tasty tapas!. i dined at joya with a group of 5 colleagues during a trip to palo alto. still a little full from a late business lunch, we opted to share a variety of tapas rather than order entrees. being from miami, i'm picky about eating latin food outside of south florida (if youorderedchicken soup in a restaurant - you'd want it to be the best, wouldn't you?). joya was a good selection, though, serving small plates inspired from a number of latin cuisines.
we started with carafes of the white sangria, which were large and tasty, though not very strong - sangriaphiles may want the optional extra shot. we found the tapas to be delicious. the ceviche sampler was very good and a pleasant surprise to those who had never tried ceviche before - i believe that the "traditional" ceviche was everyone's favorite. the mixed vegetable chips that came with the ceviche were a nice accompaniment, however there were not enough for the group and many came broken. the second biggest hit of the evening. were the yucca fries, which we had to request additional orders of. the empanadas were just okay. the guacamole was creamy and flavorful, but i do not feel that you receive enough for the price of it (hass avacados are local - why be so stingy?!?). overall, i would recommend joya for a night out with friends or a fun date.