Joy Yee
Chicago
At a glance
Reviews
Biggest menu I’ve seen in my life! Tried the chicken pad Thai. It was more Chinese style than Thai style, so if you want Thai pad Thai, find an actual Thai restaurant. Egg roll was great. They don’t serve Coca Cola products here so had to resort to Diet Pepsi.
We have dined at Joy Yee over the years, at both this location and the one in Evanston. Even though these dining rooms can be crowded and noisy at times, one factor remains constant: the food is well-prepared and prices are reasonable. This visit was no exception, though the noise level was considerably lower because we ate here on a Thursday afternoon. In fact, we took advantage of the "combination lunch special" which included a bowl of hot sour soup and a couple of fried dumplings (gyoza). My partner chose the beef fried rice, and I ordered the "lemon grass grill chicken garlic noodles." Both dishes were flavorful and made to order. The noodles had a strong garlic flavor, and the chicken was tender and tasty. The beef was also tender and the rice well seasoned. The most popular elements on the Joy Yee menu are the fresh fruit beverages (see menu below). A person could probably just drink their lunch rather than ordering meat and rice or noodle dishes. Our server was attentive and prompt. The noise level, as already mentioned, was pleasantly low. The napkins were large but thin, and I requested a few more because I'm an "enthusiastic" diner sometimes. Atmosphere is bland and non-descript, although the Manga characters on the menu are fun and colorful. We look forward to more happy meals here and in Evanston.
This place is busy all day long. They offer both food and bubble tea. Their menu is huge with variety options for both food and drinks. The food tastes good. The drinks are also awesome. Most of the fruit drink made of fresh fruit that’s why they are always busy. Because they are so busy and don’t have enough server. The service is kind of slow. You just have to relax and wait for your good food!
We stopped at Joy Yee on our visit to Chinatown based on the many great reviews and we were not disappointed, this was, without question, our favourite meal in Chicago so far and we’ve had many to write home about!! The drink selection alone is incredible. We chose a Pineapple Mango with mixed jelly and a Kiwi with lychee jelly, both tasting unbelievably fresh and vibrant. Sweet, but balanced, the kind of drinks you don’t want to end. For starters, we shared fried chicken and pork dumplings with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. Absolutely divine. Crisp, perfectly cooked and packed with flavour. Mains were spicy shrimp chow mein and grilled short ribs over kimchi fried rice. The portions were huge, genuinely eye-opening for us coming from the UK, but the quality matched the size. Every element was bold, balanced and impeccably executed. Special praise must go to our server. We didn’t catch her name, but she was warm, attentive and genuinely made us feel welcomed. She is a real credit to the restaurant and deserves recognition for such wonderful service. An outstanding experience from start to finish.
We stopped in on a weeknight at prime dinner time and the place was pretty empty which should’ve been our first clue. We ordered the chicken lo mein and crab Rangoons, both of which were good, but not the best I’ve ever had. Even average lo mein and Rangoons are still pretty good. Thank goodness for sriracha to add a little something. The service was not particularly friendly and seemed they would have preferred we hadn’t come in. We felt it best to eat and leave quickly because the vibe was not welcoming at all. Not worth a return when there are plenty of spots in the same strip with better food and friendly service.
