Lines around the corner this weekend, and full house inside. Clearly they are starting off well. Thanks for any intel.
Sure I’ve been there - in November last year, but haven’t been back since.
Joy is the sister restaurant to Pine & Crane in Silver Lake. The food is pretty good, but just not quite as good as Pine & Crane in its prime.
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I agree, and I find them to be over-rated.
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Agree with the above. They get a lot of love from food media types, but I’d always rather drive to the SGV
Went last year and agree with everything everybody else has said.
I’ve only been once, but here are the impressions of myself and my cousin, both from Taiwanese families who go to Taiwan regularly.
Credible: Pancake with egg (chili sauce and basil a must); slack season noodles.
Meh: Spicy shrimp wontons (flavoring was atypical); hot & sour soup (flavors muted); mapo tofu (flavors muted); simple greens (texture too stringy); scallion bread (dry).
Overall, agree with others – plenty of places in SGV that I’d rather eat at.
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The food there isn’t bad and perfectly serviceable, but I would rather eat in SGV and bypass the crowd.
To those recommending the SGV, where do you suggest as an alternative to Joy?
Taipei Bistro
Why Thirsty
Golden Leaf
Chang’an (if you want to pay a bit more for alcohol)
… and probably any Shau Mei (May)
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(ironic that this emoji is called “joy”)
Yeah but find me a Taiwanese place in SGV that has Shoulder Pole Noodles and farm-to-table Stir Fry Dragon Whiskers with Hakka Mochi for dessert.
Exactly.
Or even tea from Alishan. You be lucky to find sweet potato leaves.
Maybe the execution is off or inconsistent. I give props to bringing some Taiwanese As F*** food and drinks that even some Taiwanese As F*** places in SGV don’t serve.
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I love Joy.
It’s surprising how good this place is, because I find Pine and Crane to be utterly bland. But the flavors just pop at Joy. In particular, the Thousand layer pancake with egg, chili sauce, and Thai basil is probably my favorite thing to get for “breakfast” anywhere in LA. It’s just so satisfying. We also regularly get their take home dan dan noodle kit.
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Warrior: I like the seaweed salad there and order delivery from there often just for seaweed salad. Other than that, I find it just too boring (like Pine and Crane).
I would encourage going in person for the pancake. I got it once delivery and it was flaccid and not worth it, but there’s something about it crispy with egg and chili sauce that hits a swoon point for me.
Living in HLP, Joy is one of my favorite <$10 options for a meal. I probably order their Lou Rou Fan (the pickled radish is sooooo good!) like once a month for pickup. QPR-wise, I don’t know many places in HLP that I can visit that satisfy me to the same level.
Agreed with most replies on the topic
- Reliably tasty neighborhood joint that has been consistently good to me.
- Not the best Taiwanese food I’ve ever had, but does many things well. If you’re driving at least 20 minutes, I would say SGV is probably the better play, but I love Joy for its convenience and pretty legit flavors for the price.
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In that same area, I’d express exactly that same sentiment about Mason’s Dumpling Shop…
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Agree re Mason’s.
In the area, I tend to keep going back to El Huarache Azteca.
Parsnip has now moved, but when it was another favorite when it was in the area.
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not as good as Pine and Crane. Come at me. Should have tried the pancakes i guess.
Wish we went for a Huarache.
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Completely agree. Mason’s dumplings are a better way to get your proper Taiwan fix in that geographic area…
Really could use the spicy beef noodle on the menu…
mapo tofu had no suchuan peppercorn? that’s a shitty universe i dont want to live in
wontons were fine… skin barely holding
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