Loved the giant menu with pictures. The selection of boba teas, smoothies and freezes was like no other. Service was great!

The restaurant is very yellow and very bright so you cannot miss it. The drink menu is extensive with endless possibilities to have, and the food is great. Usually when you order a lot, the waiters are nice enough to let you know it might be a lot of food; which is greatly appreciated!! The prices are great, and the portions of food are extremely big. Best go too chinese restaurant in chinatown when you're craving that chinese food we know. read more

Good mix of oriental food plates. Large portions. Good mix of bubble tea flavors. Appetizer and dessert options. My favorite bubble tea is dragon fruit mango boba. read more

Too many reviews to even matter here so I'll keep it simple. Drinks are delicious and VAST amount of selections/options. Food....portions are HUGE! Flavor....still searching for... @RefereEats "I call it like I eat it" read more

I was bummed when I got to Chinatown and found that MingHin was already closed for the day. The hours on their Yelp page are incorrect! With the help of the Yelp app, my friend and I decided to go to Joy Yee. It seemed like half of the time we spent at the restaurant was dedicated to looking through the menu. It's huge! I had been wanting noodles for a while, so I eventually picked one of the Thai noodle dishes. It looked so good when the server brought it out! It was hot, and there were veggies mixed in with the beef and noodles. Unfortunately, I thought it tasted pretty bland. It definitely could've used more flavor. And I thought it was a bit overpriced. However, I'd return for the drinks! I don't think I'd ever seen such an extensive menu for boba before. It's a bit overwhelming, but I like having options. Since it was a hot day, I picked one of the freeze drinks. I didn't want one that was going to be overly sweet, so I got lychee watermelon. It was just what I was looking for! It was refreshing and light. My friend got a mango freeze, and she loved her drink too. Go here for the drinks, but skip the food! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If I come here, I have my favorite rotation items on lock. If I'm ordering for me, lemongrass wings and kimchi and beef cube fried rice are my go to. If I'm with a group of friends, I'm going to put them onto getting the extra large pho which serves 2-4 people. read more

Best bubble tea and fruit freezes around. They use real fruit, have tons of flavor combos and add-ins such as jellies or tapioca pearls, and the tapioca/boba is always perfectly saturated-never too dry or soft. As for food, it is fairly americanized but portions are large and it's pretty good. When I come to Chinatown I typically prefer to eat somewhere else but stopping at joy yee for boba is a MUST!! read more

In regards to their bubble tea, Joy Yee is a Chinatown staple; they use fresh fruits for their smoothies and their tapioca is always perfectly cooked. Even on a winter afternoon and a relative full restaurant, service was efficient. We stopped in after lunch and ordered a taro black milk tea with tapioca. I had actually never had their warm teas until today. For two people to share, the quantity was plenty and the tea was the right temperature--not too hot for cold. It also wasn't too sweet either although they do use taro powder like most, if not all, bubble tea shops. I know I'll be coming back the next time I'm in Chinatown! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - The container and size of their warm milk teas - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

While there aren't a ton of decent bubble tea restaurants in the city, my Asian friends and I agree that Joy Yee is a favorite among the group. For one, you can literally see the employees make the smoothies in front of you...unlike some of the other restaurants that make it in the back with who knows what and how clean they are. Joy Yee also uses real fruits instead of powder to make the smoothies. I once had a powdered watermelon smoothie from another restaurant, and it's not the same. Never again. *shudders* The drinks here are around the $4-$5 price range. My go-to drinks are the watermelon or cantaloupe smoothies with tapioca. While there is a food menu, I usually only go here for the drinks. In the summer, they have a to-go window outside the restaurant to minimize the crowd buildup inside. When the to-go window is closed, it can become somewhat of a fire hazard since they have the ordering stations placed at the entrance of the restaurant. The restaurant has bright lights and furniture. This is a great spot for groups, but not so much for a date. It's also great for when you just want to grab a drink to go. read more

I have been coming to this Joy Yee location for about 29 years and it has always been great. I visited this location this weekend. I ordered the Joy Yee appetizer platter, Korean Kim chi beef, lemon grass chicken with garlic noodles, lemon grass pork chop, shrimp lo mein and an order of chicken fried rice. Everything was delicious and had big portions. I ended up taking four containers home. They now have outdoor seating which was nice on a summer afternoon. I will always be a Joy Yee customer. read more

5 stars for bubble tea. Not sure about the food. They have fresh fruit ingredients and because it is well known for that, they're able to sustain the fresh fruit bubble tea place. I typically get triple berry with lychee jelly. Since lychee jelly itself is sweet, you can customize sugar level as no sugar, half sugar, or less sugar. Can't go wrong with Joy Yee's bubble tea! Always great no matter when and who makes it. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - 25oz cups don't fit in the car drink holder - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

When I was introduced to Bubble Tea I didn't really know what to expect. After a trip to China town, my friends wanted to get some before we headed home. The first time I went to Joy Yee, I got the mango bubble tea with tapioca pearls. I must admit, the little pearls going up the straw kind of freaked me out but to my surprise, they were delicious! I like how I can bite them while I'm drinking the tea. There was a lot of them though, so the next time I went, I told them easy on the pearls and they made it perfect! Now, anytime I got get some Dim Sum at MingHin or Cai, I always stop by for my little "dessert". I have yet to try their food though. read more

Very bad attitude of employees. Will be a good business practise to train them on how to interact with the customers.

Usually when I come to Chinatown, I go for dim sum at MingHin, but it was so crowded I just sat down at Joy Yee. I was pleasantly surprised by my eel stone bowl! They could definitely stand to add in some more veggies but for the price I was happy with the flavor and portion size! The whole establishment is very clean and modern, so it doesn't feel like it would deliver a non commercial, authentic flavor, but I thought the food was great. I'll come back if I want a quick eat. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Every one I know who goes to Chicago has to hit this place up when they are there. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. The restaurant was really crowded so I thought it would be good, but for me the food was too salty. There were so many choices it's really hard to choose, but I ended up going with the Garlic Shrimp Soft Pasta. The bubble was really good though. I would go again for the bubble but not so sure about the food. read more

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This review is based solely on their boba/bubble tea from the window. I came here 2 days in a row and it was packed nonstop! I had the matcha and hubby had the mango. I loved how fresh it tasted. I could taste the real fruit of the mango in his drink. Thank you for doing bubble tea well! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Matcha green tea and mango boba. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Very rude service. If you want to order take out worth a few hundred $ out while drinking bubble tea you will be asked to leave and wait outside. The restaurant was 80% empty. Spoke to the server, manager followed up by saying the exact same thing that we will need to leave after paying. Apparently 2 people take up some much of their precious space. Extremely rude - must be doing too well for their own good. read more

Was reallllly excited to this place cause I'm a boba addict. The menu was so extensive I had a really hard time choosing what I wanted to get! The line was really long so that's how I judge if a place is bound to be good or not. I ended up getting watermelon slush with lychee jelly and it was bomb. My cousin got taro milk tea with boba. Her's was good too! I love the size of the cup and I had to take a picture! They know what they're doing. Will def come here when I return to Chicago! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First time here, large group, great food and service. Came here with 9 people, we all ordered our own drinks and split 6 entrees, perfect amount of food for that many people. All the food was great, tried a beef hot plate, orange chicken, some chicken noodle dish and a couple fried rice; all very good. It could have been five stars, but as it was my first time ordering these types of drinks, I ordered the Vietnamese iced coffee, I'm a big fan of Thai iced coffee so wanted to compare. The waiter suggested I get a topping, recommended the coffee jelly. While the flavor of the iced coffee was very good, the taste and texture of the coffee jelly was about the most disgusting thing I've ever had in my mouth. Completely ruined the drink, I don't understand who would ever order that on purpose and I feel the waiter should know better, lol. read more

Be aware of paying by credit/ debit card. Check your total amount in your posted statement. They automatically charged me extra $5 for tipping. First couple times, I think maybe they are making mistakes but it happens more frequently. This is fraud. read more

I'm pretty simple to please. The food may be a bit pricey but at the end of the day, I just want to be full and satisfied. The food surprising arrives fast and in great condition. read more

Very tasty but overpriced boba drinks. I tried the thai milk tea and the taro boba drinks. They were both very good and fresh and the boba tasted great but the prices are like 7$ for a drink which is nuts. read more

Visited for the 1st time today. Menu was a bit pricey but fortunately we scored the lunch special which had many sides included. I came with my kids and was hoping for a kids menu but they do not have so decided to split up 2 full meals. The Basil Shrimp and the Shrimp noodles were very good with crisp fresh vegetables. The Bubble Sodas and slushes were delicious and nicely sized for the price. We had 3 drinks and 2 lunch specials with tip for $49, so again not cheap but satisfying. We would come back again when in the area. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

completely fair prices and GIANT bubble teas. lots more vegetarian options than lots of places on the square! not super complex flavors but very yum. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - boba menu - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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A good meal was ruined by the waiter. We had just finished eating and were sitting there talking when he came up to us and told us to leave because the table was needed. The only people waiting were picking up carryout, and there were several other open tables anyway. Super rude and unprofessional!! read more

The worst experience I've had in Chinatown. I used to love this place due to their large portion sizes and excellent quality. I can say with confidence that the place has gone downhill. Service was poor and had an excruciating long wait before food was served. All the nearby tables got food before us - despite having ordered AFTER us. I got the teriyaki chicken hot plate. The food was extremely salty and the chicken seemed like it was freezer burned and just dropped in a vat of soy sauce. Last time I ever come here. Can find much better alternatives at pretty much any other restaurant in Chinatown. read more

Joy Yee Noodle - 414. Teriyaki Fried Chicken Hot Plate - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Soup was great but not a lot of beef in it. I love the veggies we ordered and good portioning but a little too much noodles

Never disappointed with this place. The menu is huge and could be overwhelming but the pictures help. I love the extreme selection of drink concoctions and have to always order two. We tried so many dishes but only posted a few of my favorite! Always a must every time in Chicago. read more

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I came here because my friends during college used to frequent this place coming 2 hours a way from MI. I would've given them 4 stars if it wasn't for one of the dishes we ordered. We had curry, great, orange tofu- amazing... a Lo mein they never delivered, beef cubes over rice - great.. vegetable fried rice - good. Then came the spicy beef shank noodle soup. There are a trillion Asian places in California that do versions of this Taiwanese soup. When this soup came out it smelled terrible! It smelled like dirty dish water mixed with rotten seafood (no seafood in the dish) plus fermenting cat piss. I took one small sip of the soup and asked them to remove the bowl. I couldn't even stand the smell. I paid for it, because I thought maybe they made the soup by boiling intestines and there just happened to be poo still in them. Regardless it was terrible. Service - my friend had lipstick on the glass told the waiter. He brought it back saying that it's a permanent stain and that he should just drink it... what?!?!? Throw out that 50 cent dirty ass lip stick cup and just bring a new one!! Next they forgot our lo mein dish. Not crucial because we were full, but still another lapse in service. The real kicker is he brought a lipstick covered water cup back to the damn table. Who does that?!? Had high hopes was sorely disappointed... read more

Food tasteless Server not friendly Service extremely bad the milk tea is good but still the cashier was not willing to assist customers. Worst experience you can get as a customer. just go next door and you can get better service and food at the same time. Such arrogant people. read more

I have gone here every time we spend a mini vacay in chi town, and it's usually a hit or miss on their drinks. I felt when we first arrived and dined in, we had soups and drinks were awesome. I had the apple cooler lychee, to me it was a apple jolly rancher spritzer. Honestly phenomenal for a hot day. We had a soup very close to pho except I was confused when the server ask for traditional noodles or rice noodles. I asked for rice and I got vermicelli noodles, just a heads up. We got the salt and pepper squid, the tentacles were HUGE and I mean fat on steriods. The salt and pepper seasoning was so bad for you but omg so goooood. Came back on our last day of our trip and ordered drinks through their outside window, waited maybe 5-10 mins and I swear all of our groups drinks were gross. We all had everything from milk tea to smoothies and it lacked the fruit flavor. I ordered a strawberry sprite, thinking it was an infused flavor sprite, nope. Watered down FLAT sprite with some chunks of sour ass strawberries. Cmon! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We've been going here whenever we go to Chicago and we have always liked their food. They serve big portions, they have good pho, the service is topnotch and the bobba in their milk teas are the best you can have because its chewy as how it should be. The 2 stars I didn't give is for the cleanliness of the place more specifically their bathroom. The men's bathroom last night, July 30th, was so horrible! It smells so bad and the source is the unflushed toilet bowl.. that's the worst Bathroom I've been to in a restaurant. It was too late to back out and I'm just hoping it didn't carry through their kitchen. I hope the management can take care of their bathroom. read more

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Came in for a work related lunch. This place handles large parties very well. Service was great, food was good, you definitely get plenty, and get your moneys worth. Menu is extensive, sure you'll find something you like. I got a fruit lemonade which was very good. Have to come back once I decide on what kind of smoothie I want because it's that many to choose from. They validate if you park in the lot as well. I'm happy! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Teriyaki Chicken Hot Plate - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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One of my favorite places to go to when I'm in Chicago. I absolutely loveeeeee the smoothies from here. There is also a huge variety in smoothies and bubble tea here from avocado to strawberries. They have a separate area to order drinks so it is really efficient. The food here is great as well. There are so many options to choose from and it is right in the middle of Chinatown Square. The prices are moderately priced and around the same price as other bubble tea and smoothie places you would find in the area. read more

This place came strongly suggested by a friend. We ordered online. When we went to pick up the service was so smooth and they were really busy! We loved everything we got! And will be back soon to try other things on the menu!! read more

This place is OK for a Midwest American person to go to because they've never had anything Asian food that's better so this will be just mediocre and they don't even know what they're missing. As for Midwest Asians, it's just a spot to go to for your "at the moment hunger." You can call me wrong but it's so true! Because I was once a Midwest Asian but now I've got the taste buds of a LA Asian!!! (I think).... Point is when there are more options, there's bound to be more competition to strive for better food and better service. Midwest definitely lack options. I've been here about 3 times and one of the visits was visiting Illinois after living in California for few years. Being spoiled with many options and delicious LA food, Joy Yee suddenly seem so ....... ehhh. Other surrounding Chinese restaurants are actually not too shabby compare to Joy Yee The reason why I'm giving it 3 instead of 2 due to the fact that on my last visit, I ordered this appetizer dish which was pretty good. Don't even talk about boba drinks here, as I recall they were not good so I didn't even bother to order any at my last visit. My brother has never been to California so he's never had good boba drinks and the sad soggy boba balls and icy powdery tasting juice EVERYWHERE in CHICAGO was satisfying the crap out of my poor little brother.... One thing drives me bonkers is that they don't have pricing on their menu! We went in just to grab a tiny snack right before our dinner reservation at another place and it came out to be close to $20! read more

Joy Yee Noodle - Hot & sour soup. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This would probably be a higher rating if I was reviewing just for the drinks. Seriously, it's the most intensive and ridiculous selection of beverages I've ever seen at a boba shop and it's awesome. My watermelon smoothie was made with fresh watermelons and would be perfect for a hot summer day (especially the ones in Texas). I should've bought another to go.. Anyways, on to the rest: the service was a little cold but quick considering how packed the place was. It took us a while to get through the giant menu and all its options though we discovered that there were many repeats and it became less daunting. We ordered a mango and soft shell crab spring roll (DELICIOUS), Szechwan/chili wontons (nothing too special), a honey pepper Korean-type short rib (I think), beef chow fun (liked the fat flat noodles but not much else in this dish), and Szechwan string beans. Again, nothing with the food blew me away (except for the spring rolls) and I can think of better dishes or versions of the dishes I had. Chicago is a pretty awesome city so I'm hoping to be back to visit sometime soon. When I do, I'll definitely be back for some drinks but maybe skip out on the food that time. read more

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This is my go to boba place when I am in Chicago. It's so good. And I always try something new because there are so many options. Literally so good. The last time milk tea with boba and milk pudding and they put it a bigger cup. I was shocked. But honestly, so good. There's other boba places around but Joy Yee is the place to go in China Town. With so many options, I don't think you can be steered wrong. I haven't had the food here but boba is a must! I like that there's a separate area to order your drinks from the restaurant. read more

After obliterating my hunger for Cantonese eats across the street, my girlfriend insisted that we stop by the infamous Joy Yee's for one of their coveted bobba tea smoothies. For years, I've heard my Asian homies, from both Mil-town and the Twin Cities spread the bobba gospel by saying this joint is the Mecca of all things smoothie. Supposedly, Joy Yee's is to bobbas, like how Five Pointz was for graffiti art. ***** I ordered a honeydew (my favorite flavor) with tapioca pearls. My refreshing, ice-cold, generously sized, and naturally sweet bobba drank made our stroll through Chinatown, in the scorching 90-something degree weather, much more bearable. Not to mention, I could take my mind off the humidity by trying to eat up the coarsely chopped pieces of real fruit floating around. And for about five dolla holla, it was a great deal. I wish I could've tried some of their food, but that'll have to wait until next time. Always leave room for a bobba smoothie from Joy Yee's, if you're in Chicago's Chinatown. read more

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I've been to many Joy Yees locations in Evanston, Naperville, and the one around UIC, but I gotta say this is the one I keep coming back to. So good! They can get pretty busy so make sure you come early. Here's what I got: 1) basil chicken over rice (crispy basil chicken over a bed of rice with a drizzle of mayonnaise on top) 2) Korean short ribs 3) chap chae with soondubu (noodles with spicy tofu soup) 4) avocado smoothie 5) apple/kiwi smoothie with mango poppings 6) soft shell crab curry stone bowl Everything was delicious especially the avocado smoothie! I was really surprised because I've only had it in savory preparations. For the price you pay, the portions are enormous! I love it because I always end up taking food home to look forward to. The space is much larger now as they have expanded the space. There is also a window on the outside of the restaurant so during the summer, you can drop by and grab a smoothie when you're on the go! Joy Yees is a Chicago institution that everyone should try! read more