JJ Joy — Restaurant in Penticton

Spicy korean ramen with beef 3/5 The noodles arent made fresh. Lots of vegetables such as broccoli and carrot, with bean sprouts added on top. The broth has a mild spiciness, if you want yruly spicy broth ask for extra. Minimal oil and no real tare, but still flavourful. An egg is added to the soup and adds a sort of egg-drop quality. There are big chunks of button mushrooms, if you enjoy mushrooms you will like the addition. Unfortunately there was a communication error and no beef was in the ramen, which detracts from the overall dish.

Beef bulgogi 4/5 It is served on a hot sizzling plate. The beef is seasoned well, it is on the sweeter side. There are mushroom, red bell pepper, and cabbage added to the beef which gains a pleasant sear from the plate. The rice gains a crispy bottom, but is not scorched. The plain rice with the bulgogi beef is good but feels lacking for the total price point. If you can get gochujang or kimchi on the side to mix in, it would elevate this dish and feel more complete.

Service and atmosphere 4/5 Although there was a communication error in my order, the server was very polite and did not neglect refilling my water or checking in. The overall atmosphere is very warm, with menus adorning the walls and a wine selection above the kitchen. The roof shows its age as it is in an older building, but below that it is very clean and well decorated. I ordered two main dishes at a fairly busy time, yet my food did not take long at all to come out, the total visit was about an hour. At the end of the meal there was a complimentary chocolate and biscuit and a handwritten card.

I would recommend lunch here to those who are passing through, and have never eaten there before but would like to try korean...

Penticton has be really lacking in Chinese/Asian Cuisine. Joy Buffet raised the bar on this 💯💯 Walked in to grab a menu so we could order later for dinner. The place smelled amazing and that smell stuck in my mind while I read through the menu. Though it may be small and simple, it's packed with classics that taste amazing. Hands down the best chow mein that I have ever had. Basic chicken Chow Mein had fire grilled veggies 😱 My gawd 🤤 You usually pay extra for that stuff and the noodles are usually soggy.... But not at Joy Buffet!! Those noodles were on point 💯🤘 Found my new favorite restaurant. Lovely couple as well. The lady was very kind and helped walk my order to my car (I have a disability) I didn't ask for help, she just kindly walked outside with me. Thank you. Can't wait to eat those noodles again...

I’m very disappointed in the reception we got when we tried to eat here. We walked in with our 2 kids (one of which is less than 1 year old) and we’re rudely told by the server ‘we are full’ with no further communication even though there is clearly an available table in front of us. We walked out and a customer came out to let us know that they were paying their bill and would be leaving but we thanked her and decided to eat elsewhere as we obviously weren’t welcome at this restaurant. I’ve never received such a reception especially at a local restaurant that should pride themselves on their service. Im happy Penticton has other options for Asian fusion- based on my experience, I’d strongly recommend you eat elsewhere where your patronage will be...