One of my favorite places in chinatown! they have a large menu with a lot of options. great options for vegetarians. go to dishes are the tofu pad kee mao and vegetable thai basil fried rice! the portion sizes are always huge for the price you pay! read more

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The bathrooms were so dirty. The food was good and so was the service, but the bathrooms terrible.

Joy Yee Noodle serves dishes from all across Asia -- Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese ramen, and a few American dishes. The menu was large, almost on par with Cheesecake Factory, and all of the menu items came with pictures. My friend and I wanted ramen, so after we got boba drinks from Joy Yee Plus, we came here, unfortunately that was a mistake. They sell almost everything, but they specialize is boba and milk teas, and that's the only thing I would get if I were to come back. The food was a 3/5. I ordered regular Chinese food (vegetable fried rice, sesame chicken, and pork egg rolls) while my friend ordered the shrimp ramen. The ramen wasn't actually ramen but just a noodle soup, which was disappointing for someone's first experience with a dish. The service was fine, you didn't have a set server, all of the staff pitched in to help all tables. The food came out fast, probably 10-15 minutes for all of the food we ordered and you can pay your tab on the mobile tablets the servers place your order on. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Shrimp ramen, vegetable fried rice, 4 Vietnamese Fried Egg Rolls, sesame chicken - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here for the desserts because it had a large menu. Ordered the boba soft serve but they did not have tapioca at 1pm. Ended up adding crystal boba for an additional cost (worst decision ever). The matcha wasn't as creamy. It tasted more like a blend of a icy sherbet and soft serve. 6/10 The crystal boba was like gelatin cubes, not a fan. It does not have taste. 1/10 Also ordered Strawberry Grapefruit Fruit Tea, it had no tea taste. More like flavored water. 7/10 Overall nice location with cute decor but not very good for dessert. Could be better. But not the worst choice if you're in the area. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Matcha soft serve with crystal jelly - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Date Visited: 2024-02-18, Chinese New Year (!!) ~ 1245pm Came to Chinatown for the parade, but after arriving and realizing we needed to be in place for the parade probably 2 hours prior, we decided to high-tail it to Joy Yee for lunch. We figured we could get in before the parade let out. and yes! We were able to be seated. I have the Sesame Chicken (along with some crab rangoons!)...and it was prepared perfectly -- just the right amount of crunch -- not mushy like other Chinese restaurants away from Chinatown. The rangoons were perfectly sized -- but to this day-and-age, I don't understand the number they serve -- not 4 not 6, but 5; either way those were delish as well. Service was good; server was always ready to get whatever we needed. They kept the water flowing -- but I noticed they have a weird policy -- you only get a water pitcher if you have 3 or more people. It would have saved much time to have our own so we did not need to keep asking for water. As for price -- well over the years , the price of Chinese restaurant food as climbed up and up. Our total for two people was in the range of $50 (2 main dishes and 1 appetizer plate)...so it is pricey -- but that seemed to be everywhere in Chinatown. Endgame: Would I come back here? Probably; but definitely when its warmer and certainly not when as crazy. read more

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This was my second time stoping by and this go round I tried the Beef Pho. The food came out fast and was great, we also tried the OX sauce shrimp chow mein with chicken instead, that was good as well. I will definitely be back this winter to get my pho fix. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Beef brisket pho - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Joy Yee has seriously grown so much over the years! I have seen it at a really small corner to their expansion and then their other store. It's great to see how much business they have accumulated over the years, and it helps that they are located in the heart of Chinatown in Chicago. The drink menu can be so overwhelming, but I always always recommend their fresh fruit / fruit teas instead of their milk teas. I feel like their milk teas cannot compare to other places in the area. Nothing terrible about Joy Yee's milk teas, but there are just better milk teas out in the same area. Grab their refreshing fruit teas, you can't go wrong. As for food, there's a large menu, and I love the number of pictures on the menu. It helps so much when trying to decide what to eat. If I go, then I normally have the same palate of foods and make it family style (where you're sharing with the others at your table). It's always a meat dish, veggie dish, and either some rice or noodles. My boyfriend's favorite is surprisingly the pad thai LOL. Sometimes about the tarteness or so with it, but I agree it's great. The noodle soups are honestly really great in the Chicago cold, so I highly recommend them! You can't go wrong with the pho! Everything is so filling. If you are doing family, you could order dishes based on the number of people with you and still have leftovers. If you have any food allergies, they are able to answer the questions better than the pictures/words can describe on the menu. But, if you know that you are going to an Asian restaurant, know that they use very common ingredients like soy, gluten items, and so on. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

All I have to say is that, if you want the freshest, most refreshing smoothies in Chinatown, you have to get them at Joy Yee's. I think because so many people go there, their fruit is always fresh. They also have the smoothie game down, with the perfect sugar, ice, and fruit ratio. As for the food, most of the dishes are pretty good. We ordered the ribs & garlic noodle, fried squid legs, and seafood crispy chow mein. The chow mein was crunchy and flavorful. On the other hand, the squid legs lacked seasoning. They were still crispy and good, but maybe the chef forgot to add salt. The garlic noodles could also have been more flavorful, but the ribs definitely made up for it. They have a slightly sweet taste and were finger-licking good. Joy Yee is known for their big presentation of foods (they use big dishware), and the three dishes we ordered was more than enough for 2 people. We had to pack half of it to go! Though their prices are not the cheapest, I would still recommend splurging once in a while to try their food and drinks (a must)! read more

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5 stars for the bubble tea. This is my favorite bubble tea place in Chicago. Joy Yee is the place I went to for bubble tea with friends during college. I've introduced several people to bubble tea here and they walked away loving it. The menu for bubble tea is so vast - you're bound to find something that you like - and the boba, jellies, popping pearls, and all other types of accompaniments are all excellent and exactly how those things are suppose to taste. You don't have to sit down at the restaurant to get bubble tea - you can order bubble tea at a dedicated counter. Even when I've been on busy times in a large drop group of people, we've never had to wait long to get the bubble tea: they work extremely quickly fulfilling the order. You can't get better than here for bubble tea in my opinion. As for the food/restaurant itself, the food is okay. I don't think their food offering is as great as their bubble teas so I've only sat down here a couple of times. It's servicable - there's nothing bad about it - but nothing really stands out. They don't do one particular dish incredibly well (the downside of having such a vast menu of Asian food from many different cuisines). I think when there are many other restaurant options in the area, I'd rather go somewhere else for food. Would highly recommend for bubble tea - but for food, try one of the other places in the area. read more

Loved the food. Great for Pho after a night out and the service was great. I really like the variety of food choices and boba drinks as well. read more

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Described as a must-check-out place when in Chicago, this Joy Yee boba spot in Chinatown is fine... I think there are certainly comparable ones like this elsewhere. - weekends: lines could be long specially on the noon / post lunch hour and during hot days - drinks: are good with the popping boba, but definitely recommend making them 50% or 75% sweetness because even for someone who loves sweet stuff, the regular 100% was too sweet - they take credit cards and your receipt prints the order number - but you must be close to the window to hear them call it out read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Red guava Mango freeze with lychee popping boba / outside - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Since I last reviewed Joy Yee several years ago, I have visited maybe 2 times a year. Long story short, its a decent spot to get some Asian fusion cuisine. Many of the dishes have regressed in flavor but that just speaks to how great the food was many many years ago. Bubble teas are still good. However, the main factor behind the 2 stars is the service. First, apparently a party of 4 now justifies a mandatory 18% tip. SEE PICTURE. Be careful, they will still ask for a tip on the signed receipt and you might accidentally double tip! Our server came twice to take our drink order and then our food order, then he was never seen again for the rest of the night. In fact, I had to reach out to someone else to get our check. He was pretty impatient to my friends visiting from out the state, and extremely dismissive when my friend asked about protein options. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Mandatory 18% tip on groups of 4 now - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Joy Yee's is the best boba in Chicago no questions! I've been coming here for the better part of a decade every time I'm in the Chicago area and have visited several of their locations as well! This one, located in the "new" Chinatown, is my personal favorite given the surrounding shopping opportunities! What I find a bit hilarious is that Joy Yee serves a fulllllll menu of delicious food as well, but a lot of people, perhaps even the majority?, come here for their boba! I've had their food here before, and it's definitely good, but at least for me, majority of the time I come here is for their boba, not their food! The most recent time I came to Joy Yee's, there was a separate side window for people to order their boba without coming into the restaurant, to help with the traffic and flow in the general Chinatown area, which was really efficient! My go-to ordering strategy for drinks here is to always go with a fruit smoothie (blend of more than one fruit typically) and also a more traditional boba tea option! Joy Yee's got so much fresh fruit, so it's important to get a fruit-based boba for sure at least! All of their drinks are delicious though, so you really can't go wrong!! Do yourself a favor and come here next time you're in the Chicago area - I promise you won't regret it! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Joy Yee Noodle, in line at their side ordering window for drinks! - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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An incredibly good place for Americanized Asian cuisine. It's not quite authentic but it's kind of close enough. Joy Yee Noodle has a few locations, including this one in Chinatown, obviously not the place to go for authentic food there. It has many favorites such as the bubble tea and has pretty good food. They have the best prices with the lunch specials. Come in at lunch and save a bit. It's when we came in the last time here. The menu is full of typical Americanized favorites, but don't let it be a turnoff. A lot of great stuff is here. The best items may actually be the teas and smoothies. I most like the Black Out. It's about $6 for most smoothies. This one is made with coffee jelly, grass jelly, coconut freeze, and tapioca. It's kind of like a milkshake. This is a good choice for vegans. Both of us got the Orange Tofu lunch special the last time here. It's about $10 for a lot. This comes with a few vegetable potstickers and rice. It had a moderate spice to it. This was a nice amount of food for a lunch. Best time is at lunch where you get the best prices for the most amount. It has another location in University Village, which is good too if that's more convenient. They mostly have the same menu at these. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Black Out And Orange Tofu Lunch Special - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

There are so many options in Chinatown, and if you're looking for a massive menu sure to please most, stop into the massive Joy Yee! Here's a look at the pros and cons of this Joy Yee: PROS: + The space was clean and the tables were plentiful - besides the busy lunch hour, you're sure to get a table here. + Their boba menu is MASSIVE - literally two fulls pages of photo options! I love being able to see what my options look like, so this was a huge plus. + Their portions are also massive! We ordered the ribs, pad see ew, and green beans with shrimp to split between two of us and had to take more than half of it home. + We loved their green beans and kimchi! + Service was brief but attended to our needs. CONS: - The boba was massive but didn't wow me with flavor - I'd probably go to one of the boba-only spots in the area instead next time. - The noodles didn't have exciting flavor in my opinion, and the ribs were a bit skimp on meat to bone ratio. - We'd likely order different next time, but for three plates and two beverages, our bill was steeper than I'd expected for lunch. It's a great spot for tons of options and large portions! I'm just more likely to try a new spot the next time I visit. read more

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The service was amazing the price was reasonable I love me smooth it's new it's guava strawberry also tried the strawberry pineapple. They serve very healthy portions had enough that I could take some home. read more

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Classic spot. Vast menu of drinks and food. Big family congregation spot in china town, so popular. Every time I visit, I find myself coming back and the food is hearty. Nothing that blows the socks off but you'll definitely satisfy your taste buds and stomach. Grab a drink too. The cups are big but cute and it's a fun experience. read more

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Pros: Menu was big and promising. There is plenty space and we got in quick as walk in. They took us upstairs. Crab Rangoon was delish and decent sized. Friend also stated the mango green tea drink was also tasty. Cons: Two of us ordered truffle mushroom rice, one ordered chicken fried rice and one had it on their short rib meal. Everybody agreed it was bland. I got mine withTofu, which was cold. Had to request soy sauce bc not on table. Verdict: Menu is huge so want to give it another try with a noodle dish. read more

Today Joy Yee's in Chinatown wasn't crowded. We went there at 8pm, we were immediately seated and even though I was expecting it to be cold, the room temperature was pretty nice. I liked my food, I had a tasting for glass noodles and got exactly what I was looking for even though this wasn't my first time trying glass noodles. We also didn't feel rushed at all unlike other times. I have been going to Joy Yees since 2018 and I can say this is one of the few times I've enjoyed going there. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Mango with strawberry topping - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Place is mix of Vietnamese , Korean and Chinese food and Huge list drink (nonalcoholic) menu read more

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I've never felt so strongly about a negative experience at a restaurant to the point of writing a review but with Joy Yee, I had to. I had an absolutely dreadful experience at Joy Yee. From the moment we arrived, things went wrong. We were seated with only two plates and three forks for our party of four. Despite multiple attempts to flag down servers, it took a frustrating 30 minutes before anyone even took our order. Each time we tried to get someone's attention, we were met with attitude - we were paying for service When the servers did approach, they seemed annoyed by our requests. We had to ask repeatedly for basics like napkins and utensils--items that should have been provided automatically. The service was not just slow but condescending, making a simple meal out feel like an ordeal. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for a pleasant dining experience. Totally a tourist trap. The food was nowhere authentic and extremely overpriced. We ordered 2 different types of Vietnamese noodle dishes and the broth for both tasted the exact same, almost like they use the same packaged soup powder to make them both. read more

I went with a couple of friends and it was really busy. However, regardless of the crowd, my food came super fast and was really tasty! The ambiance sort of reminds me of a food court. The waiter wasn't engaging but efficient. I'd go again! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Korean kimchi beef fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I like this establishment but was quite disappointed, in their deceptive behavior the other week. I had ordered the beef tendon udon as it is one of my fave items on the menu. When the ordered arrived it was sliced beef udon and not tendon. I told the wait staff that the order is wrong, we ordered tendon. The wait staff said, oh that is tendon. I politely said "no that's not tendon, this is just beef", he then said to me "oh sorry, we don't do tendon anymore and it's beef only". I asked him why didn't they tell us prior to ordering because it's quite deceptive, and said, "oh sorry and walked away". Of course the charge on the bill was for tendon which I feel would be incorrect as tendon may be higher than beef. Though it's not really about money but the principle of deception Needless to say I will not eat here again, read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Beef "tendon" udon - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here with some family friends who are local to Chicago and they had great things to say about this place so we decided to come for dinner one night. We had about a 30 minute wait before we were seated. I can agree that it was a good experience. The food was amazing and very large. Expect to leave with leftovers! It is a bit chaotic inside and the servers are running all around. It can be hard to hear with all the background noise going on. I would be interested in coming back the next time I'm around Chinatown. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The fruit teas and freeze were tasty and refreshing! Minimal wait outside. Just staying in the shade otherwise it gets kinda hot. Lychee jelly was a must for us... read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I visited as a party of 3 and after we left the restaurant I was wondering why the bill was so much higher than I expected. It turns out the server had automatically added an 18% tip to the bill... for a party of 3. And because that is not normal practice and was not brought to our attention, and the itemized receipt was taken away when it came to signing the credit card receipt, we tipped again on top of that. No where upon entering the restaurant and being seated was there a sign about the 18% auto gratuity. Keep in mind this is a near fast-casual restaurant as waiters do not greet you or really even talk to you until you wave them down, write your order and leave immediately. No thank you upon giving the bill, the service was nearly nada. Onto the food, the pork chop was tender and grilled really well. I was pleasantly surprised by the pickled daikon carrot on top of the dish. And noodles were garlicky but soggy and overcooked. Boba was ok, red bean was ground up into milk tea so it was super grainy. Boba portions are HUGE so be prepared for that portion size. Needless to say, the tipping situation left such a bitter taste and poor reflection of restaurant that I'm not sure if I would even want to come back and try anything else at the risk of overpaying. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Pork chop garlic noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The sweet and sour chicken and walnut shrimp were our favorites! Clean restaurant with friendly service in the heart of Chinatown Great dinner for our first night in the city - a chilly walk around China town and a delicious dinner read more

This is a good choice if you have a group that aren't into super authentic Asian foods because it's a HUGE menu with a ton of choices. The quality of the food is decent for most things. The boba drinks are really yummy and there are TONS of options. Service is hit and miss, but we got our food quickly. So if you want lots of options, good choice. But if you want high quality and more authentic, I'd look elsewhere. read more

We were seated quickly and service was prompt and friendly. The food was delicious, we were a big group, so we shared several dishes. Portions were very generous. Everything was great. We'd love to come back. read more

I got sesame chicken lunch special which came with soup and potstickers. The soup was so good. The chicken & potstickers were okay. I miss when they would include broccoli read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We ordered beef lo mein and Korean combination noodle. Food was bad and overpriced. We barely could eat the combination noodle and had to share the lo mein, which was still not good. read more

I went on a Friday night and was able to be seated right away. The food came out so quick. The garlic shrimp fried rice is AMAZING. The sesame chicken is great, not too much breading. The beef udon noodles is a must order. read more

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I was recommended this place for their fruit smoothie/slushes. The avocado/durian freeze was solid. They put the perfect amount of avocado/durian and it wasn't watered down and unlike some other places it does not taste artificial. The watermelon lychee slush was very refreshing. We ordered at a counter outside and came on a weekday so we waited just 5 min for our drinks. Apparently the line can be pretty long so we got lucky. I definitely recommend and will come back on my next visit!! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Avocado durian smoothie, watermelon lychee slush. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Worst Joy Yee location! The location by Lane Tech High School is by far the best one. The ambience here was gloomy today and depressing. They served us a pitcher of water and the pitchers were extremely filthy with tiny plastic cups. I thought it was extremely ghetto because this is a restaurant and water should always be served in proper glasses. We ordered shrimp pad Thai, Korean bulgogi over rice, lemongrass wings, rose tea, and milk tea with boba. The pad thai doesn't compare to the Roscoe village location, it was a really small portion that wasn't worth 18 dollars; noodles were extremely dry and not properly cooked. This location is overrated. I'd highly recommend going to the one by Lane Tech. read more

Very good place to stop for some food. They have so many things on the menu so you're likely going to find several things that appeal to you. I really enjoyed my beef over rice. Very good flavor and nice portion sizes. The food arrived rather quickly. I don't even think I waited for 10 minutes even though the restaurant was packed. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

if there was a way to laced a negative 10 I would. our waiter was horrible he just sat food on our table and we had to figure out so had what. some food was not cooked and when it was sent back they microwaved it. all of the outlets had post its taped to it so you could not charge your phone. they stood over us w siting to see if hope we are paying. overall this is a restaurant that I would never to. read more

Located in the new area for chinatown, this large, usually crowded restaurant has excellent Korean short ribs. The menu is huge and with photos. The garlic noodles that came with it were overcooked and didn't have enough garlic. I tried the Chinese broccoli, and it wasn't my favorite because it had too much oil. It was perfectly cooked. The mango milk tea was not my favorite. I have had their juices which are way better but it can be very sweet. The restaurant is highly popular for their juices in the summer. I like that the tables and floors are normally clean and its bright with large windows. Staff were wearing masks. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Lunch with Korean short ribs, garlic noodes,Chinese broccoli, and mango milk tea. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We were a group of 8 people and no one liked the food. It was all just bland and tasteless. It also took forever for the food to come out and it didn't even come out close to at the same time. The first person was done eating by the time the last person got there food read more

I am not a person who's impressed with the food in Chinatown. I used to think Mccb which is literally across from Joy Yee was great but I'm no longer a damn the pineapple is a sweet & interesting factor of the ice however it's the only flavor profile. The fish is in bad need of some seasoning & flavor. I'm not even sure this rice is fried. Twas literally maybe 3-4 shrimp & mere morsels of chicken. I can't remember how much this was however it wasn't worth it. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Pineapple, shrimp & chicken fried rice. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our wait was a little long but potatoes it might be because we came at the height of dinner. I would recommend making a reservation. The food is provided in big portions and comes with a side of rice. I would recommend ordering 2-3 and due to the large person sizes , m can satisfy 4-5 group of people. We ordered their boba's as our drinks and can serve as dessert as well due to the sweetness level. They have a wide selection of vegetarian options and are accommodating with taking the meat out or making adjustments for vegetarian eaters. Would come back for their boba! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois