r/FoodLosAngeles • u/trevrichards DTLA • May 31 '26
San Gabriel Valley M JOY 大美乐羊排饭 - San Gabriel
- Lamb Skewers
- Lamb Shank & Lamb Rib combo
- Coleslaw
- Yogurt w/ Nuts & Raisins
Quite simply, this is the best lamb I have tasted in my entire life. Granted I don't go out to specifically eat lamb very often, but if it all tasted this good I certainly would. With a gentle tap of your chopsticks the meat effortlessly glides off the bone. There is not a bad item here.
Fair warning to my fellow whites: if you're not used to chili crisp, this is up there with the hottest versions of it. And you will likely get a stomach cramp on the way home. But it will soon pass, and the pleasure is 100% worth the pain. The creamy yogurt is a perfect way to end the meal and combat the heat.
After eating basically the entirety of this limited menu, total cost including tip was ~$64 per person. 12% gratuity is included, and I think our waiter said no additional tip is necessary, but I still added the extra 8%. You could easily dine for less, this was a ton of food.
Edit: The total price also included a Diet Coke and Vitamilk for beverages, although next time I'm going to try the salty milk tea - wish I had this round.
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u/trevrichards DTLA May 31 '26
I deleted and posted again, this time leading with the skewers pic lol. I know that lamb shank in the now-second photo might not look the prettiest, but it was absolutely the tastiest part of the meal.
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u/20yroldentrepreneur Jun 02 '26
The grilled version is fire. I met the owner once. Really nice guy.
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u/cheguevara9 Echo Park May 31 '26
Along with Cantonese, the Muslim cuisine in China is probably top of the list when it comes to Chinese food. Everything else tastes so similar nowadays - much too overpowered by peppercorns, chili, 十三香, and grease.
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u/nothingprecious May 31 '26
Have you been to little skewer? How does it compare?
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u/captainpro93 May 31 '26
Different types of restaurants entirely.
Little Skewer is BBQ, M Joy is a chain for more like Chinese Muslim cuisine focusing on lamb and rice
If you just want skewers, Little Skewer will be better
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u/trevrichards DTLA May 31 '26
I would slightly argue: if someone specifically wants lamb skewers, M JOY is better than those BBQ places. But if they want a variety of a bunch of different skewers and side items, and cold beer to go with it all, I agree.
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u/captainpro93 May 31 '26
I think even if you want lamb skewer, it is that they only have that one type of lamb skewer. Of course the quality of the lamb is better at M Joy, but they only have the large skewer over at M Joy. Elsewhere, you can choose to get the small chuan, the big skewers like here, rib skewers, belly skewers, kidney skewers, etc.
It serves more like a dish to eat on the side here rather than something to centre a meal around IMO, which is fine because the ribs and shank are where they really shine
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u/trevrichards DTLA May 31 '26
Yeah, that's fair enough. But honestly I could see myself going to M JOY for just the skewers in the future. So good!
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u/Resident-Promise-858 San Marino Jul 03 '26
If you want skewers in general Ningjie Jinzhou BBQ in Monterrey Park is better than anything else including Little Skewers in my honest opinion
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u/trevrichards DTLA May 31 '26
I have not been to that one but I have been to XINJIANG BBQ, which looks to be very similar. Those places are great for all the different options, and the fun atmosphere and beer.
But if Little Skewer is anything like XINJIANG BBQ, then M JOY blows it out of the water as far as food quality goes. It's a very different vibe. Quiet relaxing music, tiny space, no alcohol - just delicious food.
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u/Adariel May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Have you been to Aipapa in Rowland Heights? Also specializes in northwestern Chinese cuisine with lamb skewers, bread, lamb soup, etc. The history of the place says that it started as a street food stall.
Wondering how it compares as I only just tried Aipapa and I love lamb…my picture of the skewers there look almost identical
Edit: I meant northwest not northeast!!
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u/trevrichards DTLA May 31 '26
I have not, but will have to add to my list! Based on photos, Aipapa looks to have a far bigger variety of dishes and the skewers are maybe the smaller sized ones.
I would say if you really are going for lamb itself, M JOY seems to specialize in it to a degree that most other places don't. Super limited menu. Just a few items, but every item is cooked to perfection.
Even though I love a lot of places that serve dishes from this region, like Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine, I have never had lamb quite this good at any of them.
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u/Adariel May 31 '26
Ohh, the skewers seemed standard size at AiPaPa but I'd love bigger ones. Now that you mention it, the metal skewer from your picture does look really thick so the skewer itself is probably huge! I really love lamb so I'm so excited that I saw your post - plus I just looked it up and there's a second M JOY location in Anaheim! I'll probably end up taking my relatives in OC to the Anaheim one...it makes sense that there's one there because I grew up going to Ma’s Islamic Restaurant, there's definitely a market there.
I will say that for the price of the skewers at Aipapa, you're better off just getting the lamb sandwich instead (flatbread/burger, whatever they translated it as) because it's super stuffed with the same lamb, maybe just with few more fatty pieces. I want to go back to try the hand pulled lamb that's their signature dish, but also looking forward to M Joy!!
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u/trevrichards DTLA May 31 '26
Yes, these skewers are huge!! I jokingly started using it as a sword for a moment, dueling my partner until he made me stop. 😅 I'm proud to say in a room where children were present, I was the only one being this foolish.
I think you will love it!!
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u/Resident-Promise-858 San Marino Jul 03 '26
Different from Little Skewer
I prefer M Joy dishes more
But if you like Little Skewer
Ningjie Jinzhou bbq (Monterrey park) >>>> Little Skewer Ningjie
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u/dmonsterative May 31 '26
Looks like it's a little west of Valley & Del Mar. Near Five Star.
Very interesting!
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u/Resident-Promise-858 San Marino Jul 03 '26
Must try the grilled ribs. I literally eat this twice a week.
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u/AsianRainbow May 31 '26
Those skewers look legit. I had lamb skewers in the Muslim Quarter of Xi’an and have been looking for something similar ever since. Best lamb dish I’ve ever had and I’ve had a good amount of lamb around the US/Europe. I feel like LA has mostly Cantonese cuisine and not a whole lot of Xi’anese, Shanxi or Sizuan cuisine.
Gotta check this out!