"This hip, fast-casual Taiwanese spot in Highland Park offers a focused menu of classic street foods, including rice bowls, noodles, and buns, along with a rotating selection of cold appetizers like crunchy lotus roots and wood ear mushrooms. Joy is the sister restaurant to Pine & Crane with locations in Silver Lake and Downtown, but its menu is more solo-dining friendly. Some items are carried over from Pine & Crane, like the minced pork on rice, but Joy also introduces some exclusive dishes, such as the flaky thousand-layer pancakes, which are best filled with egg, cheese, chile sauce, and basil. Saving room for dessert is a must — the shaved ice and soft Hakka mochi dusted with finely crushed peanuts and black sesame are excellent choices." - Kristie Hang
