sifting through this menu had to count as at least 5 books on GoodReads - I have never seen a more overwhelming yet thrilling menu. they had a photo for all 100 menu items which were variations of flavored meat, fish, tofu on noodles, rices, sauce bases etc - we started with the best bang for your buck ever. the appetizer sampler plate had a base of rice noodles with large portions of teriyaki chicken, spring rolls, summer rolls, French fries, and rice crisps. oh yeah, and dipping sauces! with hoisin and sirarcha on the table - the fries were definitely a bit out of nowhere but added volume to the plate which is hilarious considering every plate was enough to feed the entirety of Chinatown - I got to say the teriyaki chicken was perfectly cooked, soft, chewy, and delicious. - tofu fried rice was a classic! huge portions and gluten free approved! surprisingly light in color but not in flavor - the garlic shrimp noodles were a texture dream. The noodles were super chewy and just bounced around your fork!!! the shrimp was sizzling hot and surrounded by perfectly cooked soy sauce drenched vegetables. - service was all over the place. we were sat before 3 PM but they took so long to place our order that we couldn't use the lunch special opportunity (their rules). we also ordered two of the noodle dishes and only got one of them, which was fine, considering how big the portion was! read more

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I absolutely love Joy Yee. I legit never eat or have eaten anywhere else in China town, lol. Not to mention, they have the best smoothies and milk teas. The selection of choices is insane. Today, I dropped in before heading to the China Town Festival. Since the weather was nice, I ate outside. The restaurant and overall area outside were quite busy. I ordered orange chicken and rice, but the chicken was a bit too crunchy for my taste. I'm guessing it was the manager who allowed me to swap it for chicken and broccoli instead, much better I also had a Taro smoothie. Finally got it right because I always order the Taro milk tea, and it never turns out purple . Overall, I would recommend Joy Yee on any day of the week.. read more

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I took out a Strawberry milk bubble tea from here. It was a self service kiosk. I didn't have to enter the restaurant area to order tea. Tea was good. read more

Its has become a large chain. Monday night (President's day) was packed with teens and university students. Service was okay given they had many things to handle-- so many split checks, odd condiment request for hot chili oil, etc. Korean dumplings app was fine - nothing to write home about or come back for. Shrimp was great. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food here is beyond amazing! The service is top tier, aside from being so buy they can manage. The ambiance is chill and you cna visibly see every table enjoying their meals. All the dishes look amazing! 10/10 here! My son ordered the French style filet Mignon and the meat was soo tender, perfection! I ordered the Pineapple Chicken & Shrimp Fried Rice, omg it's delicious! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Pineapple Chicken & Shrimp Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We ordered truffles fries and garlic noodles. After finishing up our noodles I thought I saw something crawling. We continue talking before feasting on our noodles and low and behold their were 2 baby roaches crawling up our table. We flagged a waiter and told them and she said it was due to construction. When I informed our waiter he seemed nonchalant and preselected his tip and told me the waiter told him. No attempt to compensate our bill or offer a discount. Needless to stay we will not be back not recommend! read more

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I found this spot on TikTok and they did not disappoint! We went around 6PM and they were definitely busy. The wait was short because it was just two of us however there is also an option to order at an outside window for Togo orders as well. We got the sampler appetizer and garlic short rib noodles. The food was excellent!! The garlic noodles were not too overwhelming with garlic and the short ribs were flavorful and cooked to perfection!!! read more

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We first tried the smoothies- and then we stayed for lunch! The smoothies and teas were super tasty! Great flavors without being overly sweet. Then the meal... I was honestly disappointed in how they skimp out. I ordered garlic shrimp and received an entire place of garlic noodles with 5 shrimps. Literally 5! I also ordered hot and sour soup (way too spicy- not tolerable), Mongolian beef (way too spicy), veggie fried rice, and orange chicken. Disappointed overall in the food! read more

My 5-star review of Joy Yee in early 2018 reveals a descent into the most unhappy, unhealthy period of my life. Yes, this was a consistent and convenient choice at a time where my career was going sideways and I was putting in huge hours to try to salvage something. Beyond that, I actually remember it as totally basic Asian food. read more

I visited Joy Yeee to try their boba tea and opted for the Chocolate Milk Tea with tapioca boba. It was good--though not the best I've had--it was still enjoyable. The shop had a designated dining area, but the space near the counter was blocked off, leaving no place for customers to sit and enjoy their drinks. Additionally, the staff wasn't particularly friendly. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chocolate milk tea with tapioca boba - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We grew up eating Joy Yee's back in Evanston but now that we are in Chinatown, somehow it doesn't hold up its own. The Kung Pao had no peanuts, they charged for extra protein but packed it in the regular size box so it clearly was not actually "extra". The flavors were not as deep and rich as some other restaurants in this neighborhood are. read more

I've been to Joy Yee's a number of times. Mostly to this location and the one in Evanston. While it's Asian fusion, it's still pretty good. You can get Chinese food, Vietnamese, etc. My uncle got pho, my cousin ordered fried rice and short ribs, my sister got a tofu dish that tasted a lot like pad kee mao, and my mom and I shared a Malaysian seafood plate that had fantastic flavors! I had to ask the staff what they put in it! So so good! We also got some sort of appetizer that was a mix of vermicelli noodles, spring rolls, fries, and more. It's A LOT of food. Def shareable unless you've got a big appetite. Their fruit teas are fabulous! Loved the one I got. My sister got a milk tea and didn't love the boba texture in it. Just meh. Great staff, quick service, food comes out fast, large portions. I'm sure I'll be back! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Over the years I've come to Joy Yee when my friends wanted to try it or had a specific dish in mind. While I've never had a bad experience here, I must admit that every time I come I'm quite underwhelmed. Joy Yee brands themselves as "pan Asian" though it's very much centered on East Asian cuisine. I guess that makes sense since this is in Chinatown. When you open the menu, it overwhelms you with tons of pictures of their food. Indecisive individuals beware! Many of the dishes I've had at Joy Yee have been okay. Perfectly acceptable flavors with a gigantic portion size but nothing to write home about. One standout dish I think is worthy of mentioning is the Beef Cubes over Tomato Sauce Rice. The rice is like a fried rice with an addicting flavor on its own. The beef cubes are tender and pairs really well with the rice. A lot of people get drinks at Joy Yee and I can totally understand the hype. There are sooo many drink options and they all come in a giant cup which certainly elicits joy. My personal opinion is that the fruit freezes are great, while the milk teas are just alright. Service is what you'd expect from Chinatown: efficient, designed to get you in and out quickly. The prices have gone up lately (like everything else, seemingly) and I think there are plenty of other spots in Chinatown with more authentic and delicious food for a lower price. The portion sizes may not be as big as Joy Yee's, but at least I won't get sick of the flavor halfway through the meal. Food: 3/5 Service: 3.5/5 Price: 3.5/5 Ambiance: 3/5 Overall: 3/5 read more

Joy Yee is a Pan Asian restaurant located in the Chinatown Square Plaza (North of the original part of Chinatown). *Seating/No reservations/Parking/ Ambiance/Service* I went with eight friends, so we knew seating nine people on a Saturday was going to be tough. Unfortunately, they absolutely do not take reservations. Our parties were split because half of us arrived a little later due to horrendous traffic and parking challenges. I'm not sure if my friend knew about the parking lot on South Wentworth after he dropped me off. It's strictly first come first serve seating. And your full party needs to be present before you can be seated. This is a large and very busy restaurant with lots of tight seating. We saw our other friends when we arrived, but needed to be seated several tables away. About 5 minutes later, while we were still looking at the menus, the table opened up next to our friends ...and they allow us to all sit together after all! We were quite pleased that they allowed us to move, especially since we are a group of friends who don't get to see each other very often. This is a bustling restaurant with great service. Although they turn tables very quickly, we did not feel rushed to leave. They did a good job with cleaning up the tables. Each table has a bottle of hoisin sauce and a bottle of Sriracha sauce. Once you are seated, they are quick to give you menus, tableware and water. We were seated near a cool anime mural which my friend's daughter absolutely loved. *Food* I ordered the beef pho and it was pretty good. I've definitely had better. I prefer when the noodles and garnishes are served separately. This way you can add to the broth only what you want in the bowl while you are eating it. The pho bowls are huge even when you order a regular size order. It's not a bad thing if you are okay with eating leftovers when you can't finish it. This is the main reason I like noodles and garnishes on the side. The noodles get really mushy and the broth gets starchy when you reheat the pho all mixed up. A few of my friends also ordered pho. A couple of them actually finished their meals. We shared the crab Rangoon and they were quite tasty. Others ordered things like wontons, fried rice, teriyaki chicken and pork chops. Everyone enjoyed their meals. My friend's young son is a picky eater who wasn't excited about eating Chinese food. After he reluctantly ordered the teriyaki chicken, he ended up asking if he could come back to eat it again. lol My friend (who was sitting across from me) ordered the grilled pork chops with fried rice. It looked so good that I ended up ordering that for takeout. It was very good and I also loved the fried rice. After your meal, checkout the shops. It's an interesting place to just walk around and then stop somewhere for dessert. Note: 18% service charge (This was on our receipt without them ever mentioning it to us.) read more

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Best boba I have ever had, fast service even when crowded and cool decorations for sure will be coming by next time I go to Chinatown read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Boba - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So when you're in the mood for an Asian fusion restaurant, head on over to Joy Yees. They have a good mixture of dishes that are either Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Taiwanese. They cater to almost everyone's needs in terms of proteins, veggies and carbs (rice, noodles, etc.). Their service is usually really quick... From ordering to actually getting your food averages around 20 minutes. The dining area is usually really busy so the noise levels are usually moderate at best if not loud. The dining area has a revolving door of people coming in and out and the staff does a great job with getting folks through. Their claim to Fame are their fresh fruit freezes using real fruit for their drinks. They have multiple locations but this China Town location was one of their first along with their Evanston location. They are always a solid go to when you need a refreshing bubble tea or fresh fruit freeze read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Busy day for boba - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I stopped by for a quick lunch; we ordered the special pho and the short rib, rare beef pho. Their drinks are less interactive than Joy Yee Plus, so I did not order any drinks from them. The pho was big and worth the price for the portion. The soup was moderately seasoned, and they put the bean sprouts and mint in the bowl instead of adding them like another Vietnamese restaurant. This restaurant is a mixture of Asian food, mainly Thai and Vietnamese. I had a wonderful lunch. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Yummy boba with tons of options!!! They have smoothie & tea options but we got a fruit smoothie and it was yummy. The bobas are HUGE so great to share. Also a great place to stop in for food if you are looking for something more than a drink. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has horrible customer service and is not allergy-friendly. My family and I came here a couple of weeks ago. We have 2 people in our family that has a severe (epi-pen) allergy to gluten which I'm explaining so that you understand the reason why we need to be very picky on what goes into each dish. When the waitress came to our table, we asked her if a particular dish was gluten-free and her response was "no, only fried rice is gluten free" and she walked away. We've been to many Chinese restaurants and they have been more than helpful with our gluten allergy, explaining every ingredient that goes into each dish. I could not believe how rude and unhelpful this waitress was. We walked out after that encounter because we weren't going to have a table full of food where 2 of our family members could only eat fried rice. About 10 years ago, this place was so popular because of their bubble teas. Their bubble teas might still be good but there are so many other places that make great bubble teas now. Joy Yee's can't continue to operate and treat their customers so poorly because they are not the only bubble tea shops anymore. In summary, do not go here if you have any food allergies or want to be treated like a human being. read more

OMG...i walk by this place all the time and this is the first time i actually went in to eat on this chilly october day...Can i say absolutely delicious...the portions are unbelievable and so good. No wonder this place is always packed. If u havent tried it, its a must. read more

I'm not from Chicago but from what I can tell this is a not-so-hidden gem. Chinatown was packed on a Friday night around 8pm, and a lot of those people were at Joy Yee getting drinks. I loved that they had a walk up window outside just for drinks. The menu is huge, probably like 200 items. I went back and forth but landed on a guava mango green tea slush. It was so delicious. Even though there was maybe 20 people in front of us, it went so quick. They have it down to an art. I was so impressed and so jealous I don't have one closer to home. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Guava mango green tea slush - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great for large groups and has many different options if you can't decide on what you want to eat. Huge drinks as well for cheap!

Joy Yee Noodle has a huge menu and tasty food. I had a little bit of everything, chicken lo neon, garlic shrimp udon, and beef noodle soup--super flavorful and filling. The bubble tea is great with tons of options. It can get busy and a little loud, but overall it's a fun spot with big portions. Worth a visit! read more

Restaurant layout was interesting and reminded me of a boba place. It was pretty busy for an odd mealtime hour, which was around 1:20-2:40 when we were there. It just continued to fill up throughout that time. Service wasn't great. Some workers were a bit aloof and didn't seem the most approachable or willing to help. Food took around 15-30 mins to come out. Food: Menu selection is HUMONGOUS. We had really high hopes for it as well. Drink selection also appealed to us and was very large. Appetizers actually took the longest to come out compared to main courses - Thai Basil Fried Rice: not very flavorful and didn't stand out. Was on the sweeter side. Scallops were nice and soft though - Shrimp Lo Mein: nice taste and flavorful! Shrimp was a little crunchy and tough and maybe a little over cooked but I think this is preference - French Style Beef Filet Mignon: Delicious, flavorful, nice texture; not too chewy or rubbery - Garlic String Beans: wasn't bad but didn't really stand out. Just your usual green beans with some garlic, which wasn't really strong or aromatic -calamari: overcooked, flavor wasn't awful and wasn't too strong, but the texture was stale and rubbery. - truffle fries: not very flavorful and you couldn't taste the truffle at all. this was an appetizer but was the last thing to come out - Salt Pepper Japanese Tofu: soft, not very flavorful, but wasn't awful Drinks: - mango berry tea was enjoyable with fruits in it. it wasn't too sweet - brown sugar freeze tea: like a slushy. wayyy too sweet we could only take a few sips. Overall, experience was meh. We came here for a foodie trip but didn't feel blown away and didn't feel like workers enjoyed their job or cared for our service. Food wasn't awful but didn't feel special. This restaurant would probably be more for people who aren't looking for a fun, foodie experience or a nice place to spend time with friends/family. It has so much potential though. read more

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Every time we come to Chinatown, this is our go-to place. We ordered the seafood fried rice, Vietnamese appetizer platter, honey shrimp walnut, and BBQ beef short ribs which our waiter recommended. Sorry, I don't remember his name, but he was terrific! Coming on a Saturday afternoon, expect a line but the food here is worth the wait. Our wait was about 10 minutes, so not too bad. Everything we ordered was delicious. Jenice's go-to entree is the honey shrimp walnut and she said this is the best she's had. The fried rice was delicious and the ribs were very tender and seasoned well. As I mentioned, it is always packed so noise levels can be loud. Because of this, we were considering eating outside but decided to stay inside since today was a bit warm. If you are in the area, not in a rush to get anywhere, but want delicious food, I highly recommend coming here. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Seafood fried rice, Vietnamese appetizer platter, honey shrimp walnut, and BBQ beef short ribs - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Another Joy Yee experience, I was in the area, so I decided to come here since it's been awhile. I ordered the crab rangoon, garlic shrimp fried rice, and the Malaysian string beans. I love this place and it will always be my favorite go to whenever I want some good Chinese food. Also, every time I go.....I have to order two milk teas; one with my meal and one to go! The absolute best! read more

We ordered the Thai Tea (got the boba balls on the side because my wife had never tried them before), and we shared the lemongrass chicken over garlic noodles. Both were absolutely wonderful. We said it just might be the best Chinese food we've ever had. It was so good that we had to ask our server more about its origin, and he said the restaurant was a Thai / Vietnamese / Chinese fusion. That was another first for us! We will absolutely come back again and again. read more

Just got the avocado smoothie with tapioca. The smoothie is good as it always is. Tapioca is chewy. I like it. Smoothie is creamy and smooth. I like avocado smoothie a lot. It costs ~$7. Totally worth it. Service is fast. I got my drink within 2 mins, which is amazing fast. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Avacado smoothie - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Perfect place to grab smoothies with the kids! The flavors are great and the lines are long but quick! Service is quick and friendly for the most part. Be sure to listen for your number on your receipt or you will miss it. There's a restaurant of course but many come for the smoothies and tea! read more

This was a random stop. Extensive menu that was placed outside of the door. Hard to read the menu while there were a lot of ppl checking it out too. all in the way lol Our drinks were prepared pretty fast. Large sized cup. Good! I accidentally got mango chunks instead of tapioca balls lol read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Berry blast and mango - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I really like the boba tea here. It comes in a nice container and the popping boba is very tasty and refreshing. It is a tad pricey but otherwise I like it read more

I went to Joy Yee for lunch today and enjoyed it! I got the Vegetable Fried Rice which is honestly some of the best I've had to date - it was perfectly cooked, the flavor was great, and overall delicious. The service was also great and very attentive. I will say that our table was a bit dirty when we sat down which was a bummer but the service and food made up for it. I will definitely be back and am looking forward to it - thanks, Joy Yee! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Vegetable Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Bubble tea always solid. Food very average. Nothing bad, nothing great. Service was friendly.

Joy yee noodles was amazing when I went. Me and my family went as a party of 10 on New Year's Day! They still sat us when their restaurant was at its busiest. The ambiance is comfortable and hustle bustle in one room. The jumbo beef pho was huge (picture below). The water cups were made of metal, a nice feature that kept the water cold and provided a unique experience. The service was so fast we couldn't even finish a conversation before we got our food. Overall amazing place would definitely recommend. read more

Finally ate in (instead of takeout). Service is prompt and kind and while the place lacks a bit in decor, it definitely gets the job done. Portions are even larger when dining in and we had enough for at least two meals. Highly recommend the Vietnamese appetizer platter. I'd order that just as a meal in the future. read more

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Joy Yee is a must-try in Chicago. Their menu is so large that you'll find something new to try every time you go. With such a large menu, it may be difficult to specialize in a single dish, but I enjoyed their Grilled Squid and Korean Kimchi Beef Fried Rice. The portions are very large which is why I am content paying more for the food. You must also try their bubble tea--the cups are very large! In my experience, the staff was very nice, but it's a large restaurant so there may be around a 20-minute wait time depending on when you go (I went at lunchtime). *safe for nut allergies* read more

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Bathroom stall had an entire mopping station and wasn't clean. No hot drinks to order on a freezing winter day. Fried rice was soggy. To top it off, a meal was billed differently than advertised on the picture menu and instead of honoring the menu price, service pointed to fine print, "subject to change." Though we've been to this chain before, after quibbling over a nominal amount because of the business' menu mistake they wanted us to pay for, we won't come back. read more

So the boba smoothie here is my favorite of pretty much of all-time - there are very few places that match this place (though making your own with fresh fruit comes super close!) so I try to get one whenever I'm nearby. Joy Yee has really perfected the strawberry smoothie down to using real fruit and having great chew and flavor to the tapioca balls - only con? A bit pricy at $7-8 :( But a treat is a treat! Food-wise - Joy Yee has a pretty ridiculous amount of selection - the menu is legit a book. You either are going to know what you want and look for it oorrr you'll turn page after page and end up ordering Sesame Chicken (haha). I got the Thai Basil Chicken, which was my favorite when I used to live closer by, which, the prices at this location have gone waaay up. I know inflation and all is the narrative, but the higher prices are probably the main reason the wait isn't ridiculous anymore (we just walked in.) Quality-wise, it's the same Joy Yee standard - solid quality, not amazing, but good enough and a safe choice since there's something for everyone. The rest of the fam got galbi fried rice and a lemongrass chicken (the eggplant dish is also good!) - and they're all solid choices. Overall, Joy Yee has been established for many years, and it's reliable quality is its main reason why. Prices are on the high side, especially for Chinatown but I guess if the market will bear it, then I can't blame them :) Can't wait to come back for another strawberry smoothie with boba (I also get half sweet for the record haha). read more

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Food was very good and fast, but it wasn't until after I left that I realized an 18% tip had been added to the bill and then I tipped 15% on top of that. I'm surprised that was done for just a party of four. read more

The best Asian food I have ever had, it was fantastic and I will go back. The waiter was so nice and always there when me and my daughter needed him. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Fabulous appetizer - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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