Joy Yee Noodle

Pretty good asian inspired dishes. It’s not the most flavorful, but tasty. Everything tastes fresh and non-​greasy. You definitely receive enough with one entrée to for two people to share.
The restaurant is clean and the staff is friendly.
The groups of teens continue to pour in, however, for the smoothies.

Joy Yee was my first experience with bubble tea. Because I am old and behind the times, I just picked something at random for the most part and I really liked it. My drink was a green tea base (honestly, I couldn’t taste any tea) with raspberry flavor and blueberry bobas.
For me personally, it was a but too sweet but I am generally an unsweet drinks person. However, it was a fun flavor, really refreshing and the boba balls are fun to pop! I saw tons of fresh fruit smoothies being made, and everything looked really good. Even though they were busy, my tea took less than 2 minutes.
Definitely would come back — there are endless varieties to try!

If you’re just coming here for smoothies and bubble tea, the star rating would be 4 – 5 stars. The restaurant uses fresh fruit and the boba is cooked well. My personal favorites are the triple berry, the mango, and the mango milk black tea with boba. I’d definitely say this place and Kung Fu Tea are the top bubble tea places in Chinatown.
As for the food, I echo what some of the other reviews say that it used to be a lot better.
— Pluses: (1) There’s a LOT of selection– you won’t find a bigger Asian food menu anywhere else. (2) The portions are big. There’s fried rice that comes in half a pineapple, the soup bowls are huge. You’ll almost definitely take home leftovers. (3) Some of their appetizers are pretty good– I’m a fan of the fried shrimp shumai.
— Minuses: (1) The food is pretty hit or miss. We come here a fair amount and the food quality is just ok. (2) The flavor and taste are not memorable. (3) The service is also hit or miss depending on what time you go. (4) It’s a big restaurant that gets very noisy so if you’re looking for a quiet dinner, go somewhere else.

I have been here several times (only for bubble), and during the last visit something occurred to me. I don’t really like it here. I think it has a huge name association with it and so it’s pretty «famous» and I kept coming here cause everyone else likes it and knows of it. But I actually don’t understand why people really like these drinks? I got the honeydew drink again, and it just tastes off. Doesn’t taste like honeydew, just like pure tea, and not really normal tea sort of an off flat ish taste. I might come back to try the food, but I don’t think I’ll buy drinks here again.

A busy restaurant however came in before dinner time peak so not long seating time. The noise level can get pretty high though.
Got a bubble tea, their menu is overflowing with varieties therefore cant pinpoint good and bad ones. Theres the fun in trying different bobas they offer. I personally like the fresh fruit smoothies with fruits and other toppings inside.
We ordered wontons which was a major bust, no flavor in the meat and wontons; i wouldve complained for them to make another one but i figured they just serve tasteless wontons.
Also ordered a platter with lemon chicken, japchae (glass noodles) and cuttlefish (but really a squid) with an over easy egg on top. It was blasting with flavors and would highly recommend it.

Horrible customer service by some uncouth server stan! I ordered a bunch of stuff and asked him to repeat and he asked him twice about shrimp chowmien, he said its the first thing on the list and he brings shumai and shoves it in my face… shumai. most horrible way to behave with a customer. joyee noodles u have to correct this asap!!!

Stopping here for a bubble tea after dim sum is a must! I cannot speak to the food at this location, but the beverages have been consistently good and I appreciate their walk-​up window outside the restaurant for these frozen treats.
I love that they offer some flavor combinations you won’t find elsewhere. A trip to Chinatown isn’t complete without a Lychee-​Watermelon Bubble Tea with Tapioca Pearls. It’s so refreshing, especially on a hot day.

This is pretty much an institution in Chicago Chinatown. It’s a fusion Chinese restaurant. YUGEEEEE menu ranging from phở to fried rice to seafood. They have every dish but don’t do anything particularly well.
My go to dish here is always the beef cube with tomato rice. Beef is always tender and well seasoned. There’s just something magical about rice and ketchup.
The boba has really gone down hill since I’ve been coming here from my undergrad days. Try the strawberry lychee (best combination ever).
Delivery is pretty reliable and prompt.

This review is for bubble tea only!
Wow they have so many flavors! A friend told me that Joy Yee is where you go for fruit juices/​slushes, and Kung fu tea is wehre you go for milk tea and more «traditional» boba tea. And though I didn’t try Kung Fu or the milk tee at Joy Yee, I can definitely attest that they have good fruit slushes!
They have so many flavors and it seems like you can’t go wrong! Where else will you ever see pomegranate peach slush? For a little over $ 4, you get a pretty big drink and it really hits the spot when you’re looking for something sweet and cold!

We were nearby and dropped in to try this Joy Yee. Having been in years past to the Evanston and Naperville locations, but never to this one, I have to say I think they have the biggest menu I’ve ever seen at a restaurant. I didn’t count but I’m thinking there must be in the order of 150 menu items. You are sure to find an Asian dish you like and/​or a dish you have never tried before. We sat in a center section that had cloth bench seats, a little unusual especially if you had winter wear to put aside.
Our party had:
— Appetizer platter with egg rolls, spring rolls, and grilled shrimp
— Malaysian seafood baked rice pot
— Special beef noodle soup
— Chicken stone rice pot
The dishes were all quite good as well as generously sized, and fortunately not over salty as I have found some of their dishes to be at the other locations. We didn’t try any on this night, but they have a ton of bubble tea selections as well. I’m sure the place can get quite loud when crowded also.

This review is strictly for Bubble Tea.
I think that a place that has a take out window specifically for bubble tea orders and has a line 10 people deep for orders and another 10 people deep for pick up is definitely worth trying. Not only that, but they have a vast array of helpful suggestions on what you might like to order that includes pictures! Definitely helpful for the indecisive or bubble tea newbie. Rather than ordering my usual Lychee Green Tea with boba and lychee jellies, I opted for the Peach Oolong with Mango jellies. The Oolong was pretty bitter, but together with the mango jellies, it was pretty good. Hubby tried the Black Sesame milk tea with boba and grass jelly. His was not cold enough. Their inventiveness definitely made us want more the next day, but we were no where near downtown to get some. Oh well. Next time!

I haven’t had anything less than super delicious here. They make all kinds of Asian foods… even KOREAN. Whaaat?! Yes. And it’s so yummy!
Don’t leave without a smoothie. Just don’t. It seems almost sinful to do so because… again… super delicious.
I would love to give this place five stars. It just doesn’t scream clean. Every time we’ve been seated the tables had food on them. And the windows always need cleaning. From the inside.

This has always been one of my favorite Pan-​Asian places to go to in Chicago. I’ve been going to this restaurant since they were one tiny unit in the new part of Chinatown, and now they’ve expanded to five different locations across Chicago!
One of their best sellers has got to be their fresh fruit smoothies/​bubble tea! It’s amazing to see all the fresh and colorful fruits displayed right in front of you as they add huge chunks of strawberries and mango’s into blenders with ice and sweet syrup. My favorite one to get is the Mango Berry Freeze. It’s a mix of Mango, Raspberry, and Strawberry… I think. Whatever it is, it’s delicious!
The Chinatown location is a large two story restaurant with a dedicated area just to make the bubble tea. Wait times can be a little long especially on weekends, but you can always pre-​order your drinks and sip on those as you wait for your table. The menu is huge with options ranging from traditional Chinese foods to Thai and Korean options as well!
My parents, who have strong opinions on asian cuisine, love coming here, and insist on coming at least once or twice every time they visit Chicago.
Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed!

This review is strictly for their drinks: I must be ordering the wrong drinks because I’ve been disappointed so far!
Today I tried their avocado green milk tea with tapioca (extra 50 cents). The lady asked if I wanted ice so I asked for less ice. Maybe she misunderstood because when I got my drink, there was no ice at all. When I had a taste, it was that weird warm temperature. Maybe it was the not hot/​not cold thing that threw the overall taste off, but I definitely won’t be spending another $ 5 on this flavor.

Got bubble tea ADD? You’ve come to the right place. Joy Yee will keep your ADD satisfied with a never ending combination of teas, smoothies, bubbles, jellies, and toppings. I’m fairly certain that’s not an exaggeration — the possibilities are legitimately endless. Which is of course why I always go for my signature mango black tea with half bubbles, half lychee jelly, and less ice, right? Womp. But I do at least try my friend’s drinks, and they are all equally delicious. Some of my other favorites include the coconut smooth (so decadent!), and the taro tea. Good value too for the price — about $ 5 for a large (one size only, to my knowledge) drink.
I wish they had one in DC, but since they don’t, I’ll just continue the tradition of this being my first stop whenever I land in Chicago!

Say hello to geeky good awesome bubble tea. No I have never had the noodles here. Nor am I interested in getting anything else here.
I’m sure their food is pretty good here. Specially the fact that I see a lot of «Americans» eating here. So I’m gonna have to pass on the food. The bubble tea on the other hand is where it’s at.
Don’t know what to get, if you’re a first timer. Stick to black tea. It’s a little more palatable for American taste buds than the earthy green tea. An Asian favorite will always be the Taro. I happen to like coconut.
Make sure you get bubbles with your drink. Most importantly, have it blended. The flavor is mixed a little better if it’s blended. I just noticed cause I had mine over ice. The sweet coconut mix ended up just settling at the bottom of the drink. Do right after I drank all that way too sweet stuff. All I tasted was tea.
Anyways, It’s kind of a tradition everytime we come to China Town. We get bubble tea, then we walk around and browse.

The pad Thai noodles tasted like dish soap, so I picked out all the tofu, vegetables, and egg to add to the kimchi beef fried rice. The kimchi is not spicy at all so don’t be afraid when you read the description. You get a lot of food for the money but it’s mediocre in quality.
Probably won’t be eating here again.

I usually stop by Joy Yee whenever I’m in Chinatown and it never disappoints. The place is almost always packed so be prepared to wait a little bit. The menu at Joy Yee has a variety of Asian dishes, so you’ll definitely find something that will fulfill your taste buds.
We ordered 2 dishes and 1 appetizer. I got the stir fry udon noodles with beef brisket. It was super flavorful but a bit salty. Lots of meat in the dish though. The shabu shabu was good but a little bland. After adding some chili sauce to make it spicy it tasted a lot better. Plus there were a lot of other ingredients in the bowl that meshed together very well. The Szechwan won tons were very good too. Cooked just right so the delicate won ton didn’t break at all.
They also have an extensive list of drinks, smoothies, and bubble teas. There are hundreds of combinations due to the choices between tapioca bobas, popping bobas, jellys, mixed jellys, etc. The drinks are pretty tasty so people do come here just to get a drink. They have a section in the front and outside where people can order just drinks. If you’re ever in Chinatown or in Chicago, I would recommend that you stop by here to check out their food and drinks!

My girlfriend introduced this place to me and we’ve been coming here for awhile now! Their menu has so much variety to the point where you will never get the same thing twice. Their food is fantastic! All of it is family sized so one dish will feed 2 – 4 people depending on appetite. Their food can vary in price from about $ 8 to $ 20 a dish but from we’ve ordered in the past, it is usually about $ 10 a dish. The popping bobba smoothies are AMAZING! The variety is also insane to the point you will never get the same thing twice. The smoothies are something everyone should have at least once, plus its only $ 5 for one. All of the food and smoothie ingredients are great quality and cooked and served well!

ive been to the joy yee in evanston and i didnt think it was that spectacular, just a good solid option if you are in the mood for chinese food. I did like this location more, its cute looking with clean lines and bright. Service and seating was really quick for me, I went on a friday night and the place was pretty full.
I got the bibimbap and the taro shake– I would have just got the taro pudding but the waiter recommended I didnt. I did really like both the dishes I got, and I would get them again if I go there.
Service was quick and the menu is super long, so perhaps read it before you get there. The drink menu is long as well, but is worth it if you want something out of the way of a normal shake you could get elsewhere. Shoutouts to taro and lychee. Instead of the boba, they also offer red beans which are delicious, you can also get pudding and popping boba as add ins.

Swung by here after grabbing a hair cut nearby. No wait for Saturday around lunch time so we were seated right away.
The first thing I noticed was how large the menu is. They serve a combination of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese food and they even have PICTURES of every single dish. The one thing that bothered me is that all the food prices were listed at the last page or two, so if you were curious how much a dish was that you saw in the middle of the menu you’d have to keep flipping back and forth.
Anyways after looking over the extensive menu for a solid 10 min, I went for the lemon grass pork chop over tomato rice. Pretty generous portion served in a long bowl. Would’ve been much easier to eat off a large flat plate but I guess it’s meant to be shared? The rice tasted more like a sweet fried rice than tomato rice and I would’ve preferred more of a fried crispy pork chop, but either way it was still quite tasty. Overall food was good and a good value, but would be hard to say I’d be back since there so many more restaurants near by that is be will to give a try as well.
‘Til next time, cheers!

Place is always like a dream when I go here; been coming for a few years now & still a Fan. Their Menu has SOO many options, it will take me Years to Try it All. I plan to try something new EVERY TIME i go. The Smoothies are delicious; they stay cold & don’t turn soupy after a short time. NOW THATS A REAL SMOOTHIE! I always get the Green Tea one with Tapioca. Soo Good! The service is nice & Fast so A+ for that & it’s a pretty clean place… like that I can get Thai, Chinese as well as Korean Food ALL from one place! Low Prices & HUGE PORTIONS! This place is An AWESOME CHOICE!
«Don’t Hesitate! Just come»

I think that the incredibly large amount of items on the menu is more appealing/​interesting than the actual food itself. The noodles, fried rice, bubble tea, smoothies, and soups that I’ve ordered from Joy Yee are alright/​nothing spectacular, but I always want to come back and try another item on the menu. If you’re in the Chinatown area and can’t pinpoint the exact kind of Asian food you want (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc), then I recommend Joy Yee. I will say that the bubble tea drinks don’t look anything like what’s pictured on the menu, but they still taste good.

I generally get delivery from here — they’re one of the few places in Chinatown that delivers to Hyde Park. Delivery is friendly and almost always arrives earlier than expected. I have dined here once, and it’s a large, well-​lit restaurant with modern décor.
As for the actual food, Joy Yee has an overwhelming amount of options. My favorite is the beef cubes over tomato rice, but the spicy orange chicken and teriyaki chicken are also yummy.
Their fresh fruit freezes are amazing, especially the mango, lychee, and taro, and come with all sorts of add-​on options. The only flavor I wouldn’t recommend is the strawberry — it tastes exactly like canned strawberries, which I’m not into.
The prices here seem pretty steep (we got two entrees and two drinks for around $ 40), but the portions are enormous — each dish serves as two meals. Overall, I’d say it’s worth a splurge for some good Chinese food and delicious drinks.

This place had the most ridiculous menu I have ever seen. I was so overwhelmed by the amount of items on this menu and wasn’t expecting the restaurant to have such a huge selection of menus. It was basically 5 restaurants fused into one with a boba shop too! The menu is arranged with all pictures in the first half of the menu and the lists of prices and items are all in the back half of the menu. This place seemed like there would be a wait, but my friends and I were fortunate enough to come here while there was no wait.
After taking forever to decide due to the huge selection, I ended up ordering the the Beef Brisket Chow Udon. My friends ordered the Malaysian Seafood rice, Beef Cubes with tomato rice, and Eel and Beef cubes. It’s really interesting that they have jumbo sizes that serve 2 as well. All of the dishes were really good! My only complaint was that the beef brisket in the chow udon was a bit tough. I wish they had a Joy Yee Noodle in the Bay Area!

This place has sooo many options! From their drinks to their dishes it took us awhile to decide. The best part about their dishes is their portions are huge im serious no joke you can split it with three people. The food was delicious and was budget friendly, definitely a bang for your buck. I would come back here and i would definitely recommend it but next time my friends and i would order less because we got more than we expected which wasnt a bad thing at all

I had the afternoon off yesterday and decided to explore Chinatown. It’s been a while since I’ve visited and there were many new restaurants but I really wanted some noodles. I was about to walk right by Joy Yee and keep looking when I noticed a man inside with a giant bowl of noodles. I couldn’t resist and immediately went in.
Despite the lunch rush I was promptly seated and my order was quickly taken. There are many options on the menu with confusing names but most have big vivid pictures to help out. I knew exactly what I wanted when I saw the picture of the foochow egg noodle soup.
It arrived in a giant steaming bowl. Just what I’d been craving on a cold afternoon. The seafood piled atop the noodles all tasted delicious and well made. I don’t know what everything was but I ate it all. The noodles tasted very fresh and the broth was delicious. I could’ve just eaten a bowl of broth and been happy. With so many delicious options to choose from I’ll definitely be back for more.

Step on up and prepare to make some big decisions! Their list of bubble and jelly teas/​freezes is extensive– something I don’t mind getting used to. From taro, to honeydew and lots of flavors in between. I settled on rose with bubbles. Did not disappoint! I can’t wIt to return to get jelly tea!
It was a bit crowded, though and the standing room was also in the enter/​exit area, which was a bit of a traffic jam.

Went here over the weekend and service was excellent! Staff was attentive and food was delicious. It was a total of 5 of us and food portion was huge! Like I had food for days. I was so hungry that I didn’t get a chance to snap our food. We ordered the salty fish chicken fried rice which is always delicious. Phở noodles come in huge bowl. We actually split it between the 5 of us as a soup side dish. Thai beef salad was just ok. I think it could be more sour. The fried crab shell spring rolls is one of the best things I had here so be sure to try it! Overall everything I’ve ordered never seem to disappoint. The prices are very reasonable. 100 bucks for a table of 5 with lolev6 dishes is a pretty awesome deal with the portion we got. I always looks forward to coming to Chicago to stop and eat here. Looking forward to making it back really soon!

I have been to joy yee in the past and thought the good here is average until yesterday. I came for lunch w/​a friend. He ordered the szechuan beef and I had the salted fish and chicken fried rice. We agree the soft shell crab roll as appetizer.
I have to say that Joy Yee has grown quite a bit over the years. The décor has been upgraded and looks really hip. Couches instead of plastic chairs. Open bubble tea shop. Looks really nice.
The soft shell crab roll comes with a sweet sauce that I did not try as it was tasty enough. The fried rice was tasty as well.
What I like best is their menu. Lots of items to choose from and they included photos of each dish so you know what to expect. The prices seemed high but the portion is huge. One dish served two meals for me.

5 stars alone for the durian freeze which brings lots of Joy to my tastebuds.
Having grown up around an abundance of the King of Fruits, Joy Yee gets two thumbs up for their durian freeze. They use a generous amount of fruit which gives it that ultra rich taste. You know it’s legit when my hapa gal wouldn’t even touch it with a pole. She’s usually a fan of durian flavored foods, but after one sniff of this concoction all her Asian roots flew out the window. She claimed it was way more pungent than what she was used to. I’m putting my money on the fact that Joy Yee imports their durian straight from the deepest reaches of the motherland.
Oh, and their food ain’t half bad either. It’s priced higher than what most Chinese establishments charge but think of it as a BOGO deal as 90% of the portions are well enough for at least two people. There’s also approximately 835 dishes to choose from. My personal favorite so far is the soft shell crab pasta!

Food: ³⁄₅
Service:2.5/5
My first experience here wasnt very good. Food was ok, but there are much better restuarants in chinatown. There were following things that bothered us:
1) The floor of the restuarant all through was wet/​had shoemarks everywhere, which is a big safety issue. No Caution signs either.
2) We asked for straws, and when they brought is straws, it had waterspots and dirt on them. When we asked about this, they replied «we keep straws near the sink and so it has water splashes. Unacceptable.
I am not sure if I am going there again.

I have always had optimistic expectations of Chinatown before I arrive, then, well… when you get there you see mice, garbage, various unpleasant odors, people spitting on the sidewalk. ugh! the restaurant was just ok, looks so cool from the outside. The food looks great on the table. Then you get to tasting it and at best it’s inconsistent. Beef phở was lacking in flavor and very greasy, the beef with green beans had a ton of green beans very little beef, the kung pao chicken was very tasty not enough chicken and the shrimp and chicken fried rice stole the show it was excellent. We originally were going to do dim sum, we should have stuck to the plan. We did have a nice stroll through the neighborhood and bought a huge piggy bank for my nephew.

People just love the Bubble Tea and the smoothies. There was a line out the door the other night.
I stopped in and had a seafood noodle dish. I can’t remember the name but it was just a little spicy and delicious.
Had a strawberry pineapple smoothie for dessert. Delicious.
Vincent the manager was as helpful as always.

A place he recommended and it was actually good! This is rare because my standards are high and he’s cool with anything; which is why we don’t get along.
I had the green tea red bean slush and he had the honey dew tapioca jelly. Both drinks were amazing for the hot weather and I loved that they used fresh fruits! You can see them chopping up the fruits!
The lines are long but it’s worth the wait. They have a wide range of options too.

Joy Yee seems to be really popular. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to dine here but only had their taro shake. The dining menu had every Asian dish on there except balut. It was packed like they were giving away money.
The Taro Shake was pretty good and wasn’t too sweet as I anticipated. You could really taste the taro and the jelly was a nice change from your typical Boba. It was a perfect drink after a salty and spicy meal at Lao Sze Chuan. The Taro Shake definitely soothed the burning sensations I was getting from Lao Sze Chuan.
Lastly, it’s a good stop to grab a drink and walk around Chinatown skipping and whistling.

Go go go! No reason to debate choices, just do it! I’m so glad my friends knew about this place! We ended up spending $ 139, including tip and tax for 7 of us, around $ 20 each for lunch but it was worth it!
We each got a fresh fruit bubble tea… it’s really hard to find such an extensive fresh fruit menu but you can make up whatever concoction you desire. There’s only one size, large, but it’s worth it.
Every food dish that came out was sooo tasty, nothing was bad. I wish I lived closer so I could experience more of this place… alas, I’m 1,200 miles away.

I’m not sure if it’s a Midwest tradition but portions are huge here compared to what I’m used to on the East coast. I noticed a few reviewers complain about the prices but I would argue that it’s fair because I had leftovers for about 4 days!
I had the Soft Shell Crab with Pasta, curry chicken and coconut baked rice along with a durian freeze and coconut with taro jelly.
The food was served in these cute little wooden bowls/​pots. The food wasn’t the best I’ve had and I realized their real star of the show was the drinks. I was a bit disappointed with the curry chicken and coconut baked rice since the rice did not have any coconut flavor at all it actually tasted like fried rice just without the toppings.
The soft shell crab was meh, the crab was too briny for my taste, the noodles were alright though.
I never really trust restaurants that offer multiple cuisines because that would mean all of their food is mediocre since they have not truly committed to one type of cuisine and executed it in a 100% manner, Joy Yee is one of those examples that prove me right.
I do give them some props on their menu design. I liked that they show pictures of all their dishes so it’s pretty much a no brainer when you order. However it was imagery stimulation overload, I felt pretty overwhelmed on what to order because there was too many choices.
If it wasn’t for the drinks I’d have given this place 3 stars.