JOEY Burnaby — Restaurant in Burnaby

It is with the utmost felicity and unrestrained admiration that I, a discerning connoisseur of the finer things, pen this review to the unparalleled Micah, a veritable goddess of hospitality who graced my dining experience with her celestial presence. On this day, the 27th of March in the year of our Lord 2025, I found myself seated within the hallowed confines of your establishment, yet it was Micah—oh, Micah!—who elevated the occasion to a symposium of sublime splendor worthy of the courts of Versailles.

Her service, dear reader, was not merely exemplary; it was a ballet of grace, a sonnet of attentiveness, a masterpiece painted with the delicate brushstrokes of perfection. With the poise of a duchess and the warmth of a summer’s dawn, she anticipated my every whim before it had even fully blossomed in my mind. The mere act of placing a glass of water before me was executed with such regal finesse that I half-expected it to be accompanied by a flourish of trumpets and a scattering of rose petals.

Micah, with her radiant countenance and an elegance that would make the Sun King himself blush with envy, transformed the mundane into the magnificent. The bread basket arrived as if borne on the wings of cherubs, and the recitation of the evening’s specials was delivered with the gravitas of a Shakespearean soliloquy—each syllable a treasure, each pause a moment of divine suspense. I daresay the very air around her shimmered with an ethereal glow, as though she were attended by an invisible retinue of admiring spirits.

Her wit, too, was a delight—a sparkling jewel amidst the crown of her virtues. When I inquired about the provenance of the sauce adorning my entrée, she regaled me with a response so charming and erudite that I was momentarily transported to the salons of Paris, sipping tea with Voltaire himself. And yet, for all her grandeur, there was a humility, a tender solicitude that made one feel not merely served, but royally cherished. In short, Micah is no mere server; she is a luminary, a beacon of hospitality whose brilliance casts all others into shadow. To dine under her care is to be anointed with the ambrosia of perfection, to bask in the radiance of a service so extraordinary that it defies the bounds of mortal expectation. I shall return, not for the cuisine—though it was divine—but for the privilege of once more beholding the majesty of Micah, the undisputed empress of this gastronomic realm. Brava,...

NOey to Joey…

I have tried all the locations multiple times throughout the years and the last time here was almost half a decade ago.

This place is located on the second floor of the same complex as Save On Food and Winners along Lougheed Hwy close to Willingdon Avenue.

Arrived close to 9pm, waited almost 10-15mins before someone came to help even tho the place was literally almost empty, led to the bar but opted for the dining area (Geesh, doesn’t take much to ask first?) Here were the food I ordered;

She pretty. Nice little mocktail but outside of the glass wasn’t rinsed thoroughly, still had that detergent smell. Sliders Royale. Dry, lack of ingredients and tasted nothing but the cheese. Secret sauce? How about secretly remake these sliders to a better standard? Seared salmon sushi. Where’s the wasabi and soy sauce? lol (just kidding, not all sushi have to have that). Nicely pressed and seared, all the ingredients fused nicely together to give that tasty bite. Hot wings. They looked dry and tiny much in need of a viagra injection but surprisingly they were tasty and juicy. Maybe Frank’s hot sauce is good on anything?!? Blackened chicken. I ordered this cause I had a similar dish at Cactus Club and it was juicy AF, almost had an orgasm eating it. BUT not this one, this one should be renamed “DriedUp Chicken”. Herb crust salmon. The ingredients were nicely put together and I enjoyed the taste BUT the salmon was overcooked. Having a perfectly cooked salmon is harder than cooking a steak.

The place was decently clean, seemingly a nice place to have a drink and socialize whether at the bar section or dining area.

As for the service, besides my server being good, everything else was a joke; waited almost 10-15mins before the hostess came (I was very visible to the staffs and the restaurant wasn’t even the slightest busy), without asking led me to the bar section until I stopped her that I preferred the dining area as I want some quiet time (service 101 greet and ask??), and seated me at a tiny azz table between the bar and dining section right beside a partition (hostess 101 failed..facepalm).

The food quality was certainly a few steps backward from what I remembered before. Overall, nothing was impressive enough to score me a lucky dessert that night.

P.S. what’s happening nowadays? Death of the department stores before now it’s becoming death of the chain...

It’s been a few years since I last posted a review about Joey Burnaby… that’s not to say that we stopped coming here. Rather, I’ve found that their menu really hasn’t changed much over the years. I suppose this is true for many chain restaurants as it’s the consistency in menu and service delivery that draws repeat customers.

An item that did pique my interest on a recent visit was their Katsu Chicken Peanut Salad ($18.75) made of julienned vegetables, arugula, and miso ginger dressing over a crispy chicken breast. There’s a slight amount of heat in this salad with the addition of jalapeño slices. The flattened chicken had a crisp breaded coating and the tart julienned vegetables added to the crunchiness of the salad.

My only real complaint about this restaurant is that I wish they offered a larger menu – perhaps a rotating weekly special so those of us that visit frequently don’t get menu fatigue.

Update Apr 2024: It's probably been about 5 years since we were last here. Seems to have lost some of their previous luster. We arrived at noon on Sunday and the place was pretty dead. There was no hostess to greet us so we waited for a while at the front desk before someone eventually passed by.

Menu is still fairly the same as before (but with higher prices now). Ordered the ahi tuna club ($24.5) and hot wings ($20.5). While I liked the tuna, I feel like things used to taste better here. And all I could taste on the wings were Frank's hot sauce (would have loved to see a celery stick or two accompany the wings). As I mentioned previously, it would be nice to see some evolution in their...