Joia Restaurant — Restaurant in Harrison

My partner and I went here becuase we wanted to enjoy the happy hour and it worth it and extremely affordable, I can understand why there are is many regulars here. Service is good and food is wonderful. I have done both carry-out and dine-in.

(Top Pick) Pealla Seafood - I bought this thinking it would be a small expensive, boy was I wrong. This thing huge, the shear weight of it was astonishing. Being frugal, my partner and I had enough for 14 servings lasting 3 days!! As 30 bucks, divided by 14 is 2.14 a plate. That is extremely affordable. The taste was fantastic, not too oily, yet the rice goes down easily. The lobster was a shocker as I didnt expect that, the shrimp, clams, muscles, and scallops were there. Each serving I had was filled with seafood, so they don't cheap out on pleasing you! Its worth it and the taste is incredible!

Ham and Cheese w/French Fries - I bought this thinking it would also be a simple snack, but the rustic style bread is extremely fresh. The ham they used was good quality and cheese was tasty. It tasted good, great quick lunch or snack for sure.

Mac and Cheese w/Shrimp - A nice pile of Mac and Cheese, the cheese was good, thought it was like canned cheese than special mixtures. But it was good, the shrimp was pentiful and good. I recommend this plate for children and fans. I wouldn't get it again though.

Shrimp Cakes - This was very good, one shrimp in each dumpling like shape. It was like nachos with shrimp.

Pretzel - A huge pretzel with amazing generic canned fake cheese, very obvious but very fun to eat. I rely on the cheese a lot, so maybe won't get it again, but if you like eating it plain, then its very good.

Complimentary Bread - Fresh baked bread from some bakery, worth it.

Mash Potatoes - Good mixture in the mash potatoes and taste. Nothing wild, but it was a side dish.

French Fries - I decided to give french fries its own review, it tastes great and I am not sure they add an extra coating to it, but they make it really crispy. I will always get fries here!

Overall, amazing experience and food, they know how to prepare food and I would say to come here and try out all the seafood plates! Its worth it. I wish they created their own cheese mixture, still I be a...

update 9/28/2024 I took my wife, another couple, and my son & his friend for dinner before the Red Bulls game, and was surprised to find that no tables or even bar stools were available. We inquired with the tall bearded host about how long before a table might become available (he had initially told us there were no seats available), and then my wife walked a few steps towards the bar, to get a better look since there was something obscuring a full view of the seating, and asked if there might have been a few bar seats at the end. This is where we received such a terse and completely uncalled-for snarky answer from the host who replied saying that he's not used to having his answer (of no seats) asked about when it's a situation right there in front of his face that he can plainly see with his own eyes and has already informed us of. Obviously my wife and I took umbrage at such a hostile and confrontational reply. Is this the new standard at Joia?! If it is then it's a very big disappointment. We left and have no plans to return again after getting treated that way. Another couple that was just coming through the front door must have seen the exchange and/ or heard our party expressing our outrage at such poor service, and mentioned 'that guy', and went on to agree that he's got a history of having a bad attitude. It's too bad, because Joia was one of our default locations for pre-game meals for both family and my group of friends being Red Bulls season ticket holders since before the restaurant existed. I'm adjusting my rating to reflect our party's disgust at being so rudely treated by that individual. The rest of the wait staff has always been good, but that one bad apple has spoiled the basket I'm afraid.

end update

Nice, clean if not a bit Spartan atmosphere. The food is tasty Portuguese cuisine that's well prepared. Try the grilled octopus on a roof tile: cooked perfectly and a generous portion. Another great seafood choice is their Seafood Linguini. You'll leave...

I've been here twice, with family within the last 2 months. Both large parties, and we all had a great time. Service was great, and attentive. Place was nice, clean and bright. Everyone's orders were correct. Portions are extremely great size, and food is delicious. Highly recommended!!. Also important to note that they have their own private parking garage. Lastly it can be a bit long getting there, during a Red Bulls games, due to excessive traffic in the area, so if you're planning on going during their season, check their schedule, so you're prepare for a bit of traffic. Update 6/21/02 I was just here again this Past Sun 6/19/02 for Father's day. They had a special menu for Father's day, a scale down of the original menu. The only red meat option was the filet mignon on toast, that didn't sound to appetizing for me. I went with the chicken lisboeta, and I am sad to say, it was just ok. The chicken came with shrimp and and scallops in a gold sauce with rice on the side, and spanish fries. The overall flavor was very mild, I barely tasted any garlic, nor onion, it was just heavy on the salt. Overall my meal was disappointing this time around. The place was not packed nor very busy on an early mid day Sunday, so I can't blame the lack of spices due to a busy kitchen or a rush of service. I am sad it didn't live up to my previous visits...