Def make a reservation, but the food is soooo good! Loved the sesame chicken (with fried rice)! My bf and I shared it and even had some leftovers! read more

Hot Joy - Alcoholic drink (def serves 2) - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Loved this place! Just stopped in for some drinks and food with a friend and everything was so good! We got lemon pepper cilantro wings, Brussels sprits and migas fried rice. LOVED all of it. The drinks were also really good! Will definitely be returning again for wing Wednesday! read more

Hot Joy - Lemon Pepper Curry wings - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

This review is for Mary Ann, the twice fried wings were heavenly and I'm so glad we went with your recommendation. Also the painkiller and drinks were delicious. The service was great and Mary Ann was so kind. This is definitely a place to check out. read more

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

My husband & I came here last weekend for our anniversary dinner. Now, we have an elderly living with us, so we rarely eat out yet during Covid-19 and are VERY careful when we do. No worries! We had our own plexiglass-lined banquette, surrounded by fabulous Asian decor, all to ourselves. Masks are required when you walk in and worn by the servers the entire time. The biggest problem we had was deciding what to get...I had researched the place well & wanted to try a bit of everything, so that's just what we did. (It was my designated Cheat Day, so we really went to town!) EVERYTHING was amazing, but I think the Honey Walnut Shrimp and the Spam Fried Rice tied for the best. The twice fried wings came in a close second, but next time I will try the long beans instead of the bok choy, as I like my veggies a little more spicy/salty. The fried chicken is WICKED spicy (which I love) so it may not be for everyone but I found it DELICIOUS, especially the fried part! Oh...and the pork belly! So tasty, so filling - we had plenty of that to take home, too. Our Family Meal came with 2 cocktails but we don't drink, so they made 2 of the yummiest "mocktails" ever! Hubby had 2 lol. Our server was adorable, she knew it was our anniversary when we got there, treated us like family and gave great suggestions. I didn't think I could eat another bite but we did end up finishing by sharing a piece of Coconut Passionfruit Tres Leches cake. Yummy! Long story short: Great atmosphere...& we have paid way more $$ for food we found much less enjoyable. We can't wait to go back....Do not miss if you are in Southtown! read more

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

Food 3.5/5 Service 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 This is place is really a vibe!! Such cool interior decor. I don't think it's authentically Asian at all but still fun. I made a reservation for 5 of us and we were seated in a neat booth-style round table with lots of privacy. They have decent happy hour options including a $2 mystery shot. My curiosity was killing me so I had to order it. It was some kind of rum-based shot with a few flavorings in it. Other cocktails were also good but pretty sweet. The food was just so-so. I ordered curry noodles and they tasted a bit overly spiced but not enough salt (interesting, right??!). But don't get me wrong, food was still good and I was able to try some of my friends' plates as well. Limited menu selection but still good. I will definitely come back here! The vibe is just so fun and I look forward to trying new food options and other drinks. read more

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

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Orderes the Luby's tribute meal via DoorDash. It took about twice as long as estimated and a large portion of the extra time was the poor pick-up person waiting at the restaurant. Understandable sometimes but this is a bunch of fried items and a couple of sides. It was hot when it arrived so this feels like a prep issue and not a delivery issue. Also: the jello dessert was not included as advertised (meh). All of the food was oversalted, and I typically like a good bit of salt. This was overboard. The fish had streaks of black pepper on the outside of the batter that were actually visible and ruined the taste (see photo). Overall, very disappointing. The volume of food was quite large, but quality was severely lacking in fundamental areas. read more

Hot Joy - Visible streaks of black pepper applied in excess and unevenly on this fried fish. - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

This restaurant has a great atmosphere and fantastic drinks and food. My party ordered the twice fried wings and they were a hit (one friend thought they were too salty). The dumplings, beef noodles, and Chinese broccoli were also fantastic. I ordered the tofu Bao and I was disappointed. The tofu was crispy and the bao was steamed perfectly, but the dish itself was just bland. The service was fairly quick and dishes came out as they were finishing, so don't expect to have all meals out at the same time. read more

A+++ on every level. Best ambiance, best service, best rum selection, best booth seating, and some of the best food I've had in a long time. I love everything about this place. read more

Eh food was ok, not worth the money and the service seemed very rushed, came with my family to have a nice meal but we all left rather unimpressed. read more

This place is always a vibe, the inside it amazing, foods great and the drinks are wonderful. The staff is super friendly but I'd highly recommend a reservation to avoid a long wait read more

We went for their ramen Monday's and each of us ordered a ramen. The first one came out and by the time he finished the ramen, we were still waiting on the other two. The second one came and we were still waiting even longer for the third bowl. Not only did the food come out far apart from each other, the ramen was very sad looking. It looked half full with not enough of anything. It needed more soup and definitely needed more toppings. The double miso ramen had like a few small chopped up shiitake mushrooms and two baby corn pieces dropped on top. It was basically just broth with some ramen noodles. I couldn't imagine paying the regular price for this as it was barely enough food for one. I am already thinking of food I am going to make after I get home as this was barely a meal. The most disappointing part was that the broth was actually pretty good! Just such a small portion with minimal toppings...don't waste your time or money here. Oh, also, there was a half dead cockroach squirming and a dead fly next to us. What great ambiance! read more

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

Checked out the new location since we loved going to the old one as industry folk who get off work pretty late. To preface, our only issue with hot joy has always been the service and it doesn't seem to have much improvement. Our server was nice, don't get me wrong, but we ordered some skewers and drinks in hopes of just grabbing a quick sample bite and going to a new spot but ended up waiting over 45 minutes for them (one coming out significantly earlier than our friends so we just sat around waiting). The skewers were good (but cold) and not worth waiting 45 minutes, then having to wait another long while to get the check. I'm hoping it was just a mixup and our server possibly forgot to ring them in but a friend also went on a different night and said the service was also pretty rough. I think this spot has a ton of potential but they really need to work on ticket times. Sucks wanting to go somewhere but deciding against it because your money spent is a gamble on whether or not it will be enjoyable. read more

A unique asian/texican fusion experience in SouthTown off S Alamo. Its a must try, especially the awesome Happy Hour which includes drinks and the rest of the menu 1/2 price! If you haven't tried this gem, you're missing out. Like any good place, it's often packed out. So get there early or call ahead. read more

10/10 for the ambiance and decor. 10/10 duck fat twice fried wings. 9/10 server attentiveness.

first - lots of empty tables and yet we were still told there was a 45 minute wait unless we sat at the bar. Staff was generally unfriendly, one bartender asked my boyfriend to "step the fuck back" and then spit in his cocktail. The sesame chicken was pretty good aside from the fact that it tasted like chicken nuggets coated in ketchup - and the rice was crazily undercooked. i would not have fed this to a cat, i would not have fed this to a rat - i would not eat it again in a car, i would not eat it again if my route home is too far. -3/10 okay but fr, the food was kinda really gross don't go here if you have tastebuds they will permanently only be able to taste varying degrees of heinz ketchup. the best course of action for hot joy is only ordering alcohol and when you're drunk enough to not care about your digestive track, order some food. read more

What more can you say other than 5 Stars? 5 Star Ambiance 5 Star Service 5 STAR FOOD!!! What more can I ask for? read more

Five years ago, you went to Hot Joy for the food. Now, you come for the drinks. I am a long time Hot Joy fan, but as of 2yrs ago, the food has gone downhill. Funny too, the prices have only gone uphill. At 8:30pm, the food on a Friday night tastes like mall food court food. Dry, salty, and overcooked. Hot Joy is not the place it used to be. We ordered the pupu platter and sesame chicken. The drinks, however, were phenomenal. Also glad that they got better, kinder bar staff. I've been hoping they'd turn things around for multiple years, but I'm starting to lose hope. Cool ambience and drinks, but skip the food. side note: Food came out cold. Come on!!!! read more

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

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I really enjoy the atmosphere here, it's always popping with positive vibes. Never have I experienced "bad service" nor had a "bad attitude" from any staff member. ( and yes I have been here many times). What I can say is that I have always received great tasting food. Last night's visit was nice and enjoyable, the food was delicious, the plates were definitely full and plenty to go around for everyone to enjoy. My good friend Mel had never been here, so we ordered 3 dishes for her to try, ordered Chicken fried rice, Italian beef and a pork dish and all three was amazing! We had four drinks each, don't ask me what because I don't recall; but I absolutely remember they were all so very delicious! Thank you to the wonderful hoste$$ who made $ure we were seated within 10/15 minutes after arriving, $he knows how to do her job! I will revisit Hot Joy and continue to recommend this establishment! It's a great place. read more

Hot Joy - TEXAS SUN & ? - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Hot Joy is a hot mess! The ambiance is awesome, but the food and tiki drinks meh. The pineapple chicken had a weird taste and the painkiller could have been a little stronger. This is one place I wish the menu would have had a few more entrees. Service was ok: they were constantly dropping glasses and shattering them and a waitress spilled a bucket of mop soap that splashed on my leg. read more

I'm coming to find that first impressions are often REALLY wrong when it comes to restaurants. The first time I came It was with a large party for a birthday, and it was all a hot mess. All the times I've been back have been enjoyable. I love their unique cocktails, their wings and other delectable appetizers. This is a hot spot on the weekends, so don't anticipate getting a seat without a sizable wait. read more

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I stumbled onto this place while trying to find a place to eat with a family member who was visiting from out of town. Turns out, it is very hard to find a restaurant open in San Antonio on a Monday. Hot Joy seemed to be the only restaurant open in Southtown & we saw that it advertised itself as having a good happy hour so we decided to give it a shot. We arrived during happy hour (M-Th 4-6pm, Fri-Sun 12-6pm) & were surprised to find that we may have actually needed a reservation (keep this in mind if you decide to go, better safe than hungry). Luckily for us, they had a no-show so we were able to slip in with less than a 5 minute wait. *Side note: we may not have needed a reservation to sit at the bar as it was mostly empty but, we did not ask since we were seated so promptly* Once seated, it took a bit for a server to appear but when she did, we learned that she was in training. No worries from us! We learned that Monday is their Ramen night ($9.99 for a bowl of ramen) so we both chose a different Ramen to try. I had the Tonkotsu & my aunt had the Tokyo Pork. They were both delicious! The Tonkotsu was surprisingly spicer than I anticipated but it had good flavor. The Tokyo Pork was slightly creamier & sweeter. When I return, I'd like to order the Tokyo Pork myself. We also split a pupu platter & every single thing on it was tasty but my personal favorites were the BBQ Pork Skewers & the Sticky Black Bean Ribs. Now, during happy hour, most entrees are 50% off but, the pupu platter is excluded. We didn't mind though, it was plenty of food for the price. The ambiance inside the restaurant itself is very cool. We sat in a round booth that had plenty of room (bring all the friends!). We ordered drinks from the happy hour menu as well. My aunt had a red wine, she wasn't super impressed with it. She said it had a slight vinegar taste. However, I had a strawberry daiquiri and a chi chi (vodka, pineapple, coconut). Both drinks were well made and tasted great! As we were finishing up, we smelled the most delightful cinnamon-y smell. If you've ever walked by the cinnamon roasted almond stand at the mall, it smelled just like that. We asked our server if he knew where that was coming from. He informed us that if someone orders a bowl from the drink menu (large shareable portions for between 2-6 people), they light a cinnamon stick on fire on top of it. So, if you do decide to come (with your reservation) & bring all your friends (see above about the booth), order one of the bowls to share as a drink. I can't vouch for the taste but the smell was heavenly! Our experience was overall very good. I am looking forward to returning with more friends & trying more of their food & drink items. read more

Food service is pretty mid for the price, but the bartenders are amazing!!!! Very friendly and attentive.

Joy to the World! This Hot Joy was amazing! We had family from San Diego visiting and we did the tourist stuff downtown with a River Boat ride. So after that long wait and ride it was nice to get a downtown reservation right after for a party of 10! Delicious drinks that are unique but delicious like the chi chi...yum! The food was a 10 out of 10! We had a little of everything like the Sesame chicken, fried green beans, spam fried rice, garlic noodles, salt & pepper shrimp and More! The ambience was really nice and our waitress was very helpful and super nice. It was just a great experience for both of our families. Thank you Hot Joy! read more

Came on a busy night but got seated at one of the very cool booths. Was perfect for our group. We ordered several dishes and they were all family style sharing so we all got to enjoy the flavors. We also got a huge punch bowl drink that was shareable for us all. It packed quite the punch and wasn't too badly priced. Looking forward to coming back to try other dishes! read more

I love Hot Joy! It's the perfect late night spot with an equally perfect late night happy hour menu. The eccentric vibe comes to life through the awesome decor, food, and drink menus! Eating here is just a super fun experience! Try that spam fried rice and those crab fat wings!! You won't regret it. It can be pretty sticky and gross sometimes, so i usually only go when nothing else is open, but never regret it!l read more

Hot Joy is straight fire! We crushed the orange chicken, spam, fried rice, and twice fried wings. Everything tasted bomb and came out fast because our excellent server Kat. Shoutout to the tasty coconut mocktail too! Only complaint is they need to bring back that spicy pickle chicken - missed out on that one but it sounds amazing. PLEASE BRING IT BACK. Overall, Hot Joy smashes it on flavors, vibe, and service. A+ spot for next-level Asian munchies with fun twists. Get it in your belly ASAP! read more

This was my first time coming here, and also will be my last time coming here. I came here for a small get-together with some friends, I'd first like to say the ambiance and decor transports you to another world. The wait staff is super kind and amicable. The drinks are a great deal at Happy Hour, and the food is either hit or miss, just know some portions are served family-style portions. I will vouch that the char siu tacos I had were amazing, and I would seriously have given this place a 5-star rating... However, as much as I had a good time with friends and joking with some of the staff, something strange occurred when I went to pay my tab. All I can say is that it was a bizarre event that has left me feeling uncomfortable for having even visited there. read more

Love Hot Joy! Food is great, service is amazing and the drinks are to die for. Great Happy Hour drinks. I definitely recommend the "O Captain My Captain". They will not let you down. read more

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

Came here for a dinner date with my boyfriend. We're both from NYC and found a place that looked pretty cool from online pics. When we arrived we were greeted by the hostess who informed us that there would be a 30min wait and that their menu would change from "dinner" to "small bites" by the time we would be seated. We decided to stay being that the items we wanted from the dinner menu were on the small bites menu anyway. After about 5mins wait we were informed our table was ready. **Keep in mind we were the last party to be seated** As we walked into the dining area we saw the place wasn't busy at all. We were seated near the door where it was a bit chilly so we asked the hostess would she change us to a middle booth away from the door. She told us there was a party already seated there which was a bold face lie. We could clearly see the table was vacant. As we waited for our server roughly about 4mins we witnessed the hostess seat a couple in the same booth she told us was not available! At this point I'm pissed. We were the last to be seated it wasn't as if someone reserved that booth. Terrible customer service!! The hostess never came back to even inform us the table was available she just sat someone else there. I immediately asked for the manager who was nice and seated us at another booth that became available. He offered us a complimentary app. Nice gesture however I don't mind paying for food would just like some hospitality when spending my money. The drinks were amazing! My boyfriend and I shared the Return of Saturn, the presentation was super cool 10/10. The food mediocre. We had the twice fried wings which were decent 7/10 flavor was there, wings were just too large causing a slight "game" taste. The Lemmon pepper curry wings were inedible for me, not a good combo 2/10. The spam fried rice was mushy 4/10. Lastly we had the Dan Dan noodles. Honestly it was spaghetti and meat sauce with sesame oil and scallions topped Mexican cheese 3/10. read more

Hot Joy - Twice Fried Wings Lemon Pepper Curry Wings - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I'm not sure what they put in my drink but I felt as if there was a flock of singing toucans and parrots serenading my wife as we dined on the unique cuisine at this charming spot. Cheers! read more

I love the tofu tacos we also got the Twice fried wings in spam fried rice . Definitely coming back to try other stuff menu. Customer service was the best. read more

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We had a really fun night out here recently. The service was great! Our drinks were really good and the food was phenomenal! My only issue was that the food came out very randomly. Our waitress warned us beforehand, but it just didn't make sense. We got one entree at a time and then our 2 appetizers came out afterwards, also randomly one at a time. I don't know if the timing issue was a one night only type of thing, or if they always operate like that. The fact that they warned us beforehand makes me think it's an all the time issue that others have complained about. If they could get the kitchen timing down, it would be 5 stars and we'd be having dinner there on the regular. read more

Hot Joy - Bone-in Pork Katsu - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I love the new restaurant atmosphere but was very disappointed to learn they no longer serve the Texas Sun :( Please bring it back!

A little on the pricey side, but well worth it. Was just passing by and saw a few places to check out, so I pulled over and this was the first that caught my eye. You walk into this almost east Asian welcome room and get sat by the house. I sat at the bar and the bartender was excellent. Well versed in drinks, the food, and the rum. They have a couple walls of rum. He recommended the Crab Fat Wings or the spicy pork wraps. I went with the wraps. It took a few minutes to come out and it is an appetizer for more than one person. It's a meal for two. I'll be back to try the wings. Great job read more

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

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I've been following Hot Joy's Instagram for a while now and finally had the opportunity to try the restaurant out last night. The location is in a trendy area in Southtown. The aesthetic and decor were in great taste but the food not so much. Me and my party were extremely disappointed. I was really optimistic about the Mexican Asian infused foods on the menu. We ordered several dishes including: Pozole Verde Ramen, Mole Fried Rice, Green Curry Aquachilles, and Pork Cumin Empanadas. These dishes were not good at all. Especially the aquachilles. They were very disgusting. The dish consisted of large pieces of shrimp (raw or cooked I do not know because of how repulsive it was) mixed with slices of cucumbers and avocado in a thin want to be curry sauce. I honestly couldn't eat more than the first bite of that dish. Our waitress was nice enough to remove the plate from our ticket because of how displeased we were. Our experience here was an extreme let down. And I honestly don't understand how anyone enjoys the food. We will not be returning. read more

I've been hearing about Hot Joy for a few years and finally made it here. The menu items I kept hearing about are no longer on the menu, as they change their menu every few months. I went during happy hour with a buddy so we were able to share some appetizers. We had ordered the bao and chicken wings. The bao tasted alright, but took WAY TOO LONG to come out. It ended up coming out after our entree. The chicken wings were REALLY flavorful and crispy. I'm glad our waitress suggested it. For an entree, I got the "noodz" which I found to be way too salty and did not have a lot of noodles. I wouldn't come back for a while (until the menu changes), but I'd give it another shot. read more

Went here for a birthday and it was delicious. I highly recommend going on Mondays because they have a Ramen menu. That was so so good. The waiters always recommend great stuff. I really enjoy the mo fo tofu and both their wings are awesome. I have even ordered delivery and I don't live very close. The ambience is awesome. It's such a great environment. Super colorful, and the waiters were great. I definitely recommend trying some of their mixed drinks. A lot of them are fun. There's even crazy drinks. You can order to share with someone but I haven't been that daring. read more

Waiter rushed through everything and was condescending. Food needed more love put into it. Ordered a bowl drink first, and it came out after our meal. Was super excited to try this place but it was lackluster. Decent for insta photos, but that's about it. read more

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

After looking online for a nice place to have dinner, we decided on Hot Joy. Some reviews were favorable and others not so much, but we had to see for ourselves. We stopped by on a Thursday evening and it was surprisingly buzzing with people. We were greeted immediately but were told to wait a sec to make sure they had a table ready. Our server was very nice and was happy to recommend a strong drink for me off of their menu, which btw did not disappoint. Now, we had read about their steam buns from previous reviews, and we were hoping that they were offering them this night, but no luck. After all, the menu is rotating. For our meal, we went with their Loaded Potato Bing (8.99) for an appetizer. Honestly we could have had 3 orders of those puppies and called it a night, they were so good!!! And the sauce was delicious and complimented it perfectly. For my entree, I chose the Bibimbap (12.99) with tofu (3.99 add. charge) and the s.o ordered the Morcilla and Kimchi fried rice topped with chicharrons (14.99). Which didn't sound very appetizing at first but it ended up being very tasty. Our food arrived hot and in a timely manner. And we were pleased that our server was attentive and helpful. Our total price for the meal was a bit pricey but we enjoyed the meal and our drinks. Of course if we nixed the drinks it could have been cheaper but that ain't gonna happen lol Overall we enjoyed our visit here! The decor is very cute and different. It leans toward the hipster side but without all the Edison lights. They had loud indie music playing, which was a good mix, but at times it was hard to tell if you were eating at a restaurant or eating at a dive bar. But I liked the music so I didn't mind. Aside from that, I see this place being a good pick for a date. We will stop by again when we're in the city. read more

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The vibes at Hot Joy are second to NONE! Most frequently I come in for the lovingly + artfully crafted cocktails - Adrian is the BEST bartender - & when I am feeling food accompaniments, I am never let down. I recommend this spot to everyone - strangers & friends alike. read more

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