They have a great selection of drinks and their menu is delish! I've tried a few items and never disappointed

Where do I begin. The atmosphere is AMAZING. Your seated in a spacious booth that was enclosed. Very private so if you're on a date night it's perfect. Our waiter Gillian, was very knowledgeable on the menu and drinks, also very nice and helpful! When you order you're food your generally going to be sharing it with the party you're with. The food comes out separately so it gives you time to enjoy and really savor that item before the next one comes out. My party ordered the twice fried wings, pork dandan noodles, dumplings, combination rice, and Korean ribs. The wings where absolutely delicious, although the Carmel sauce they coated the wings with was a bit too sweet for my liking. The pork noodles where good and sour, as well as the dumplings. The rice is just like any other good fried rice but with shrimp in it. Ok, so if you go to this restaurant you MUST order the Korean ribs. They are outstanding, a sweet and tangy coating with tender meat on the inside. For desert we ordered tapioca , banana pie, and strawberry shortcake. I must say they did not look like what we expected them to look like! They where all good. Overall I would recommend this place to anyone who is up to eating something different from your average food! Shout out to Gillian and tom our servers. They were amazing!! read more

I am kind of shock that this place would get a low review overall. I find this place to be on the likeability status. Great beer options and not as much of the food options. They seem to have ran out but I like what I ordered. I had a local beer, shrimp chips with this nice dipping sauce, and pork ramen. The food comes in this Chinese bowls and plates that kind remind me of home in Hawaii. I think those plates kind of look skeptical after it's been worn out. I, however, loved the food. I think, people forget that this is an Asian Fusion cuisine so the twist of whatever it is delicious. Single people like me, lots of seats at the bar. No need wait for a table. The colorful ambience, the central bar, and the friendly staff makes you feel at home. I could eat anything in this resto. The prices are quite reasonable. Nothing overtly pricey. This is located in Southtown which I think they call it south of Alamo, or Alamo Heights, downtown? Who knows... Anyways, if you would like to bar hop or resto hop within this area...more praise to you. There are lots of options. Go forth and drink! read more

I really, really, really wanted to like Hot Joy more than I did. I heard so many great things about this restaurant, and only some of them held true for me. I think my favorite part of the restaurant (besides location) is their interior design and atmosphere; it's way over the top with a lot of red and a lot of Asian themes (red envelope wallpaper, lion dance Buddha masks as lamps, red EVERYWHERE). It isn't a thing for everyone, but I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the design. I also loved that they do large private booths for pretty much any party of 4+. It gives a lot of privacy and helps dampen the noise pollution from other tables. As for the food, the majority of the reviews are correct. It's very pricey for what you're given, and everything is incredibly over-salted. If the dishes came with rice or rice and vegetables, and half as much salt, this restaurant would be amazing. But unfortunately, that's not the case. Here's my breakdown: 1. Twice Fried Chicken Wings: Savory and incredibly heavy. Fried to perfection, yes, but way over-sauced and over-salted. I could only eat 1 wing and then I felt way too overwhelmed by how heavy it was. 2. BBQ Dan Dan Noodles: This was okay. I think that they put too much cheese in it, so it overpowered the flavors. But the actual noodles were really good. 3. Hot and spicy chicken: Again, WAY TOO SALTY. If you order a side of rice though and mix it into the chicken, it turns into a great dish. But $$$ for what it is. 4. Tofu Buns: Probably my favorite thing here because it doesn't kill your tastebuds. But also, not really worth the $8. Tl;dr: I like the atmosphere; would come back for happy hour drinks only. Food is too overpriced and WAY TOO SALTY. If they learn to balance out the flavors more (like adding rice and veggies to the dish) then it would be a lot better. Otherwise, only come here if you're a super old person with dying tastebuds. read more

This is more 3.5 stars for overall experience. The ambiance was great! The new menu...eh. We had the Filipino fried rice and Japanese curry and they weren't bad but it wasn't as OMG as I had heard, and that could be the hype or the new menu. The drink I had didn't taste like the description... Soo not on a "must do again" list... Maybe a "if I'm bored I'll try this again". read more

Disappointed by their limited food menu with only 4 options. Was told they start the limited menu at a certain time but they had started almost an hour before that time. Will not be returning. read more

Let me just say, I know that in the time of COVID restaurants are struggling. I have worked for years in food service, and I don't feel great about leaving a bad review. But this was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in years. I had gone to Hot Joy a couple of years ago for a Birthday and I thought it was absolutely fabulous! Great drinks, unique foods and a very cool atmosphere. I remember a particularly good Durian cheesecake... I have been vaccinated and when I was deciding which restaurant to go back to first, this one was at the top of my list. I was downtown yesterday, had peeped the menu ahead of time, and was excited to return. My partner and I got to the restaurant at about 4:45-4:50. We were seated immediately but waited about 10 minutes for our server to get us a menu or water. This was a Saturday afternoon, but I counted about 6 parties total in the restaurant, 2 of them had food, the rest just had drinks. When we did get our drink orders taken, I was told they were out of ingredients for a Mai Thai. Not a big deal, I got a frozen Pina Colada instead. When it came time to order food, I was told they were out of the hot and sour Birria and a few other menu items. This happens at restaurants, but again, it's not yet 6PM on a Saturday and they're already out of several menu items. I ask the waitress for vegetarian options and order the veggie fried rice. My partner orders Ramen. My partners food comes out almost instantly. So he eats while I wait about 10-15 minutes for my food. The hostess then offers me a plate of chicken fried rice and said there was a mix up in the kitchen. I let her know this will not be an option as I am a vegetarian. About 5 minutes later, my server brings a plate of veggie fried rice. The fried rice on the menu I ordered was $15, and featured kabocha squash, olive leaf sauce and boiled peanuts. This was a far cry from what I received. The fried rice I was brought had no squash or peanuts, and instead had water chestnuts and pickled jalapeños. I am not joking. There was also a WHOLE CLOVE of un-chopped garlic. I could have gotten better fried rice at a mall food court. I brought this up to my server and she comes back from the kitchen with a bowl of a few boiled peanuts. At this point I am DONE and ask her to bring us the bill.She kindly removes my plate but does not offer to remove the $15 "veggie fried rice" from my bill. At this point I am just wanting to get out of there and don't feel like talking to a manager, so I pay and leave. I want to think that the staff was just having an off day or that someone called in, but I am just so disappointed to see a restaurant I liked fall so far. I can almost excuse bad service if the food is good and unique. But I think the food was the worst part of my experience here. Save your money. There are PLENTY of other trendy downtown restaurants that better deserve your service. read more

The ambiance is great, the staff is overall amazing but there's been multiple times where the quantity (not quality) changes. read more

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

Quite possible the worst restaurant I've eaten at in San Antonio. I've had better Asian food from Panda Express. The flavor on the Sesame Chicken is the only reason they are getting 1-star. Our server was on her phone behind the bar more often than not. We had to flag her down to get drinks, order our food, get more water, and even pay. At that point the other server addressed us and took care of us. Do not recommend. Not to mention the prices being through the roof for mediocre food. Save your gas, time and money and go elsewhere. read more

When you find this gem you'll be your own bundle of Hot Joy! On a relaxed Wednesday night this was the IDEAL place for relaxed late dinner, yummy cocktails, AMAZING, FRIENDLY service and a beautiful vibe. Our server was impressively knowledgeable about the menu and also (big bonus!) how their menu changes through the year! I look forward to returning for their other tours through Asian cuisine, joyful fusions. They have fantastic vegetarian options that are ALL wonderfully flavorful. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE! read more

Besides the long wait to get a table...it's my favorite Wednesday spot. Go between 7-8 and you're stuck with a 2 hour wait. I would suggest going after 8:30pm because it typically slows down a little. Everything on their menu is a little weird. It's Asian fusion with a little something else lol. Love their twice fried crab fat chicken wings and their Korean wings. You have to have an adventurous palate to eat here. It may be weird but it is yummy! Wednesday's may be busy but their wings are only $6! I love to order a side of rice to go with the wings. read more

Hot Joy - Twice fried crab fat wings - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Happy hour here is on point. The drinks are strong, the lighting is romantic and I also end up getting more crunk than I intended. Edamame is good and the wings are so tasty even though curry wings wouldn't be something I am normally attracted to. Music is hit or miss depending who is playing dj for the night. Hh is 5-7 daily. read more

Probably one of the more unique spots I've been too for a long time. I loved everything about it, from the entrance lobby to the bar, dining areas and decor throughout, including the bathrooms. Monday night is their bowl menu night with a limited but diverse offering. We started with a cocktail (I had to make a second choice because they were out of an ingredient on my first choice). They we both beautifully crafted and displayed. Mine came with a lit cinnamon stick with smoke and ash, never saw that before. The bowls were delicious and filling, warm and brothy. Lots of the bowls were topped with a soft cooked egg, hubby doesn't like so they left off for him. Don't forget go ask for the togarashi if you like your bowls spicy. Waitress, I think her name is Jessica, was super wonderful. She even took the time to make recommendations on sightseeing trips for our next destination of our trip. She made the entire experience delightful. read more

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

The restaurant is a cool concept with this idea of Asian fusion. However, I do have some qualms about the hype around this place. It's a unique and niched idea that does provide a cool environment in San Antonio for people to go out, enjoy happy hour and a night on the town. The interior is border-line gaudy, but it definitely makes a statement with the intense amounts of red and Asian decor, eliciting a sense of trendiness. The food: overall, much saltier than what I am used to in Asian cuisine. I went with my sister, my roommate, and her boyfriend, and we got the twice fried chicken wings, phat see ew, chengdu style shrimp dumplings, roast pork steam buns, and khao soi curry. Overall, the food was good, it would've been better if the salt/soy level was just toned down a notch. My favorites were the roast pork steam buns and the twice fried chicken wings. The roast pork steam buns had a nice balance of textures and flavors with the soft bun with the chew of the meat and the herbaciousness of the cilantro thrown in there. The twice fried chicken wings, man the crunch is no joke. The sauce was spicy, but delicious. The food is overpriced for the amount and quality of the food. It's a cool vibe, but I wish there were some tweaks made to the menu in terms of pricing and food production. read more

The double fried wings had a gross odor but tasted great! I had the Japanese Curry and wasn't a big fan. It was too peanuty for me. Overall good atmosphere and decent food, but a little pricy for what you get. read more

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

This place looked like a hole in the wall from the outside, but when walked into the enterance and seemed like you walked into China. You get seated in a small booth enclosed. Our waiter was training, her name was Gillian.. Shout out to her. We had the fried rice with vegedables it was soo delicious. I enjoyed it and it was probably the best fried rice I've had in quite some time. Then, we ordered some of the wings, the sauce was great. It added a great taste. The shrimp dumplings were good, but were a little on the salty side. But, I guess that adds some taste to them. The waitress 'Gillian' was really knowledgeable on everything on the menu, seemed like she was working there for a awhile and kinda knew what was good and what-wasn't. To top--off our meal we got the deserts, we had all three of them and I LOVED the pudding it was delicous, they have their in-house pastry chef. That was really artistic and knew what she was doing.... We got the pudding, tapioka- I didn't have it but everyone liked it. She was training and was busy, but she had a great personalty and brought it out to us! Give it a try... read more

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Honestly really disappointed. I was very excited to try this place out. Unfortunately when we arrived they informed us that they were serving late night menu only. So no appetizers, dessert, regular meals, etc. The late night menu was only 4 dishes, and they were out of one of them. Why would I go to a restaurant that serves only 3 things??? They were very small portions for $8. On top of this, the bartenders were extremely rude. Overall, I am very dissatisfied wit the experience and will not be returning. I am sad this experience didn't live up to even the bare minimum, as I had high hopes for this restaurant. read more

Came with friends and we only enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts, Spring Rolls and combination stir fry. My friend got the twice fried chicken that was very unpleasant to smell. We noticed a lot of ppl recommended the wings but I'm not sure why. I don't know if the cook got a little too excited with the fish sauce but it was a horrible smell and taste. Skip the shrimp dumplings as well!!! They definitely aren't what you would expect. Our waiter was cool tho. But for $95 I would just suggest going to PF Changs instead! At least they are good. Oh yeah the small drinks are 9.99. Don't waste your time or money. read more

The interior is really cool! Iv never see a restaurant like this. I do think it's a little over priced but it was a nice experience with good food. Drinks are always awesome read more

I think I've never had a great experience here out of my 5 times so far. Food is amazing and interior is phenomenal along with the food ( I understand it's TEXAS-Fied) . I just don't think the staff is aware that people are going to HotJoy to have a great time as well as how clueless a customer could be. Basically the only time I enjoy here is checking out read more

Innovative and fun asian fusion in an hip atmosphere. The first time we were here we got ramen and we were very happy by the rich combo of flavors. We came back mostly because they serve shochu, but they spring rolls and pork belt were great! The music is too loud trying too hard to be hip with a punk play list. In general it feels like a throw back to the 90's classic Slackers on an expense account, good thing the food meets up to the hype. read more

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Great food! Great service! My buddy and I got the Tonkotsu and Tokyo Pork and it was just enough to satisfy; not to mention the flavor was great! We also had the Tapioca for desert and it was wonderful, just enough to share. Definitely would go again read more

The hostess had no interest in us when we walked in but did let us know that it's open seating at the bar. Food was great. Brussels sprouts are fun. Steamed buns with pork was not too spicy but very flavorful. Double miso ramen was nice too. Overall good food and cool decor! (Get a reservation - that'll save you having a weird interaction with the hostess) read more

Hot Joy - Pork Buns: not too spicy, soft buns and super flavorful! - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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This place is terrific for those looking for some real Asian Zing. Twice Fried Wings are amazing and the Khao Soi Curry is on a new level. Don't forget to save room for the exquisite pastries. If you are looking for the Panda Express it's down the road, so you may want to expand your horizons instead. read more

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

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I spent my whole time in here saying, "This place is cool!" Think goofy love child of Uchi and Panda Express, and you've got the menu. Think every Hollywood Chinese restaurant scene you remember, and you've got the decor. I enjoy coming to a new place and having a good time. Don't misunderstand the Uchi comment - there's no sushi here, it's hip & cool Asian trendster fusion that's been "panda-cized" to make it fun, casual, and definitely affordable. The Lamb Dan Dan was damn damn good. My mother would have looked at the Spam Fried Rice with disdain, but two days later would have admitted it was good. I thought it was great. Maybe that's an Asian mother thing. I hear this place is open until 2am, and I bet it's a zoo on weekends. If you're from Austin, you'll empathize that I kept referring to Hot Joy as "Toy Joy," while my companion looked at me like I was the goofy love child. Wait a minute, she didn't know my mother. Our server Amada was cool. If we're touring the Alamo or doing whatever we're doing in San Antonio, we'll make sure there's a little room left for Hot Joy. read more

Great service. Menu changes every 6 months. Waitress was knowledgeable and helpful in directing our party of 4. Wonderful blend of flavors.

At long last! It's been quite a wait for us seeing as we missed their "farewell pop-up appearances" at the Monty. While it was comforting to see some old HJ standards on their menu, Chef Quealey has branched out in several directions, including our first encounter with Indian cuisine outside of their traditional venues. Our favorites tonight were the tater tots, black curry, and salt cod dumplings. Dashi ramen, lamb noodles and springrolls also great. The family wine geek salivated over the awesome list of Rieslings, even though I told her the wine budget had an upper limit this evening. There's also a great cocktail menu that we look forward to exploring next time. It was nice seeing a lot of familiar faces from Monty and Barbaro, even though our server was new to us, she definitely was very well versed on the menu selections. the building re-do is almost worth a visit on it's own. Great job all around!! read more

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Yep, 1 star and that's only because Yelp doesn't offer a zero option and this was truly a ZERO star experience. We've dined here before and the food is pretty good, but not earth shattering, and the service has always been a bit underwhelming. But, we live in the neighborhood and like to frequent local spots and have very pleased that this place happens to have later serving hours. I've spent the day incredibly sick, and after picking my boyfriend up from work we went by so that he could get some food and also bring me home a bowl of soup. On previous occasions we've been able to take our leftovers home, so I know the restaurant has the accoutrement to make take out possible. My boyfriend went in and after waiting a couple minutes while the people that worked there finished their personal conversation, he told them what he was looking for. They proceeded to tell him that they don't do take out service because their food doesn't carry home well, they told him he was free to sit at the bar and order. He then explained that I was very sick and he just wanted to be able to take me some soup. They recommended that he order at the bar and then they would just box it up for him. He was all set to do that when one of them decided they should double check with their manager. Their manager, Christian, came over and told him that they would be unable to help him, that they weren't really set up for it, they didn't have the utensils and it creates a whole new set of problems. The conversation then progressed in this manner... Boyfriend: Well, if I sat, ordered and didn't finish everything you would be able to box it up so I could take it home, right? Manager: Oh yeah, we could do that. Boyfriend: So, how about this, I'll sit and order and decide I can't finish everything and you can box it up so I can take it home. Manager: I'm sorry we won't be able to do that. I have never heard of a business establishment turning away money. Or one that sits so far up on their high horse that they remain unwilling to help someone that was just trying to take care of another person. He wasn't making a scene, he wasn't refusing to pay. In fact, he told them he would tip them handsomely if they could help him out. I get that their food might not travel home well, but that's the choice of the person willing to spend their money. I can tell you, we won't ever be back again, and we will tell all our downtown friends about this truly horrible bit of customer service. read more

The food was fantastic which is why I am not giving them one star. I went to Hot Joy this weekend with four other people. I highly recommend going in a group this big so you can do family style. It allowed us to try many of the dishes on the menu. The standout ones were the chicken wings and the lamb dish. I was VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE SERVICE especially from the hostess. We arrived at 6 PM and when we entered the restaurant there appeared to be many empty tables for our party of five. The hostess told us that it would be about a 20 minute wait which seemed reasonable. We sat in the waiting area for a while until about an hour had passed and we started to get very hungry. We asked the hostess what seemed to be the problem and she said that it would be only a few more minutes. Fifteen minutes go by and we asked again, and again she said a few more minutes. The hostess just kept rolling her eyes at us and playing with her phone. It almost felt like she wanted us to just leave because we were not good enough to eat at this restaurant. I was pretty annoyed with her at this point because of her poor attitude and it was obvious that there was some empty tables yet they were "reserved". Honestly, it is so stupid to reserve half of your restaurant on opening week. Especially, because once we got a table TWO HOURS LATER the food came out very quickly. The worst part was that once we were seated no one even apologized for the long wait. Anyways, if you want to enjoy the restaurant food without experiencing the HORRIBLE SERVICE just do take out. Save your tip money and eat your chicken wings on the comfort of your couch. read more

The first and only time I visited Hot Joy was for a friend's birthday. I really liked the décor and the ambiance, but the food and service were a different story. I'm Asian and naturally I am very picky about my Asian food. I'm always skeptical about Asian fusion restaurants because frankly, the unadulterated version of the dish is usually better than the fusion. Sometimes the "fusion" components of a dish take too much away. I had that experience here. I thought the food was OK, but nothing to rave about. And given the prices you pay for ambiance and location, I just don't find it to be worth it. Service was another issue. Our party was less than 10 people. Our food was served, but the birthday girl was left waiting for her dish. The server was friendly and helpful, but the manager at that time was very unprofessional and rude. Overall just left a bad impression of the restaurant. I would possibly come back if a friend wanted to go check out their wings, but I would never suggest this place to anyone. I also agree with my friend Alice. Y, I love spam fried rice but you must be crazy to pay $12 for it. read more

Went for Happy Hour today, love their happy hour specials. To my disappointment, they no longer have food on the happy hour. I wasn't too hungry so I ordered the Tator Tot Chat, which took over 20 minutes!!! The server came by after 15 minutes and I asked how much longer for tator tots. The place was empty with a couple at the bar and maybe 4 other people in the rest of the restaurant. Again it's 5pm and it took almost HALF an hour for tator tots (I've been here before and usually order this) This is the second time in a row where the server didn't seem to care. The last time, server didn't bring ANYTHING to the table except the check. No plates, utensils, even the water and food were dropped off by another server. Idk if I will come here anymore. The food is good, but the service has been less than pleasing. read more

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to Hot Joy. I've passed it like a ship in the night many times, and I won't pass it up again. First, I'm so glad there are people doing innovative late night menus in San Antonio. For a city that parties as hard as it does, there's not a variety of after party spots. Hot Joy is open until 2am, automatically making it a solid choice to indulge is some light night snacking and drinking. We went late after we'd had an early dinner, so we didn't go as bananas ordering the small plates as we normally would have. we'd technically just come from dinner a couple of hours earlier, and my stomach could not handle ordering all the things I wanted. I had to bypass like 17 things that made me sigh with pleasure when reading the description, but we were just a little peckish, ya know? When you walk in, Hot Joy is decked out in red sorta modern, sorta kitschy decor. Late on a Sunday night, there wasn't a wait, and we were able to snag one of the big comfy round booths. There was also space at the bar and tables available, but those booths are in hot demand if you go earlier, so we took advantage of not having a crowd. Both the hostess and our waiter were super friendly, taking time to ask about our preferences, and offer suggestions. I was intrigued by the descriptor "charred green onion sour cream" because it sounded like someone took a mad libs version of all my favorite flavors and married them together, so we split an order of the General Chad's Chicken. It was super crispy friend pieces of chicken drizzled in sauce. It wasn't too spicy; I added some fish sauce and sriracha and the flavors boomed and popped. These little chicken nuggs were sprinkled with a hearty green field of green onions and cilantro, studded with peanuts. Everything was the perfect blend of crunchy, tangy, pungent, and salty. Even though we were super full by this point, the corn ice cream called to us, and we sacrificed our dignity and stomachs to fit some more in. The corn ice cream is just lightly flavored. If you've had the Milk Bar cornflake cereal milk, it was like more mild version of that corn flavor. The real star of that dessert plate was the bacon mochi cake nestled next to it, drizzled with butterscotch and caramel corn. By now, my head was reeling because it's not often enough a restaurant really is able to balance complicated flavor profiles like this in a good way. Often times it seems like places are opening, having read about trendy flavor profiles or fusion style cuisines without fully understanding the complexity of flavors and how they should balance. So when you go somewhere that has everything on point, it's a reminder about the heights that culinary satisfaction can take. A salty dessert, even a salty dessert with bacon, isn't new by any stretch at this point. But the way that Hot Joy is able to balance the sweet and salty flavors, while pairing the texture of a mochi cake and the crunch of bacon pieces and perfectly popped caramel corn with the creaminess of the ice cream reminds you what it's like when a real pro is doing the work. Don't sleep on the Riesling. Take their advice and pair with one of the many Rieslings available from their impressive collection. The sweet wine and spicy food pair perfectly. So perfectly, in fact, there is a manifesto to Riesling and spicy asian food written on the website and menu. They mean it. They're by the bottle, but they have a huge range of options, giving you some pretty hefty bang for your buck. We were able to score a great bottle for $34. This is definitely the place I'll be taking people for late night eats from here on out. Just because it's midnight doesn't mean you're stuck in the drive thru hustle. This fills such an important niche in this area, on top of being a basically bomb ass restaurant during your regular dinner or lunch times. Get some Hot Joy in your life. read more

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Salt. Oh wait, I'm supposed to write more. Twice fried chicken wings are pretty good but .... salt. Way too much fish sauce and/or salt. Couldn't finish them. Water spinach... Once again, salt. Good flavor but too salty, we couldn't even eat half of this dish. Crispy pork belly. What in the actual f-? This was the most disgusting dish. It reminded me of this nasty "Mexican" "burrito" I got at McDonald's in India one time. So nasty, who approved of this dish and allowed it on the menu? I love Asian food, I love Asian fusion, I however did not love Hot Salt.. Err I mean Hot Joy. Lucky for me, my super sweet boyfriend balanced out the brininess of this unsavory meal. read more

The miserable experience I had at Hot Joy prompted me to make a Yelp, so you would not make the same mistake I made. Clearly, people who have no standards for good service rated this place higher than it deserves. Restaurants requier good service, as well as good food. Frankly, I can make my own soy sauce soaked drum sticks without the condescending waiter to go along with it. One experience included a party of 3 on a week night. I was told that we would be seated next. After continuing to see parties of 2 and 4 get seated before us, I started to verbally express how pethetic it was that a resturant could not accommodate a party of 3. As I became more vocal about my disappointment I was asked me to leave. WORTHLESS. read more

What a fun spot in Southtown! We went for $6 Wing Wednesdays, and wow, they did not disappoint! We also got more... This place is small, with the charm of a fun funky asian food joint. The entrance is full of lush vegetation so don't miss the cool vertical neon sign. The area we sat in is dazzling. Red and gold everywhere. Intricate latticework devides the room and booths into intimate spaces. We sat at a small table with a good view of the action. Everything is casual. Our punk-rock waitress was quick and helpful. We got drinks and recommendations right away. The food was a delicious adventure! After ordering a couple things, first came the tools: and assortment of decorated bowls, spoons, plates, and chopped sticks. We weren't sure what was for what, but then the food started to hit the table and instinct kicked in. The Twice Fried Wings looked huge! They had a satisfying crunch and a unique savory-sweet balanced flavor. Double Miso Ramen was served in a giant bowl, plenty for two. Lapping up the broth and whipping around the noodles with rookie chopstick skills proved entertaining. I would say the fried egg took the dish to the next level, but when doesn't a fried egg make life better? The check was reasonable, darn-near cheap. Can't wait to go back and get a spicy noodle dish I had my eye on! read more

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

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Tell me why this place has come a looooooong way.... well everything is the T. It's really good. The flavors were very the jambalaya fabulous with the Asian spices incorporated. You have to try the zombie drink. It's frozen and emergherd it's so good. Muy bueno. The spam plate is good too. Well pretty much everything. The edamame and steam burns A +++ read more

Hot Joy - Steamed chicken fried buns - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

First the service is horrible. Second the food is way over priced. The double fried Cockroach wings are maybe a 6 out of 10 . The rest is easily forgettable. The decor is nothing more than a garage sale put on the walls painted red. Hot joy likes to get negative reviews removed, I hope one person sees this and avoids this place, Also google hot joy health scores, just dont eat before you do oh look removed, and back. maybe read more

Let me preface my review by saying that I'm not a "foodie". I like food, and I'm not picky, nor am I afraid to try new things. I'm also not afraid to say that something sucks if I believe that's the case. This place, in my opinion, was a $42 waste. We got seated right away, which was nice, but the first thing I noticed was that I couldn't hear my girlfriend. The music was SO LOUD that we had to raise our voices just to have a conversation. I get that it's a bar too, but this was 7PM on a Wednesday... not exactly party time. The server was sweet, and answered our questions, and after she brought our drinks, apparently became invisible (until time for the check, that is). I couldn't even get my drink refilled. The suggestions that I found here on Yelp, as well as those of our server led to us ordering the twice fried chicken, lamb dan dan, and the crispy pork belly. The chicken was the best part of the meal, but like several other posts have suggested, they're so salty. The lamb dan dan wasn't terrible if it was "deconstructed". It seemed like to me that this "fusion" was more like several very rich flavors that were net fusing at all, but colliding in a culinary wreck... each part competing for your taste buds. The lamb chili on it's own wouldn't have been bad had it been served separately from the mushy noodles. The cilantro, peanuts and copious amounts of cheese in there didn't play well together. The server also told us that this dish wasn't spicy. Not true. The girl is sensitive to that stuff and she couldn't eat it. The pork belly on the flat bread was anything but crispy. The server said "pork belly is like bacon, only thicker". While it may be the same cut of meat... bacon, it was not. The pork was basically just fat. Gooey, disgusting fat covered in cheese, on a flatbread that was the most solid thing of the dish. The bread was good (there... I said something nice!) I'll say that this place is definitely different, which is what we were looking for. Sadly we didn't care for what we actually found. Maybe I've turned into an old man, but I truly think the girl & I could have found a much better place in South Town to spend our money. That Mexican food place across the street has pretty good enchiladas... timmy PS- As I write this review after skipping breakfast, it's approaching lunch time and my stomach is still so unsettled, I'm not even interested in eating. read more

Completely overrated -- a total and utter disappointment. I went here with my wife and another couple and nothing -- from the not-even-average cocktails to the bland and downright tasteless appetizers and entrees -- could make me go back. As other reviewers have mentioned, you have to first get over the just downright hipsterness of it all. I'm usually willing to do that if the cooking is good, but this was not the case. The drinks were bland -- no subtlety at all, and sort of even bitter. The "experiments" (as another reviewer called them) aka appetizers and small plates were just nothing that made you want to proceed after the first bite. Service was typically poor, but that's not why I'll actively discourage any friends who mention HJ from going there. I'll mostly do it because this is precisely the kind of place that San Antonio needs LESS of: overpriced, trendy, and just poor food that noone is willing to call out as such for fear of being labeled unhip. To those who defend it -- do yourself a favor and try something like Ilsong Garden, or Thai Dee, or Pho Thien An, or even Golden Wok, if you want to experience somewhat Americanized Asian fare, not this self-styled "Caucasian Asian." read more

Hot Joy is such a cool and fun place. The drinks here are amazing. Love the fact that they have roasted coconut juice. Their cocktails are beyond delicious. They all have an Asian twist to them, making them strange and awesome. The food- utterly fantastic. The ingredients are all quite imaginative and hard to find. We got the chicken wings that were somehow made with crab fat caramel. It was probably the best chicken wings that I've ever had. Utterly delicious. Their selection of fried rice is varied- the dirty fried rice was a bit salty in my opinion, but it was still quite great. Next time, I have to try the cod rice. I really enjoy the decor in here. When you first step into the restaurant, there's a giant chandelier made of paper lanterns, and a huge shelving unit that has all kinds of weird and interesting stuff stacked to the ceiling. If you get a chance, sit in the booths. I really like the way that they make things quieter in an otherwise rather loud restaurant. read more