Hot Joy Dallas Closes Permanently After Only Three Months in Business

When San Antonio Asian-fusion restaurant Hot Joy announced earlier this year that it was entering the Dallas market, it was big news. Hot Joy partnered with restaurant management group Front Burner to open a two-year pop-up at Cole and Lemmon avenues in Uptown, which it planned to follow with a permanent location after the former Texas Land & Cattle building was razed when the two years were up. Hot Joy opened the pop-up restaurant in July.

But after only three months in business, the restaurant closed Saturday, according to a sign posted to Hot Joy's door.

"Thank you for your generous welcome when we opened and your support over the past months," a sign posted on the front door reads. "Unfortunately, we have decided to close this location permanently as of Saturday, October 28th. We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you."

Hot Joy's flagship San Antonio location remains open, according to the posted sign.

Last week, Observer critic Brian Reinhart published a scathing review of Hot Joy's food and interior design, questioning the restaurant's use of certain imagery in its kitschy decor. In response, Hot Joy posted several things on its Facebook that seemed to rebuke the Observer's statements.

"#diversity in the kitchen. What a novel concept," the restaurant posted Oct. 25 with a photo of kitchen staff. "Forget about the haters and get in here! Hot joy pop up tonight!!!!!!" it posted the same day.

With the pop-up already closed, it seems unlikely that Hot Joy will move forward with a permanent location in Dallas. We've reached out to both Hot Joy and Front Burner for additional information and will update when we hear back.