Joy Restaurant has been one of my all-time favorite Taiwanese spots in Foster City for years, and if you've ever worked on the Peninsula, chances are you know this place. It sits right there near the Bay Trail--on the boardwalk side of Foster City--where you can see the bridge heading toward the East Bay. Back when I worked for a small IT consulting company, this was our go-to lunch spot. Big group? No problem. They have the space, the big round tables, and of course the lazy Susan right in the middle, which is exactly how it should be. The daily whiteboard specials were always worth a look, and the kitchen here knows how to handle heat. Real heat. Lots of chilies, lots of flavor. Over the four years I worked nearby, my tolerance for spicy food definitely leveled up thanks to this place. My absolute favorite dish here is their Chung Hwa Road potstickers. They take about 10 minutes to make, and they are massive--easily three or four times the size of a regular potsticker. They come out connected by that beautiful crispy lace, that spiderweb crust on the bottom that makes everyone at the table pause for a second before diving in. Dip those into their house sauce with black vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and soy... honestly, it's perfection. They also do kung pao chicken the traditional way--chicken, peanuts, chilies. No fillers, no nonsense. Just clean, bold flavor. I appreciate that. The snow pea shoots here are another favorite when they're in season. Expensive, yes--but once you know how much work goes into cleaning and prepping them, you understand why. Worth every penny. Same with the steamed whole fish. Market price, always fresh, usually topped with scallions, ginger, and chilies. Spoon that over a bowl of hot rice and you're set. Service runs like a well-oiled machine. Tea comes quickly--usually jasmine or chrysanthemum--and if you lift the lid slightly, someone will notice and refill it. It's one of those small traditional touches that tells you they know exactly what they're doing. They're also incredibly organized with takeout. Soups are sealed tight, everything packed carefully so nothing spills. You can tell they've done this a million times. I lived on the Peninsula for two decades, and this place stayed in my regular rotation the entire time. Now that I'm in Charlotte, it's one of those restaurants I genuinely miss. We just don't have Taiwanese food like this out here. So if you're nearby, go. Order the dumplings. Get something spicy. Sit around the table with friends and take your time. And when you eat a potsticker, think of me--because life is too short not to eat well. read more

Joy Restaurant - Zhong Hua Road Potstickers a fantastic dish. the unique shape of zhong hua road potstickers maximizes the amount of crispy skin - Taiwanese Near Me - Foster City, California

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No wait for lunch on a Sunday. It's cool inside, bring a jacket if you tend to be cold. Green onion pancake and thousand layer pancake were good. Beef noodle soup and Honey walnut shrimp were decent. Xo noodle had no flavor and noodles were over cooked. Do not recommend. Cucumber salad was fine but it came after all the other food which was strange. Plenty of parking. Nice walking trail by the water nearby. read more

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Solid, but definitely on the pricey side. Ordered some typical Chinese breakfast items: soy milk & fried dough (you tiao), and they were great. Next up the lu rou fan. Tasty, lots of sauce, but not much meat. Would order again though. Then the main item we were waiting for - the potstickers. They were raved about on Yelp, so we had to order. At $16 it's pretty pricey for 6 potstickers, but when they came I understood. These potstickers were HUGE! They're made the traditional way, long and open at the ends. The flavor of the filling was good, and it was a lot of meat. However, the dough was thick and each one was falling apart. It was actually pretty difficult to eat. I think it could have actually benefitted from being smaller. 12 half sized (but still long) pot stickers would actually be more structurally sound, and also crispier. In this case, I don't think bigger is necessarily better. Finally for the veggie, we ordered stir fried loofah. This was the most expensive item at almost $19. All the veggies are priced such. My main complaint was they obviously got lazy and didn't get all the skin off the loofah. It was very spotty w spots of green skin everywhere. Every single piece, so almost like it was done on purpose. Since loofah should be silky, the tough skin really took away from that. Overall, service was great, food came out fast. It definitely had old school vibes and I dig that. I don't know if I'll be back for the food though since there are a lot of good options now on the peninsula. I think this would be convenient specifically for those that lived in foster city. read more

Not the best, but not the worst - average overall. There were plenty of options on the menu and the service was super friendly! The food came out one by one, but my favorite dish was definitely the duck. We came with a large party and had no issue getting seated. read more

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If you like delicious and authentic Chinese's food, Joy Restaurant is the place to go. 酸辣湯 The sweet & sour soup tastes balanced with sweet & sour taste and white pepper hotness especially NO soy sauce color & saltiness. 避風塘魚片 Bi Feng Tang Style Fish Fillet: crispy outside and soft & tasty inside. 五更腸旺 Chitterlings & Pig Blood Stew: salty & spicy, best match with rice. 櫻花蝦炒飯 T.W dry shrimp fried rice: light & fluffy with every grain separated plus especial aroma of Sakura shrimp. 雪菜百葉肉絲 Shredded Pork with Preserved Vegetable & Bean Curd Sheets: light & refreshing, great combination of umami & vegetables. 蒼蠅頭 Stir-fried Minced Pork with Chive Flowers and Black Beans： Crisp texture, savory and delicious with rice Not crowded at all during weekdays lunchtime. The service is excellent. Ps. Some special dishes need to reserve ahead of time (I.e. 香酥鸭Crispy Skin Duckling). read more

Joy Restaurant - Taiwanese Near Me - Foster City, California

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Addicted to the hot and sour soup here. It's probably the best version of it that I've tried. They give you an incredibly large amount too. Another staple is the beef noodle soup. This one is also a rather large portion, although not made as consistent. This time the broth wasn't as deep, the noodles weren't as chewy, and the beef wasn't as tender. And ordered a lamb with pickled greens soup claypot without reading that it was soup. It was goodBut this is still going to be a favorite when I'm in Foster City. The staff is also very sweet. read more

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food menu was good and had niche dishes but lacks the execution. still yummy tho but nothing beats home. im homesick, slightly disappointed, but tummy full read more

Joy Restaurant - stinky tofu, 蒼蠅頭 - Taiwanese Near Me - Foster City, California

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We saw a few recommendations online so decided to pick up some lunch. We ordered the stinky hot pot, three cup chicken, wuxi spareribs and raised minced pork rice. The stinky hot pot, which I was most excited to try, says that it comes with stinky tofu, pork blood, pork intestine, and mushrooms in the description. Yet when I opened it it's just stinky tofu and pork blood. There's literally none of the other two ingredients. This was quite disappointing. Other items were ok, nothing to complain about. Plenty of parking in the plaza. read more

Joy Restaurant - Stinky hot pot - Taiwanese Near Me - Foster City, California

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Joy's Restaurant has been opened for many years in a small strip mall without a lot of foot traffic for good reason. They serve high quality Taiwenese food that keeps customers coming back. Our favorites are the stinky tofu, potstickers, and knife cut noodles. read more

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Great people run this place! It was clean and service was prompt. I liked our assorted clay pot, the braised gluten, and the house special chicken. The other dishes were ok. I want to come try weekend brunch. read more

Enjoyed our first visit for a celebratory birthday lunch. For our large party, we tried at least 1-2 items from EVERY menu category bc we eat everything family-style. We ordered such a vast selection of items that our table's Lazy Susan could hardly manage to turn. Exceptional service, adequate parking inside the small plaza, authentic Taiwanese food, clean establishment from front to back including the restrooms! Staff was super attentive despite your typical busy Saturday lunch rush. They were so kind to store 2 large birthday cakes. ProTip: Call ahead to make sure it's okay to bring cake and that they have fridge space to store it on the day of your reservation. [TABLE HIGHLIGHTS] Weekend Specials: 鹹糯米飯糰 Salty glutinous rice bun 自制油條 House Chinese Donut Stick Dumplings: 紅油炒手（12) Won-ton in chili sauce (12) 小籠湯包（6) Shanghai small steamed juicy buns (XLB!) Appetizer: 炸臭豆腐 Deep fried stinky tofu Long Life Noodles & Rice: 煎麵 (蝦) Panfried noodle with Shrimp 什錦炒粉 Combination chow fun 揚州炒飯 Yang chow fried rice Pork: 雪菜百葉肉絲 Shredded pork with preserved vegetable & bean curd sheets 無錫排骨 Wu Xi Spareribs Beef: 九層塔炒牛肉 Beef with spicy basil Chicken: 三杯雞 House special chicken w/ basil Seafood: 台式炒大蚬 Stir Fried Live Clam with Basil (Taiwanese Style) Veggies: 九層塔炒茄子 Eggplant with basil in hot garlic sauce A菜(时价) Seasonal vegetable (pea sprouts with garlic during our visit) read more

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Quite liked this place; server was very nice. Recommend the fried fish black bean sauce, thousand layer dough, dumplings, pork and bean curd and the Taiwan style noodles read more

Joy Restaurant is a great Chinese/Taiwanese restaurant located in Foster City. The patrons are usually Chinese speaking and so are most of the staff. Family and relatives like this restaurant and therefore it was a place for us to all meet on a Saturday for lunch. For breakfast items, we ordered the savory soy milk and the sweet soybean milk with their fried long "donut." The savory was good, but not the best I've ever had. The sweet soy milk and donut were pretty good. Other items we ordered that were pretty good were the eggplant, lions head meatball, fried fish, chili oil wonton, their signature soup, clams with black bean sauce, and beef chow fun. We ordered so many dishes that I didn't even get to try them all! We also ordered potstickers, basil fried chicken, and another diced fried chicken. The food was well-liked by our party and we had plenty of leftovers. The decor at Joy Restaurant was pretty casual and not too fancy. The service was not bad. It probably helps if you speak Chinese. Joy Restaurant is a great, authentic Taiwanese restaurant. read more

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I can't believe I have not left a review before? Anyways, we eat here regularly, maybe once or twice a month, either in or take-out (please call them). Food quality is good, portions are good. Prices have gone up, like anywhere, but it's good. Crowdedness and service may vary a bit, but it's okay. Kid's favorite dish: minced pork, wife's: stinky tofu, mine: probably one of the chinese pancake varieties, or the salt-and-pepper fish fillets. read more

Always my go to spot for Chinese food cravings. Their crispy pork intestines are my personal favorite and arguably best in town (not too greasy and so well flavored). Everything else was delicious too. read more

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Taiwanese in the about of basil, and yes, you can smell the stinky tofu. The clams were huge and yummy. The beef noodle soup had superior knife cut noodles, but a lot of anise for my taste. Sometimes, the picture is off. The fish in black bean sauce was fried, so that was weird and not matching the picture, but passable. Large space for over 100, but that shared parking lot can not hold more than 25 cars, so you may end up parking on the quiet streets. The service is good if you do not mind waiting if a large party is ordering ahead of you. read more

We were in the neighborhood and decided to give Joy Restaurant, a Taiwanese cuisine spot, a try. It's located in a small neighborhood mall with plenty of parking. As we walked in, we were immediately greeted by a gentleman and seated right away, with menus and hot tea quickly brought to the table. To the left of the restaurant, there's a family-style banquet room decorated in red, gold, and dark wood, with round tables featuring lazy Susans for group dining and sharing. The restaurant is casual, unpretentious, and the atmosphere is lively. We ordered: * Pork with Preserved Vegetable - Probably our favorite dish. Savory with a hint of sweetness, and the pork was tender and flavorful. * Wuxi Spareribs - Not quite what I expected. They lacked the caramelized glaze and sticky, aromatic finish, so I was a little disappointed. * Shrimp with Honey-Glazed Walnuts - Another favorite. Lightly battered and fried, the shrimp were crispy on the outside and tender inside, paired perfectly with the candied walnuts. * Fried Tofu with Pork and Black Bean Sauce - Made with fermented black beans, it had an umami punch with hints of spices and heat. Overall, the staff was welcoming, the food was tasty, and the service was pleasant. Prices are a little on the higher side, but okay for a neighborhood restaurant, especially on days you don't feel like cooking. The funny part? Our food came out so fast--except for the Wuxi spareribs--that we walked in at 6:30, finished our meal, boxed our leftovers, and were back in the car by 7:05. Dinner was so quick, I wasn't sure if I had just eaten or dreamt it. I'll be back to try other dishes. read more

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We've been there multiple times. Most of the dishes we ordered were really good. Staffs are friendly as well

Food was very tasty. Especially the pot stickers it was so freshly made. Mongolian beef's were tender. Scallion pancakes were tasty. Not too many restaurants have stinky tofu. So we had one order. It was okay flavor wasn't that strong. The only minus was the glutinous rice bun didn't have enough stuffing inside too much sweet rice. After all I do recommended this restaurant. read more

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This restaurant claims to serve Taiwanese food, but the taste feels more like it's cooked by chefs from mainland China. The quality has dropped a lot compared to before COVID-19, while prices have increased significantly. I suspect the ownership and head chef have changed, with only the original name remaining. I ordered Xue Cai Rou Si Chao Nian Gao (雪菜肉絲炒年糕), Jiu Cai He Zi (韮菜盒子), Hong You Chao Shou (紅油炒手), Fan Tuan (飯團), Jian Jiao Zi (煎餃子), Chou Dou Fu (臭豆腐), and San Bei Ji (三杯雞). Very disappointing overall. Service: 3* Cleanliness: 3* Food: 2* Price: 4* read more

Joy Restaurant - Jian Jiao Zi (煎餃子) - Taiwanese Near Me - Foster City, California

lean and comfortable environment, great service! Taiwanese-owned shop! Over 30 years old store! Super authentic! Highly recommended! read more

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First time eating here yesterday and was not disappointed. The food was delicious and the entrees were very well portioned for the price. We spent about $90. The restaurant was really busy but the service was on point. Sorry I didn't take pictures, we were too hungry. We had the Stinky Tofu, Dry Sautéed String Beans, Shrimp with Honey Glazed Walnuts, House Special Chicken with Basil, and steamed rice. My cousin thought the beans and chicken were a little salty but I didn't have that shared taste. We definitely will go there again, as the menu is quite large and I want to try other items. The Parking wasn't bad but it does fill up fast around dinner time. The only issue was the language barrier, we couldn't ask about certain food items because the waitress didn't understand English well but she was very friendly and provided great service. read more

Jumping jubilee and joyous jumbo jinks... it's Joy Taiwanese restaurant. Or is it Joy's Taiwan style... The possessive form of the name is on the paper take-away menu, but it's printed as Joy on the business card. Not dissimilar to the Pike (versus Pike's) Place words smithing, some might wonder about the Seattle attraction its proper title. And the answer in that case is Pike; no apostrophe, no "s". Here at Joy (or Joy's), Jade is overjoyed to find the joyful food and ample portions extensively enjoyable. A very helpful nice touch is that Joy's menu is, half-way through, a picture booklet. Several popular dishes caption with large photos so you have a precise idea what the food looks like. Not every item had this though, including the seafood I ordered: fish in black bean sauce. The fillets were nicely generous and plentiful, but all the fish was battered and fried so the texture was unexpected. Obviously that's the signature way they prepare it, whereas I was hoping for a moist tender flakey fish sauté execution not anything hard fried. I should have thought to inquire more about it first.. Nevertheless, the fish was indeed tasty. Chung Hua pot stickers are also different than the ones you get at most other Chinese restaurants. They are long dumplings -- almost the form factor of an egg roll -- lined up in a row of six then crispy fried altogether. Not for the faint of cholesterol heart. Absolutely delectable nonetheless. Black mushrooms and baby bok choy is an excellent veggie order. Every piece was cooked to peak ideal texture in a lovely smooth opaque sauce and tantalising tender fresh. Chefs here bring out the joy in eating vegetables. Spacious open comfy dining room, busy busy place, but tables turn fast. Service and staff are congenial, efficient, courteous, and food arrived promptly after ordering. Whether "Joy" or Joy's, matters not. I am joy-tastically jolly over this savoury juggernaut of Taiwanese cuisine. read more

Joy Restaurant - Take-away Menu - Taiwanese Near Me - Foster City, California

They were terrible during covid with poorly made dishes that had no semblance to pre-covid quality. I was so disappointed I stopped going. Recently decided to give them another shot and the quality has mostly returned (still too oily but its fine if you ask for less oil). However, their prices have gone up substantially too. Its no longer a place that I can afford to eat at regularly. Service and ambiance are also still good. Food: 4:5 Service: 4/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 read more

The food was incredible, and the service was really fast as well. Definitely recommend it!

Came in here for a group dinner with college classmates who live in the Bay Area. We are meeting once a year to catch up. The restaurant is owned and operated by a Taiwanese chef, so they ate authentic dishes. We ordered a few dishes to share: Potstickers, Clam soup, Boiled fish, Bean curd with shredded pork and Mapo stinky tofu. Never have Mapo tofu prepared with steamed stinky tofu (usually served deep fried). It was an unique combination and tasted great. Feel like having great home cooked meals with old friends around to catch up. read more

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It's a decent place to come here on weekends to have Taiwanese liked breakfast (i.e. soy milk, rice roll, etc). Generally, they were heavy-handed with salt. The stinky tofu was tasty but again, soaked in soy sauce and fermented bean paste made it extremely salty. The " salty" version of soy milk really knocked it out of the ball park in terms of saltiness. Luckily, they were able to give me some neutral flavored soy milk to dilute. Another reason I gave it a 3 star was because of their XLB. The dough was extremely thick, the wraps were all torn, making the XLB dry. read more

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I've been missing Taiwanese food for a long while, and I've noticed that there aren't a lot of Taiwanese restaurants in the area. Good thing I have Joy Restaurant in my city! I got the braised beef noodle soup, the house special chicken with Thai basil, and the pan fried noodles with assorted proteins (shrimp, beef, and chicken). The chicken with Thai basil was a flavor I've missed for a while now and brought me some nostalgia, and the beef noodle soup was really flavorful and a bit sweet. The soup was fairly heavy and oily, but nevertheless still satisfying on a cold night. The pan fried noodles were enjoyable, with some crispy bits throughout the dish. Portions are big and definitely meant for groups. Service was also really really good. The person helping us was friendly and bilingual in both Chinese and English, which was really helpful. He also personally helped with putting the leftovers in boxes. Definitely need to come back, and I'll get the stinky tofu! Not a lot of places to get that in the area, and it's a nostalgic food for me. :) read more

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I used to eat here when it was just a small little mom and pop shop. It had expanded to almost 3 times the size of what it used to be since my last visit eons ago. Legit Taiwanese food that is so good, better than most in the Bay Area. Price had gone up significantly but quality remains unchanged. Generous portion too. The highlight was the boneless 3 cup chicken and preserved mustard greens with tofu skins. Can't wait to go back again. read more

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The food is amazing. Best Mongolian Beef ever. Food is served fresh. Owner is the Chef and it shows.

Came on a Sunday night around 6pm and was seated right away. After ordering the food came out so fast and in large portions. The potstickers and chicken fried rice were my favorite! I found myself getting thirds of the fried rice and eventually cleaning the plate. The pan fried noodles had too much sauce and the cucumbers were lacking salt and vinegar. I loved how the menu had plenty of pictures. read more

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One year later, my family returned for another holiday meal at the Joy Restaurant in Foster City. Same exact preset menu, and same exact semi-private dining room. Difference? Less crowded restaurant, and no one else was in the semi-private dining room. Also, the prices went up. The experience was excellent. Service was attentive, informative and timely. Since the dining atmosphere was quiet, we could enjoy our meal and discuss it. We were offered a choice of desserts, and our host's choice was interesting and tasty. Located in Beach Park Plaza, free parking in plaza lot read more

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A no-frills neighborhood restaurant. Simple table setting with paper placemats, plain white plates, matching white teacup, a pair of chopsticks and a paper napkin. Presentation of the food... zero. But all of that was A-OK because the food was delicious!!! We wanted to try everything on the menu but had to restrain ourselves because... one, there were only four of us and two, our table was too small! Our dishes were practically falling off the table! The tasty dishes we had... green beans with pork, eggplant in hot and sour garlic sauce, sweet soy bean milk, House Chinese donut sticks (it was light and not oily). Chung Road potstickers (the skin was just the right thickness and not dense at all). The stir fried live clams with Basil (Taiwanese style) - the basil added so much flavor and aroma to this dish! And yes! We had the deep fried stinky tofu! I was brave enough to try one! I don't love it but I don't dislike it either. Would definitely go back to this place again and try some other dishes! read more

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I really wanted stinky tofu after the restaurant in San Mateo closed down, so my friend took me here for my bday. We came right before the lunch rush and got the last table. For some reason all my tables for this bday were all near the door. I guess it's better than not getting a table. We got the salted soy milk which was so tasty. It was a little oily but it had scallions and the chinese donut in it. It hit the spot that day as it brought bck so many memories of eating this in Asia. Next we go the beef stew with noodles. This was a huge dish and i knew we can't finish it. The beef was tender and the noodles were cooked just right. I wish they gave us another bowl for the noodles as i didn't want to use the same bowl i used for the soy milk. The three cup chicken came next and i was surprised that the chicken came with no bones, which was perfect. I liked how there was basil in it and it tasted very authentic. Next came the stinky tofu, which i didn't find stinky enough. I was a little disappointed with this dish as the tofu was over fried and a little on the hard side and i wish they added a little more sauce. The XLB was nice and this dish did have a lot of soup but i wish the skin wasn't to thick. As i did like the food, i did order an additional three cup chicken to bring home and it was like a rip off. The dish was so dry and completely opposite to how i had it in the store. I can't trust them if they did this for to-go orders. The server was nice in the beginning but as it got busier his attitude took a 180 change. When you come here, please note the restaurant is by the water and that it can get really cold every time that door opens. read more

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Have been coming here for my entire lifetime with my family and the food is good every. single. time. the food comes out quickly and is always cooked/fried well and the service is friendly and helpful. I recommend the hand cut noodles, the potstickers, and the green beans! A must try read more

Overall pretty solid Taiwanese/Chinese restaurant. I usually get the three cup chicken or hakka lunch combo, both are pretty good. It isn't too crowded on weekday lunch hours so that's a good time to come. A bit on the pricey side but definitely worth it. read more

Not sure why Joy had low reviews but I love this place! My husband first introduced me to Joy over 16 years ago when we were dating. At that time, the two items that stood out to me were the potstickers with amazing chili sweet soy sauce and their delicious signature garlic chili pork belly. Each time we came, we ordered those two items. Fast forward a few years after the pandemic, we finally sat inside to eat with our infant. The food was more delicious than I remembered after trying numerous places in the Bay Area for the same garlic chili pork belly. We attempted to come Friday after our massage next door but Joy was closed between 2:30pm to 5pm for their break. We ended up going to Dough Zone in San Mateo but the food did not satisfy. We decided to drive back to Joy yesterday for their potstickers and garlic chili pork belly. So glad we did! They served their weekend special which consisted of Taiwanese style breakfast and soy milk. We ordered six items: sweet soy milk, glutinous rice with pork floss, stinky tofu, garlic chili pork belly, potstickers, and their three cup basil chicken. Food was phenomenal compared to other Taiwanese restaurants in the Bay Area! Our favorite this time was actually the three cup basil chicken. It was super tasty and sweet. We actually came for the stinky tofu (the only place we know of in the Bay Area that still served this). Too bad China Bee closed down because their stinky tofu reminded my husband and I of Taiwan. However, the stinky tofu at Joy was still good but not as flavorful as China Bee. Potsticker was still long and yummy with their homemade chili sweet soy sauce. The garlic chili pork belly was no longer listed on their menu but there was a sign posted in the front that it was their signature dish so ask for that! The weekend special with the glutinous rice and pork floss goes well with their sweet soy milk. That reminded us of breakfast in Taiwan for sure! Everything was sweet here but our palettes enjoyed it! The services were exceptionally amazing! Our server spoke three languages: English, Mandarin, and Cantonese and the guy was hilarious! Food came out super fast and the workers were all so attentive. The restaurant looked the same as years ago with the old Chinese restaurant feel. It could get noisy here but there were not too many tables when we came so our baby slept through half of our meal. Prices went up but it was still affordable and worth it. Overall, Joy is a hidden gem in Foster City and a must try in my opinion! Thank you for the wonderful food and services! We will be back for sure! read more

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Service is efficient and nice, unfortunately food is meh = under spiced and super oily. Didn't have the wood ear dish that we ordered which was fine..., pricing is on the high side for the meh and below quality of the food. Their signature potstickers were good, the garlic string beans were not fresh/overcooked and stringy. The tofu pork was mainly tofu. read more

Joy Restaurant is my go-to spot whenever I'm craving delicious Taiwanese/Chinese food. Their food quality has remained consistently excellent over the years, and their service is outstanding. read more

Too salty or too much MSG. Kept feeling thirsty after drinking lots of water. The food doesn't have much specialty. Service is rude.