing, and a building that would get serious consideration for a sensationalized remodel show. A clean bathroom and some general updates to the dining room experience, and I would re-​review this to a 5 star as fast as you could say… fortune cookie.