Came here for my birthday because I heard great things about it from people who had been here. The experience was great and the food was even better! If you are into trying new things this is the place for you!! We were pleasantly surprised by the wings considering the aroma they had and we also loved he tacos, cucumbers and tator tots. We were not as impressed the Dan Dan chili dogs. The pineapple wasabi cocktail was delicious and the seeds and stems was unique but also very good! The feel of the restaurant was also very inviting and fun- a great way to celebrate! read more

Overpriced, small portions, and the worst ramen ever. Me and my kids are in town from Los Angeles. My daughter loves ramen and she picked this place. The decor was nice and we were excited to eat there based on what the menu looked like. Plus, there was a 20 minute wait. It must be good. Wrong. I ordered the katsu steamed buns, chicken heart yakitori, pork loin yakitori and tonkatsu ramen. The only thing that was good was the steamed buns. The yakitori was so small. One small piece of pork yakitori for $10.99? Horrible. The ramen was so underwhelming. It cost $15.99 and only came with noodles, bamboo shoots, pork, egg, and nori. The egg yolk was cold. Why not add, for free not an extra charge, green onions on top as garnish? Give it some color. The noodles tasted bad, the pork was ok. I thought LA was a pricey city but I can get good ramen for no more than $11- $12. But this? Save yourself and pick anywhere but here. read more

Awesome barback I'm coming back just to look at his ass thank you :) thank-you thank you

Went out to a late night dinner here for my birthday. There was a menu change, which I was slightly upset about.. Until I tried the wings, which were to die for, twice fried crispiness on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside. They were very sweet but I was not complaining because it went so well together. Also got the shrimp chips with crab pimento dip(NOT as mind blowing). In addition the selection of drinks was great, service quick, and the atmosphere is just really cool overall. Definitely a good place to go with a group because of the large booths, and all the dishes are good to share. read more

VEGETARIANS BEWARE! This menu is vague, a safe assumption at an established restaurant would be when a (v.) on the menu is present you are safe to order a VEGETARIAN meal. However at this low class establishment the waitresses are not competent enough to clarify when a consumer requests options for vegetarians. Therefore my friend, requested vegetarian dishes... Ordering from the menu options with (v.) - ordered were the brussels sprouts, crispy rice salad. We tasted a pork flavoring in the Brussels sprouts but not in the rice salad which has CHUNKS a of ham. This was not clarified, once brought to the attention of the waitress, she was very apologetic. Yet she immediately blamed my party for our own negligence. To clarify the severity of the matter, my vegetarian friend has never eaten meat in her an entire life. AFTER requesting 5 times for the manager she finally arrived assuming she rectifying the issue... However she was unaware another server under her management also dropped the magis fried rice, RUDELY specified the two dishes are not vegetarian. Dropped them and walked away rudely, proceeding to the kitchen to discuss our tables issue with fellow workers... Ironically we were able to witness this entire encounter. I never recommend this restaurant to a friend, which beyond this point should lose all credibility on a health perspective, and customer service prospective is piss poor. Beyond these health concerns they incorporate WAY too much sodium in each dish and also sat us for 5 people in a booth for a maximum of two. read more

We love Hot Joy! The brussel sprouts and tikka masala tacos are two of my favorites and the wings are not to be missed! We've also tried their Sunday special with the fried chicken meal. I love how they season everything! The flavors are so interesting and delicious! read more

Do not go here!!! Very pretentious and disrespectful. They accused us of being drunk when we asked how to pronounce a menu item. The manager said we were acting unusual when we were upset at this accusation. read more

Came to eat at this place on a Friday after our friends raved about it. Food was good but not as great as they had hyped it up to be. We ordered the double fried wings, carnitas tacos and tator tot chaat. The food is over sauced and becomes gag inducing after a few bites. Fast forward to about 3 a.m Saturday morning...woke up to horrible stomach cramping and nausea. Spent the rest of that Saturday (MY BIRTHDAY by the way) hugging the toilet. Same can be said for my husband. Needless to say we will not be back. read more

One of the best restaurant experiences thanks to Gillian and Maddie and of course the delicious food! Will certainly be back soon!

I love hot joy! Drinks are delicious and if you haven't had spam fried rice, you need that in your life. Yum

Don't know what with all these bad reviews about the service, the young lady waiting for us was awesome!!! Very helpful with the menu, being our first time. Food was AWESOME!!! Can't remember the name of the meat but had some blue cheese, YUM!! Dirty rice was also great along side with the dumplings 2 years later and I still love this place! Please bring back the dirty rice lol read more

Super cool joint. You gotta try the lemon pepper curry wings. I love the happy hour sake. read more

Hot Joy - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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They brought our order to the wrong table who got there 15 minutes after us. We were in a hurry so didn't get our second dish which was truly disappointing since it was our first time in. The food is really good based on the one item we did receive but the service/staff communication definitely needs work. read more

The decor is fun. The chicken wings and brussle sprouts are a must try. I like that they serve food moderately late as well

Visited Hot Joy for the first while time I was downtown last night. The decor is amazing, and the wait was short whichever is great considering your average wait on a Friday night at most restaurants. Once seated, our waiter was very attentive and courteous. However, I and my guest received dirty silverware. I brought this to the attention of my waiter and she quickly remedied the situation. Also the manager offered us a free dessert to make up for the incident. Yes this wasn't an ideal situation but kudos to the staff and manager for being reasonable and handling the situation. I ordered Ramen which was amazing and was enough for my date and I to share. The late night menu is understandably limited, but I look forward to patronizing this restaurant again. read more

I hardly write reviews but felt like it was necessary to do so for hot joy. This has been my 3rd time trying this place - each time I want to try and like the concept but end up disappointed. First, i get it's suppose to be asian fusion but they're doing too much with all the different decor going on. It's like like they add any sense of asian decor and just throw it up in a room. Second, they add overpriced "tiki" drinks that doesn't go with the asian food vibe. While the staff wears Hawaiian T-shirt's and leis. Third, they have punk rock music blaring in the background that makes it so unpleasant while you're eating. The food is very mediocre and the staff seems too hipster for the customers. I really wish I liked the restaurant each time I went, but it'll most likely be my last. read more

The decor is fun, the location is convenient for me, the food is mostly great. But the ever-changing menu, the new hours and the management of the restaurant itself have sincerely deteriorated in the past 6 months or so. I've been a regular for the past 2 years. Last night, I walked in (with some visitors I was looking to impress) to a mostly empty restaurant and was told that it would be a 45 minute wait. The newest version of the bar staff no longer bothers to recognize regulars, talk among themselves and repeat the same robotic phrases over and over. Looking for another Southtown haunt to frequent. So disappointing. read more

Sooooo delish! As a local southtown resident it is great that there is finally a restaurant in the old China Latina spot. The renovation is beautifully done and the attention to detail is spot on. I went with a group of 6 (all locals) this past Sunday night for dinner. We all decided to order different dishes and eat family style. For apps I had bok choy and spring rolls. The veggies were perfectly steamed but could have used a little more flavor. My spring rolls were so good my hubby ordered some to go at the end. For dinner I had General Chad chicken and tried the pork belly. The chicken for me was moist and flavorful. I ordered rice on the side. I also enjoyed the pork belly but I don't think I could eat the whole dish because it is so rich. My only complaint was my wine took a little longer than expected and I can't eat fish sauce so I wanted soy sauce and that took a while because it came from the kitchen in a bowl as it is only stored in large container for cooking only. A couple of normal soy bottles for people like me is ok. Will definitely be going back!!!!! read more

We have been going to Southtown for the last three years now and one day, on our way to there we saw a new place...Hot Joy. We came back a week later to give it a shot, it was a Sunday around 8PM and we had in mind to go elsewhere, but it's not easy to find places that are open at that time on a Sunday. Hot Joy just happened to be and was not overly packed. The hostess was very nice and prepared us a table quite quickly. We ordered the spring rolls and opted for Ramen as entrees. I personally had the Tonkotsu Ramen and my partner had the Thai Ramen. They both came out very tasty, especially the Thai with the touch of lemongrass. The atmosphere at Hot Joy is nice as well, with pleasant service and interesting little booths. I will definitely return or more. read more

Food, service, and ambiance: 5 stars. Women's restroom: 1 star. Please mop the floor and clean the toilets. Thank you.

Horrible service + front of house, and the Dan Dan noodles tasted like weird, drunken spaghetti. This place used to be amazing when it first opened, but has steadily gone down hill. read more

Went a while back with some friends. We shared the chicken wings for an appetizer. They were good, very crispy but overly salty. We also had the Brussels sprouts, which were awesome (my favorite veggie). There were really great and had balanced flavors. I got the pork belly ramen for my main, and i unfortunately wasn't impressed. There was a lot of fat and not much flavor. I would give it another shot though, and try out some of their other dishes, maybe they would be better. read more

Made a dinner reservation for 6 on a Saturday, which it turns out we didn't need. The restaurant was cute and interesting in decor. The food was really good, very eclectic with a lot of bold flavors. Our service was ok, I was a little disappointed she didn't offer me a side of rice until 15 minutes into our meal. I really enjoyed the dumplings and double ramen! Definitely worth a trip! read more

I really liked my dinner here and so did my husband! We had the twice fried chicken wings which were some of the best I have ever had! We also ordered the tomato curry and Migas rice. Curry isn't my husbands favorite, but he really liked it! Cocktails were good, as were the bar tender and hostesses but the one thing that disappointed us was our server. She was MIA most of the night and we are our wings and curry in their entirety before the rice even came out so by the time it arrived we ended up having to have it put in a box to go. There was a lot of food though and value for money was great! read more

The wings were so good! Every time we hear anything to do with duck, all we can think about were those duck fat fried chicken wings. And, you have to check out the bathrooms. They let an artist loose in there with the instructions to draw any Asian cartoon they could think of - the result is SO COOL! Everything from Mulan to Pikachu and a bunch I'd never seen. This place is pricey, but its worth it for the atmosphere and unusual food experience. Go to Hot Joy! read more

Great bar! Great food! Great ppl! Friendly staff. Not overwhelmed by hipsters. Great music excellent mix of ppl, drinks and food. ... and open late! read more

We had the double deep fried wings, lemon pepper curry wings, and tot salad. The double deep fried must have been fried in fish sauce and not mentioned on the menu. The lemon pepper curry wings were very salty, almost as if they were dropped in the bottom of a pretzel bag before being marinated. Stay away from those for sure. The tot salad was okay, but missing something. I can't put my finger on it, but the flavor just wasn't there. I had high hopes, but they weren't met. I'll stick with beer from the menu. The best double deep fried wings are at Bonchon, but haven't seen one of those here in SA. read more

Hot Joy is my absolute favorite restaurant in San Antonio, if not in general. Upon moving to New York, I find myself having Hot Joy withdrawals. I have tried almost every dish here and loved them all. I am an extremely picky eater, but this place truly changed my palette for the better. It has a great atmosphere and and awesome staff. First timers must try the chicken wings and double miso ramen or come for Sunday brunch. The ever changing menu is fun and always allows for the opportunity to try something new. read more

This place is amazing!!!!! Gillian our waitress is an absolute jewel. Very happy with her service and attitude. Made the night awesome and the food taste even better! Thank you, Hot Joy for our last meal in Texas!! So worth it and so glad we came here. Brussel sprouts are probably one of the best things I've ever tasted, and the drinks are exciting and innovative. read more

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet. I am a huge foodie and my family runs an extremely successful and authentic SA Asian restaurant. Trust me when I say that this food is disgusting. Service was mediocre at best, can't even get a refill. The waiter basically tossed the plates on the table and strutted off. Chicken wings were crispy but the ramen tasted like noodles in water. No flavor?! Are you kidding me?! ITS RAMEN! How do you mess that up? Will not be returning read more

Even if the good was terrible it would be well worth the ambiance!!! Food and cocktail were incredible. Staff was superb. Delicious noodles. I knew parking would be limited, so we rode a Lyft there, walked around downtown and took s Lyft back read more

The aesthetic and decor is really amazing, a nice fusion of modernism with a distinctly Asian flair. We went for their Ramen Monday's special, which apparently their menu changes for weekly, so we were a little disappointed that the menu we found online was not exactly the same when we went. Their $1 beers for the Ramen Party special that night was pretty decent! However, there is no dedicated parking and we almost left because we could not find any street parking close enough. We go in and there's a lot of seating at the bar and small tables, but not much for a party of 3. They have nice booth areas that seat a comfortable 6-7, and tables for 2, but nothing in between, oddly enough. There was a lounge area that they had us wait in with comfortable chairs and coffee tables big enough for food to sit on, which they eventually took our orders while we sat there because they didn't want us to wait the original estimated half hour they quoted us, which was nice. We brought our toddler, who luckily wasn't hungry, because there is absolutely nothing kid friendly on their menu, not even a side of rice. We got her a banana cake on a stick, which was just frozen cake covered in chocolate, but unfortunately it wasn't sweet enough for her (it was dark bitter chocolate). It's definitely a place that is geared for the single life, but they accommodated nicely enough. The ramen was hot and pretty much everything they had was either spicy or extremely salty. My husband got the double miso ramen, which was good but extremely salty and he couldn't appreciate the flavor. I got their special ramen, chicken shoyu, which if you have been to enough Japanese restaurants, you know shoyu means soy sauce, and their ramen did not taste anything like that. It was spicy but not extremely so, it was almost bland because all I could really taste was the hot oil flavoring and nothing else. The noodles were okay but didn't take much of the flavor from the broth, and the soft egg was almost too runny and fell apart as soon as you stirred the bowl. The saving grace was the pork belly; it was pretty delicious. We got the smashed cucumbers dish, which was more chopped and covered in spicy lime and probably would taste better if there was more salt. Their menu descriptions had much to be desired; most of the items we got were not what was described on the menu. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience, but for $45 for ramen that honestly I could buy better stove top kind at Minnano's Japanese grocery for a 1/4th of the price... well, that pretty much says it. 3 stars for the pretty awesome decor and ambiance and decent service, but the food fell flat for us. read more

Hot Joy - chicken shoyu ramen with pork belly added and the smashed cucumbers - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I went for my birthday and have to thank the host again! Was able to accommodate my party of 11 with only an hours notice for reservation!! Food was amazing as well!! read more

All you need to try is the "Holy Trinity." Brussels Sprouts, Twice Fried Chicken Wings and Spam Fried Rice. Everything else is just okay. Yes, the food stinks, but tastes nothing like they smell! read more

Delicious food! The pork tacos and the Brussels sprouts were both amazing! Good and very cheap cocktails too.

Something about this place is spellbinding. I felt as though I was in China town. The perfect place to grab late night drinks and food with a group of friends. Spacious secluded booths. Very distinctive atmosphere. Try the twice fried korean wings or the lamb fried rice. read more

I recommend the wasabi pineapple drink!! ginger/pineapple crisp flavor,Great drink! I would differently go back for drinks.

FINALLY! I'm from the Bay Area and have lived in San Antonio for a year and had just about given up trying to find a ramen place that's in the same league as back home. I've tried a half dozen places and none came close. I'm happy to say Hot Joy changed that. Their double miso ramen was amazing. The pork belly was tender and cooked perfectly, the noodles weren't the cheap kind and the broth was flavorful and not just hot, bland oily water that you get at other places. My one complaint would be that you only get one piece of pork for $4 and that they make it vegetarian as their default. For that up-charge I'd like more meat, but taste-wise it's top notch. Also the edamame was very good. They give you garlic miso oil and this dry salt and spice rub for it. Highly recommend. I came on a "wing Wednesday" where they charge only $5 for their wing appetizers. I had the Kung pao and it was just so-so. Not bad but no real flavor or kick to them. One piece of advice, be careful where you park around this place. There's no parking anywhere and most of the "open" spots are no-parking zones and you'll get a ticket. read more

Buffalo wings gross me out! After trying these most delicious sent from heaven wings, I am a convert. I could eat 5 bowls of these wings!!! Seriously. Host and wait staff were nice and helpful with suggestions. Craft cocktails good too. This time around we had the Thai fried rice as well. Would do that again too. read more

I took my hubby here for Father's Day dinner treat after a long day of my military duty. It was really nice that when I called the front desk, service was courteous and took my name for when we arrive. We brought our kids and within less than 10 minutes she got us a private booth. The restaurant has Japanese antiques, a red eye catching chandeliers, and private booths with traditional dividers I have seen in restaurants back in Japan. There is an open area by the bar too for grown ups sans kids who wants to have some alcohol beverages. The food arrives as soon as they are ready from the kitchen. We liked the shrimp chips and queso dip. It had a bit of spicy kick to it. I am a Korean food fan and got the bulgogi noodles, not as much meat like in Korean restaurants but the flavor and perfect noodle texture made up for it. The Tikka masala chicken tacos were a bigger serving and the warm pita bread as a tortilla substitute would delight Indian and Mexican food fans. Our boys finished it and they are picky. We also got the ramen, I am a big fan of Japanese ramen and this had the right flavor. The young corn was really good addition too. Thai food fans should try the dandan noodles with smoked brisket. My husband loves Texas bbque and Thai food so this was a cool combo. Glad we tried this place and will be back. read more

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