This place is amazing. Fairly nondescript from the street, I've passed it 100 times until tonight. It's a 1950's Tiki Bar crossed with Asian-fusion cuisine that is even better than the menu descriptions. This is a new entry to our frequent favorites list! Drinker, be warned, though- these sweet tiki drinks go down smooth and pack a delayed punch. read more

From the moment I walked in, the restaurant had such a unique and vibrant vibe! Majority of the food is meant to be served family style which is a great option for all first timers. Service was efficient. Will definitely be coming back in the near future. read more

One of my favorite restaurants. I'm so happy that they are doing curbside and delivery now after the closures. I don't know how but the food got even better. The twice fried wings are great and the mystery wings I got were some sweet chili mix that was amazing. The egg foo young fried rice was a huge portion and great. The gravy, pork chop on it and fried rice was all made very well. Even the egg rolls were on point. Overall so happy. read more

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Hot joy has really fallen off. The food is good, but the wait is terrible- when we order for delivery sometimes no one comes to greet you at the door. Several times I've had to find someone to help me. It's just too bad because I want to love them, but they continually disappoint read more

The food is unique, sweet, savory, complex and DELICIOUS. The drinks are always great. We preferred max the Texas Sun. We had the wok fried green beans, the twice fried chicken wings and the pork belly tacos. The green beans though, are at a new level. Get them! read more

Hot Joy - Texas Sun & Rhubarbara Streisand - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Had a wonderful time. Awesome staff and the best Sesame Chicken and the drinks are on point. Beautiful inside. Love it

Place has definitely gone downhill from where it started years ago when it was new on the scene. Food leaves a lot to be desired and is not very imaginative. Two stars for location and decent drinks. read more

Disclaimer: This place isn't for everyone. The food selection is really eclectic and the restaurant has the odd mix of Southtown meets Asian fusion meets tiki bar. But we love it. We have been avid HJ patrons for years and seen several waves of menu changes and special offerings. We went late on a Saturday night with our friends (mostly to drink) and decided to splurge on the Oye Pono Que Paso shared party bowl. It came to our table in flames (true story!!) with four large straws for consumption. If you want something for the 'Gram, this is the drink to get. We also enjoyed the Navy Grogs and Frozen Night Walkers- all tiki based, really delicious, boozy beverages. We haven't eaten too much from the new menu but did try the loaded potato bing, which I could have eaten five plates of. Next time, we will be more adventurous and try more food. If anyone from Hot Joy sees this, we are dreaming of the day when the tater tot chaat comes back on the menu! read more

Hot Joy - Oye Pono Que Paso, Share-a-bowl drink for 4. Comes on fire and full of tiki flavor. - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

It's just the atmosphere that is so dope but it's overpriced 22 dollars for orange chicken the food isn't anything you can't get at a fast food chain read more

TERRIBLE SERVICE!! Came for a friends bday with a party of 10. Server came to our table once and argued when our food came out 45 minutes apart. No apologies. 20% gratuity was included so no wonder he didn't try at all. Will never come back here. read more

I LOVE HOT JOY! The food and ambiance is fantastic. The service is very quick and the food is on point. I came with a friend and ordered some zombie drinks and ordered fried rice. Everything was exceptional and will continue coming here. read more

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

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When we left the masquerade ball starving there was only one thing that could satisfy two vegans and our sidekick. Ramen. Luckily we found it before closing at Hot Joy, the Asian fusion spot that serves up craft cocktails alongside good eats in a trendy setting. Did I order a guava mule? Yep. And I would have ordered another if time had allowed. It was quite tasty. The vegan ramen was also pretty damn good, with fire roasted corn, mushrooms and crispy tofu. I didn't have the highest expectations for ramen in this town, but Hot Joy delivered on the quality and for vegans in Texas that's a tall order. read more

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This is probably my favorite ramen place in San Antonio. Ramen is delicious and made to perfection. Drinks are very good and give you that warm fuzzy feeling. We ordered the veggie ramen, pork belly ramen and corn on the cob. When you go here you have to get the corn on the cob! It's very unexpected with different flavors then the average corn you'd expect to find around town. If your in the mood for ramen do stop by Hot Joy! read more

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It's a 3.5 for me, but because the hot sauce was spicy, I rounded up! I ordered to go and overall really enjoyed my meal. I ordered the chengdu style dumplings ($12) for an appetizer and the Phat Se Ew ($14) for my main. The dumplings were tasty but the price was extremely high for the amount of dumplings that you get. But if you like thin-skinned, delicate dumplings (more like wontons), these are for you. I really enjoyed their version of the pad sew ew because it was lighter than most, but I loved their hot sauce! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Even waiting for my food, I could tell Hot Joy was a funky little place. Just a little pricey for what you get. read more

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Vegan options! Such a fun restaurant to go to, they have tables in nooks that make it feel super private, a great drink menu and delicious food! I got the veggie fried rice and vegan ramen. Make sure to tell your server that you are vegan so they can help you order the perfect dish for yourself! read more

Why is no one talking about how the twice fried wings smell like literal dog food?! service sucked! Would not recommend Edit to shout out to the blue hair hostess who couldn't even be bothered to look up from her phone! read more

Food is excellent. Service was great. Love the ambience!! Booths are the best! A little dark, but we loved it!

Wow!!! I was marooned in SA for the weekend and had this place recommended from a hotel bartender. After consulting with my bartender (D or Dee) she recommended the following and I complied. I always appreciate an employee that is ecstatic about menu items and recommendations. The menu: -NIGHT WALKER (drink) -Twice-fried wings -Smoked tofu, shiitake, radish, lily flower + the - quesabirria upgrade (tiny cheese quesadilla) - get it! There is an obscene amount of pork in this fish that is not mentioned. -Banana cake Amazing asian and latin flavors that are clean, tiered, and subtle. Seriously.. order exactly what I listed above. Respectfully. read more

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

The food was terrible!! I was on a first date so he picked the place. The drinks at the bar were great waited an hour for table, which is fine Saturday evening typical. Our waiter talked soooo fast and the music was way to loud to hear him. So we had never been there before so we went safe orange chicken which was fried and so crunchy not burned but not enjoyable either. And the white rice was cold, dry, and stale like it had sat out all day. I know how can you mess up white rice?! Also had shrimp dumplings major spicy we clearly told the waiter nothing too spicy. Also shared the fried wings which were really good but like 5 baby wings to an order. So not worth the price. I definitely will not be back, there's way too many great spots in Southtown to settle for this place. read more

Hands down! One of the best drinking and eating spots in the area! Drink menu is always fantastic as well as the food! We had the pupu platter along with the spam fried rice and sesame chicken, this place bangs with flavor! read more

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

Super fun experience! As soon as you walk in, you're really mesmerized by the decor. It really feels like you're having dinner in another world. My friends and I made reservations for my birthday and we ran late. Staff was super understanding and accommodating. We sat at a booth and it was super private we loved it! Our server Zeke was TOP TIER. The sweetest and so helpful when we asked for recommendations. You MUST order the Twice Fried Wings! Our food was delicious. I was so skeptical after reading some reviews but so glad we tried it out. We ordered the shareable drink. The fire show that comes with it was SO fun! The drink however was not our favorite. I'm not sure if it was the alcohol mixture of mezcal with pineapple? Or the smokey taste the fire show left? It really wasn't a big deal though! Definitely wouldn't order again. read more

This review is not necessarily for Hot Joy but for The Monterey (closed November 2015) pop up that took place 9/28/19 at this restaurant. I'm glad I made a reservation since the place was packed! We had to wait a few minutes for our table to be ready, nothing unusual. We were then led to a tiny metal bistro table at the end of the bar. It was more like patio furniture than a dining table and we were asked if it was okay and I agreed just because I didn't want to wait and understood that they were very busy due to the pop up. It took some time for our server to take our order but she was apologetic and again, I understood it was a celebratory night for The Monty, which if you don't know, opened in 2010 and was probably the first restaurant in SA that started a wave of foodie favorite eateries. Back to the review. Hot Joy was serving their own menu AND that of The Monty. We ordered from the special menu of course: their famous sea salt fries with 12(!) aiolis to start off, a burger for my hubby and ribeye with mushroom ketchup for myself. The waitress said everything would come out as it was ready and I asked if we should order our dessert now in case they ran out. She checked with the kitchen and said they had plenty and it wasn't necessary. The fries came out but instead of being crisp on the outside and mealy inside, they were overfried and greasy. I don't think they even had sea salt on them but it probably wouldn't have helped if they did and the 12 dips definitely helped since it was fun to try them all. Flavors included coffee, spicy, creole, kewpie, pizza (delicious!), taco, shrimp lime, roasted garlic, pancake, and curry. When hubby's burger came out, it included more fries but these were not greasy and overfried but still were not on the same level as The Monty. My food was fine but I had hoped they would have my old favorite of chicken meatballs with greek sauce on the menu. We were pretty full so when the server asked if we were ready for dessert I told her why we decided to pass. She asked what dessert we would have ordered and she brought it packed to go to enjoy later! Such a sweetheart. Please remember that when you get a freebie like that to tip as though you had paid for item. Overall, I'm so happy they decided to do a one night pop up of The Monty but if they do it again, it probably would be better just to serve the pop up menu and not that of two different restaurants. I'm certain the kitchen was feeling in over the heads but I'm still glad for the experience and our server definitely made up for it. read more

For the past few years Hot Joy has been one of those places I've heard people talk about but I've just never felt the inclination to go myself. This changed recently as I made my virgin trip to the Southtown establishment, however, after dining here I still have very little inclination to go again. Food: My friend and I opted to share the twice fried chicken wings, bulgogi nachos, and spam fried rice. The wings and rice came out fairly quickly. The wings were extremely dry and drenched in the crab fat caramel sauce that tried, but failed, to conceal how dry and over-fried the wings were. The sauce was an interesting flavor and good in moderation. The spam fried rice was the winner of the three options and was really, really good. The pineapple was an interesting flavor twist but I'd recommend to anyone trying this spot out. The nachos arrived about 15 minutes after the first two food dishes and were a disappointment. They probably would have been good if they didn't come out soggy right out the gate. Not sure how long they'd been sitting in the kitchen but they missed their time window for consumption. The sauce and all the extras on them were very tasty, but again, the sogginess of the tortilla chips made them an unsavory experience. Service: Our waitress was very nice and knowledgeable on the menu, however, after taking our initial food and drink orders she basically vanished for the duration of the meal. We saw her walking around but the only time she checked our table was when she was dropping off plates or food. I say this because not long after bringing the third and final nacho dish over she also brought our bill with it-without checking first to see if we wanted another round of cocktails (which we did) or more food. When she dropped the bill we immediately told her we wanted more drinks and 15 minutes later when they were delivered she dropped off an updated bill AGAIN without checking to see how we were or if we wanted to order more items. It was so strange. We would have kept ordering more drinks because the cocktails were really good (and maybe even braved another appetizer dish) but it seemed clear that she wanted us to hurry up and leave. I thought maybe it was because they were going to be closing soon but it was 9 pm on a Thursday so that wasn't the case. Ambience: I loved the first room you're greeted with when you enter the front door. The ornate lighting fixture dominating the ceiling and the floor to ceiling shelf decorations are something to see. Inside the dining area the cute booth areas make it easy to imagine a semblance of coziness and privacy that are great for date nights! Overall, the food and service were very forgettable and just "meh." Hot Joy will not be on my list of places to return to any time soon. read more

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My group can't get over this place! The Navy Grog is a hit for us! The ambiance is truly unique and picture worthy! read more

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

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Hot Joy is one beautiful restaurant. It lies in the heart of Southtown, and looks the part. The decor is gorg, with intricate paintings and glittery dragons. I loveee their booths, each one personalized with its own painting and tucked away behind pretty dividers. Even their restrooms are decked out in fun paintings. It's hard to NOT love how this place looks--it truly is a beautiful and fun restaurant. My issue with Hot Joy lies with consistency. Every time I come here, I order the Caramel Crab Fat Twice Fried chicken wings (which I'd say is their star dish). You can't beat the Wing Wednesday deal, which is $6 for a nice heaping pile of wings. Unfortunately these wings have not been up to par to the perfectly delicious ones that I got on my earlier visits to this fine establishment. My past few visits here, they've been undercooked, fatty, salty and just not appetizing. On my very last visit, I got some undercooked, cold wings that legit made me gag. I'm not the type to be like "uhhh let me speak to your manager" so I let the waitress know and she was able to get me some better cooked wings. Am I a diva for being a little butthurt that my wings weren't comped or that I wasn't given a discount of some sort?? Isn't undercooked chicken deadly?? That's what I learned in home economics class in high school, anyway...but I digress... The caramel crab fat sauce can be overwhelming once you near the bottom of the bowl, as well. I've asked on past visits if they were able to maybe half the amount of sauce they toss the wings in, but they said they weren't able to. I'm not sure why, but it'd be super cool if it were possible! That sauce is salty AF and really kicks you in the face with flavor. The Sunday fried chicken special is the bomb dot com. It comes with chicken, bread, and some sides. The curry corn is one GOOD side dish, I tell ya what. Sooo worth getting to split with some buddies. So as much as I love Hot Joy, I wish I could come here and be confident that the wings will be bomb as hell like my earlier visits!!! Because it seems to be a hit or miss lately. I still love you, though! Great service and cozy ambiance. Visit them on Happy Hour and Wing Wednesday! read more

I've now been to Hot Joy three times. The first time I went, we waited 30 minutes to get one drink. The saving grace was that the drink was amazing. The second time was last week and we had a fantastic experience, Excellent service, food, and drinks. But last night was a real doozy. It started with the Tuesday special of bringing your own tiki mug for 20% off a cocktail. Got my cocktail, but I couldn't taste any alcohol in it whatsoever. I'm truly not convinced there was any in there and I am a lightweight! I definitely should have tasted/felt the alcohol. Part of what I like about this place is how strong they make their drinks, but apparently not if you're getting the special. Then, my friend got her food 15 minutes after we ordered. I didn't get mine for 20 more minutes. The place was dead, so it wasn't a matter of how busy it was. She was halfway done her meal by the time I got mine. I took two bites, realized it was wrong (there was no chicken in my chicken dish), and instead of leaving it on the table so I could munch or just bring me chicken on the side, the waiter took the meal and had them bring me a whole new one... 25 minutes later. It took a full hour between ordering and getting my meal. My friend had finished hers long before I even got to start mine. Now, I'm understanding and I didn't put up any stink about it because I know that mistakes happen and not everyone knows how to deal with those mistakes. But where I'm annoyed is that no compensation was offered for the hour wait for my food. Not an offer for an appetizer while I waited, no discount on the food, no boxing up the wrong food to eat later, barely even an apology. Our waiter was MIA most of the night and we had to ask another server for our checks. It's a shame that service is so terrible at this restaurant, because the food is truly delicious. They have a fantastic rum bar with an insane selection. Except last night, their drinks have been truly fantastic the other two times I've gone. Last night was a waste of money and a source of great frustration. I hope Hot Joy can redeem themselves next time I go. read more

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

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Amazing!!!! Food. Can't beat the Twice Fried Wings for crunch and peanut flavor and great savory taste. The Tofu Steamed Buns were tender and had a great spice. The Wok Tossed Broccoli was crunchy with a nice teriyaki flavor. The Impossible Mayo Tofu was creamy and home made goodness. The drinks were well made and tasty. Anthony was an amazing sever both friendly and knowledgeable and engaging. Highly recommend! read more

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

Food is not good and is over priced. Hot chicken noodles were salty and not good. Don't recommend.

We were visiting San Antonio and got takeout from here on a Thursday night. We ordered the chicken fried rice and pork fried rice. The menu prices may seem high, but these portions are MASSIVE so the value is definitely there. The chicken fried rice was okay, but pretty greasy. My big problem with this place though is the pork fried rice. The menu doesn't list this dish as having mushrooms in it, but they were EVERYWHERE. It was mushroom fried rice with a side of pork chop. I'm allergic to mushrooms and didn't notice them until I was a few bites in. I had a mild reaction but took some Benadryl and was fine, but my night was ruined. Not trying to be a Karen here, but I have a big problem with the fact that the menu description of the dish was so incomplete. I eat tons of Asian fusion and mushrooms are not a typical ingredient in pork fried rice. Hopefully this review saves someone the trouble and disappointment. read more

Birthday Bummer .... This past Sunday, the twin and I decided to bring in the 40th Bday with a Bang at Hot Joy... surprisingly enough with a name like Hot Joy, I wish Management would have checked the thermostat and bumped up the degrees because the joint was frigid... The Scene: As it was a rainy day, the entrance was a tad wet and the painted concrete red floors emitted a cold that made my ankles cry. I did admire the traditional Zen like Red and Asian lanterns, mask, decor and booths. I thought that the scene would virtually transport my party into a traditional Japanese scene, but the LOUD, Heavy Metal or Rock and Roll ( don't know the difference) blaring throughout was distracting and a Birthday Buzz Kill. Why would this be the selection at an Asian restaurant ... I'm not sure but it definitely killed all conversation, the mood and my desire to return... The Customer Service : For a slight win, I hand a 4 star rating to the staff. I was greeted promptly and the staff obliged and turned the music down a smidge... Our waitress was nice and explained that we unfortunately only had a lunch menu to choose from as the Dinner entrees took longer to prepare ... I can't even express my disappointment as Miso Soup, Yakisoba and Spam rice were the only front runners... the niece's food which was just fried rice arrived 15 minutes after our main entrees... a fail and poorly timed. ( I'll leave the exploded greasy dumplings for the meal portion of this post ) The Meal: As an Asian food lover, I really had high hopes from the numerous reviews and I do understand sometimes the kitchen staff might be off, but our entire table was displeased. We ordered the Infamous Wings aka Twice Fried Chicken that while fried to perfection, were served in a bowl of liquid SALT. I honestly couldn't develop a flavor for the wings because the Salt profile killed my taste buds.. even flushing my mouth with water didn't help. The dumplings were greasy, I doubt fresh and exploded ( which means too soft going into the grease or too long in the grease) either way a poor QC job by the person who passed them off to the consumer. The twins Miso tasted decent and was a good choice, but I unfortunately got the Greasy Yakisoba that I wouldn't even finish.. I wouldn't risk the heart attack and after living in Japan, I know good Yakisoba and this fell 50 feet short of the target. The Brothers Spam rice and the girls late Fried rice aren't really worth mentioning so I won't. The restaurant did give us Birthday desserts and I can say the Panda was the best thing I ate at the joint (which was Free)... Fancy drinks in small glasses full of ice with high price tags finished the meal and my Cold Bones and Unhappy Tummy was Ready to go. All in all one of the most disappointing experiences on the Birthday... should have just stuck with the twin's recommendation and continued the PF Changs tradition. Will not be returning and definitely Do Not Recommend... The Islandgal29412 AKA Ms. Foodie read more

I've been here several times and the food is always great and the service is always good... today, we walked in 6 minutes till open I guess. The doors were open, music on, it looked open. We see the bartender at the bar..... as we stand in the seating area. No one ever comes, I had to walk to the bar and wait for someone to come up. The bartender comes back and I ask if they are open yet, he says no they open at 5. I check my phone..... it's 4:53. Really? We walk back in the restaurant at 5 and we are the first guest in the restaurant and the blonde hostess/waitress has the ugliest attitude, definitely giving off "I don't want to be here" vibes. No smiles. No eye contact. She's slamming cabinets while she gets menus. We all definitely felt unwelcomed. She brought us to a table, puts everything down and walks away. Myself, and the other woman in my party both felt we wanted to address her because her attitude was SO bad. She ended up being our waitress. She wasn't good. First time in a long time I haven't felt bad for not tipping Well. Food was good, but the waitress/hostess attitude and the bartender telling us they weren't open yet when the business was open and they "opened" in 7 minutes.... it made me not want to come back. Waitress/hostess was definitely having a bad day, probably should have just stayed home. read more

I am a regular here. The ambience is impeccable and so vibey! There are fun lights and traditionally modern Asian feng shui. The food is very Asian niche and out of the box. I always go for the spam fried rice no matter what. They have an everchanging menu so it keeps everyone on their toes! Ramen Mondays are delicious. They did a ramen play on chicken noodle soup and I think about it everyday. Service is great, I've managed to make friends with all of the bartenders, because they are simply so cool. 10/10 recommend this place. Always and forever on my list of "things to do" when coming to SA. read more

Though I love this place I do have to say it's pretty expensive and the food menu is pretty short. The one thing that always keep me coming back are the twice fried crab wings. Staff is usually a hit or miss with attentiveness to your table. Drinks are good but expensive. However the overall ambience of the restaurant is borderline magical. read more

I got the spam fried rice, twice fried wings and mystery wings and the lemon pepper curry for pick up. It's unfortunate to say but it was not edible. The wings tasted like an old shoe. The curry was not appetizing at all either. No flavor or actual spice to it. The rice was very greasy and probably the worst I ever had. Maybe it's just my taste buds but I'm not a picky eater. It's sad cuz it seems like a lot of people like this place but my first experience with it and I ended up throwing the food out read more

Overall the food was not that great. The best item was the appetizer. But The ambiance is what sells it. It's beautiful but definitely stay not worth the cost. The customer service was great. Good just was too much sauce and too much toppings green onions and sesame seeds took away from the food. read more

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What a craphole. The only saving grace was the ramen which was halfway decent. Otherwise, the water glass tasted like cleaner, the bar was sticky and the bartender took forever to take my order. Additionally, why is there a need to preauthorize my credit card when I arrive? This seems unnecessary, but maybe they are so used to having customers skip out on them it's a precaution. read more

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

Best day to go is Monday, they have excellent $7 dollar noodle specials and half off most drinks. I recommend trying every special maybe one a week. Great service, service staff talk and give recommendations of what to eat. I like the ambiance of the place as the lights are not too light or too dim and the seating is perfect. I prefer sitting at bar as you can see the bartender make their awesome drinks. Try the black looking tequila drink it is very tasty and only $6 bucks during happy hour. Their regular menu has an all star line up of food items, but i'm sticking to my monday nights. read more

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

Three Dots and a Dash pop up this past Saturday. Omg, can you do this several times a year please???!! When the clock struck 10pm the Three Dots guests took over the bar with qn amazing menu of drinks. We had each of them. Twice. Yes, that good. Banana Daquiri was excellent along with their red headed dragon drink which they offered as a single drink or a bowl option. I kept all my drink sticks and was able to obtain a whack whack pin. Loved this. Made my heart happy. read more

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Becoming a favorite! Been there a few times now and I am pretty obsessed with the food and atmosphere. The staff is always super friendly and helpful with the menu as well! I have almost tried everything and have yet to find something on the menu I don't care for. Everything is so fresh and delicious! Huge props the the chefs! I will recommend this place over and over :) read more

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This place is straight out of movie, felt like I was at some nice Chinese place in the middle of New York. The fried rice was banger, and the wings had a taste I wasn't use to none the less were bomb. The sesame chicken was okay but still good enough. Our waiter was hella chill and we got our food half off cus it was happy hours. read more