Truly one of the nicest establishments i've been to in a while. The interior is clean, very spacious with a modern feel; coupled along with very welcoming staff. The food was not only filling, but easy on the wallet. It's definitely a little heavy on the rice, but for people who are looking for a filling meal, this IS the place to go. 100% will come again read more

Chinese joint open late with great value and authentic dishes and flavors. Very spacious interior and comfortable seating. Hainan Chicken Rice (9/10) Some of the best i've had in the 626. I wish there was a bit more chicken but it was perfectly cooked and tender with great flavors from the garlic ginger scallion sauce. Red sauce is just a generic sweet chili sauce that gave sweet relief from straight umami flavor which I liked. Rice is seasoned perfectly and very fragrant. Could enjoy it by itself. The noodle soup (8/10) has the same chicken as the rice a paired with medium wide rice noodles. Broth is clean and rich in chicken flavor. Larger portion than the rice and pretty filling. read more

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I have driven by Joy Express everyday and wondered how this restaurant is as it replaced another restaurant that we have frequented. we finally got a chance this past week. The dining room is bright and roomy with tables on one side , some tables in the middle and booth tables on the other side There were only 2 front of house and we were quickly seated and given menus. The laminated menu were easy to read with pictures. i saw the prices and i was like whoa very reasonable for the four of us we ordered curry brisket rice, beef noodle soup, chicken fried steak with rice , popcorn tofu and broccoli i was expecting food to come out quickly but i guess they make it fresh so it took a while the beef noodle broth was tasty just a slight hint of spiciness. the brisket was slices wished they had a bit more middles for the size of bowl. the curry brisket family liked i would like a bit more curry flavor but it was a hit. the broccoli was simply steamed and drizzled with oyster sauce just how we like it. chicken cutlet came with 2 dipping sauce a sweet chili and some type of aioli sauce. 2 pieces of cutlet. maybe it was my taste buds but wished it was season a bit more but family liked it. The popcorn tofu came in this massive portion . or at least it looked massive to me. with sweet chili dipping sauce. enjoyed it we spent $62 pre tip, note their tip is based on total w tax they have soy milk for $1.99 and boba tea $3.99 that is a bargain Get this they are open to 2am!! We liked the food and great value. oh their signed notes dumplings but we didn't see any on the menu we will be back read more

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I ordered takeout for a late night meal, and was surprised to see this place open till 2am! Popcorn Tofu - The tofu is super crispy, but it needed salt & more seasoning. The sweet chili sauce gave it flavor though. This was definitely a hefty portion for an appetizer! I recommend this being shared between 2-3 people. Braised Pork Trotter with Abalone Sauce - The abalone sauce was savory and umami. For the pork trotters, they were soft and easy to bite off the bone, but I felt that they could have been braised a bit longer to let the pork trotters be softer (though this might be a personal taste). There is definitely a lot of rice for the dish, way more than I needed. The pricing for both dishes are pretty cheap, I have to say; the total for both dishes was $21. For the food portion & price, definitely can't complain about it! read more

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Cheap and good hole in the wall spot. Thanks to Peter and Lisa for introducing us. Pros: -great prices for decent food -great AC on a hot day Cons -my beer noodle soup had only a few pieces of beef. My wife's hainan chicken was decent though it came with way too much rice and not enough chicken. Considering the price I can't complain too much, the portion ratios were just off. Good thing we got popcorn chicken which was a very good portion of chicken. Overall 4/5 It was good, though not worth the drive for us which was 30 plus mins through typical SoCal traffic read more

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It's a small but clean restaurant. The staff is very nice and helpful when deciding what to pick (but we spoke to them in Chinese). The food does take some time to come but they come out so expect to wait a bit for the food. But they do come out piping hot and they are made to order. Popcorn coffee and tofu come out super hot so be careful but they are crispy on the outside and nice and soft/juicy on the inside. They are decently flavored. The hainan chicken rice is also well flavored - the chicken rice is one of the best in sgv. I wish they provided more chicken though. The beef noodle is also well favored- beef is very tender and noodles have a nice spring to them. Best part is for a party of 6 with 6 entrees, 2 appetizers, and 3 drinks, our bill came out to be less than $ 100 pre-tip. We will def come back as this is one of the newest gems in sgv. read more

TLDR: It's arguably the cheapest meal per plate that I know of. $11 is an amazing deal for a rice meal, and it really helps that they're open til late for those looking for a quality late meal. Hainan Chicken with Rice: It's $11. You get a $14 tasting plate but with a lesser chicken portion to make up for the fact that it's $11. The chicken is about 80-85% quality you get from restaurants that claim that they specialize in Hainan Chicken. The rice is more than enough for most, and it's also Hainan Rice, which is a bonus. Special Beef Noodles: This is another $11-12 item which a decent serving. The soup tasted something similar to what you expect from a packaged soup from an Asian store, the beef is fine at best, and the noodles are not the best. It's more than enough to command the price point, and I think you'll be fine as long as you don't eat it everyday. Soy Milk: It's unsweetened soy milk that they added a bit of syrup in. They tell you this and you can request for more syrup if you want the store bought soy milk that's sweet. It could be sweeter, but it was sweet enough for me to not ask for more syrup. Ambiance: It's a bright restaurant in a generally quiet place in town. It's only the one person manning all the tables, so I can imagine that service may be on the slower end during a full house. Service: It was fine. We didn't really need anything outside of the food, so we weren't able to test the quality of service if we did need more water or something else. read more

Joy's Express - Hainan Chicken with Rice - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

After a day out with the family, we were looking for a place to grab dinner and stumbled upon Joy's Express Restaurant. This small corner restaurant turned out to be a hidden gem! The food looked delicious, the prices were reasonable, and the portions were impressive for what you pay. The service was friendly and welcoming, making the experience even better from the start. We ordered two Hainan Chicken Rice plates and upgraded each meal for just $1 more to include a drink--one Iced Lemon Tea and one Soy Milk. We also got the Chicken Fried Rice, Popcorn Tofu, Chicken Congee with Abalone Gravy, and the Lotus Root Chicken Soup. When we brought everything home, we were pleasantly surprised by how much food they packed into each order. The portions were generous and perfect for sharing with the family. Even better, every dish was flavorful and satisfying. The Hainan chicken was tender, the fried rice was packed with flavor, the popcorn tofu was a tasty snack, and both the congee and lotus root soup were comforting and delicious. Overall, this little corner spot exceeded our expectations. Great value, generous portions, friendly service, and delicious food make it well worth a visit. We'll definitely be back again! read more

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Great friendly service. Nice, clean, cozy but spacious interior. The Hainam Chicken dish, Pork Trotters wirh rice dish, chicken wings are all good! Private parking and street parking available. read more

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Price for meals is between $11-13 for beef noodles, cutlets, Hainan chicken rice, and more. Snacks are between $6-$11 for popcorn chicken, fried tofu, Salt and Pepper Wings, and more! They even offer classy foods like abalone. Their drinks are very affordable too, at between $2-$5, with Iced Lemon Tea for $2.69, which other restaurants charge $4-$5+ for! This is a place for excellent portions, quality ingredients, and authentic taste! Finally an affordable place with so many flavors all under one roof! read more

Joy's Express - Popcorn Chicken - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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Wow. I love this place. I passed by this restaurant a couple of times and didn't try it until my friend recommended it. The menu is simple, and the food I ordered is delicious. I ordered the Hainan Chicken rice, and it was delicious. The meat is tender and full of flavor. The tipping part is what gives me a "Wow". The max is 10%, and you will never see this in SGV. The service is polite and attentive. read more

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This place is a nice hidden find in SGV. It's a standalone restaurant on a corner right off San Gabriel. Parking is limited to about 5-6 spaces behind the restaurant, but there's plenty of street parking. Restaurant is very clean, good amount of seating and nicely spaced out. From what I saw they seem to get a lot of take-out orders. Staff is very friendly and attentive. Prices are very fair and affordable. Don't expect anything fancy, but more of a home-cooked meal vibe. Portions are good too for what you are paying. Now to the actual flavor of the food, it pretty delicious. We got the chicken wings for a side and they were really good, friend, juicy and well-seasoned. They did come out after our main dishes though, but not a big deal. For our entrees, we got the beef brisket curry. Good rich curry flavor, spicier than we expected, but enjoyable. I do with they served a bit more sauce or added some to the top of the rice to add more flavor. Good amount of brisket, though there's a lot more tendon pieces than we'd like for being advertised as beef brisket The other item we got was the spiced beef brisket plate. Sauce was delicious, mixed in with the rice. It was a great comfort meal. Again, a lot more tendon than what I expected. I'm not the biggest fan of tendon so I was really expecting to have meatier pieces than tendon. I also wanted more veggies to go with it. I think we should've ordered one of their veggie dishes since that's what felt missing from our meal. We'll be back when we're craving a nice quick meal with quality food. I'll try other items next time that has less tendon like their spare ribs. Also looking forward to trying their popcorn chicken and Hainan chicken since those looked good too. read more

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May 3rd, 2026 Joy's Express is a great spot if you're looking for tasty food that won't break the bank...even thouh we spent almost a hundo for a family of 5. The prices are very reasonable for the quality and portions you get. One thing that really stood out was how the food didn't feel greasy at all. The food tasted clean on the "healthier" side. The Hainan chicken soup and the Hainan chicken with rice were absolutely delicious. The flavors were comforting and satisfying, though I personally wished for just a tad more salt to really make the chicken POP. We also tried the curry with rice, which was another winner, to the husband, since he at it all up. The ribs with their secret sauce were a hit too; my son loved them and finished everything on his plate without hesitation. On the side, we had fries, broccoli, and their lotus soup (which I enjoyed very much). Everything paired nicely, and the lotus soup in particular felt perfect after a chilly start to our morning. Will I come back again, yes. BTW, they open until 2am! read more

Joy's Express - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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~ Great Crispy Tofu ~ A cheap place to eat that opens late! Definitely get their crispy tofu, it is super crunchy with a lot of flavor. They just opened so it might be a long wait. There are 6 parking spots in the back and street parking. read more

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An extremely affordable spot for Chinese/Hong Kong-style food and it's open late. -Beef Chow Fun: Decent. Slices of beef tasted a little salty. -Hainan Chicken: Pretty good. Chicken tasted fresh. -Beef Noodle Soup: Soup definitely had a spicy kick to it. Noodles were a bit mushy. -Popcorn Chicken: Tasted like the old-school Taiwanese popcorn chicken you used to be able to get all the time at the OG boba shops in SGV. read more

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New spot that just opened up in San Gabriel. I've been here twice already since I live nearby and it was one of those late night "don't know what to eat" decisions. The interior looks recently updated, bright and clean. I've only done takeout so far, but the staff has been super nice. They even gave me fresh soybean milk while I was waiting which was really good and not overly sweet. I tried the signature abalone sauce with rice. It comes with one abalone which was honestly the best part. The sauce was tasty but I do wish they gave more since the rice portion is pretty big. Also got the braised pork knuckle with rice. It was decent, but I think it could be cooked a bit longer since it was a little tough and not as fall off the bone as I like. My favorite item so far is the "Signboard Chencun vermicelli." It's like thin, silky rice rolls with your choice of toppings like beef tripe, spare ribs, or beef brisket. I've tried all three and they're all solid. I'd definitely order this again. I also really liked the abalone lotus root chicken soup. It's simple but it reminded me of something my mom used to make, so it hit that comfort food spot for me. Didn't really see the abalone, but I'm guessing it's there for the flavor. You can tell they do a lot of takeout orders and the prices are pretty reasonable. I'd come back for the rice rolls and soup for sure, and I still want to try their noodles next time. For now, giving them 5 stars for both service and food. read more

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This spot leans heavily into Cantonese comfort dishes. My friend and I ordered the following: - Curry Beef Brisket Rice -Special Beef Noodles - Braised Mustard Choy Sum While everything we ordered overall as good, I would lean towards the Curry Beef Brisket Rice. Loved the kick at the back of my throat, for all my spice lovers. For the Special Beef Noodles, they didn't have the normal noodles and substituted it with udon noddles. Not the best choice. It really gave the dish a blandness to it. The Braised Mustard Choy Sum was good with its dipping sauce that it came it. The spot itself it clean although I was given a dirty plate. The server was nice, welcoming, and attentive. Tip: Just a heads up, there's a raised step at the entrance. Handicap entrance in rear. read more

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Recommend Beef Chow Fun & Iced Lemon Tea. Service is fine. Never an issue. Abundant amount of tables for dine in. I like their price or value. FOOD: Stir Fried Beef Noodle 4.5/5 I call it Beef Chow Fun. So far, my favorite dish from this place. The beef is salty, but overall, tasty. Second time around, it wasn't as salty. Good flavor still. Secret Soy Sauce Spareribs Rice 4.25/5 The sauce is pretty salty. Better to eat it with the white rice. Overall, not bad. Special Beef Noodle 4/5 It's essentially Beef Noodle Soup. The broth is rich and robust. Kinda tastes like herbal soup. That may turn some people off, but I actually don't mind the taste. Noodle is plain and simple. The broth is where all the flavor is at. Thin slices of beef, which was okay/fine. Vegetable Spring Rolls 4/5 Not bad as well. It doesn't come with sauce though. Taste is still decent by itself, but I usually like it with sweet chili sauce. Got it as part of a combo, so it came in 3 pcs. Not sure how many pcs are in a regular order. DRINKS: Iced Lemon Tea 4.5/5 Like the taste and price. Soy Milk 4/5 Got it as part of my combo that came with a random drink. It was okay. Better than expected. Not that I was expecting anything, but it's lightly sweetened and not too sweet and taste is decent. read more

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Absolutely love this place! I think most of their business relies on Togo orders, but regardless, this place is amazing for the value you get! Nice clean ambiance and lots of seating and a few parking spots in rear. Where else can you beat $10.99 Hainan Chicken Rice?! Rice portion is huge, and chicken can be a mixed bag but it's pretty good most of the time. I don't get why they give sweet and sour sauce as opposed to spicy sauce on the side, but I'm content with the already good minced garlic. FYI, you order the Hainan Chicken Rice, for a dollar extra, you can order a drink (like iced lemon tea). I also ordered their Hong Kong Style Beef Rice Noodles and I'd recommend it! I also highly recommend their Popcorn Tofu, as well as Chinese Donuts if you're craving some side dishes. The Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings were generic in my opinion. I DO NOT recommend the soy milk, it tasted severely watered down. Been back a few times already and would recommend! read more

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I enJOYed Joy's. I saw this on FB that someone posted. Hainan chicken for $10.99? Yes, please!!! It was three of us. We ordered 2 Hainan chicken and popcorn tofu. Server said that the chicken came with lemon tea for $1 more. I think it was a $1, don't quote me on that, but was cheaper than regular price. My third person got a bubble tea. Hainan chicken plates were decent portions. Rice was flavorful! I preferred the ginger sauce over the sweet chili. Lemon teas were refreshing and bubble tea had soft boba. The sleeper here was the popcorn tofu!! So light and crispy!! I would just back to get the tofu! What am I saying? If the tofu was A+, then the popcorn chicken should be as epic, right? Need to go back anyway to try the other dishes. Next on my list would be the noodle soups! read more

$12 for a good amount of food (most dishes). Curry beef brisket with rice 3/5, spicy, decent flavor but the beef was too fatty for me. I think some people would like it a lot more than me. Special beef noodles 4/5, broth was good and meat was tasty. A little spicy. I couldn't try the noods. Braised mustard choy sum - 1/5 bland and not worth it. Nice server, pretty quick, also mostly empty. Seemed like more takeout was happening. Friend's plate was dirty Parking in the back in a small lot but also lots of street parking. Overall this place is probably a 3-3.5 stars but newer so being more open minded. read more

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It's just opened and serves lromiaelut Cantonese food, focusing on seafood and southern cuisines, reasonably good for the price though it should be fried rice but the source is very flavorful The service is on point, since just opened, very tentative, and they also sell online with hungry panda delivery service also Ambiance is very bright and clean, with lots of space, overall good place to stop by quick lunch or dinner! read more

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Maybe I have to come back to try the hainan chicken but not a fan of what I did get to try. -Soymilk: It tasted watered down and looked a bit more yellow than usual. -Popcorn Chicken: Good crisp and good oil used to fry in but the chicken itself kind of tasted like it was turning. -Curry Beef: I'm not normally a fan of curry and this was not an exception. It was very heavy on the coconut milk. -Chicken Congee with Abalone Gravy: Barely any pieces of chicken and what gravy? read more

A great package of polite helpful service, great pricing, and delicious "home made" style food. Very chill ambiance. Hands down Joy's chicken and rice soup wins the race. Had the popcorn chicken, very flavorful and crispy, also tried the Chinese doughnuts, also very good!! Overall its a great place I'm glad I stopped by. The menu is so affordable that you wont be hesitant to just try something new. read more

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I can't say enough good things about this place, seriously. Cheap prices, delicious home style classics, great portions, open late, kind staff. Everything tastes fresh and not overly salty or oily (important for my fellow Cantos). I asked if there is a way to order a larger protein portion for the Hainan chicken and the owner suggested I order a half chicken with a side of chicken rice, so will be doing that next visit. The pork spare ribs with rice noodles are delicious and a banger at only $7 for the dish. Spiced beef brisket rice was perfectly seasoned with a generous portion size. Entrees are $11-13 each and drinks are $2.59. How are you gonna beat that in today's economy?! The interior is nice and bright which is a change up for this part of San Gabriel. The restaurant has been pretty quiet the few times I've gone so I'm hoping business picks up for them soon. Tell all your friends!!! read more

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The food is delicious, the restaurant is very clean, and the atmosphere is comfortable. The prices are reasonable, making it a great value. Ever since I found this place, I've been coming back often. Highly recommended! read more

Joy's Express - menu - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

I got my food to go and it was really good. I like the seasoning on the brisket and the noodles were really good too. I love the 2 level containers they give for take out! The meat was super tender and the one in the soup was very lean. The service was perfect, for you non Chinese speakers like me, they speak English! Huge plus... Inside the restaurant it is very clean and bright. They have a nice amount of tables, but I'm sure it can get loud if it is packed. Will definitely be back and they also have a few beers there! read more

Joy's Express - Beef brisket rice - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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This is my go-to place for Hainan chicken for a very affordable price. The chicken is so tender and the sauce tops it off. The employees are very friendly and kind. Would definitely come back again to try their other foods! read more

Joy's Express - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Food looks good and value for the money. Open late and very good portions. Will definitely come back. read more

Joy's Express - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

The price is good but the food values is bad....The restaurant should add couples dollar more for extras meats on each Orders....The Taste of the Food is not bad but the Value is No good at all ...Too Littles ....Hopefully They have some improvement in the future ...The Hainan chicken Rice is the worst part just so Little chicken....‍‍‍ read more

Joy's Express - That is the second picture when I take of the sauce from the Hainan chicken Rice...So You guys can see How much chicken was in it - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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Hanaan chicken was inedible. Ordered two and they were both terrible. Felt like I was chewing on rubber. The beef soup was okay. Nice waitresses and clean establishment but our food awful. read more

small little joint so there can be a wait. i'd say its worth it though fr. the service is great, they treat you like family, and the food hits. the prices are fair for what you get, and overall its just a really solid place to have a quick lunch. i prolly wouldn't host a huge part here, but that's not what this place is intended for. just a quick, inexpensive meal for those close by or on the go. the beef plate i got was flavorful, savory, and everything i love about classic canto cuisine. read more

My family and I have been coming here pretty frequently for the last month or so. I have a feeling that we've tried most things on the menu now. Some of the things that were exceptionally good include the fried chicken wings, and their egg rolls. They have this Thai style, crumbled, beef dish with a fried egg and rice. My daughter really loves that one. She gets it made without the chilies. She doesn't like spicy. Her uncle however, does really appreciate spicy. He ordered the same dish, but his was riddled with chilies of all different kinds. He really enjoyed it. Service here is very friendly. The restaurant is very clean. Parking is available along the backside of the restaurant. There might be about four or five spaces. The hours to this place are ridiculous. I cannot remember what time they open but I think they close around two or maybe even four in the morning. I forgot what combination of food it was that we ordered last time but it allowed us to take advantage of an offer where we were given a free lemon iced tea. That was a cool little perk. They accept both cards and cash. By myself, I've never visited the restroom here however, I have been told that the restroom is very tight. There's a little to no space between the doorway and the toilet. So, beware of that. read more

Amazing food and truly a hidden gem! Everything was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. The quality exceeded my expectations, and the service was friendly and welcoming. Definitely a place worth visiting if you're looking for great food. I'll be coming back again read more

Joy's Express - Pop corn chicken - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Been coming here once a week since the first time I tried. Very high CP!! There prices are unbeatable. Its not those luxury dining. If that what you expected, then wrong place. However, this price. This freshness and taste, I can't find better in SGV. Food: Very high with this price Atmosphere: Very clean and simple, but they did place some thought with the utensils (plates and bowls), furniture, and decoration. Service: Always friendly and attentive. I suspect he is the boss. See him here Everytime. So far, we've tried chicken noodle soup, beef noodle soup, chicken wings, Hainan chicken rice, abalone congee, abalone chicken lotus soup, egg roll, black bean pork noodle. They are are very decent. Highly delicious for this price. Most importantly Im never thirsty after eat here. That means not drained with MSG or have any MSG. Highly recommend for daily meal. Maybe elsewhere for celebration, but an always to go to. Five Stars!!! read more

Joy's Express - Need to try. Great price!! Great service! Clean! - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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Went on a slow Tuesday night and unfortunately the food was disappointing. We ordered the Hainan chicken, but the chicken was slimy, slightly bloody, and dry at the same time. Most of the pieces were white meat only. We also ordered the beef chow fun, and honestly it was the worst beef chow fun I've had. It was extremely oily and bland, with only about 6 pieces of thick-cut beef that were semi-raw. Overall, not a good experience. Think twice before going back. read more

This new grand opening place is my new go to spot!! Very reasonable price and the food is above standard. Family of 5, ordered 5 dish and total under $50!! Highly Recommended read more

Joy's Express - Crispy ToFu - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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So good so cheap what more can you ask for! Open till 2am, not many stores are open until 2 am anymore... make sure you come try! Sorry about the photo... I ate it too fast... read more

Joy's Express - Too full couldn't finish the rice - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Great price for Hainan Chicken. Spicy Beef Brisket Rice is yummy. Open lates great for midnight food after badminton:)

Delicious and affordable food, the meat is fresh and also they have combo with drink. definitely will come back again. read more

Joy's Express - Hainai Chicken is decent - Chinese Near Me - San Gabriel, California