Joya Restaurant & LoungeGood food! Bland service.Overall my friend and I had a great time. The food was delicious and the environment was nice. Our waiter didn't seem to have any personality and barely came by the table unfortunately. It kind of made the place seem a somewhat lifeless since they are the face of the restaurant.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious & DecadentYou literally can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Hubby and I were celebrating his birthday and ordered 2 rounds of tapas..each one was amazing. My favorite thing are the Yucca Fries and hubby's the short rib tacos. Great spot and wonderful ambience..highly recommend. I only have two comments for feedback: a. The hostess seated us all the way in the back awkwardly placed between two empty tables and seemed "annoyed" that we were early for our reservation. 2. It was hubby's birthday and although I specified this in the reservation the server (who didn't know) never said so much as a happy birthday. I don't expect free dessert but it would have been nice to acknowledge. Nevertheless, great spot, would definitely come back!!6/2/2013 12:00:00 AMNever Disappoints !!We drive from the East Bay whenever we get the chance. There is nothing like Joya anywhere in the area. We can always count on consistency here: great & attentive service, food of the highest quality each and every visit and as a result we always have a wonderful time. Is there a problem? Yes! What to order! The Mini Burgers are delicious as are the Gambas, the Ahi, and the irresistible Deviled Eggs. My husband ordered the Madrilene for dessert and I ate a couple of spoonfuls. My advice: bring friends, as we did last time. That way, you can share and taste more of the wonderful Tapas and also have Paella. We also had a pitcher of White Sangria which was a lovely accompaniment to the Tapas we ordered. Yum! We'll be returning soon!5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMJoya is a great place to shareJoya is a great place to share bite of good, interesting, different food preparations. The more people in your group, the more tastes!5/22/2013 12:00:00 AMLovely Birthday dinner.We treated my sister and her husband for a delicious dinner at Joya for her Birthday. The food was fabulous and the service was very good. The staff made sure we were comfortable although our waitress seemed a bit distracted and we had to seek other staff for services she should've made the effort to attend to. "Jessica" also did not introduce herself , we had to inquire about her name which seemed a little odd.
All in all it was a positive dining experience.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious tapasGreat spot to share small plates accompanied by an interesting cocktail or glass of wine. Decor is modern and attractive and service is attentive. My husband and I shared a salad and tapas of chicken tostadas and butternut squash croquetas, ending with an apple cobbler with cardamom-laced ice cream. Everything was truly delicious. We'll be back.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMFood is interesting, especiallyFood is interesting, especially if you come as a group and order a broad selection. Service was mediocre. Really nice: We had reservations for 8:00; showed up at 8:00; got seated immediately.4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMI chose Joya sight unseenI chose Joya sight unseen for an early dinner as I visited my niece and nephew, and was very pleased to find an energetic scene with numerous interesting, tasty tapas dishes. Service was prompt without being intrusive. We sat outside on University Ave and enjoyed the warm evening. Terrific.4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything tastes absolutelyEverything tastes absolutely delicious. Food quality and flavors were spot on. I am from Orange County and Joya has become one of my favorite dedtination restaurants. I gave three stars because our waiter was absent for a majority of our meal, however the buser and the manager were quite attentive to make up for it.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMA fun, lively restaurant withA fun, lively restaurant with interesting food and good service.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGood to take a business guestA colleague & I took an international business partner here for dinner this week.
The atmosphere was lively, the food was quite good, and the service was even better. The Mark West Pinot Noir wasn't bad either!
We made all selections from the tapas menu. Due to my guest's diet, we avoided all seafood (though seafood is some of my favorite). From the ~5 dishes we shared, we agreed that the braised short rib tacos were our favorite! The Kobe beef mini-burgers and Mexican empanadas were tasty. Unfortunately, we least liked the chipotle chicken tostadas, but that was our last dish, after a bottle of wine, so know we didn't have the sharpest palate at that point.
When in the neighborhood, I'd happily stop by again.4/2/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat chef makes a great restaurantAlways a treat. The Paris trained chef makes this place special.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMEach of the appetizers andEach of the appetizers and entrees that we selected were very good, particularly the fish tacos. This downtown restaurant is a convinient and fun place to have lunch even though it is a bit pricey. The service is good and I strongly suspect we will return again in the near future.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMBest crab cakes anywhere andBest crab cakes anywhere and the tuna tartare!! Heavenly. We tend to order the appetizers as our meal and have had them all t this point. Delicious3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMSo many amazing dishes fromSo many amazing dishes from which to choose, we love coming here time and time again. The small plate concept affords the opportunity to satisfy several flavors and combinations, and perfect for sharing. Our favorites: chorizo corn dogs, kale, macaroni and cheese, chicken tostadas, and too many more to name here.3/8/2013 12:00:00 AMgood for a date!Went for lunch on Sunday. Not crowded, so got a window seat setup nicely so my wife was inside and i was next to the big open window how i like it. We were deciding between the veggie and seafood paella, and waitress suggested we get half of each, which we did. Seafood paella was very good, veggie one was good, but not nearly as good as the seafood. Also had a salad which was tasty. Nice place to go when we have a babysitter,more upscale for us than where we go with the kid.3/3/2013 12:00:00 AMWe have been here many timesWe have been here many times and the food is consistently very tasty! We love the mushroom empanadas, the ahi, the ceviche sampler, and the guacamole. The paella croquetas are much better than the butter squash ones that are on the menu right now. The mayan hummus was not very good. The service is always good, they never rush us.3/2/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Restaurant!This place is a fantastic mix of everything you want in a restaurant!2/28/2013 12:00:00 AMTruffled devilled eggs areTruffled devilled eggs are sinful and Meyer lemon drop vodka is so potent you don't care!2/25/2013 12:00:00 AMI've been to Joya three timesI've been to Joya three times and it has delivered each time. Highly recommend.2/21/2013 12:00:00 AMI work in downtown Palo AltoI work in downtown Palo Alto and this is a great place for a business lunch. I've also been here for dinner with a friend and have had some delicious tapas -- the sliders are outstanding. This visit was for lunch. Two of us had the chicken sandwich which has just the perfect amount of tangy heat and the third highly recommended the snapper sandwich which was accompanied by sweet potato fries. All are served with a lovely, perfectly dressed salad. I can't wait to go back to try the snapper sandwich.2/4/2013 12:00:00 AMToo expensive for lunch, food goodFirst time at Joya, had lunch. All items were good or better, particularly the guacamole, made with jicama. Stuffed roasted red pepper en croute, had just a little too much blue cheese to overwhelm the dish. The salad with bacon, persimmons, and grilled hearts of palm was well made, except that the HoP were uneven- some more grilled than others, some more pickled than others. Fish tacos were small, but tasty. The restaurant side of the house is a nice atmosphere, but the lounge side is far too "Hugh Hefner" for my tastes- a little cheesy. Getting seated a little odd- we arrived just a few minutes early, but were made to wait for our table. Restaurant was completely empty. Overall too expensive for lunch at $51 with no alcohol.1/10/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for lunch w/your girlfriends!Great small dishes to try different things when w/a group of friends. Females are trying to eat smaller portions, so this is fun place to try something new.1/3/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was a last minute decision,This was a last minute decision, very spontaneous. Food here was really good. The service is what really made my night. The waiter was very knowledgable and patient. Helped us decide what to pick and what were good pairs. Very good restaurant. Slightly on the pricy side but its not everyday you go out to eat expensive food.12/19/2012 12:00:00 AM