Disclaimer: my review is only for the bubble tea/boba. I can't speak for the food. Bubble tea here only comes in one size - a short, obnoxious cup that you cannot comfortably grasp or fit in a traditional car cup holder. Yeah, they look cool at first glace and for pictures I guess but the novelty dies off fast. The "mini pearls" here are actually basil seeds. Mini pearls are a totally different thing - I'm not sure why Joy Yee calls basil seeds "mini pearls"... I opted for the passionfruit green tea and it was awful. The flavor was totally off. Not good tea at all. It was so bad that I did not finish it. I practically threw $5 in the trash. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Passionfruit green tea with "mini pearls" aka basil seeds... - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love they food lol great people nice joint to go out when eat the food was fresh and hot definitely my spot must go lol read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Spicy chicken - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

ALWAYS a fantastic visit. The restaurant is typically always busy but the line goes by extremely fast. This is always my go to spot for when taking friends or family out for Chinese food. HANDS DOWN; best bubble tea there is. There are a TON of different flavors but you can never go wrong because they make it super easy with the menu having pictures of everything! The portions are HUGE so make sure you remember that this place is meant for family style dining. Don't let you hungry eyes fool you because you will ALWAYS have left overs no matter what. The food comes out fairly quickly as well! read more

Okay. I have been going to Joyee when it just started. From Evanston to Naperville and now Chinatown and Tinley Park. It was a go to place like a hidden gem as you call it bc of variety and big portions. They became popular with their boba fruit freeze and milk tea. Now I came.back just to have avocado freeze ... oh boy HIGHWAY ROBBERY, my avocado freeze with boba was $7.25. !!!Seriously? This is not a melt in your mouth Cheesecake that takes hours to make it''s basically frozen water that you put in a blender and some fruit which cost probably a dollar then blend together with sugar syrup! C'mon even the tapioca is basically gelatinous flavored balls. I get it if you need to churn some kind of cream and use some special ice. that smokes! I don't know, you lost me Joyee on your hefty price tag of fruit freezes. read more

Hands down one of the best boba spots in Chicago! Such a large variety to choose from and with fresh fruit. The food is also very good and portions are good enough for 2 people. read more

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Bland boba, good tea. Variety of flavors. You can order outside at the pickup window, no need to step inside. Year round service. read more

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NOODLE PERFECTION, AVERAGE FOOD We went here for lunch Monday, July 15, 2019. I ordered the Pad Thai shrimp and chicken dish. The shrimp was overcooked, but it was large. I found 4 shrimp buried in the massive amount of noodles. The noodles were firm and cooked to perfection. Noodle perfection. There was plenty of chicken breast. The chicken was moist and tasty. The dish was flavorful with translucent onions, scallions, peanuts and one tiny wedge of lime. It was nicely presented. We ordered a dumpling appetizer filled with beef. The appetizer was bland. It was not fresh. It went from the freezer to the fryer. The appetizer arrived 5 minutes after the main course. My husband ordered pork (served with steamed rice and loads of veggies). He gave his dish 4 stars. Portions are very generous. I took half my food home. There were lots of bus boys standing very close to our table (about 6 guys) speaking in their native language. They stood there the entire time we dined at the restaurant. It was a very uncomfortable, weird feeling. Every once in a while they would disband in order to clear and clean a table. Then, regroup and continue their conversation about 2 feet away from our table. Service was average. We received water refills without asking for more water. Extra napkins were dropped off at the table -- literally tossed onto the table. The food wasn't very memorable. We hadn't been to China Town in 30 years. Will we return again? Maybe in 30 more years -- by that time I might be dead. LOL! Finally, I didn't feel welcomed here. We were the only non-Asian couple in the restaurant. Parking in this area is very challenging. We managed to find a legal spot after driving around for 15 minutes. The area is "Pay to Park." My review is based on several factors: service, food, ambiance, price point, parking. We didn't have dessert. We only had water. The noodles were perfectly cooked. Service was average. Two main entrees; one appetizer: $37 (excluding tip). read more

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I had wonderful memories of this place from when I was a wee lad. Alas, memories are just that -- memories. I remember thinking that the boba here was so beautiful and godly I couldn't wait to have another when I came to Chinatown. I ordered a Thai tea and my friend ordered some standard tea. Oh my God. The tea here is WAY TOO SWEET. They didn't even ask us for sugar or ice levels. I thought this was the modern boba industry. What happened? Also, they changed their cups and now they are comically big. I cannot NOT hold the cup with two hands. It is literally a soup bowl. Disappointing. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Anothaaa great spot in Chinatown. The menu here is INSANE. I've never seen thiiiiiis many options in my life. Spring rolls? Kung pao chicken? Lo mein? You name it, they have it. Not only do they serve Chinese food but they also have a variety of other Asian dishes including pad Thai and Korean BBQ short ribs. The best part about their menu is that they include pictures! We ordered the: - Fried gyoza (10 pieces) - Vietnamese B platter (came with sugar cane shrimp, chicken wings, lemongrass pork, rice noodles, and some pickled vegetables) - Stir-fry udon w/ beef brisket - Schezwan beef - Pho The stir-fry udon w/ beef brisket was SOLID. My favorite out of all the dishes we ordered. The fried gyoza and Schezwan beef were pretty good as well. However, I'll pass on the Vietnamese platter next time. It's enormous but I didn't think it was really worth $18. I didn't try the pho, so can't really say anything about it except that I thought it was kind of weird that they put radish in it. After our meal, we decided to get bubble tea. I chose the taro (my go-to flavor at any boba shop) and instantly regretted it after I took a sip. It wasn't good at all, and I ended up throwing the rest away. I'm usually not too picky but the flavor was completely off. Waste of $6. On our way out, I noticed that they used fresh fruits like strawberries and mangoes, which I wish I would have known so I would have ordered one of those flavors instead. The tapioca however were great. Chewy and soft. I will be back to try a different flavor! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Beer brisket stir fry udon noodle & spicy Szechwan beef - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Joy Yee is okay, not my go-to restaurant in Chinatown. The food is okay, but it's not memorable. Also, their fruit freezes, smoothies, and boba are actually pretty good but I'm not the biggest fan of their newest and fatter cup designs. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - mango and dragonfruit freeze with basil seeds and tapioca - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's exactly what it is. Fun with friends. Large portions of food. But the highlight are the smoothies. Order anything. It's clean simple tasty fare. And the price is reasonable. Great for college parties. All smoothies are great. But There is only one way to enjoy it. Mango smoothie with mango pudding and tapioca. Thank me later. read more

When in Chinatown, you can definitely get overwhelmed by the options to choose from for food, drinks, desserts, etc. I came out to Joy Yee Noodle because I've been to other locations and I liked their drinks, so that's how I came to choose this drink joint compared to the dozen others in Chinatown! The layout of this place is pretty nice - the drinks table is right in the front so if you're only coming for your milk tea fix, no need to sit. There's other seating areas in the restaurant for those who actually want to buy a meal from Joy Yee though! There's only one size for the drinks (it's a chubby cup but I'm not sure of the oz). I ordered a taro milk tea with lychee jelly and it came out to a little over $6 - which is the typical price for milk tea in the Chicago area. Overall, it was a quick process. When I came there was definitely a line but they are very quick to get orders and get those drinks made, so I waited no longer than 5 minutes. I would come here again because I know their drinks will always be good, but a good part of me wants to try the numerous other boba joints in the Chinatown area as well. Regardless, I highly recommend for anyone overwhelmed by the choices at Chinatown because the few times I've tried the milk tea, I haven't been disappointed! read more

The food was not good at all , the noodles took about half hour , the egg drop soup had no flavor . Very disappointed to be honest , read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very surprised at how terrific the Chicago Chinatown is as this was my first experience there. The beef cubes, honey pepper short ribs, orange chicken and crab rangoon are amongst the best that I've had. The smoothies or fruit freezes with boba are extremely popular and well worth the wait. read more

Go here for the bubble tea, maybe stay for the food? If you like smoothie/fruit slushy bubble tea like I do then this place is for you, it's my favorite for that! The food is decent with decent portions, but it's nothing spectacular and a little expensive. I've enjoyed my dishes there but would probably only go out of my way to go to Joy yee if I was going for the drinks. It's always crowded which is a good sign, but be prepared to wait a bit (though it goes pretty quickly). read more

The food was great, wait wasn't long, portions were generous, but the bobas left us desiring a bit more flavor. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Can't stop won't stop getting taro smoothies w/boba from Joy Yee. We get at least one every time we come to Chicago, and every time it's the best smoothie I've ever have. They have tons of flavors for smoothies and milk teas, and there's lots of topping choices too (boba, strawberry popping boba, mango popping boba, blueberry popping boba, and lots more like jellies, puddings, etc). When it's warm out (or during coronavirus), you walk up to the window and order. When it's super cold or bad weather you come inside to do the same. It's pretty fast to get drinks, although there's usually a wait because everyone knows this is the real deal. So be prepared for that. Ingredients are fresh and beautiful. No fillers. Just the goods. I'm usually not much of a smoothie person, but this place makes dreams come true. Try it! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Taro smoothie with boba - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I mainly go here for the bobas but the few times I've had their food I can say it's pretty good. The service is pretty fast and organized. Not too sure how the dine in service is because I usually get take out. read more

The restaurant was super busy around dinner time when we went. Fortunately, they have two floors for seating so you'll never have to wait that long. The service was super fast and everything came out looking amazing. I ordered the Korean Beef Kimchi which was amazing. The Kimchi tasted delicious and had the authentic kimchi taste. I've just recently started exploring the frozen fruit smoothies. I got a watermelon freeze and it was the best smoothie I've had in a while. I recommend mixing the fruit flavors and finding what works for you. Overall the restaurant was fast and efficient. Everything tasted amazing and I hope to visit again soon. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Beef 814. Korean Kimchi Beef Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This review is for the food only as I do enjoy their drinks. Foods are not good, not authentic at all and very salty and high in msg. Would not recommend their foods. FYI we got pad Thai, seafood chow fun, shrimp fried rice and beef udon read more

Great place to take a large group. The portions are huge and the food comes out very quickly. On a Saturday night be prepared with your order, because everything comes out pretty quickly. They recently expanded the main dining area so they can accommodate more people. I ordered the veggie fried rice and Thai curry chicken, I had leftovers for two days. read more

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This review was meant for the NAPERVILLE LOCATION, NOT CHINATOWN. Have no idea why it reverts only to CHINATOWN We ordered for pick up last night. It was my first time, but my friend orders from there regularly. The food I picked up was very good, but the cashier was pushy and mean. And for almost $60 you'd think you'd at least get a fortune cookie. read more

Milk tea was delicious. The coconut drink was overly sweet buy the rainbow jelly was good. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Coconut with rainbow jelly - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came here for lunch with a friend when we were in town this past summer. We came on a Sunday afternoon, so every place in Chinatown was packed and/or had long wait times to get a table. We opted to come here instead as they had little to no wait as they had a huge dining area with a pretty steady flow of diners leaving and coming. This restaurant is quite large, and it was very, very busy inside. Both my friend and I had opted for drinks off of their extensive boba menu, and I decided to get an order of their garlic shrimp noodles, sans shrimp, while my friend opted for another option. Our food took a little while to come out, but our drinks came out quickly. I got their avocado fruit freeze, which was decent enough. As for the food, I thought my dish was okay, just very heavy and one note. My friend had not voiced any issues with her meal, though. Perhaps it would be better to come by here for their drinks as opposed to their actual food, but I'd still be willing to come back if I ever found myself in the area again. read more

Not sure where all the rave reviews are coming from, went for late lunch for 2 people and our bill was $68 for TWO people. Food was super salty and service meh.... PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BILL! They automatically add a service fee of 18%. We were TWO people and we know how to tip...and then when they bring you the bill there's a tip line. Feel free to give them more money if your service & food was amazing, but ours was not and the not so subtle "service fee" was shady read more

We have come here before and the food was great, but we recently went to eat and found a baby cockroach in our shrimp garlic noodles. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great restaurant! Fast service and amazing boba. Got the strawberry boba with extra boba. It was really good. Also got the beef brisket udon noodles. It was really great and the sauce was amazing. The portions are really big and the price is very reasonable read more

I haven't been here is years but it's not as good as I recall. My daughter is a boba lover and they have an extensive boba menu that I knew she'd love. That was a huge hit for sure. The food was just so so. I liked the crab Rangoon, they were fresh and a good size. The fried rice was good once a little soy sauce was added. The pad Thai was so so. I didn't have any of the egg drop soup but they said it lacked flavor as well. I might give them one one shot by trying something different on the menu. Someone had wings and they looked really crispy and yummy. So I'd say come for the boba for sure. read more

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Just as good as I remember it being when I first came here nearly 20 years ago. Stuffing your face full of food and then waiting in the frigid temperatures for the perfect boba post meal brought back all the nostalgia. The cups for bubble tea are insanely massive - you really can't go wrong with any choice. read more

In Chinatown, south of the Loop. This Pan Asian cuisine have every asian plate you can think of. The best items are the Beef Kalbi, Pad Thai Noodles, and Rice Vermicelli. They also have an endless list of specialty drinks aka smoothies/slushes with delicious add-ons like lychee, boba, jelly, and fruit. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The boba tea we got here after eating at Phoenix was delicious. I ordered a mango boba tea and I was pleased. It definitely was made by real fruit. I've had plenty of boba tea and this one wasn't powdery or super sweet. The atmosphere was pretty small but it was nice. Very hectic. There were a lot of people in one spot including people waiting in the foyer for just boba tea. Would definitely recommend if you need something sweet to drink! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Boba tea! - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Whenever I'm in the vicinity of a Joy Yees, I make it a point to stop by and pick up some bubble tea. While dining in China Town, I knew I needed to pick myself up a drink and decided on the Mango Guava with Strawberry popping. Yum!! Love the fresh fruit. The strawberry popping can be described as little juice filled balls that "popped" once you bit into them. It's definitely not chewing like boba. The place itself was busy, but not packed. The line for boba was constantly filling back up, but service was fast. I remember going to the original China Town location years (decades) ago. It started off as this small restaurant that was constantly packed. The place and popularity has grown so much. Prices have definitely gone up, especially on food. read more

The sister wanted to try this place so we came here for lunch. Our server greeted us immediately and showed us to our table. The food didn't take long to come out and the area is pretty clean. HERBAL MILK TEA TAPIOCA The tea itself was way too sweet. The herbal jelly was soft and chewy, but overall flavor was too overwhelming sweet and you can't really taste the tea flavor. DURIAN TAIPOCA FREEZE This drink was refreshing and had a bold durian flavor. Anyone who enjoys the fruit will appreciate this drink. The boba was chewy and had the perfect consistency. Our lunch started with a PORK EGG ROLL and the SOUP OF THE DAY. The eggroll was light and crispy. It wasn't oily and the flavor was decent with little bits of filling. The soup of the day was a hot and sour soup, which I did not like at all. It was more of a sour flavor and not my cup of soup. MALAYSIAN SPICY STRING BEANS This dish was really good. I love the savory shrimp paste flavor. It was very savory and the beans were still crisp. I would order this again. CHAP CHAE NOODLES I didn't like this dish. It didn't taste like chap chae at all. The noodles were beginning to stick all together and the flavor was just off. The pieces of meat were tender, but sadly it also had the same flavor overall. The dish was bland and what flavor it had was just lackluster in spice and seasoning. VIETNAMESE EGG ROLL VERMICELLI NOODLES The sister and I really liked this dish. The sauce really held everything together. It was sweet with the perfect hint of saltiness and heat. The pickled veggies came the dish some acidity and overall, everything was good. You got different textures with the noodles, the veggies, the meat, and the nuts. The flavors were all on point. I would order this again. Overall, the sister and I enjoyed our lunch and left full with lots of food leftover. It was a good place and they offer a variety of dishes and drinks. We might come back next time we're in the area. read more

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I can only speak for the drinks and not the food, but I did not like their Rose Milk Tea. The rose flavoring tasted very artificial and the drink was just overall disappointing. I also had Brown Sugar Boba add-on which was NOT the normal tapioca bubbles I thought I had ordered. It was almost a crunchy texture instead of the chewy texture I had expected. They have a massive drinks menu, slightly overwhelming, but lots of options to choose from. My friends were happier with their drinks, so maybe I just picked the wrong drink item. read more

They have so many drink options! I've had the thai milk tea and coconut and banana smoothie with boba and both were V good and I highly recommend. They do not have milk substitutes. The food here is also very good and fresh, compared to most asian fast food take-out places. My go-to order is pineapple shrimp and chicken fried rice. It's not super oily, which I like. And they give you a ton for about $13. I always have plenty of left overs. I've also tried the chicken chow mein and brisket udon. I'd recommend the chicken chow mein. The chicken/veggies and the chow mein come in different containers, so you'll have to mix it. The brisket had a lot of fat on it, but the udon noodles were good. Our order on a Saturday afternoon took about 15 minutes to be ready. The drinks were done much quicker. Note: I've only every ordered to-go/delivery, so my review is based on that perspective. read more

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I came here with a couple friends on a Friday night and it was pretty crowded. We waited about 10 minutes for a table and after we were seated, there was a huge line of people waiting. Let's just say... the menu is HUGE. In size and in what they offer. They offer a variety of items from Chinese to Vietnamese to Korean to Thai... And they have about 200 different milk teas and slushies and fruit teas. I went with a taro milk tea with pearls and a green curry with tofu and vegetables. The taro milk tea was a little too powdery, but the taste was pretty good! The green curry, however, was absolutely delicious and the portions were huge! I could eat it for about three meals! It came with so many veggies and fried tofu as well. I was pretty surprised that even though they offer so many different dishes, each one of them still tastes authentic. Service is what you'd expect from any Asian restaurant, and though prices are a little high, I think it's worth it because the portions are so big! read more

I am Jewish - meaning I can't have pork, and my friends are all Muslim (can't have pork either). We ordered a beef broth pho/ beef broth as well as a few other chicken dishes. Made sure broth was beef. Fast forward to that afternoon, everyone has a stomach ache. Called to ask about the broth and if it's beef ....the gentleman says " It's beef it is...wellllll.....sometimes we mix pork broth with the beef broth. WHAAAAT! but we double checked while we were there. I been having the pho / meat broth here for years now. So you're telling me you lied about the meat you use in your broth? This makes me think all the other meats must not be what menu says. BE AWARE! This goes against my religion and basic human rights. To at least know what you're eating. Terrible. I'll never be back! read more

A ton of food options that can be very overwhelming when choosing what to eat. It's a decent place to go but I probably wouldn't go again.

Haven't been here for food, but as far as I'm concerned, the bubble tea options are expansive and delicious. Got a dragon fruit/pitaya + watermelon slush with basil seeds. I also love coming for their avocado smoothie! Everything is always super fresh, and the bubbles are soft and chewy. Probably in the top tier of bubble tea you can get in Chicago. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love this Asian fusion restaurant. The food selection could either come from Chinese, Malay, or Thai origin. They even serve Boba or bubble teas, that not too many Chinese restaurant are serving. Since this is a very popular restaurant, there requires a reservation for a table. Depending on the time of the day, you can enter through quickly during lunch or fall in line for some time by dinner. My favorite dish here is the bone marrow soup, beef and shrimp egg roll vermicelli, pad Thai, Singapore noodles etc. I love the use of white tables, ambient lighting, and chairs here. It creates harmony and does set the mood for a good dinner. Love their branch in Chinatown. I would bring any visitors around town in this restaurant. read more