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    Joy's Japanese Kitchen

    4.8 (59 reviews)
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    JOY'S JAPANESE KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Joy's Japanese Kitchen

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    Salmon roll - 2 orders because I was really hungry
    Lori D.

    Antelope Valley's BEST Bulgogi. My third time here, and it's awesome that we finally have AV's Best Beef Bulgogi right here at Joy's Japanese Kitchen in Palmdale. My journey began from a huge disappointment trying local bulgogi, with the final letdown from K-BOB ... flat tasting beef that was a sadly disappointing Bulgogi order that looked like grayish brown meat over rice. Joy's Bulgogi features beautifully sliced beef in authentic K-Mom sauce, and fresh vegetables over perfectly cooked rice. THIS is what Beef Bulgogi IS ... and Joy's is delicious. You can taste generations of love in this dish, and this is hands-down Antelope Valley's BEST Bulgogi. Enjoy!

    Carol M.

    3/19/2026: Oishii!! After going for labs in the late morning, hubby and I decided to explore and go out for lunch to "break the fast". He recently saw Joy's Japanese Kitchen on TikTok and we decided we needed to give it a try! Convenient, easy access parking lot. Always a bonus! The moment you walk in to this quaint space, you are graciously welcomed by Joy herself! The color and decor really makes me feel like I'm in Japan! So many items on the menu, but we decided to each order a 3-Item Bento Box so we could try 6 different offerings. The portions are so generous, and the price is reasonable for quality dishes! Salmon Roll: Tekkamaki style thin roll with fresh fish in the middle. Super fresh! Crunchy California Roll: Don't judge me. I'm half Japanese and never order California rolls because, well... but last weekend I was at Yama Sushi Marketplace in Koreatown and they made me try theirs and it was good. Really good! So now I need to try a CA roll now and then, and this one was decent. 8 pcs in the order and was quite shareable with hubby, too! Tempura: So light and crispy.. perfectly executed! The batter is clean, fresh..and the dipping sauce tastes homemade. Reminds me of my Mom's! Tonkotsu (Pork): One of the best that I've had in Southern California... and it's in this humble shop in Palmdale! Crispy without being crunchy IYKYK, the pork is tender and juicy.. and the sauce is not from a bottle. Shumai: Not your basic restaurant shumai with ground pork and minced veggies from a freezer.. Joy's is made from shrimp and is crispy, the filling isn't a dense ball of meat... light and fluffy. Yum! Chicken Teriyaki: Better than most, but not my favorite dish out of the 6 we tried. The chicken is moist and tender, the sauce isn't too sweet.. but I prefer skin-on teriyaki with the skin browned a little before applying the sauce. Still not bad. And can I give honorable mention to the humble side salad? The dressing is a gorgeous shade of lavender... it is unique and delicious! Joy makes this herself from fresh fruits and it is drinkable! A proper Japanese restaurant serving comfort foods. This is a rare find in the Antelope Valley!

    Spicy Tuna Roll
    Madison W.

    Wow! Absolutely delicious! We ordered for pickup and all the food reminded me of my grandma's cooking! I was especially impressed with the pork katsu and mixed tempura. We want to come back tomorrow for breakfast! Update: came back to dine in. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful! We got to meet Joy, who opened the restaurant 9 months ago. Her and her team make incredible food and make sure you leave with a smile! Thanks for the delicious food, good environment, and great service! see you again next time we're in town!

    Jordan S.

    I came here for Valentine's day and I sadly did not have a great experience. I came here and had plans to eat at the restaurant but to my surprise, - if not all- most of the tables were full of dirty dishes from people who ate there who dined in. The staff did not clean up or pick up the plates. I'm assuming it was because the staff was not prepared to serve a lot of people on Valentine's day. I asked to eat at the restaurant and they told me to wait a little bit so they can clear the tables. I waited 10-20 minutes and they still never cleaned any of the tables. At that point I just asked to take food to go. They told me it would take 20-30 minutes for the food. Instead it took an hour for the food to go. Once I got the food, the bento boxes were not good. The Food that was supposed to be hot was cold. The actual rolls were better than the salmon rolls that go with the bento box. The salmon rolls that came with the bento box felt like cheap sushi and did not have a good texture that tasted like fresh sushi. I sadly don't think I would be coming back here...

    Bento - Dinner 3 Items
    Adonis M.

    I stopped by for lunch and I enjoyed my experience here. The place is nice and clean, the food was good, the service was friendly, and I highly recommend. I decided to order the 3 item bento box with Gyoza's, Katsu Chicken, and Spicy Tuna Rolls. The salad and rice come standard. The Gyoza's were so juicy and the sauce to pair balanced out the sweet hint coming from the meat itself. The Katsu Chicken was crunchy, juicy, and did not feel heavy whatsoever. The brown sauce for it was also a bit tangy which balanced the breading from the chicken. Then the spicy tuna rolls tasted fresh. I really enjoyed the salad with its dressing (which is crazy for me) but it was extremely flavorful. The lady that served me told me she made it herself, it's her own recipe, and I wish I could have taken more of that dressing home. Overall, it was a good experience and I was very pleased with the food and service. Stop by and give it a try.

    Bento box, lunch 3 item
    Monica L.

    Everything on the bento box was simple but delicious. I went for lunch and the lunch special is super reasonable. My gyoza was crispy on the outside and the bulgogi was a great match for the rice. Ambience was relaxing, I will def return.

    The Washington
    Jennifer M.

    Joy is such a....... well her name says it all. We have been coming here since literally they were building it. (No joke, my first time here she didnt have cealing tiles.) I love being able to watch this place grow. From her menu, to her new Street sign! Not only is she a sweetheart, but the food is pretty darn good!!! Check out this place when you're in the neighborhood!!

    David M.

    Ordered the lunch 2 item combo, it was very clean and delicious! Prices were affordable and environment was super friendly. Joy is a sweet woman that has been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years and it shows. Highly recommend checking this place out if you want good Asian food!

    AM B.

    I love trying new sushi spots in the AV & this one was such a good find! For the price, the fish is super fresh I got the Summer Roll (was craving salmon ) & it totally hit the spot The Thai tea was a 10/10, & Joy even brought me a miso soup to try without me asking so sweet! Great service, cozy inside, & just an overall great vibe. Definitely coming back! Thank you again Joy! You're so sweet

    Tempura ice cream
    Gracie G.

    The food was excellent, the service was greet, the many was so sweet. The ambiance was chill and the decor was beautiful, it felt cosy. The waiter was super sweet and funny! The ice cream was delicious even though I hate matcha lol. It tasted like vanilla ice cream. Imma definitely come here again, my new favorite go to spot:)

    Jalapeño poppers
    Hyun D.

    Was craving for some Japanese food and found Joyce' Japanese kitchen and was glad I did. Their lunch box (bento) portion was awesome, and enough for a grown personl. Good price for the size they give was 100% The jalapeño poppers was great appetizers to start up. Recommend trying the popper! Amazing service. Quick and good service from the server.

    I would like to preface this review by letting you know I worked in restaurants for almost 15 years as cook, a host, a server, and a manager. I'm not being ridiculous or exaggerating this review. in fact I'm typing this review as I am waiting for my food 35 minutes after ordering. lastly, I would like to preface with the wait staff seem unexperienced. for instance, having waited on tables for 10 years, I know that you never go to your tables just to visit one table, but it seemed like every single thing that the wait staff did was one table or one order at a time. when I was sitting, there were three tables that had no drinks and no food orders in yet, but when she came and took my single person order she then went to the back instead of going to get other orders as well. it just was a nightmare honestly, it seems like the front of house needs training. okay onto the review... I walked in and there was 1 dirty table available, so I walked to the counter and asked for a table. I saw they were busy, I wasn't expecting fast service, but was hoping for quality service. She told me I could take a seat at the dirty table, so I did. I then sat at the dirty table for 10 minutes just waiting. I should have just left at the 10 minute mark, but there are so many good reviews so I wanted to stay. I told myself I would give them another 10 minutes and at the 8th extra minute, The 18th minute after sitting down at a dirty table, the waitress comes over and says "Hi do you know what you want?". like how would I know what I want I don't even have a menu lol. I asked her to please wipe the table and bring a menu and then she did. I ordered two rolls, a water and a Thai tea, I'm currently typing this waiting for my order at the 52 minute mark after walking in the door and I still don't have food. I will say however that the Thai tea is pretty good. it is now the 1 hour point since I've sat down and I still don't have food. I went up and asked the waitress if the food will be ready soon and literally one minute later my rolls came out. so I don't know if they were sitting there or not, they weren't very cold so I assume that they were sitting. I'm trying very actively not to be negative here but definitely not the best first experience. The quality of the sushi was mid-grade, it tasted good, it was well sauced, the ponsu tasted great. If I was rating just the quality of the sushi, I would say four stars. however, the entire experience together was definitely subpar, no hospitality, relatively poor service, no direction from management or ownership. I'll come back at some point and try it again to see if they worked out whatever kinks were going on this day, but I would say be careful.

    Sexy roll
    Ingrid G.

    I had a pleasant solo dinner at Joy's Japanese Kitchen! The quiet and inviting ambiance, along with friendly service from Joy, added to the appeal. The spicy garlic edamame was slightly undercooked but still good. The sushi roll special was a great deal: buy one, get the second 50% off. I ordered the Sexy Roll and the Dynamite Roll; the presentation was beautiful and delicious. I would definitely go back.

    Vegetable udon.

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    7 months ago

    Everything was very delicious. Everything tasted really homemade. We especially like the gyoza and the noodles in the udon.

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    7 months ago

    Definitely a hidden gem in the heart of Palmdale! Food was delicious and tasted very fresh!

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    1 year ago

    I've been here twice and I will keep coming back! Tasty, delicious, and fresh food. Good portions and extremely friendly server.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Joy's Japanese Kitchen

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    La Cocina de Mamá

    3.5
    (209 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $

    Hi went here yesterday with my boyfriend and we were immediately greeted by the front counter…read morewoman. She was very nice and pleasant I enjoyed her presence. I loved the ambiance of the restaurant as it was very peaceful and calming . I loved the food as well we ordered the Papusa's as they are on special Wednesday/ Thursday's. And the birria tacos. Also yummy. Everything tasted very fresh . I also enjoyed the decor of the place as it had pictures of actors/actresses. I definitely recommend coming here . And I'll definitely be back again . Thank you so much !

    I have never felt so insulted at a restaurant…read more When my partner and I walked in, there were only two tables available one small table for two people and one larger table for four. The two young ladies ahead of us (also a party of two) placed their order first. My partner and I chose the four-person table, which made sense for us, and I was literally about to walk up and order our food. Before I could even order, one of the workers was sent over and used hand gestures and motions to tell my partner to get up from the table, saying he "couldn't sit there" because the other party's food was coming out first. Mind you the other party was also just two people and could have easily used the two-person table. The way this was handled was embarrassing and degrading. We weren't spoken to respectfully -- we were motioned at, in front of other customers, as if we had done something wrong or didn't deserve to be there. Being asked to get up from a table you're already sitting at is humiliating, period. If seating is based on who orders first, then this place needs clear rules, numbers, or communication, not staff waving people away and making them feel small. The situation was completely avoidable and handled in the worst possible way. The lack of professionalism and basic customer service was shocking. We left feeling singled out, uncomfortable, and disrespected and will absolutely never return

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    Irene's Burger's Cafe

    Irene's Burger's Cafe

    4.4
    (211 reviews)
    1.2 mi
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    An update to previous review. If you are hungry this is definitely the place to go. Visited here…read morejust over a year ago but because of the distance it hasn't become a "go to" place. I wish it was closer. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I would ding them half a point for not having air conditioning. They have an electric fan as well as overhead fans. My son ordered the 3 egg polish sausage meal with hash browns, and a biscuits for $11.99 and added gravy to the biscuit for $1. He rated everything 5 stars. My husband ordered the patty melt with French fries for $11.99. The fries were hot and crispy. He gave 4 stars because he said the patty melt had too much cheese. (Is that possible?). I to ordered side dishes to try out different things. I ordered 1 pancake for $2.50, a side of hash browns for $5.49, and a side of 2 biscuits and gravy for $5.49. The pancake was large and was fantastic. The biscuits and gravy were humongous and a full meal by themselves. The biscuits,before being sliced, were about 4 inches high, light and fluffy, and delicious. They were covered with a good amount of gravy. I was only able to eat one half of one and brought the remaining 3 halves home. The gravy is not one full of sausage or bacon but it is tasty. The dining room has plenty of seating. There are specials and discounts on the walls in addition to their large menu.

    Nice hole in the wall place that has great service and great prices! They have a lot of morning…read morespecials and daily specials with different options. I got the French toast with eggs and bacon/sausage. It was $10 after tax. The waitress was very friendly too! I would come back, it's a nice casual vibe and the food was good too.

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    Front of the Cafe
    Front of the Cafe
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    Baracoa Cuban Restaurant

    Baracoa Cuban Restaurant

    4.4
    (1.4k reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Outdoor seating

    Baracoa Cuban Restaurant was an amazing discovery when we stopped for a lunch pitstop on our drive…read moreup towards Tehachapi. I can easily see them being a favorite in the Palmdale area. There was plenty of parking in this lot. The entrance is located through their patio, which can be a bit counter intuitive. We came at opening and the restaurant got really busy during our time there. Initially we were looking at the sandwiches because it was lunch time, but then we were going to a wedding that night so we decided to eat something more filling since the ceremony and speeches always delay the eating. All entrees here are served with black beans and rice or congri, and 3 fried plantains. My boyfriend had the Ropa Vieja ($28) with the congri and I had the Lechon Asado ($25) with the rice and beans. Our food came out pretty fast after we ordered. My boyfriend's Ropa Vieja is a Cuban braised beef. The congri is basically a mix of the rice and beans. This dish was super tasty and the shredded beef was so tender with the bell peppers and onions. I can really taste the red wine and tomato sauce in the base. I took a few bites but in general I preferred my dish more, and vis versa he enjoyed his dish more. My lechon asado is a roasted pork that is super super tenderrrrrr. It was so sweet with the grilled onions and it had the perfect amount of fattiness without being over bearing. SO GOOD! Love the plaintains too. I'm glad I got the rice and beans option because I would have gotten too full too quick with the congri. I barely touched my beans and only got through half of my rice. Both dishes came with this super tasty garlic butter sauce that I poured on my rice and made it even tastier. It was so good. One thing I didn't enjoy about the experience was the flies attacking us and our food. Since the door is open and connected to their outdoor space, it leaves the opportunities for flies to come in. We had to play defense with the flies the whole time. The service here is a little slow. Especially when I was trying to get back on the road I wasn't feeling too patient. I waived down multiple staff members too. Also I got hit with an undisclosed 3% surcharge for using my credit card. I only found out after I got the receipt. I would have paid in cash if I knew. *dislike* LOVE LOVE LOVE the food. Might be the best Cuban food I've ever had... and I've been to Florida where there was a lot of Cuban spots. Room for improvement with service, flies prevention, and the disclosure of the credit card fee.

    My aunt made reservations to this place in Palmdale. Palmdale is a very dry, hot heated area,…read more surrounded by bushes and lizards and maybe snakes too. Anyway, this place apparently is a fancy Cuban restaurant according to my aunt. We decided to eat here for dinner after 7pm on a Saturday and it was booked. A great place to take a date if you can even get one nowadays, lucky you. You found the right place. The Cuban food ordered was a vaca frita sandwich that was reasonably priced at $17 or so. It was dry, lacked seasoning and had even more dry plantain chips on the side fried to high heaven. My aunt ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. Still dry but more moist than my vaca frita sandwich. Server was Juan, he was good, good patience and quick delivery. Good overall was mid in my book. Maybe should have ordered the $65 plate with seafood. But it was overpriced. Although I could afford it, $65 for a plate is ridiculous. The other entrees included the fried bananas but the sweeter ones and black beans and rice with for example oxtail, fried steak, chicken and pork, of which was overpriced as well. At least $30 for each dish or more. Take a look at that menu. The ambiance inside was loud, outside was louder. Music was playing and there was this massive window door that separated the inside and outside. Inside it was small, there was a bar area for alcohol drinkers and in the back was a nice restroom. Other than that, it was a decent Cuban place, needs to adjust prices for the entree, but the sandwiches were at that sweet spot. The sand which to me needed sauce like tabasco or cholulu or some sort of wet birria sauce that would make it taste better. Incredibly dry, was not a fan of the texture, taste was fine. Came out to $50 for both plates and it was a little lackluster in my opinion but everything else, good service, nice ambiance and decent sandwich prices, it was worth the visit but maybe a one and done not sure. Maybe the plates are delicious.

    Photos
    An array of our entrees, sides and sandwiches
    An array of our entrees, sides and sandwiches
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    Menu Group Shot
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    Tom's Famous Family Restaurant 25

    Tom's Famous Family Restaurant 25

    2.9
    (319 reviews)
    1.7 mi
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    I've been coming to this Tom's Famous Family Restaurant location for years now and it has always…read morebeen more of a mid-level food spot for me. Lately, though, I feel like the food quality has gone down a bit. The food can taste pretty bland at times, although they do serve generous portions and have a wide variety of options to choose from. The main reason I'm still giving it 3 stars is because the pricing is pretty reasonable for the amount of food you get, and there's a lot on the menu. It's a good place if you just want something filling and casual. The restaurant itself could definitely use an upgrade. The decor feels worn out and outdated, and the place could use some refreshing overall. It does get pretty packed, but thankfully they have plenty of seating, and I've never had to wait too long when dining in. Customer service ranges from just "meh, it's okay" to "good!" depending on who takes your order and who brings out your food. It's not a huge issue for me since I mostly come for the food, but it is worth noting. I also wouldn't recommend the drive-thru if you're in a rush. It can take forever just to order and wait in line behind other cars, which is especially not ideal if you have kids with you. I would say come here if you want something filling and affordable, but don't expect a 5-star meal.

    Food: D. It's okay, I didn't realize the zucchini in the special of the day was fried. It was…read morecovered in corn meal which is a healthier choice than most fried coating so that made us happy. Service: A. The service is outstanding here! The gal at the register made us feel right at home when she knew we had just moved into town. She directed my fiance to the most popular item on the menu and helped me choose between my conundrum of the fish special or the Greek salad - good choice! Ambiance: C. It was pretty dead on a Sunday night, mind you. They have TV's up so you can watch the games. They were letting this one gay hang there dining for a long time so it seems like they are very accommodating.

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    Inside
    Inside
    Tom's Famous Family Restaurant 25
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    Joy's Japanese Kitchen - japanese - Updated July 2026

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