Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison hails from the South so when he heard about Joyce, a globally-minded Southern restaurant, he was excited. It did not disappoint.
Chef Sammy Monsour grew up in North Carolina where his parents ran a Lebanese restaurant. Here in LA, he was the chef at Preux and Proper, which closed during the pandemic.
"Lunch in Los Angeles restaurants is more rare than it used to be," Addison says. "Either you specialize in lunch or you specialize in dinner." But Joyce does a good job with both meals.
Long-simmered greens are another specialty at Joyce. Photo by Ziv Sade.
At lunch, expect casual bites like a messy, spicy chicken sandwich with a pimento spread. For brunch, Addison opts for long-simmered collard greens or shrimp over grits.
In the evenings, the restaurant boasts a snazzy raw bar and offers regional favorites like chowchow, baked mac 'n cheese, a honey-glazed fried game hen with angel biscuits, a smoked pork chop with a coffee-spiked jus served over grits, and beignets.
They're all great but Addison has a hard time straying from the perloo, a South Carolina Lowcountry staple that's usually made with lots of pork and bacon. Monsour's version relies on seafood — oysters, shrimp, lobster stock — and hunks of Spanish-style chorizo. "That is the #1 thing I recommend ordering for dinner," Addison says.
The raw bar at Joyce is available in the evenings when the restaurant gets a little fancier. Photo by Ziv Sade.
Bill Addison cites the honey-glazed fried game hen with angel biscuits as another standout dish at Joyce. Photo by Ziv Sade.
Did you really think Joyce wouldn't serve beignets? Tsk, tsk. Photo by Ziv Sade.