Joy Square

We love this restaurant. They have many spicy and flavorful options on the menu. Just walking into the restaurant you’re met with the most amazing aroma of fried Szechuan pepper. 🤤

The food here was extremely tasty. A little salty but very delicious. My wife loved the dish (ma la xiang guo?) where she got to pick the ingredients of her own stir fry and it was priced by weight. Reminds us of restaurants in China.

Friendly service. Interesting food and decor. The fish looked great and tasted good but not as good as it looked. It was spicy but not excessively so. The cucumber with egg and wood ear mushrooms and the lotus root with wood ear mushrooms were both great. I look forward to trying their hotpot next time.

For those who like northern Chinese food, this is a very good choice. Noodles are delicious. It is clean and not crowded, at least when I visited there. Price is pretty good. The bow is huge.

I'm giving five stars for authentic cuisine from the area that was once called Manchuria by westerners. I was very happy to have food that represented that region of China.

It was quite and uncrowded when I went. I strongly suspect it's more popular with immigrants from China, and those who speak a common language with them. Whatever the situation, everything in the menu had an image for the dish.

They even serve uncommon things that may include frog or something else that you may find exotic.

Some people may complain because their taste buds are unfamiliar with lesser known Chinese foods, or because authentic dishes may have bones in them, or even just complaining that the wait staff don't speak English well.

I give five stars because everything was prompt, the dining area wasn't full, and these people truly deserve business.

If you can imagine moving to China and opening a restaurant there that is staffed with your English speaking family who are trying to present great service and food then you'll come closer to enjoying the entire experience here.

There were lots of quirky things I could imagine would annoy people who are accustomed to having everything just so and right when they want it and how they want it, but this truly was a wonderful date night for me.

Try not to be annoyed if a server checks their mobile phone while on the floor, or otherwise does something unlike a ritzy CA store employee.

As a cultural and culinary contact experience, it was great. They truly, truly deserve more business.