Jojo (restaurant)

Jojo (also known as Jojo Food Truck and Jojo PDX) is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.[1][2] Established by Justin Hintze in 2018, the business operates in southeast Portland's Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood and northwest Portland's Pearl District.

Jojo
Exterior of the Pearl District location, 2022
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Justin Hintze
CityPortland
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45.4965°N 122.6268°W / 45.4965; -122.6268
Websitejojopdx.com

Description

Jojo operates from a food cart in southeast Portland's Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood and a brick and mortar space in northwest Portland's Pearl District.[3] The business specializes in fried chicken sandwiches.[4] The menu has also included biscuits and gravy and milkshakes.[5]

History
The food truck's exterior in 2021

Justin Hintze, a former real estate agent,[4] opened Jojo in Sellwood in October 2018.[6] The food cart relocated to a pod on Southwest Powell in 2019.[6] Jojo became known for its social media posts in 2019.[7] In late 2019, Jojo and Vietnamese cart Matta collaborated to launch Chơi Luôn, a restaurant within the cocktail bar Lulu.[8]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jojo offered free meals to children, restaurant workers,[9][10] and hospital workers.[11] In April, when Jojo reopened after a temporary closure, the business offered free sandwiches to all who asked.[12]

In 2021, Hintze confirmed plans to open a sibling brick and mortar restaurant in the Pearl District.[13][14] The restaurant opened on September 15, 2022.[15][16][17]

Reception
The restaurant's jojos in 2021

In 2019, Jojo was a Food Cart of the Year finalist in Eater Portland's Eater Awards. The website's Brooke Jackson-Glidden wrote, "Jojo stands out as a Portland icon for its social media alone, but luckily this Creston-Kenilworth cart’s hulking fried chicken sandwiches are similarly obsession-inducing. Owner Justin Hintze doesn’t hold back with spice, sauce, or smoke, topping chicken with potato salad and sambal mayo on a crisped bun, with a side of crispy-crackly jojos for gut-busting good measure."[18]

In 2020, Nick Woo and Alex Frane included Jojo in the website's lists of "14 Outstanding Fried Chicken Sandwiches in Portland" and "14 Excellent Sandwich Shops to Try in Portland", respectively.[19] Jojo was included in several additional Eater Portland lists in 2021, including Woo and Nick Townsend's "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland",[20] Krista Garcia's "10 Chicken-and-Jojo Champs in Portland",[21] Woo and Jackson-Glidden's "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts",[22] Daniel Barnett and Garcia's "17 Mind-Blowing Burgers in Portland and Beyond",[23] and Jackson-Glidden's "The 38 Essential Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland".[24] In 2023, Nathan Williams included Jojo in an overview of "where to eat and drink" in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood,[25] and Waz Wu included the business in an overview of "Where to Find Top-Notch Vegan Burgers in Portland".[26]

Portland Monthly included Jojo in a 2021 overview of "The Best Fried Chicken in Portland".[27] Michael Russell included the restaurant in The Oregonian's 2023 list of Portland's ten best new brunches.[28]

See also

References
  1. Russell, Michael (2019-06-20). "Southeast Portland's Jojo is a food nerd's dream of fried chicken and potatoes". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  2. Singer, Matthew (2021-05-05). "In Just Two Years, the Jojo Fried Chicken Sandwich Has Become a Portland Classic". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  3. "Review: Portland's Jojo Gets a Glow-Up in the Pearl". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  4. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-11-21). "Chơi Luôn, the Banh Mi Collab from Food Carts Matta and Jojo, Opens This Week [Updated]". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  5. "Jojo Was Already One of Portland's Heftiest Meals. What Happens When You Add Eggs?". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  6. Leonard, Rita A. (August 30, 2019). "Noted food cart moves from Sellwood to new Powell mall". The Bee. Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  7. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-12-18). "Fried Chicken Cart Jojo Ruled Instagram by Fully Satirizing Itself". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  8. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-11-21). "Chơi Luôn, the Banh Mi Collab from Food Carts Matta and Jojo, Opens This Week [Updated]". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  9. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-03-17). "Portland Food Truck Jojo Gives Away Free Meals as Restaurant Workers Lose Jobs". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  10. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-03-18). "Portland Food Carts and Restaurants Are Giving Out Free Meals In Response to Food Service Industry Layoffs". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  11. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-04-01). "Funded by Donation Dollars, Portland Restaurants Start Serving Free Meals to Hospital Workers". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-12-31. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  12. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-04-03). "Where to Find Passover Takeout and Delivery in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  13. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-03-06). "Perpetually Popular Fried Chicken Cart Jojo Is Opening a Restaurant". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  14. Singer, Matthew (2021-03-17). "Food Cart Phenomenon Jojo Is Going Brick-and-Mortar. Owner Justin Hintze Says COVID-19 Helped It Happen". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  15. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2022-09-01). "Inside Fried Chicken Cart Jojo's New Restaurant, With Boozy Milkshakes and '70s Lounge Vibes". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  16. Mahoney, Teresa (2022-09-29). "Jojo fried chicken and potato food cart opens a brick-and-mortar spot in Portland's Pearl District". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  17. "Jojo's Long-Anticipated Brick-and-Mortar Has Finally Opened in the Pearl District. Believe the Hype". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  18. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-11-18). "Meet the Finalists for Eater Portland's Best Restaurant of 2019 and More". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  19. Woo, Nick (2020-03-10). "14 Outstanding Fried Chicken Sandwiches in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  20. Woo, Nick (2015-05-28). "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  21. Garcia, Krista (2021-02-16). "10 Chicken-and-Jojo Champs in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  22. Woo, Nick (2015-06-10). "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  23. Barnett, Daniel (2017-05-09). "17 Mind-Blowing Burgers in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  24. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-01-09). "The 38 Essential Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  25. Williams, Nathan (2023-05-08). "Where to Eat and Drink in Portland's Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  26. Wu, Waz (2017-03-30). "Where to Find Top-Notch Vegan Burgers in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  27. Hamilton, Katherine Chew (2021-12-13). "The Best Fried Chicken in Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  28. Russell, Michael; Oregonian/OregonLive, Lizzy Acker | The (2023-05-09). "Portland's 10 best new brunches of 2023". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
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