Joya Restaurant & Lounge

So we went here for the Paella Clasica. Everything is good till we get home.
Food was amazing. Services was great. Food taste good etc…
Then when we got home, my bf got a very bad stomachache? Not sure where it from ???

Meh is about right. Service was great, the food was not. We ordered a bunch of the tapas and really didn’t like anything.

The best description of our dinner experience at Joya: I have experienced better. So two starts. Nice atmosphere. That’s about it.

Great service! We had the best bartender. Very informative and super cool! She made us feel comfortable.
Great tapas and cocktails! Not sure why people reviewed that the croquettes were not-​so-​good because they were amazing. We had empanadas, chicken pineapple skewers, short rib tacos! Everything was spectacular. I can’t wait to go back!
Yummy in my tummy!!!

I have been here numerous times. The service is really great.
Tonight sat down in the bar and ordered drinks an appetizers. The waitress was friendly and attentive and the food came out quickly.
Delicious ahi tuna, chicken tostadas and sliders. I have also had dinner here and prefer the tapas like
menu.
You can’t go wrong. Price is decent and great service. Perhaps not a gourmet foodie experience but a great place to go.

I’d say 3.5 stars for food and 4 stars for service. The service was great, the waiter and staff were very attentive.
I came here last week for tapas and tried the papas bravas, guacamole with different types of chips (taro, sweet potato, plantains and yams), braised short rib tacos, plantains and a shrimp dish in garlicky red sauce that I don’t remember the name for because the waiter recommended it. Everything was good, but my favorite was the shrimp – I’m actually not sure if that was the dish we were supposed to get but since I wasn’t exactly sure what we ordered I tried it anyway and it was so good. The flavor reminded me of a cioppino so I wish it was served with a soft bread of some kind. I’ll probably come back again but try different dishes next time.
We were pretty full at the end of dinner and the bill for 2 people with tax and tip was less than $ 50. That was surprisingly inexpensive for a $$$ restaurant, but then again we only got tapas.

I’ve been coming here for awhile. It’s beautiful, it’s tasty, and it has good service. This place has a billion reviews, so let me try to just highlight the unusual /​great aspects of this place:
* It is split in the middle. Seat yourself on the left for the bar area, or let them seat you on the right side for restaurant service.
* It excels as a bar with comfy /​unusual /​communal couches. Perfect low lighting in the evening. The arrangement is such that you often end up meeting nearby people and groups mingle. I’ve made business contacts here just through random proximity.
* They have a really tasty brunch /​lunch menu that I tried today for the first time.
* Their tapas are good. Their paella is very good. In general their dinner menu is excellent. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with a selection here. The quality varies from «very good» to «amazing!»
* They have a great selection of scotch, including the relatively difficult-​to-​find Laphroaig. Even if that’s not your thing, they have an excellent selection of wine, beer, other kinds of alcohol, and mixed drinks.
* During the day in nice weather the exterior «walls» open and it becomes a gorgeous indoor-​outdoor hybrid vibe.
Joya is not a one-​trick pony. Great lunch options, great dinner options, a great bar, and downtempo yet vibrant atmosphere in the evenings make it a dependable choice for an excellent dining experience downtown Palo Alto.
Is it expensive? Yes. Does it get busy? Yes. But you know both of those things going in. It’s in an expensive area, and it is consistently popular. However, there’s a reason for its popularity and longevity in downtown Palo Alto, an area notorious for short-​lived restaurants and food-​based ventures: Joya is worth the money, and your time.

Stopped by Joya for some happy hour drinks with coworkers last week. It’s a busy location so I definitely recommend making a reservation beforehand (available online).
Ordered a white wine sangria and the chicken tostadas and both were delicious. The restaurant is perfect for happy hour and light appetizers as it’s a tapas restaurant.

Really yet another 3.5 star review, but I’m rounding up to 4 stars for several reasons.
Joya is a really gorgeous space, with a loungey area on one side, a handful of seats at the bar, and lots of tables that spill out onto the street corner. While I didn’t find the cocktails much to write home about — either because they were watered down or not all that big in size — all the food items I tried were perfectly portioned given the price and quality. Items like the crab cakes and kobe sliders were quite tasty, in fact.
Overall, this is a perfect venue either for a casual night out or even for an intimate business conversation. Despite being in such a high-​end area, the relative lack of high-​quality options along University Avenue makes Joya stand out a bit more than it otherwise would. As good a bet as any on this particular street.

Incorrect photograph. Please disregard. I can’t seem to remove the picture hence this update. Still a good restaurant.

Nice hip casual lounge which is perfect for a happy hour. Our hostess was friendly and it is Tapas style menu. Ended up getting plate of baby scallop ceviche, caramelized Brussels sprouts, and a bottle of Carneros wine to share.
Will definitely come back during happy hour if I’m in the neighborhood.

³⁄₅ solid stars
I came here for dinner on a weeknight and the food was just OK, esp for how much each items were. I couldn’t justify the final bill and the quality of food.
Ordered:
1) Guacamole & new world chips: ⁵⁄₅ This was probably the best dish of the night!
2) Braised short rib tacos: ²⁄₅ This fell short; I expected more
3) Charcuterie assortment: ²⁄₅ This fell short too.
4) Ceviche sampling: ³⁄₅ good, but not the dough
Overall, ambiance is good here, but I don’t think the food was all that great. Prob will not come back.

I’ve been here a few times now and I would recommend this place for happy hour or to have an intimate date. They have cushy seating all along the walls where you can just sit back, get comfortable and drink some nice wine. They also have a room towards the back that is good for larger groups, and if you want even more privacy, you just close the drapes.
What I like about this wine bar is that not only do they have a good selection of wine, but they have a nice selection of food as well, being a tapas place. The food that I’ve had has all been delicious — I would highly recommend the sampler plate, as well as the charcuterie. I’ve only ever ordered some small plates to share with people though — I’ve never come here to have a sit down dinner, so I can’t speak to what their full dishes are like.
Now the reason why I can’t give this place 5 stars is b/​c I’m very price conscious, and this place is on the pricier side. I only come here when I don’t have to pay. Sure the food is good, but not if I’m not the one shelling out the bucks for it. In that case, I’d rather go somewhere else.

The food was pretty decent but the service is pretty slow/​slightly below average.
The server brought out entrée right after we started the appetizer. So our entrée was sitting there waiting…
The price is a bit expensive but you get a lot of food (at least for us)

Catching up with a friend at Joya. It was her first time here, so I had to show her some good food! The place is quite dim during dinner, but it creates a nice ambiance. We didn’t rsvp, but we were able to get a table and leave by 8pm, which was perfect. The service was on point. Our water guy came by our table at least ten times to refill our water, might as well leave the pitcher with us, haha! Everything went smoothly from appetizers to a shot of tequila to our main entrée.
We had the pink taro and spinach croqueta and sear bay scallops for our appetizers. Absolutely Devine. I enjoyed both very much and so did my friend.
We both ordered the salmon entrée. It’s my second time ordering it, so you know it’s good.
Everything was in order and had a great time at Joya.

One of my favorite restaurants in Palo Alto! I came here for lunch this time:
Pros:
–Great seasonal choices — a lot of the menu items were updated to incorporate pumpkin and squash
–Free refills on coffee!
–We started off our meal with the deviled truffled eggs, which were amazing. I’m a sucker for anything remotely truffled, and the eggs did their job. Unlike your run-​of-​the-​mill tasteless and mushy deviled eggs, these had a very strong truffle taste and were topped off with truffle and caviar
–Loved the delicata squash salad as well. A colorful composition of sweet, roasted squash, creamy salad dressing, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and frisee for a bit of texture
–Short-​rib tacos were delicious! I liked that each of the little taco shells were made with a different fruit/​vegetable — taro, sweet potato, and corn. The ribs were very tender and packed with flavor, topped off with a tangy jicama slaw and dressing
–The mushroom paella is definitely big enough for 2 – 3 people to share! Good value, decent pricing
–If you had to choose one dessert, and one dessert only, definitely go for the pumpkin flan. I expected a standard, orange colored flan with no pumpkin taste but Joya did a phenomenal job of infusing pumpkin flavor into the flan. Very rich, dense, and creamy, topped off with what I think was honey, a sweet cracker, and some cinnamon
Cons:
–The delicata squash salad was delicious, but only came with 6 small pieces of squash
–Wasn’t too impressed by the crab cake
–Mushroom paella was slightly too greasy — plate was covered with a slick layer of oil after I finished my meal. It also takes 40 minutes to make, so probably not a great choice if you’re in a rush

One of my favorite places for a fancy dinner in Palo Alto. The place has a great vibe, and I highly recommend trying the chicken anticuchos, the fondue, and the jerk chicken.
Other thoughts:
Service — Impeccable
Small plates — Love the idea. They’re a bit expensive, but I haven’t had a single one that was short of delicious
Entrees — Massive. I recommend sharing with 1 – 2 people, but if you get the Paella, share with 3 – 4
Dessert — The perfection of their churros will leave you with a warm and cozy feeling of utter satisfaction

Often times, restaurants are pricey because of the location and décor… and this is one of those places!
It’s located right on University so I would assume that rent is pretty high. Step inside, and there’s the main dining room to the right and a bar/​lounge area to the left. I’ve eaten both in the main dining room and in the lounge area. Although the second time the hostess informed us that we had to dine in the lounge area for tapas and drinks. The main dining room was pretty empty so not sure why they had that policy.
Their tapas aren’t real «tapas» IMO… they are pretty big dishes, and most of the items I tried were just ok… Skip the sliders (bland and bun was not good) and brussels sprouts. The ceviche and avocado and corn empanadas were good. Their drinks are also pretty tasty. So… come here for the atmosphere, yummy drinks and average food.
The lounge area looks like a pretty popping date place though!

The place looked swanky on the inside but what do you expect from a restaurant on University? Those chandeliers were absolutely divine. Inside seating or outside? How about hybrid? The walls retracted for the nice weather, while we sat inside, with a railing separating us from the sidewalk. THIS was California eating… haha.
There were a lot of tapas to choose from. I had set my eyes on any tapa with their taro chips. We had the rock cod ceviche. I thought the appetizer was okay but I couldn’t eat enough of those chips! I need me an entire bag of these. There were also 3 plantain chips that were bland.
The chimichurri flank steak and yucca fries… those fries were enormous and full of wonderful texture, accompanied with a spicy aioli. You MUST order the fries! The steak was okay. It could use some more of the chimichurri sauce.
I am not one to refuse paella when it’s on the menu, so of course we sampled. There is the half order option, which is already big as heck. The full size, supposedly serves two, can probably feed 3 or more. The dish was drawing major attention from our neighbors, but it was a mediocre dish. The rice was soooo soggy. The flavor was forgettable.
I would come here again just for the yucca fries.

I posted the pictures from our meal here but I guess I forgot to write my review. Yikes!
My daughter and I visited here while we were at the Art Festival several weeks ago. Loved open air dining concept and it was a beautiful day to sit and people watch.
We ordered the sliders, tomato salad, papas bravas and two cocktails.
Sliders were delicious!
Tomato Salad was light, fresh and just perfect.
Papas Bravas were just «okay».
Our cocktails were yummy. I hit the sangria which was really good. Not to sweet and boozy perfection on a warm summer day.
Customer service was impeccable. I had a small issue with one of the items and the manager came right over to our table, corrected the problem and comped the dish completely. Class
If we’re back in the area, I’ll come back for sure.

Joya is located in downtown Palo Alto. I really do like the vibe at Joya and great décor settings. They do take reservations and if not, you can always sit a the lounge area (only able to order tapas aka appetizers) or at the bar. The service wasn’t bad but can be better and the food was mediocre but it wasn’t horrible. They are mostly known for their paella which I wished I ordered but I would definitely recommend ordering the paella (takes about ²⁰⁄₃₀ mins to make).
Starters:
— truffled deviled eggs with salmon caviar
— seared bay scallops
— dungeness crab cakes
Entrees:
— pan roasted skuna bay salmon
— pan seared california white seabass

My mom & I went here for a nice lunch before we went shopping at the Stanford Mall. I heard many good things about Joya and finally got to try it. We order the scallops, seafood paella, kobe burgers and the ceviche platter. I must say, for two people we definitely over ordered, but it was great to try a little bit of everything.
My favorite was the kobe burger and scallops. These two are a MUST order. The flavors and sauce are delicious and creamy. The seafood platter was big even though it was meant for two people, but definitely worth the price. They had a good amount of seafood in there, it was a bit dry, but was still delicious. I feel it can feed around 4 people honestly aka whole family :) The ceviche platter, there was three different kinds, the best one was the one with mangoes!
The environment and setting was nice and comforting and classy. Definitely great for a girl’s night or a date!