Amazingly diverse pan-Asian menu. Lots of exotic things with seafood, curry, and rice steamed in bamboo tubes and coconuts, or fried in Korean stone bowls. The duck noodle soup is fantastic. Bubble tea is good, but I wish they could make it hot during the winter. Only complaints are that sometimes the food’s a bit salty, and the waiters rush you a little.

The best boba I’ve had east of California. AMAZING food! The restaurant is so small and busy. Time your visit well!

My follow-up review for this restaurant. Read my previous review for this restaurant here

Sat and ate in the restaurant this time around, which I wouldn’t do again. Service was downright crazy – we got the entrees long before the appetizers, and when one of us ordered a second Diet Coke, two different servers brought two cans over. The server also made us feel like we were in trouble.

5 STARS on the BOBA! Avacado Freeze Tapioca is amazing. Fresh fruit always, always a line outside!

Oh man. I’ll be back. Particularly for the tapioca freezes, which look delicious.

Relatively meaning that in Chicago, it’s very hard to find better boba drinks, especially in terms of the tapioca. But if you’re in say, California, it would be no problem at all.

Decor/Ambiance: A very popular place, so it is crowded most of the time, and the seating is cramped.

Service: OK basic service.

If you’re around Chinatown, definitely stop by for some boba; their fruit slushee bobas star over their milk based ones. And if seating is available, definitely stay for some food. They have a massive menu with Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Korean options. (Although one time I was eating with a group, and 4 different chicken dishes were ordered, but when they came out they all looked pretty much the same.) If there’s a wait, the food’s not worth waiting for … there are better options in Chinatown. Note that Joy Yee’s has two other locations with more ample room (one in Evanston).

My follow-up review for this restaurant. Read my previous review for this restaurant here

Even the snow on the ground and the freezing weather couldn’t stop us from getting Joy Yee’s after our meal. That’s why they invented gloves right? So you can drink a frozen drink while walking around in the middle of winter. One of the great things about getting a drink from Joy Yee’s in the winter is that the normally long drink line was virtually non-existent.

I’ve been here maybe 6-7 times in the last 7 years. Everytime I have been impressed with the food and people inside. The service is quick (but the wait can be long at lunch or dinner).

I’ve been here with friends, parents, and a date. The food they give for an entree of ~$10 bucks is unbelievable. You will leave with a full stomach, and if you still have room their famous smoothies with tapioca (boba) balls will cap it off to a belt-busting evening.

A trip to Chinatown is not complete without a drink from Joy Yee’s. Sure you can eat somewhere else and even be full, but we always cap our meals with a nice tasty Joy Yee smoothie.

Normally I get some kind of Mango/Lychee Freeze variation, but since it was technically morning, I decided to go for some coffee and got the Coffee Ice Cream freeze. If you’ve ever had a Mr. Coffee drink, this basically tastes like the frozen smoothy version. If you haven’t had Mr. Coffee, you should. You can find it in most asian supermarkets. It’s basically a canned ice coffee drink that is super sweet with a funny bearded guy as the mascot (Mr. Coffee I presume).

Coffee and ice cream – what a way to start the day!

Whenever I go to Joy Yee’s I always get stuffed. The portions are pretty good and you really get in an eating mood with all the pictures and wax models. The hardest part is always ordering since they serve all kinds of chinese, korean, japanese, AND vietnamese food. The menu is huge – you could eat here for months and never order the same thing twice.

If you can’t decide what asian food you want, then go to Joy Yee’s. Then you can browse the picture menu for 20 minutes :)

I was really impressed at how nicely presented the dishes were. Everything came in ornate bowls, bamboo containers, hollowed-out pineapples or some other fancy contraption. The menu itself goes on forever because there is a picture of EVERYTHING on the menu. I was doubly surprised that the food itself was really tasty, and came in huge portions. I can’t wait to go back.

the best boba in town! all kinds of fresh fruit boba with different kinds of boba sizes. i recommend getting the fruit tops – healthy & delicious!