Joy’s Noodles & Rice

Always delicious!

They do a great job having the Thai dishes we like. Pad Thai (him) and Broccoli Garlic SPICY (me– of course. its an obsession– How Hot can you go). and another great BYOB place. They did rush us, no idea why? Easy on street parking (you gotta pay tho) and near a great Book store– Unabridged and a great music art venue (Transistor)

Ordered take out and the lady who answered the phone was very rude. I got pad kee mao and Thai fried rice. The noodles was pretty good but the fried rice was very bland.

Woot woot. That’s how I feel when I’m going to order some joys. The crab rangoons are delicious. The portions are rather large. Can never complain about the service. Delivery time is usually 20 minutes. If you opt to dine in, the atmosphere is quite pleasant. Enough space to go around. Now for the food, I usually order the Chicken friend rice or the Low mein dinner. Cannot go wrong with those choices. I would love to give joys a 5 star, but the prices are just to high. I do understand the area, but cmon man, I’m born and raised in Chicago and you can find great Chinese food everywhere for less. BUT, if you have the dough, spend it on Joys. Don’t be scared. Order Joys. Place is great.

Went there last night — December 11, 2015.
Within an hour of eating the prik pao noodles, I had crazy stomach cramps, followed by a diarrhea avalanche.
That will be my last visit to Joy’s, unless I’m really jonesing to crap my pants.

I came here after running the Chicago Marathon, as it was close to my place and every step at the time was its own workout. The reason for this random detail is not to brag, but rather to point out the possible bias; in an energy-​deprived state, even a loaf of Great Value white bread can seem to pack as much flavor as BBQ pulled pork.
That being said, the pad thai I ordered (with beef) was very tasty, with a great balance of ingredients (I really liked the bean sprouts, in fact). I thought the beef was on the dry side, but it tasted fine. I’m confident that I would have found it delicious even if I wasn’t so ravenous.
There is outdoor seating, and when the weather is nice, the restaurant opens its front glass screens so you can get some fresh air. This is a plus for me since I don’t want to eat on the edge of the sidewalk, yet I don’t always want to be completely enclosed in a building.

Group of 8 adults and 3 kids, they put together some tables and made it work! Chicken and rice was very good, we tried a variety of dishes and there were no leftovers. What I liked the best is the food came out fast and as it was ready. Exceptional service, especially for a large group!

This place is not as good as it may seem. They are cheap but you get what you pay for.
I ordered Bamee Noodle and Mango bubble tea. One the noodle was dry but sticky. It was so weird. I guess they didn’t mix the noodle well enough that the sauce was underneath but the top noodle was sooo dry. The meat were pretty good but the crab meat was nasty. I mean it is imitation crab meat but to make an imitation crab meat worse, is a whole new level.
Second, the mango bubbletea was not mango at all! I mean I came from the Philippines where the mangoes are fresh so I don’t expect that. But there was not one bit taste of mango. I mean I’ve had many bubble tea before and I’d rather get a watered-​down bubble tea and atleast have it taste like mangoes.
I paid $ 20 just for that one meal. I could get a better meal at McDonald’s and have it cheaper.

The dishes are average to below average. I’ve ordered the chicken pad thai several times and the chicken is always unseasoned, chewy, and dry. Not that I don’t like cabbage, I personally don’t like how they put it in the pad thai. It seems like a «filler» ingredient. The Bangkok noodles is not as flavorful as it should be either.
I do love that take-​out is quick and the prices are decent. But for being Zagat-​rated and highly-​rated on Unilocal,it’s hard to consider this good Thai food.

We love Joy’s Noodles. They have a wide variety of noodle dishes that are solid and tasty. The staff are always kind and attentive, making you feel right at home. The prices are reasonable, making you feel better about ordering an appetizer. The portions are generous. So, if you are not hungry, be prepared for leftovers! You won’t want to leave this scrumptious food behind!

My husband and I always choose this place even though its out of our way. Atmosphere is great, food is exellent. Tom yom soup and Pad thai never is disappointing. We made it our tradition to dine there on Sundays. Love it and highly recommend it.

One of my favorite Thai food places in the area. I been here many times and the food never disappoints. The flavoring of the food is mouth watering just thinking about it. The Pad ke mao is a top pick for me.
The place is BYOB as well, which makes it even better.
They have outside sitting in the summer.
Is not the best service, so that’s why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5

Joy’s is a great little spot! We love our BYOB restaurants in Chicago. Joys has a nice atmosphere inside and they have a few seats outside on the sidewalk as well.
The menu is expansive with lots of vegetarian options as well. The food came out super quickly and was fresh and really good. And no corkage fee for wine – major plus!

I’ve been to Joy’s several times, as it was walking distance from my old condo in Lakeview. Always had a postiive experience and the food was consistently delicious. They have some of the best pad thai and pad see yew I’ve had from any Thai restaurant in the area. Food comes out very quickly and the wait staff is very attentive. Another major plus is that you can BYOB, so becomes a nice little happy hour amongst friends on a Friday evening. I’ve never had any issues wiith contamination or food poisoning here (which takes 24-​hours to even become sick from real food poisoning), so don’t let other reviews fool you. Check it out for yourself and see what good Thai tastes like —
Best,
Charlie

This place just gave me terrible food poisoning. Almost immediately after my meal I felt sick and threw up in their bathroom. As i’m typing this I am lying down in my hotel room still sick. I’m an Asian-​American from California and have had all types of Asian cuisine and Thai is my favorite but, I have never gotten sick.
I had the tom ka coconut soup and the pad thai with the clear glass noodles. Everything was spiced well but there was no heat and everything was too sweet. I didn’t really like it very much and didn’t even finish any of my dishes. The service was ok. Not too friendly and just did the bare minimum. Take orders, bring out food, and bring the check.
I told the manager what had happened and explained that maybe the sauces sitting outside (we ate outside) got contaminated somehow and were spoiled. He reassured me that they are changed out every day and that they are still good. I do appreciate that the manager sympathized with me but there was an explanation to everything I said and how it could no way be the restaurants fault since no one else has gotten sick. He tried to blame it on me saying that it’s because I was traveling or because i’m not use to the spices. He also admitted that the restaurant isn’t an authentic Thai restaurant with authentic Thai flavors. Whatever the case whatever I ate and however it was prepared did not sit well with me. I try to give all restaurants the benefit of the doubt as much as possible but everything about tonight was just not right.

The Thai food here is a good. I tried the Golden Noodles with beef (made medium spicy). The beef and noodles were tasty but I still felt like some flavor was lacking. The whole dish sort of tasted one-​note. I wish there were some crunch or a bold flavor in the dish. I tried the pad Thai and felt the same way.
The back patio is cute for dinner and the place is BYOB.
Service could have been better, a few of the waiters were unfriendly.

I grew up in Southern CA with «exceptional» Thai food all around me, so I am a very picky person when it comes to Thai food. That said; my family came out to visit and so I took them here for dinner, to check out the food. Overall, we were disappointed in the flavoring of our dishes (Shrimp Spring Rolls, Tom Yum Soup with Shrimp, Chicken Pad Thai, Green Curry with Beef, BBQ Pork & Rice, and Chicken Fried Rice). Don’t get me wrong, everything was good, but just not «robust» with strong flavors.
The service was decent, as we came around 4:30pm for an early dinner. And since it was still early, the restaurant was not totally pack yet — as I know it can get pretty busy between 5:30pm — 9:00pm. I like the fact that they do deliver and so when I have a strong craving for Thai food, I can dial up or go online to order. That being said; I would come here again for a quick Thai fix, but would consider trying some place else to find my «perfect» Thai restaurant. Not bad for this neighborhood, but not the best Chicago has to offer.

a great rediscovery…
with the abundance of thai restaurants in chicago, we forgot all about this gem.
great for takeout and dining in (good for kiddos too). love that i can get more than the typical pad thai and pad see ewe — phuket noodles dish is yummers (spinach noodles with veggie goodness).

I’ve probably been here a dozen times, but I haven’t kept very good track of my orders, and this is definitely the kind of place where you need to remember good and bad and navigate the menu properly. I’ve tried crazy noodles, bahmee noodles, and pad woon sen and I can never remember which ones I promised to never order again. I suppose that means the experiences were not traumatic.
The Pad See Ew here can be a little soggy, but they offer a Thai Rice Stick dish, which is essential Pad See Ew with thin rice noodles instead of the flat ones. Some of the noodle dishes are hit or miss, so if I’m craving specific flavors I have a really tough time choosing.
Chicken coconut curry is solid, as is the panang curry. Those are two of the stand-​outs!

Overall: Casual Thai restaurant that delivers quality food with quality service and a good atmosphere.
The good: Great prices, especially for lunch (specials). A lot of options on the menu. Good service and atmosphere. Once food was ordered it was brought quickly. Outdoor seating. Good portion sizes.
The bad: The food is a little below my Thai standards. A bit too oily. The thai rolls were great though. Not spicy at all even though labeled as such.
Atmosphere: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: ⁸⁄₁₀
Food: ⁷⁄₁₀