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    Joys' Cafe

    3.4 (54 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Joys' Cafe Photos

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    JOYS' CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Joys' Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos - Joys' Cafe

    Albert K.

    Breakfast value is good value here. Only $8.95 with a milk tea for a full macaroni dish. Enjoyed the macaroni and soup.

    Beef chow fun
    Sheena T.

    Surprised they have only 3.5 stars! This is one of the better HK style cha chaan tangs with reasonable prices and fast service. Almost everything we ordered was a 5/5. 1. Beef chow fun - 4/5: it had the nice Smokey "wok hei" flavor atypical of Hong Kong wok cooking, though I've had better elsewhere as well 2. Mini pineapple bun with butter - 5/5: the buns were not too sweet and the butter melted (not the hardened thick butter I sometimes see in the buns) 3. French toast - 5/5: a nice touch of the HK style French toast drizzled with chocolate, condensed milk, and peanut butter layer. Yum! 4. Hong Kong Milk Tea: 5/5: super smooth and silky, it feels thoughtfully brewed and traditional. 5. Portuguese egg tart: 5/5: not too sweet with a delightfully crispy exterior! 6. Baked pork chop rice: 5/5: came out piping hot with tender pork chops. Just right in terms of sauciness! Would definitely return! All of this was $55! Love Chinatown prices.

    Amanda W.

    Review only for egg tart takeout ! I did not try the food I loved their egg tart. And definitely one to go back many many times for. The egg tarts remind me of my childhood. It has and will always be my favorite food of all time. Even hubby loved this egg tart and declared it the best. Perfect flaky crispy crust with a buttery egg center! Absolute perfection. Plotting our return back.

    Lemon ice tea
    Johnny Y.

    Joy Café is a Hong Kong style restaurant in Chinatown. They definitely have a lot of classic Hong Kong dishes that many Will like, they also have some of their own signature dishes such as the black cha siu. We ordered the lemon iced tea, the French toast, the baked chicken over rice, the beef stew lo mein, and the beef and tomato over rice. We also ordered their signature black char sui and some chicken wings, but they never came nor did our waiter ever bother to tell us. The service here was par. The one serving us clearly didn't want to be there that night which was unfortunate. She didn't even bother to inform us that the 2 dishes weren't coming. Instead she just refunded us without even telling us that was the situation. Overall the food was good. It's hard these days finding legit hk food in NY. Most of the time they're fusion of some sort or mix Asian of some other region. This place kept it with the classics and added some new ones on the menu. Just wished we got to try them. I still will come back and try their other dishes. Just hope we don't get the same server.

    Seafood carbonara
    Serena C.

    Food was okay: Seafood Carbona: 7/10 good portion, good amount of seafood in it, but I'm looking for more. I think it would be nice if there was bacon or another flavor profile or texture to it. Milk tea: 6/10 solid, and not sweet so u can add sugar to your preference. Would prefer more tea flavor rather than milk. Egg tart: 8/10 creamy on the inside, flaky. solid but not life changing Service: severs were not very attentive. We weren't greeted and it took some extra work to get their attention to get our seats. Ambiance: comfortable and cute and clean.

    Maxwell L.

    A new trendy Hong Kong style cafe within Manhattan's Chinatown. Food: I had the wonton noodles, baked seafood spaghetti, mini pineapple buns with butter, and Portuguese egg tart. Also had to of course get a HK style hot milk tea. The tea was perfectly creamy with a hint of that dark chocolatey taste of a strong brew. A little dabble of sugar made it perfect. The wonton noodles and baked seafood spaghetti were tasty and well executed. I loved how much seafood was packed into the spaghetti. The savory items were good, but the stars were the sweets. The mini bolo "pineapple" bun had the perfect ratio of crunchy sweet topping to warm squishy innards. Normally I think pineapple buns are too much on the bread-ier side, so this was exactly what I wanted. The egg tart was amazing! A bit on the sweeter side but it made up for it with its unbelievably flaky crust. Yum. I will be back. Service: Quick, no frills, get the job done as par for the course. Ambiance: Love they are serving these classic treats in a more modernized setting. It had a lot of design reminiscent of a restaurant in China which I appreciated

    menu
    Winni Z.

    They were super busy on a Saturday, we ended up waiting for about an hour. The restaurant was clean and the service was okay. We sat right next to the speaker which played weird sounds throughout our meal, so that was a bit annoying. The food was good but I'm not sure if it is worth the wait. The chow fun was flavorful with the perfect chewy texture. The pasta dishes were alright, as expected I liked the beef bolognese more than the creamy seafood version. I would definitely recommend getting the roast pork - it was the perfect blend of sweet and salty. The pineapple buns were super crumbly and buttery. Overall, the food was pretty yummy, but I don't anticipate being back any time soon since there are so many other options nearby.

    French toast
    Anna K.

    I wanted to like this place, I really wish I can. I love a HK diner - my family is from Hong Kong so I'm always down to go to a cha Chan tang. I was excited when a new place opened up in Chinatown but unfortunately I won't be back. Came on a Sunday for lunch - no wait at all. We were promptly seated and served tea and water. We ordered baked seafood spaghetti, pork chop rice that I forgot to take a photo of, popcorn chicken, French toast and pineapple buns. The food lacked flavor - very bland. The decor was nothing special. The staff were friendly. But with KST or Cha Chan Tang around the corner, why would I come back?

    Portuguese Egg Tart
    Kate Y.

    We went around 12:30pm on a Saturday, and although the line was a little long, we only waited for about 15-20 minutes (shorter than expected). Staff were super nice and accommodating - 5 star service! The place was clean and bright, with two bathrooms in the back. We ordered: 1. Iced Coconut Latte: 10/10 - one of my favorite coffees ever! Good strong coffee flavor with a hint of sweetness. 2. Portuguese Egg Tart: 10/10 - my goodness! The flakiness of the tart was superb, and the egg custard was very good. It was served warm, which was wonderful. 3. Thai Style Beef Chow Fun: 10+/10 - you can taste the "wok hei". Super tasty - a must try. 4. French Toast with Peanut Butter: 6/10 - I was a little disappointed with this dish. I appreciate the individual pieces, but I prefer to have one whole piece that's a bit crispier. I was put off by the chocolate drizzle, and while the condensed milk was a nice pairing, I would have loved the traditional syrup as an option. 5. Chinese broccoli: 5/10 - There was too much of the stalk, and not enough of the leafy part. 6. Curry Oxtail Rice: 1/10 - I would not get this dish again. The rice was done well, and I enjoyed the vegetables in the curry (red bell peppers, onions and potato). The curry sauce was a little different than what I expected - it was a bit too watery. I found the oxtail pieces too big, with some meat hard to chew.

    Amy M.

    Stopped by this new spot I seen on social media since they were still open when ai went by. The place looks great--very clean and welcoming. Even though it was right before closing, the staff was very friendly. Since this is a HK style cafe I tried a few classic items, but unfortunately, they didn't quite hit the mark for me. Shaved Ice with Red Bean & Coconut: This was toosweet, and the coconut flavor was overwhelming. I noticed a thick white syrup being added during prep; I'm lactose intolerant, and after drinking it, I ended up with a stomach ache. I'd recommend double-checking ingredients if you have sensitivities. Pineapple Bun with Butter: This was just okay. The bun itself was kind of dry and the butter didn't have much flavor. While I'll be skipping the sweets next time, I might come back to give their hot/cooked food a try.

    Roast Pork over Rice Curry Chicken over Rice
    Dora C.

    DELICIOUS! The food was so good, the meat was so tender and juicy. The flavors were amazing!

    Singapore Mei Fun
    Ed K.

    I really wanted to like this place as I saw all these IG reels about this place. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment. Everything was lacking taste or flavor. Singapore Mei Fun was very dry and maybe over use of curry powder. The mini Pineapple Bun with Butter had no taste whatsoever. Fortunately, waitress told us to order 2 instead of 4 to try it first. The Imitation soup also had no taste and was as bland as it gets. We also ordered 2 HK Iced Lemon Tea.... that sadly also came out inconsistent. One cup tasted fine and the other cup seems like that they forgot the sugar. The place is new so it does seem pretty clean. Service was good. But overall I probably wouldnt be back and just go to the other HK Cafe that is across the street.

    Tony Y.

    I've been seeing a lot of Instagram stories for this place and always enjoy a new HK Cafe. We came here for dinner and ordered the imitation shark fin soup, the salt and pepper squid, the Portuguese baked pork chop over rice, and the Black pepper baked chicken over rice. The service was decent and the staff was friendly. The food came pretty quickly but they weren't that busy. The restaurant is spacious as well. Shark fin soup - not the best. It was fine but I wouldn't order it again. Salt and pepper squid - could use more seasoning Portuguese pork chop - under seasoned but was ok Black pepper chicken - this was great. Perfectly seasoned and delicious. These guys are like a 3/3.5. They're inexpensive and some dishes are pretty good.

    Milk Tea 港式奶茶

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

    It was great dinning experience, food alright, service ok. I feel like I'll come back when I come to China town.

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    3 months ago

    The food was good, service was great. Very spacious. Nice new restaurant in Chinatown

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    Ask the Community - Joys' Cafe

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