Jade T.
Yelp
I can't remember the last time I rated a Thai restaurant five stars. I've dined at dozens upon dozens of Thai restaurants in Chicago and Washington, DC and Joy Thai is one of the best I've ever been to.
Seriously.
Before I dined here, I had low expectations. A Thai restaurant in central Pennsylvania? I highly doubt the food would be good or authentic. Fortunately, I was absolutely wrong.
The food at Joy Thai was delicious. Everything I've had was top notch, including Pad Thai. If you've read my reviews, I am extremely picky about this dish. It is one of my favorite Thai dishes, but restaurants tend to screw it up somehow. I was worried that Joy Thai's Pad Thai might even have ketchup (the greatest crime a restaurant can commit). No, their Pad Thai was wonderful. It had all the flavors that make Pad Thai unique and popular: sweet, savory, tangy, and more. The Pad Thai maybe a tad too sweet to a Thai food newbie, but it was just perfect, especially with lime juice. It was the best Pad Thai I've had in several months.
The vegetable egg rolls were perfectly crisp and not too greasy. The Mushroom Salad was interesting. A light lime juice and chili dressing is tossed with straw mushrooms, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, tofu, and fungus (it had the consistency of seaweed). My dining partners enjoyed the Flower Dumplings (basically Khanom Jeep) and Joy Thai Herbal (marinated pork). Curtis had the Holy Jungle, which is red curry with mixed vegetables and tofu. It had just the right amount of heat and flavor. One of the dining partners ordered Drunken Noodles (Pad Khee Mao). While it is supposed to be a spicy dish, they were able to make it mild for him. The Fried Banana dessert was a perfect ending to a great meal.
The service is courteous and pleasant. Water is refilled frequently. They gladly take requests such as omitting fish and oyster sauce or toning down spiciness. Do note, however, that they cannot accept credit cards twice in one day. Example: You paid for dinner, but now want dessert. They can't charge the same card. (Odd, but perhaps it's for fraud prevention?)
Joy Thai is a GREAT Thai restaurant. I can't emphasize this enough. It is very vegetarian-friendly too. I can't believe that such a gem exists in Williamsport. I wish Joy Thai was in Chicago, because I would visit every week. (Instead, I saved half of the Pad Thai and brought it to Chicago with me.) Now, I have something to look forward to the next time I'm in the area.
PS: If you question the authenticity, everyone who works at the restaurant is Thai, from the servers to cooks.
PSS: Take advantage of their lunch specials!