Ross Mantsurov

Lovely Taiwanese eatery with extremely quick service. You order at the front once you enter, find a table to sit down, and they bring your food out shortly after. The ambiance is modern and sleek, and the restaurant was busy at around 9:30 PM on a weekday. The food was simple, delicious, and showcased Taiwanese cuisine perfectly. I will say their Slack Season Noodles are less flavorful than the Dan Dan, but they offered various condiments. Highly recommend for a quick meal!

Pam G

I once overheard a couple in Pasadena that didn’t think there was a difference between Japanese and Chinese people/food. 🫠 One time a friend asked me if Thai food was from Taiwan. 😳 In Southern California we’re very fortunate that our tastebuds can travel across all of Asia in one weekend, if we want, and learn the nuances and differences of each Asian country. In today’s review of “I’m gonna learn me today”, Joy is a Taiwanese restaurant with a short, limited menu that provides an excellent, affordable, flavorful introduction to Taiwanese cuisine. Which is why you will always find a line outside of people waiting to be seated. I was only ever able to dine inside when they first opened, before the pandemic. Their menu is small but every dish is awesome—usually that’s a good sign because you know they’ve perfected all their menu options. We now always order takeaway. My go-to is the Thousand Layer Pancake with Everything—I can eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I also love the Braised Pork Belly on Rice. My partner loves the Chiayi Chicken on Rice with the Shrimp Wontons. You really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. And if you’re okay with takeaway, instead of dining in, and want to get your yum-yum on immediately, they’ve made it easy for to-go orders with a pick up window on the side street. You don’t have to fight the crowd waiting to be seated at the entrance.

Mytao Westside

The DAN DAN NOODLES 🍜 with chicken or without are just so rewarding for me. Tried a few other items that I enjoyed as well. I hope the price doesn’t change because it is just right. Or they can increase the portion size. Everything seems to be good for just one person. The thousand layer pancake of course doesn’t seem like a thousand layers but it is large. Didn’t impress me as much as the Dan Dan noodles. Definitely worth trying this place out. Quality seems to really be there.

+6

Jessica Jeon

Basically tried everything on the menu and it was all delicious! Passionfruit ice tea is amazing- it is fresh and not too sweet. The Dan Dan noodles were delicious and a solid amount of cucumbers. The shaved ice is a huge portion and so tasty- would definitely get that The lotus root is crunchy and flavorful. Pork with rice is tasty and a good portion size. The only thing I would say is that they should have more radish to their pork and rice dish. Atmosphere is cute and fun but the music is definitely way loud so you can’t really hear the person next to you.

+12

MiTom Pham

Be prepared for a line out the door – it's THAT popular. You order first at the counter and then wait for a table, but trust me, it's worth the wait. The space is surprisingly roomy with high ceilings, but it's definitely loud and lively. It's the kind of place where you can feel the excitement of everyone enjoying their meal. Let's get to the food! We tried the Slack Season Noodles, Minced Pork in Rice, and the Tofu. Everything was delicious! The flavors were authentic and satisfying. My only tiny critique is that some dishes were a tad on the salty side, but honestly, that just meant we devoured more of the fluffy white rice. The ambiance is fantastic – the crowd adds to the fun and energetic atmosphere. And despite being super busy, the service was still friendly and efficient. If you're looking for a taste of Taiwan with a vibrant atmosphere, Joy is a must-try. Just be prepared to wait in line – it's a testament to how good the food is!

Michael Sierra-Arévalo

Had a great lunch at Joy. Super busy when we arrived. The staff moved folks through the line quickly and turned tables over efficiently. Food was out within fifteen minutes of ordering. Dan Dan noodles were excellent, as was the 1000 layer pancake. The slack season noodles were forgettable. Pork sandwich was tasty, even with sesame seed overload on the bread.

Selina Oeien

I really wanted to fall in love with Joy on York but found most of the dishes to be either too bland or too oily. By staff recommendation, I ordered their chiayi chicken rice, scallion bread sandwich with braised bean curd, a plain thousand layer pancake, and cold dishes — everything was just far too salty, leaving a pungent, vinegar aftertase. Also, the pancake was oily to the touch and the chicken, dry! Perhaps my expectations were too high since I quite like their sister restaurant, Pine and Crane in Silverlake. Glad I got to try but probably won’t be back!

Kathrine Braxton

I went for the first time tonight post pandemic (I went for the first time pre pandemic) and was excited to give this place another shot. By the time we got home the Dan Dan noodle was all mushed together (user error for not eating there but also was not going to wait 20-30mins to be seated) and with the lightest sprinkle of chicken on top which was disappointing since it was a few dollars to add on. I don’t think the container gives the noodles enough space which is also why it got like that. Then for the simple greens, I thought they forgot to add the garlic but it’s because there was no flavor--just book choy boiled in garlic water. It was also overcooked. The Dan Dan was the star of the show. Overall food is good but some of it lacks strong flavor. All of these little mishaps and the is why I gave it the score I did.

Dorothy Lucey

Always see a huge line going outside of this place figure I would give it a try. They have one cash register. Tried it for the first time today the food is so bland. No seasoning at all, I don’t even know how there’s a line that big for this restaurant. I got sick after my stomach hurts so bad. Do not recommend. Also very crowded inside. I ordered the Wongton soup, pancake, and the chicken rice.

David S K

The waitress with yellow hair shut the door on us as we were about to walk in and told us to wait outside. We ended up standing in the hot sun for 15–20 minutes, even though we saw other customers walk straight in without being told to wait. The treatment felt discriminatory and left a very bad impression. When we were finally seated, the food was underwhelming—mediocre at best and dominated by an overpowering soy sauce flavor.