Going during the day is the best time to go. It can get very crowded and busy. There are 2 kiosk stations and they take orders at the register. The drinks have options of the amount of sugar. The lowest is 30%. The staff is a young group. They aren't friendly even if you say hello. There are tables to sit at but it's not good for big groups. Not sure if you can call in your orders. Don't forget a straw. They have it next to the pickup area. The kids at the register do not check on the ink or tape on the register. I could barely read my register. The drinks are good and we still get the same each time and sometimes we try something new. Strawberry Lychee smoothie, mango lychee and coffee milk tea are the regulars. Recently tried the 2 lovers which is coffee&tea with boba. We also like the mango sago with pomelo. Only 1 size for their drinks!!! Tipping is optional and there is no surcharge on cc.

Looking for boba's in Chicago Chinatown? Look no more..they have smoothies, boba's and fresh fruit freeze drinks! So many different flavors and selections. They uses fresh fruits for their freeze's. We ordered short ribs pho which was served in a huge bowl good for 3! The ribs were so tender. Bulgogi beef with rice, siomai, and coconut shrimps. We had 3 drinks , strawberry kiwi freeze with boba, mango freeze with boba and I forgot to take a pic of avocado freeze. Service to get in the food was pretty fast but after that you have to get their attention to get anything else you need. Space is huge but the good thing we didn't wait that long to get seated. It's a good spot for families since most foods are good for sharing. Parking- we went during marathon so every corner the road was closed so we had to park really far and then walk to chinatown but after the marathon they opened the street and they have a huge parking space.

On my last day in Chicago, I still had to come here to get a drink since I was still determining when I would spend my next time here. I ordered a refreshing honey kiwi oolong, which had no sour taste of the kiwi. I will miss their drink. I wish they can bring it to Boston.

So the funny thing is that as often as I visit China Town, I never walk the entire strip. I usually head right to Joyee. This time, I walked and ran into their other location, Joyee Plus. They sell Korean ice cream and shaved iced, along with milk tees. I love the Taro Milk tea and smoothies, so I tried the Taro ice cream with Boba. Delicious! The drink was some kind of fruit tea slush.

What a fun stop! I almost wished I wasn't as stuffed as I was. I really wanted to try the ice cream. Drinks were served In fun, sturdy tumblers that refilled nicely. Large size for the price. Always appreciated. Delicious to boot. Order from the kiosk exactly as you wish, with plenty of ideas to help you pick from. Very clean with friendly employees.

I love the shabu shabu at JY+. I truly miss living 3 train stops away from Chinatown. Their drink options are a little different from Joy Yee too. My go to is the dragon queen with lychee jelly. We normally do the beef broth for the hot pot. I'm not too crazy about getting a bunch of stuff since we try not to over order. The order of premium beef for my husband and I was more than enough. My husband also doesn't eat a lot of shrimp so I normally eat most of it myself. Some of the shrimp were a bit mushy and isn't as fresh but that was like 1/6 shrimps. Their portion for the enoki mushroom is a lot actually. I thought it wasn't so I ordered 2 of them, but we actually love them so we didn't mind. My favorite appetizer is the grilled tentacles. I realized they changed their menu quite a bit since the last time I've been here because there's "grilled" options. They changed the tentacles up a bit to have that Vietnamese flare and it's so good! My husband and I got actually made our own dipping sauces for the hotpot but then we ended up using the fish sauce from the grilled tentacles bcos it was so good. Also, google says JY+ opens at 11:30am but it's actually just the downstairs and not the upstairs for the hotpot/food. The upstairs open at 12pm. We came here after one of my runs and we had to wait a little bit for them to open and I was so hungry haha

Yummy and managed make it to the lunch special ($12 vs. $18) for the entrees. The service was alright but typically Asian (efficient and basic). Ambiance was standard, cute, and appropriate for a Chinatown hangout with lots of cartoons and colors.

Stopped by for dessert after having dinner at another place in Chinatown. Joy Yee Plus is sort of split into two with hot pot (which was being served upstairs) and the drinks/dessert (which was being served downstairs. The drinks seem to all come in reusable containers which is cool, but they also are a dollar or two more than what you'd spend a few doors down at the OG Joy Yee's. Split one of their special bubble waffles with a friend. We ordered the one with Taro ice cream, mango, coconut flakes, and mochi pieces. It was so good, I highly recommend and would definitely order it again. Was hoping for more of a chewy texture with the bubble waffle but it was fluffy and crispy and everything else you'd expect from a waffle. They had a bunch of other things there too that looked so intriguing like a bright pink dragon fruit soft serve. Came by on a Friday night and the place was PACKED. But they kept the line moving and they have seats inside and outside of the place. They didn't have a public bathroom in the downstairs but I was able to use the one in the upstairs with my receipt. Located in Chinatown square it's convenient if you're looking for something sweet after dinner!