Joy Yee
joe williams · 186 Google reviewsJoy Yee — neighborhood asian in Chinatown. Backed by 710+ Google reviews. [$$]
What 725 diners keep saying
What 725 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Staff were kind and attentive. Boba here IS THE BEST!!! Must come when you're in Chicago 💗”
“Fast service , ample seating, tasty food. Their combination lunch with soup and dish with rice is a great value meal. Their boba are the best in town. Walkable from uic. Parking nearby is Maxwell streeet garage”
“I love this place. I visit regularly. Positives: - Large, generous portion sizes, no matter if you dine in or get takeout. - Their strength in drinks comes from the variety of fruit they use. I highly recommend trying their Fruit Teas (consider adding Jelly) or Fruit Slushes. They are delicious. - Flavor of food is spectacular. Has never disappointed me. Negatives: - Milk Tea is watery. Would not recommend, it’s not worth your money. - Usually, tapioca is not fresh, so it’s slightly hard. Note: - Some drinks contain coconut milk, which will coagulate after some time. May not be totally appetizing, but usually tastes great. My recommendations: Chicken Pad Kee Mao, Chicken Chow Fun, Mango Black Tea with Lychee Jelly, Lychee Black Tea 2025-2026”
“The menu is extensive with lots of flavorful Asian dishes, from noodles to bubble tea. The food was fresh, well-prepared, and served quickly. A fun and casual spot for a satisfying meal, especially if you’re craving bold flavors and a variety of options.”
“Just great food. Buy it to share. Get a few different things. Plates are large”
“Ordered a bowl of chicken pho at almost $19. Big portion so I couldn't finish it all. I asked for takeaway boxes, and they gave me one. I asked for another box to hold the broth since I didn't want the noodles to be soaked, and they immediately said no, told me that I should've initially ordered the food separately. I wouldn't mind paying for some extra boxes but honestly, are plastic boxes that expensive?”
“Jack of all trades. Master of none. Asian version of Applebees. The food is good, but not great. Nothing you need to get out of bed and try immediately. They have dishes from different Asian countries: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, etc. Different countries with different flavors. They have A LOT of options, but they’re all only mediocre. Their Bun Thit Nuong was not good. Noodles were hard, egg rolls not good. Pad Thai was alright. Had a hint of pad Thai flavor, weird after taste. Avacado smoothie was not great. Very little Avacado flavor. Water down taste. Udon stir fry was good. Would get that again. Short rib was great. Crab Rangoon had little flavor. Filling needed more flavor. Service was fast. Server was nice. Pricing was ok. Not worth considering not good food.”
“I have been a customer of JoyYees since my college days and have always said good things about them. Unfortunately, this past Friday, I and my friend got food poisoning from our order. There was a maggot in my rice. After much apprehension, they did refund us for our whole order; but no apologies or real concern was offered. I wasn’t planning on writing a review (as I hardly write them), but after we had explosive diarrhea and sharp stomach pains the next morning - I felt it was my duty as a patron.”
“Honestly I had moderate expectations. I ordered an oolong milk tea with tapioca boba. Regular sweetened and little ice. It tastes like water and a bit of milk, almost like 1% milk or skim milk. For $7.50 my expectations were reasonable. I just wanted milk tea that tasted like oolong. I really can’t express how mediocre this is. I’m drinking this because I paid $7.50.”
“I came here because it is located near my hair salon, I ordered the Korean Beef ribs to go. My food came out 3 minutes later. I live in Rogers Park, so I didn't get home until about 50 minutes later. I took a bite and it was tasty until I found 2 pieces of hair. I was super hungry and coming from a 5 hour hair appointment so i threw it out and kept eating. I found more pieces of gray hair, a total of 5 or 6. Since my food cam out so fast, I assumed they make a big batch and give it to customers as they order so called to notify them that there was a lot of hair in the food and they should double check that batch before giving it to more customers. The worst part is that the beef was decent enough. I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.”
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