As usual, service is sub par, but the food is great. The new tiki layout is pretty good. Loved the shrimp pad Thai. Great music and ambiance. The combination fried rice is a must next to twice fried chicken wings. Again , service is lax . this is preventing my score from going to a 4 or more. read more

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This is an eclectic spot with tasty craft tiki style drinks and yummy fusion food. It was a busy night but we were able to sit at the bar fairly quickly. Our bartender wasn't super friendly and sort of really rushed us when ordering but like I said it was super busy. I tried the cheeseburger eggs rolls and the Carmel double fried chicken wings which were both yummy. My friend had the fried okra and the potstickers both were yummy. I think next time it would be nice to sit in one of their red booths, a little more intimate and relaxed. read more

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Love my hometown! So many great places to get great food and have wonderful experiences! The service is fair, not the best but decently attentive from the server we had. She was kind and polite and understanding of the evening we had planned with family. Left us alone when we wanted to be and was around to refill drinks when we needed. The food was great! It is not easy for me to eat out Asian food, let alone fusion Asian food. Yet, the dishes were exceptional and unique with great flavor. A definite hit and worth visiting if you are local or on vacation here! read more

Hot Joy is a cute Asian fusion-y restaurant in Southtown on the poppin South Alamo St. There's only street parking, so if you see a spot near the place, make sure to grab it. I came here on a Friday night with my girlfriends and we didn't need to make reservations. They have a spacious layout with table/booth and bar seating. Upon entering the premises, one can identify the effort management put into the décor because of the details of Asian furnishings throughout. I admired that the tables were divided into booths or like a "tatami room" to give privacy to a party, which gave an intimate and chill vibe. I was going to give this place an overall rating of 3 stars, but the cool atmosphere bumped it up one star. The service was very friendly and helpful. Knowing that one of us in the party had allergies to nuts, our waitress was patient with us. They have a few different menu which depends on the day and time you go there. Their dinner menu is meant for sharing, and for our group of 4, we ordered 4 dishes, and it was more than enough. We ordered the twice fried wings, bok choy, spam fried rice, and phat se ew noodles. I enjoyed the spam fried rice and bok choy mainly because the spam friend rice was already filling with lots of ingredients already and I liked how they sautéed the bok choy. This restaurant would be good for date nights and as well a cool hangout for dinner with your best buds! read more

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Very polite hostess. Her name is Destiny!!! Food and drinks were great as always! This is a very sweet person, she went out of her way to get me a chair at the bar with my wife, special!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Placeholder for a full review (short version in the meantime is that the tiki cocktails here are as good as I've had anywhere - no light statement, as tiki is my jam - and the food, service and atmosphere are terrific). read more

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I used to LOVE this place. Recently it is just not hitting the mark for me. Menu is hit or miss, mostly miss for me unfortunately. Drinks are too expensive for the strength. Please change your menu and bring back happy hour for drinks! read more

We had the edamame togarashi salt, lemon and japchae, wild mushrooms, marinated kale, sweet peppers, sesame! Unfortunately, not a great experience! Everything was over cook! Our drinks took a long time even after we where told they where coming right out..and our server was no where to be found! read more

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

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Too Expensive for disgusting food, and we took my son for his birthday literally, my son had to wait an hour just to get his food . We will never eat here again just a waist of money!!! read more

I've been going to this place for about 10 years now and always enjoy it. Wing Wednesday is my jam, the lemon pepper curry wings are the best wings I've ever eaten. I constantly tell people to go here and I cannot wait to go back. read more

The restaurant smelled like moldy wet rags. I should've walked out from there but gave it a try. The walnut shrimp was overly sweet and same thing with the wings. Overall the food and drinks were very mediocre. The decor was nice. Wont be going again read more

Ambiance was nice at first, but then it took a turn for the worse. I've been here before and it was a good enough experience to want me to come back second time left me with disappointment, a big part of a restaurant is customer service it's want makes you want to come back and this waiter we had was just NOT IT. He really ruined the ambiance, the appetite and the experience for our party. Was VERY RUDE, GAVE A BUT OF ATTITUDE, and was VERY UNINVITING. Most definitely won't be back. read more

Went for my birthday weekend on May 28. This was the first time visiting Southtown post COVID and the vibe was great! Almost felt normal again. So back to Hot Joy...we made a reservation for 7:30 and due to who I am as a person we were running a little late. We called Hot Joy and they were cool with giving us an extra 15 mins to get there. We were seated in one of the booths which felt private but not secluded. It was my birthday I wanted to people watch and enjoy the ambiance. My dining partner was shocked that I had not tried the wings before so we ordered those first. I was skeptical I'm not a huge wing person but these wings were fire! We also ordered the food court sesame chicken, walnut shrimp, and fried rice. Everything is served family style so I got to try it all. The shrimp was my favorite. Oh and their drinks are where it's at! A great variety of tiki style drinks. I prefer mixed drinks over frozen and it was my birthday so we opted for the Texas scorpion for 2 to split. It was a whole vibe. It was strong yet tasty with fresh pineapples and was fun to share. I really enjoyed my experience at Hot Joy! read more

Back in Southtown's busy little street lies a wonderful hipster spot full of joy.. Hot Joy that is! Food was divine, beer was refreshing and service was phenomenal! We ordered chicken hearts, and steamed buns for appetizers and double miso soup that we shared. Gillian, our waitress suggested on Zombie frozen drinks to finish the night with edible flowers and delicacy mint! The chicken hearts were something new, same texture as liver and paired with a nice salty jam made this dish super tasty! Steam buns are a must! Those little fat fluffy buns with chicken made a wonderful concoction to taste. Double miso ramen had this hearty broth and paired well with our other dishes! We can't wait to come back and try their double fried wings! read more

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I am a bit disappointed with Hot Joy. We were sat in a booth without a light although there were several booths available with working lights. We tried several items today and found the flavors to be complex and enjoyable. All of the food was lukewarm with exception of the wings that came out nice and hot. The prior reviews are correct that the wings have a funny smell but are amazing tasting. The pad noodles were very hard which devalued the dish. The dumpling soup was phenomenal. The best part of the meal was the drinks pineapple passion teas and the frozen zombie! To answer the most important question: Would I come back? Yes I would but only for happy hour. Our overall experience was not worth the $90.00 we spent. read more

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

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Super cute Asian fusion restaurant. The menu rotated but everything is very unique and flavorful. We ordered migas fried rice with cheese! Would deff come back! read more

Hot Joy - Pork Dan Dan. Soooo good! - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Food was really delicious! We had a big party and didn't make reservations but they still accommodated us! Hostess and bartenders were so nice! Server could've been nicer but he got everything out and had every bill perfectly separated so we appreciated him!! Will be back! read more

Amazing ambience...almost surreal. Nephew and I chose a bar seating area. I'm just amazed at the way they designed the place. As for food, they have a modernized Chinese menu that obviously caters to Mex taste. Just look at the pics! We were trying to save $ and guess what...they had all wingz at half price for Wednesday! Just ahha...maze...inggg! No joke...I've not tasted wings like these in such a long time! Definitely a place to hang out with friends...and probably a whole family? read more

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I called and made a reservation for 8. When we arrived they had no record of it. Food was good but I found the service to be less than friendly. She obviously had a script memorized and had no personality to go along with it. This was my second visit and I was so under impressed that it killed the impression I had from my first dining experience. The atmosphere is what I love, very intimate. The fix would be find service that focuses on how the customer feels. read more

I've been frequenting this establishment regularly since it opened 5 years ago. The food has always been good no matter the menu, the service is hit or miss but they're always friendly if not attentive. The reason for the low review is something other people may not care about....the men's room. Now I recognize this is a hipster establishment and maybe they don't care. However, when we are paying $12+ per plate and the same in drinks, my husband doesn't want to walk into a men's room that resembles one from a St. Mary's dive bar. Toilet overflowing, wet floor, paper towels in the sink, and the smell of urine is what he encountered last night. Now, this has never been the norm in the past but it appears that's what it's become. I sincerely hope either management or the owners read this and instill some much needed pride in their employees and their workplace. This has never been a problem at Barbaro or even The Monterey (when it was open). Just because it's in Southtown and a trendy millennial joint doesn't mean things like the bathroom need to go to pot (no pun intended). read more

I don't love leaving negative feedback, but the service has gone perpetually downhill over the last few visits. This evening, we were seated (after an apology that there was no hostess). We waited probably 8-10 minutes before even being acknowledged, despite several waitstaff passing the table repeatedly. This just sets a poor precedent for a meal. Food, while hot, came out haphazardly, one dish at a time. Maybe it was an "off" night but the whole experience seemed clumsy and not service-forward. For newer folks-- the spam fried rice is always amazing, and could be worth the visit.... read more

Meh sums it up best. Let's start with the good, because there IS good to be found: the décor and the atmosphere is super awesome. Like I LOVE it! From call backs to Samurai Pizza Cats to Gamera (friend to all children), to the awesome booths and semi outdoor seating (if you call it that up front) the restaurant has a great aesthetic. So far as cocktails: I really enjoyed the "Sake to Me" quite a lot. After one I was feeling it and, while it may look small, it packs a wonderfully balanced punch. Now lets talk about how we got to that two star rating. The answer actually is compromised of two parts: staff and food. Staff: we have had several different servers and consistently we've had lack luster experiences. A lack of customer engagement, very obviously going through the motions at best, the last two visits (two different servers) our bills have come back incorrect. Food runners were lazy and rather than asking who ordered which item just set all plates in front of the person closest to him (not ALL is bad, there was a great lady bringing drinks from the bar who was friendly and engaging, telling us about upcoming drink specials/changes etc. It was a breath of fresh air). Food: Ramen Monday was good....but what I had was the normal menu offering so I would hope they could get that right. I had the Broccoli and Cheese Fried Rice and it was quite underwhelming. It was mushy and bland. No texture in the dish at all and a monotonous flavor. I'm not a meat eater but was told the Spam Fried Rice was overly salty. Now that being said, maybe their non-vegetarian dishes are where they excel but from my view point the meal itself was not impressive in the least. Being a Southtown resident I really want Hot Joy to be what it could be. The potential is there and if they could find a way to bring the entire experience to match the great environment then this would be a MUST HIT joint for locals and out of towners alike. But where they currently are, no thanks, I'll take a pass. read more

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Been a returning customer for years. Still a great place to hang, eat, drink. Friendly crew. I was hung over, bartender encouraged water. Made sure my water glass stayed full. Good people. Boneless wings are surprisingly good. It's actually chicken, not the processed meat thing. Looking forward to my next visit. read more

Beautiful decor and freaking fantastic food! We came with another couple because a co-worker was raving about it and they have vegetarian options for the other couple. We made a reservation the day before (no same day reservations) but we got there fairly early and didn't need it. Better safe than sorry. We were quickly seated while we waited on our friends. The circular boots are great for small groups (under 6). The waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable. When the other couple arrived, we discussed the menu. The restaurant males everything fresh and grows some of their own ingredients. Our waitress took the time to help the other couple figure out vegan options. They ended up finding several options. We did not go vegan. We had the pork dun dun and the rice bowl with chicken. It was so stinking good. Quite spicey, but very good. And the dun dun noodles reheated well for lunch the next day. Very, very good food, good service, and good prices. My coworker told me I had to go back some other time and have a drink too. I think that would be nice. read more

This place is really cool & has such a great vibe. The first time I came here it was really yummy... this time it was not. They change the menu way to much and pls never get the beef cheek noodles it taste like dog food. They took off the original beef noodles and it made me so sad:( read more

It was kind of busy at Saturday night, and we were sit by the bar since most table were taken. Food was spicy and Salty,salty, I guess it is Americanized Thai food in Taxes. read more

First off, please note this is not directed at the business. This is Yelp, so I'm entitled to my opinion. I just didn't enjoy any of the food, and I thought I would. It's unclear with what kind of food they serve as it's a mix of Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Indian. Personally, I think that's just too many mixes of food styles. We ordered the following: + Twice fried chicken wings + Double Miso Ramen + Polynesian Fried Rice + Tater Tot Chaat (tikka masala, paneer, Indian snack mix) I do think that it would have been great if they had a small sampler platter to try some favorites - a little bit of their top choices. It would have saved me $50+ dollars. Loved the decor --- that's about the only positive I can think of. Service was slow when we first sat down, but then became better towards the end. We ended up sitting at the bar because the wait for 2 people was 25-30 mins. We had about 3 bites per each dish at most. The main dish that I thought would really rock my socks off was the Double Miso Ramen. Um, complete opposite... the noodles were undercooked, the corn was from a can (which is fine, let it soak in the broth for a minute), the egg was cold, and the noodles were lukewarm at best. The twice cooked wings just tasted too dry and not what I was expecting considering everyone loves them. The fried rice was an epic disappointment - bland flavoring, and all the wrong things (Japanese mayo on the top of the rice) were overpowering the bland taste. I always encourage people trying new places, so I'd say give it shot... however, don't have high expectations. read more

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Food was not good... very disappointing... we ate because we were so hungry... if you are looking to have a tasty meal, eat elsewhere and just go here for drinks. Drinks only! read more

They recently changed their entire menu to more Korean type dishes. The only thing they kept the same was the spam fried rice. I ordered the bimbibap but you have to pay extra for protein (alright then) so I got beef for additional $5. Needless to say, the amount of beef in the bowl was not worth the extra money. The rice could have been more crispy on the bottom but overall it was okay. The boyfriend ordered the spam fried rice and it was tasty. Maybe some more kewpie and spam would have made it better but I actually thought it had more flavor than my bimbibap. Service was extremely slow. We waited 30 min for our food and only mine arrived first. It took almost another 10 minutes for his to arrive. The waiter was nice and apologetic for the wait but our experience of the new menu was just okay. read more

Hot Joy is not what it used to be. I ordered the Pineapple Chicken and it was dry, tough, and overcooked. My boyfriend got the one vegetarian dish and it was also subpar. The drinks and our server were great though. It's not worth it for the food anymore unfortunately. read more

Hot Joy is dead SEXY! Can we just take a moment to raise the darn roof for whoever decided to come up with their $5 Wings Wednesday! Or other sweet $5 fried Thai chicken promotions, follow them on Instagram for their top secret weekday specials! What did us cool San Antonians do to deserve such a high quality cheap treat?! Their $5 three piece Thai fried chicken and biscuit brought us in the first time, the chicken was well seasoned and the batter was insanely good...found crumbs in the bra y todo! Valerie was an exceptional server too, talk about a sweet girl! I'm sad to report that they no longer have this promotion but one can hope that they bring it back into the Downtown Tuesday game! We recently popped in on Wednesday to have their $5 wings, we ordered the Twice Fried Wings and Sichuan. You are brought a mixing bowl sized dish filled with 7-8 fat wings, how generous! The twice fried were nothing short of awesome and the Sichuan wings knocked my socks off, tons of flavor...make sure when you have that first bite that you pick up one of those enormous wings and stack it with cilantro, the crunchies, and the roasted peanuts...oh mama! We balanced out the saltiness by asking for a side of steamed rice, perfection! Mid-excitement we ordered the Double Miso Ramen, I didn't care for it, the broth and noodle texture were off for me. Cool things about Hot Joy: -Their staff and hosts are cool cats, my girl Liz came to our table many times to check on us -Sitting at their round bar allows you to see all the action going on, I caught a wink when I was tearing down dirty into one my wings ;) -The interior is very sexy and red, think Only God Forgives (I may be the only person to have seen this movie) -Their late night menu and happy hour menus are always changing -You can dance while grubbin, they played some SICK 90's jams...I just remember having the perfect bite while doing a raised hand gesture to DMX's Party Up! -Street parking can be tricky and if you have to park further in the neighborhood make sure you brush up on your ninja skills, you never know! -Great spot for a first or last date Hot Joy has lit a hot fire in my belly! Check them out! read more

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The whole concept of Asian fusion has been over done. The days of sesame crusted tuna with a side of bok choi is way behind the times. Food trends have shifted toward more authentic Asian food. Ramen, dim sum & ingredients like tendon are king now. Where does hot joy fit in? In neither segment. In my humble opinion. Hot joy is simply food that will induce smiles brought to you by one of my favorite restaurants in Southtown/King William, The Monterey. There are a wide range of Asian flavors ranging from Thai, Indian, Chinese, Korean & Japanese. All these cultures are married together into a menu that is Asian food a la Monterey. Far from what could be a potential hot mess, there is some serious talent in the kitchen. This place can stand alone on it's food. No need of gimmicks like odd decor/music choice (won't name any places in town that have tried to rip off this concept) After two visits, I am happy to cozy up to the bar with a bottle of resiling ( the list for which is extensive) and a bowl of ramen or a bunch of small plates and a slew of cocktails. Haven't had a bad dish yet. The standouts being the double miso ramen with belly, salt cod dumplings in tom yum broth, fried rice with pineapple & Chinese sausage, the crab fat caramel wings and general Chad's chicken. The star for me has been the coconut tapioca pudding. One of the best dishes I have had in a while & I eat out a lot. Really a lot! So, if it is not obvious by now..... I am a fan. I am sure if you are looking this up you don't need encouragement from me to go. If you haven't been, what are you eating????? read more

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I can't believe I've been in SA for almost two years and this was the first time I've ever been to Hot Joy! Food was soo good! Can't wait to go back soon!!! read more

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

Don't get it twisted, it's American food painted Asian. I know it's Asian fusion but when I eat something and the first thing that comes to mind is, "Why would they put that together," then it's a problem. Yes, I am Asian. Yes, I eat a ton of authentic Asian food, but I do like Asian fusion, when there is some Asian in the fusion. The flavors in general were just odd. The two major issues were the fact that the food looked Asian and that they used the actual Asian name of the dish on the menu. The food was as if a caucasian watched Yan Can Cook for the first time and then tried to replicate the dishes. The decor also struck me as off, it was hipster Asian, I suppose? It was also super dark inside, forget about taking pics. The food: Fried Pork Springrolls- Thai dip, herbs, iceberg lettuce. This dish wasn't bad, it kinda felt like a Vietnamese spring roll. Thai Fried Egg Salad- charred eggplant, dried shrimp, nuoc cham, herbs, toasted rice powder. The egg was nice, it had crispy edges and the acidity was a nice addition but I think they forgot the eggplant or it was just non existent. Tater Tot Chaat- paneer, miso gravy, tamarind, chaat toppings. I freakin love tots, I hated the ones here. The idea seemed great but it was salty and then the sweetness from the tamarind was overbearing. Thai Boat Noodles- black pho broth, beef tongue, tripe, water spinach, chicharron, herbs. I love pho, beef tongue, tripe and boat noodle, so this should be a homerun, right? I hated this dish. Like, I really hated this. First, it's insulting to even call it boat noodles, it doesn't resemble boat noodles at all.(yes, I am Thai) The only way it resembled it was since it was so dark inside lol The broth tasted nothing like Boat noodles or pho broth, the tongue was cut into huge slabs that were chewy as hell and then the noodles were overcooked. Disappointment. Kotteri Dashi Ramen- pork belly, soft egg, shio tare, raw mustard greens, nori, pork fat. This looked like ramen, but it was so salty. The noodles were mush, the pork belly had a nice char but it was greasy. I didn't care for this either. Spam Fried Rice- egg, roasted corn, Kewpie, green onion. Ugh, the flavor was weird. The rice was too mushy and I didn't really taste anything distinctive, it just had a very singular weird taste. read more

Hot Joy is a hot mess. I get that this eatery is in a hipster part of town, and that they can charge higher based on location, but this place just isn't that great. We went based on a recommendation of someone who had eaten here before (we assume he was drunk!) and wanted to see if the noodles were bomb.com. Nope. Pretty flavorless and close to the .25 cent version you can get at home. Actually I would have rather had the one from home. Mine was the Thai ramen and it tasted just like the wet nap that was on the table labeled "antiseptic". My friend got the pork belly ramen and she said it was bland as well. The only redeeming quality was the chicken twiced fried, that we called Cracker Jack chicken. It's about the same taste, but hot. Good for a wing.. Then just overbearing. 2 stars. Won't return for a meal. $40 for at home ramen is like.. Dafuq?!! read more

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We've been to Hot Joy just once, but I would go back over and over again based on that experience. Being told that the wait would be 30 minutes we started the evening with drinks at the bar. My husband got a nice whiskey drink and I got a Moscow Mule. The beverages were tasty and we'd just paid for then when we told that our table was ready, way faster than expected. We had once of the awesome semi-circular booths which was lovely and intimate. Our server was Samantha and she was great, immediately keeping up with my husband and me and our quirky senses of humor. We ate a lot of food. It's all served family style too so you be eating more than you realize. We enjoyed the Tiger Salad, spring rolls their take on a Frito pie (this is San Antonio), the black curry, the hot fried chicken (tasty but could've been spicier), tried two of the desserts (this was influenced by the sake and Riesling we consumed with dinner) and their twice fried chicken wings. I mention the wings last because we could have had multiple orders of them. Seriously. My mouth is watering as I think of them right now. If you try nothing else there, these are a must and you should make an effort to go just for them. There were a few lags in service as they got busier for dinner. Glasses sitting empty are the primary complaint here. And when I ordered another Moscow Mule to enjoy after dessert it was quite heavy on the ginger and and no where near as refreshing or enjoyable as the drink I had myself ordered at the bar. I look forward to enjoying Hot Joy in the future and maybe seeing if they can turn up the heat on the wings. read more

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I loved Hot Joy when it first opened, but that first chef has moved on to Tenko Ramen at the Pearl. If you used to like the food better, that's where it went! They've also abandoned their formerly glorious wine list of Rieslings. They replaced it with a lengthy drink menu of pricey tiki cocktails. Every time I order a cocktail, they tell me that it's not available, and they send me back to hunt around that insanely long list. Hot Joy, just specialize in a few good drinks! Why confuse and disappoint me so much?! The food is pretty good. There are plenty of adventurous dishes with things like duck eggs on top, but there are also some basics like udon noodles that timid palates will still enjoy. They have a solid in-house spam fried rice that's gluten-free. They no longer do the ramen bowls in the same quantity, so it's become difficult to figure out what their specialty is. I think that Hot Joy is trying to find itself. Occasionally, you'll stumble on an excellent dish, but it's usually temporary. The frustrating part is that your server will bring you your food when it's ready, and they don't care if one person's dish is 15 or 20 minutes behind. They won't even apologize about it! This has happened to me there at least twice. Usually there's just a 5 minute lag between dishes, but sometimes you get really unlucky! The decor is very cool, especially the booths, which you can call ahead to reserve. Because of the drink menu, there is almost invariably a table of drunk people being a little too loud, but it's just dark and swanky enough to make you feel cool just for being there. read more

Service was amazing! Loved the server. The food came out at different times and was really spaced apart so we were not eating together. The food definitely was not good. Amazing set up though. read more

Staff was very friendly and the ambience was just right.. I'm gonna be completely honest. I don't mind paying $12 for 5 wings but you really have to deliver. Flavor was good but the smell was off putting and I use that term loosely. I worked ina dog grooming salon for a few months and we had to squeeze dogs butts to clean the anal glands.. now when I tell you that with every bite of those visually astounding looking wings I gotta strong whiff of that anal gland stuff.. I'm not kidding!!! Check it out. But don't say I didn't warn you! Jussayin UPDATE: 6 hours later and I had to update this. I still smell.. I've had food that smelled food but tased bad.. but this was the complete opposite. Smelled horrible but tasted so good.. idk how they did that. Hot Joy defied the laws of physics and every law.. bet Murphy's not resting in his grave tonight.. smh read more

We stopped in for happy hour randomly, so glad we did. Very cool spot, fun decor, big beautiful bar. The booth we sat in was cleanish, for the most part. Food was great, drinks were superb. Service could have been a bit more attentive especially considering we were there before a rush and sat right next to the kitchen. I would take a star off for that but the wings and garlicky noodles we had were that delicious. If you're into a hipster run joint with potent, delicious food and drink this is the place for you. If not, go back to applebees read more