Joy Lounge — Restaurant in Greenwood Village

If you are around the area and are hungry for some Chinese traditional breakfast, head to Joy Lounge, which is located in the Chilgogi Restaurant on Arapahoe Road.

When you look at the menu, it’s listed in mandarin and English. However, you don’t see photos of the food items, you are not sure what you are ordering, so my suggestion is to pull up their website and look at the photos. There, you can see what each item looks like.

My combination #1 consists of the pepper bun filled with meat, the youtiao, and instead of getting soy milk that is included with the combo meal, I upgraded to the soft tofu. I also ordered a soft boiled egg.

The youtiao was really good, so eat it while they are hot. The egg was nothing special, so I won’t get it next. What I enjoyed eating were the pepper pork bun and the soft tofu. Biting into the bun with the seasoned ground pork reminded me of eating at a dim sum place, but better. The quality of this item was exceptionally good. Juice from the meat dipped on my hand. Very filling too.

I divided my tofu by making it savory and sweet. Although I enjoyed eating the savory option, the ginger-sugar syrup is how I would end my meal at a dim sum place.

The constant flow of people coming and going here makes the place busy. However, plenty of seats for those who want to dine in, and fast service for those who just want to order to go.

Plenty of light, nice decorations, and the place is very clean. Workers are constantly busy wiping down the tables, sweeping the floor, and making this eatery a great place to have a meal with family or meeting up with friends to catch up...

Food was phenomenal—the best youtiao you can find in the United States. We ordered the youtiao, soymilk/soft tofu pudding, sweet jianbing, and rice roll. Youtiao was crisp on the outside and perfectly fluffy on the inside. The jianbing had a rose jam filling which was not too sweet but very aromatic and the pastry was deliciously flaky. The soymilk/soft tofu pudding can be customized to your liking with their toppings bar by adding sugar, salt/soy sauce, pickled vegetables, or the house made ginger syrup. And the rice roll made for a wonderful conclusion with grains of rice that didn’t mush together with a youtiao on the inside. Staff was very friendly and helpful, giving us samples of both sweet and salty jianbing to try before we ordered. The location is a bit difficult to find if you don’t know that it’s located inside the Chilgogi—they could benefit from putting up a sign on the outside of...

If you’re looking for a true taste of a traditional Chinese breakfast, this spot is a hidden gem. You tiao (fried dough stick) is perfectly golden, crisp on the outside, and airy inside. Paired with their dou jiang (soy milk); breakfast bliss.

The rice rolls are another standout: soft, slightly chewy, and wrapped with fillings like pork floss, or pickled veggies. Everything tastes homemade and balanced—not overly salty, just really comforting.

I think they recently added pepper bao zhi (steamed buns with pork inside). Nice strong pepper taste but not overpowering. Very yummy

My personal favorite was the relatively simple soft tofu bowl; adding some green onion and spicy sauce makes this sooooo good.

Service is quick, prices are super reasonable, and the vibe is casual. If you're craving some Chinese breakfast nostalgia, this...