Joyce’s Sushi

We found this restaurant and came here based on the Unilocal reviews.
We were impressed. The restaurant was full (good sign), but there was immediate space at the bar. Sushi Chef Ivan was so friendly and tailored our selections to what we said we liked. I don’t like sushi, so he made me a shrimp tempura roll, which was very good. Then he made something for my husband, and the presentation was awesome. I tried it, and the flavor was so light that I even liked it. I even tried a couple of sashimi items that my husband ordered (he was so proud of me). I actually enjoyed it, and I can’t say that for any sushi I have ever eaten. My husband (experienced sushi eater) said that he was impressed by this place and that this was a good restaurant.
I enjoyed the food, and such remarkably friendly sushi chefs and other service members. I would recommend this place for sushi officianados and sushi skeptics (which may change) like myself.

Found this place through Unilocal.We are only in the area for a couple of days. We were pleasantly surprised with all we ordered. Sushi, rolls and an OUTSTANDING lion king roll. We have had sushi around the world and this roll was pretty much the best we have ever had. Cooked salmon over a California roll. Melts in your mouth. We are thinking about going back for it again tomorrow night. Also want to mention that my husband is not a salmon fan and to him this roll was possibly the best he ever ate. Go figure.

I am updating my review with today’s lunch visit.
We’ve brought my mom here twice before and both times we’ve ordered a meal from the kid’s menu and both times they’ve accommodated our request (the owner/​manager okayed the order). My mom is 82 years old and doesn’t eat very much anymore and doesn’t like to waste food. This visit we ordered the same thing for her and the owner waited on us said he would do it this time but not again. He wasn’t very nice about it either.
A little disappointed because the first time we requested when he said yes he could have mentioned this would be a one time only to at least set expectations for a return visit.
We come here a lot and have brought many friends here. Don’t know that I will come back.

Sushi quality was great I loved the wide selection of rolls. This would have been 5 stars but the service wasn’t the best had to flag down the waiter a lot. I will be back cause the fish was worth the poor service.

Took a Cowboy Roll and the Langostino Roll (not baked) home yesterday. Absolutely delicious.

The prices here is reasonable! Rolls are a decent size! Very fresh and delicious! Services was excellent if anything! Very attentive and fast!

The food was very good. We started with the jalapeño bomb and I would definitely recommend that as an appetizer. Other sushi places seem to be a little less gracious with how much they serve however, at this place we could barely finish our rolls. They serve 8 per plate and each one was a good size roll. The place was clean with good and comfortable atmosphere. the only thing that lacked was customer service. It wasn’t even that busy of a day for them so I was expecting prompt service. We ended up waiting there for the check with empty plates for around 15 mins. This bothered a little bit, but thankfully the quality of the food was its saving grace. Go here.

Love the food here! The sashimi is so fresh. You have to try the protein roll… its very good! Prices are decent here too. I look forward to my next visit here in the near future… lol

Saw this place on Unilocal and we decided to check it out. We had a pretty large group and they we able to accommodate us. The fish was very fresh. We tried several of the special rolls, all were delicious. The Golden Joyce was the table favorite! We will definitely go back next time we are in Rancho Mirage.

Stopped by Joyce’s during our getaway to the Palm Springs area. It’s exterior is an unassuming storefront in a local strip mall, but inside it’s got a nice vibe, well lit with a granite lined sushi island bar in the middle and plenty of table seating.
There were many things I liked about this restaurant, but I’m a strict grader, so compared to other sushi places I’ve been to in the San Francisco area, I would have to put Joyce’s in the middle of the pack.
It bears clarifying that overall I liked this place. Their nigiri tasted fresh to me and the ratio of rice to fish was perfect. I highly recommend the unagi, which was freshly broiled and free of fat and gristle, and honestly some of the best I’ve had in recent memory. One oddity I did note was that the sushi chefs dabbed what looked and tasted like a light sweet sauce on many pieces, including hamachi, sake, and hotate. Perhaps that’s the way the head chef likes it or is done to accommodate local tastes, but the purist in me objected. And no, I personally didn’t find that extra flavor welcome. Also, their nigiri selection was limited, with nary toro nor anything else more off the beaten path in in sight. However, to be fair, we are again talking about sushi in the desert, and we were quite grateful for the good quality of what our chefs placed in front of us.
Value-​wise, Joyce’s is good. As mentioned, I liked the portioning of the fish for sushi, and the rolls were on the larger size as well. They charge for tea, which is unfortunate, but on the whole I found our almost entirely sushi dinner fairly priced.
Service was decent and efficient if not particularly friendly. I believe there were no less than 3 servers on a not too busy Wednesday evening, so they were very quick with anything we needed. But none of the servers or even the sushi chefs seemed interested in engaging, so we just quietly and quickly enjoyed our meal. When we stood up from the bar, I had to get the chef’s attention to wave good-​bye.
In summary, limited selection of fish, but what they have is good quality. Seems like it would be a nice place to linger over and after the meal, but service just isn’t conducive to that. Still, would definitely come back in the future if in the area.

Avocado Bomb is AMAZING! Very fresh sushi and very solicitous service. Came in 30 minutes before closing and were not treated like an inconvenience. Really wish we lived closer — this would be our regular sushi joint. If you are lucky enough to live near here —
come now and come often! Just DELISH!

Hubby and I were craving sushi after a weekend in Joshua Tree, and Unilocal led us to this spot. Between NYC and LA, we’ve eaten a lot of sushi, but this was definitely on our «good» list. Rolls were generously sized with fresh-​tasting ingredients and nice presentation (see photos), my favorite being the dragon roll. We got 4 rolls between the two of us and it was plenty even for two hungry hikers.
Service was good for us, although we could hear one of the waiters yelling across the room at another person who was about to deliver the wrong order to another table. They have some beautiful paintings without being kitschy, though the multiple TVs playing various sports channels made it a weird mix of nice date-​night restaurant and wannabe bar. Anyway, it’s definitely worth stopping by if we’re in the area again.

Very nice owners, I think they are Korean. The food was better than I expected for being so far from the sea. I thought things were tasty but a few pieces of fish could have been a bit better. Better in the sense of flavor/​texture and maybe not so thick for sashimi. Just a few tenths thinner and it would be perfect. Otherwise, come here for you Japanese food needs.

This was my first time trying this restaurant and when I walked in I wasn’t sure because it had a strong fishy smell! However the sushi and the service were amazing!!! I will return again and again!
Came back the next day and there was no fishy smell and the food was better than I remembered!!!

This was a horrible experience! From staff to the chef…
We decided to sit at the bar… The chef gave us shitty service. He was on his phone all the time; without washing his hands after using it.
I felt sorry for him just watching him prep the sushi! That’s how lazy he was on his job, even he hates what he is prepping !!
we ordered 4 rolls, most of them with tuna… One of them was deep fried, that thing tasted like can tuna … And the «fresh» one, was ground tuna !!! come on! The texture was disgusting !! Let’s not talk about the flavor …
This restaurant has more stars than The Venue !! That’s why we went, cuz The Venue is the best sushi in the desert so far…
Horrible experience, the worst money ever spend.

We went here twice while on vacation nearby… the sushi was really that good. They have a ton of really creative, riceless rolls. However, if I could only order one thing off the menu, it would be the gyoza. I think it was the best gyoza I’ve ever had… perfect. Service was good and the place was comfy, if a bit worn out.

I’m going to start off by saying the fish quality was amazing! Get there early because it does get crowded even on weekdays. Service was okay, the waitress seemed a little lost but whatever.
I was with my family and we ordered the large sushi boat which came with 20 pieces of sashimi, 10 pieces of sushi, 4 pieces of sweet shrimp, and 2 rolls of your choice. We got the chef special roll which is different every day and the garlic albacore roll, both of which were excellent! All of that was for just under $ 90.
Oh btw there are only two sushi chefs for the whole restaurant. TWO! They’re extremely skillful and they also give you pretty big pieces of sashimi. Overall great place and would definitely come back!

The best way I can explain the food is: imagine Joyce. She is not Japanese. She has never been to Japan. She has never had sushi. It’s like she saw sushi on TV and tried to copy, but forgot the taste.
To be fair, the staff was nice and comped part of our bill. The poor sushi chef was so hapless reading the recepies off a menu I couldn’t even get mad at the guy for how bad the food was. For Gods sake, they didn’t spell «Ramen» correctly on the menu.
I know its awfully far from the ocean out here, but there has to be a better sushi option. I can’t imagine worse.

I know what you’re thinking– sushi in the desert? Good sushi? Impossible.
Usually I would side would that opinion, but after finding myself here on a weekly basis for the past 3 months, I have to disagree.
The fish is incredibly fresh here, and the sushi chef, Michael, always knows exactly where his fish is sourced. In addition, the sushi is super high quality. I feel spoiled every time I come here.
In addition, the sushi rolls and other food items are well done and beautifully presented. My favorite rolls are the Protein Roll and the Philadelphia Experiment Roll. It’s also really refreshing to see people so passionate about their craft and love what they do.
All in all, I highly recommend this place!

Had a great time tonight at Joyce’s Sushi… Sat at the Sushi Bar… very comfy! Michael was our Sushi Chef! Great job & good conversation Michael… :) !
Very Fresh & Yummy Sushi & Sashimi! Relaxing environment, fun music, great service!
The Garlic Albacore roll was tasty! If you like garlic, it’s a must try! If you don’t, maybe you should… hahaha…Garlic is very good for you… :-)
The Hot Sake was good. @.@ Choice of small k large. There are several options of Cold Sake but those are sold by the bottle. I’ll try that next time if I’m with a friend that wants to split it with me :-)
Salmon Sashimi was so fresh, generous pieces, & plated prettily.
The Avocado Bomb was huge & yes, it was da bomb! Hahaha
Philadelphia Experiment (I think that’s the name of the deep fried philly roll)…so good! Came out Hot! Yeah!
We were sooo stuffed! Usually don’t eat that much but it was so good! Hehe
The Iced Tea is from a machine & not brewed… so, I didn’t get it… Should have tasted my hubby’s tea… he liked it… I’m more of a tea snob though… haha
We will be back…