Joy Yee's Noodle Shop

Doesn't Recommend

interlingua

Joined 9 years ago

Drink up, but skip the food!. Joy Yee's is great for the fruit drinks and also fun if you want a lively, noisy, high-energy meal. The food is a bizarre, supposedly Pan-Asian mix, but it's really non-Asian. If you can forget when Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean food really tastes like in these countries, the items do have flavor but it's heavy on pre-prepared sauces that come from bottles. There's too much sugar and vinegar: sweet-and-sour seems to lurk in most dishes. Nonetheless, it's possible with Asians as well as non-Asians, the former, apparently, liking the fusion-food on the cheap available there. Skip the food, but come here after dining elsewhere for a fruiut drink.

Doesn't Recommend

dodat

Joined 10 years ago

Fruit drinks galore, Terrible food. Joy Yee's is known in chinatown as the premiere place to get the freshest fruit drinks but I would not recommend sitting down and eating at this place. Their noodle soups have absolutely no flavor and seems that every soup has the same bland chicken broth. The menu's are strickly for non-asians since it's picture based. Also, it is extremely cramped and expect a waiter's bum to touch your table when they pass by. Just order the drinks and eat somewhere else.

Recommends

princessducky

Joined 9 years ago

Great place!. My friends and I have been going here for along time. Recently we kinda stopped as it gets so crowded! The food is great and big. The drinks are fresh and tasty. I recommend everyone give this place a try.

It does get a bit cramped in there.

Recommends

ekmelgarejo

Joined 10 years ago

Come early. Excellent excellent EXCELLENT food, and large portions. Be sure to come early, though, and be prepared to wait. I live near the place and every time I walk by (in the evening, at least) there is a line outside waiting for a table. The atmosphere is good, although the tables are crammed in pretty close, and, of course, it's always full. My one complaint -- I was once there with a party of 5, and they included the gratuity on the check, which they said they would do with a part of 6 ... not that we WOULDN'T have tipped 15%, but it was a little annoying. Cheap parking is available nearby at the Chinatown Parking lot. Get your stub validated.

Doesn't Recommend

cheesemuffy

Joined 10 years ago

So-So. I don't know why everyone says this place is where to go for a variety of Asian cuisine. The menu has a huge selection of Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese food but NOT all is edible or even close to being authentic. The Japanese udon resembled Tom Yum soup and the Korean tofu soup was also made with the same Tom Yum broth and contained bok choy, something I've never seen or tasted before. Both dishes had to be sent back to the kitchen.

However, I did find the Thai dishes to be fantastic, the best I tasted in all of Chicago. The "boba" tea was made with fresh fruit but the actual tapioca pearls had a strong taste of Chinese herbal medicine which did not blend well with the fruit. The wait for a table was almost unimagined but the food arrived within the blink of an eye.

Recommends

nineccat

Joined 10 years ago

Best Chinese / Pan-Asia!!!. Chinese food easy) to IL, and after a brief research for Chinese Rest. I give Joy-Yee all my thumbs and toes up!! Why was it a brief search? b/c I fell in love w/Joy-Yee so my research is now on a long hold. The person who thought Joy-Yee was "so-so" probably ordered an ordinary dish, or was there when Joy-Yee not at its best. (No one is always perfect). Anyways, I recommend chicken wings, stir fried Vegi call Ong with garlic (the Malaysian style might be too strong for most ppl), and a rice dish that serves with pork chop, chicken and shrimp all 3 over rice. The Vietnamese soup noodle is also worth a try; the portion is so huge its good for 2. Their fry rice and Tapioca drinks are also superb!

Doesn't Recommend

wwong6

Joined 10 years ago

It's really not that great.. I really don't see what's all the hype. The food at this place is really just so so. And the fruit drinks are fresh, but it really lack any kind of taste. I won't recommend this to my friends.

Recommends

jaalfer

Joined 10 years ago

Best kept secret. I have probably eaten at every Chinese restaurant in the Chicago land area and Joy Yee is the one I frequent the most. Their cusine is a combination of Chinese, Viatnamese and Thai. They have taken the best from each and made it their own. Add their wonderful fresh fruit shakes and it makes for a great visit. More and more people are finding out about Joy Yee so it sucks for the true fans but its great for business. Check out the long lines everynight but its worth it.

Recommends

ferk31

Joined 11 years ago

Best Asian Food in the City!. Hard to find, authentic Pan-Asian food in Chinatown. The best fresh fruit drinks I have ever had. The tropical beef and curry chicken are incredible as are the dumplings.

Recommends

catyhsin

Joined 11 years ago

catyhsin. I and my boyfriend like this place. And we were very excited when it opened a resaurant in Evanton (in this way we don't have to drive all the way to Chinatown!)

The food is, frankly speaking, not very authentic Asian food (p.s. I am from Asia). But definitely better than most of other Chinese restaurants. And don't forget their tapioca drinks! I had various kinds of drinks from them, and I am never disappointed!