Simply Fantastic Smoothies and Food at Joy Yee Noodle
Hi again everyone! Hope the weekend is going well. This weekend so far has been really relaxing. It has been filled with spending time with friends, sleeping in late, and delicious food. Today I went to a new restaurant to try something different. It is called Joy Yee Noodle and it is located near the University of Illinois Chicago’s campus.
Joy Yee Noodle has more than one location in Chicago, but the one I went to is located at 1335 S. Halsted St, Chicago IL, 60608. I went with a friend who had been there before, but this was my first time trying their delicious Pan Asian food. I hear this place can get pretty crowded with university students, but when we went there was no wait and many open tables, most likely because it was 2pm and was a late lunch, early dinner time. The restaurant is pretty open and airy, with geometric iron chairs to sit on and plenty of lighting. The menu is HUGE! Pages upon pages of delicious food entrées. They also include pictures with their most popular items so you know what the food looks like.
Joy Yee Noodle is known for their smoothies, and I quickly learned why. They have about a page and a half of just smoothie options for you to try, both consisting of Chinese fruits, and American fruits. They have the option for you to create your own smoothie, add ice cream to it, add tapioca balls to create bubble tea, or just choose something already fixed from the menu. They also have these amazing things called popping balls which can be added to your smoothie. They are about the size of tapioca balls, but are filled with juice so as soon as you sip one up, they burst in your mouth! I ordered a watermelon smoothie with lychee popping balls, and it was like fireworks were going off in my mouth. Incredibly delicious! My friend ordered a strawberry banana smoothie with mango popping balls and his was just as amazing. They also come in a crazy 12oz beer glass! So a large portion of delicious smoothie was just around 4 dollars each! For our actual food dishes, I ordered a beef pho and my friend ordered chicken fried rice and teriyaki chicken. All were excellent. Did I mention the portions are HUGE as well! They give you a gallon, a GALLON of pho for around 9 dollars. Enough for two more meals. Living on a college budget, I am not complaining.
The service was excellent. Everyone seemed willing to help and give recommendations. Plus, the food comes out super quickly. No waiting at all. I would totally recommend this place to my friends and I will definitely be back for more. It is also just a great place to grab a quick smoothie and light appetizer to just catch up with friends. I left full, and I am still full!