JoJo's Gelato & Grill — Restaurant in Aurora

What started as Jim and Marni Danhauer’s food truck in 2015 has since turned into a local favorite for those in the Grand Island area looking to enjoy a little taste of Italy. They tout themselves as an Italian restaurant, although they serve various American dishes as well. Instead of handing out traditional menus, patrons walk right up to the counter to order their grub off of a large television menu that has eye-catching, mouth-watering pictures of all their dishes. On the American side of the menu, dishes include traditional cheeseburgers, pulled pork sandwiches, and Philly cheesesteaks, or fancier items like smoked prime rib, a brisket cheddar sandwich, or a cowboy burger. Chicken and salads are available for those not looking for a red-meat meal.

On the other side of the board are Italian-inspired dishes like spaghetti & meatballs and fettuccine alfredo, or a lineup of paninis that range from smoked chicken bacon avocado sandwiches, to rosemary chicken and a traditional Italian panini. And of course, we can’t ignore the sweetest part of JoJo’s Italian-American food lineup, their gelato. Unlike ice cream, gelato has about half the air of your traditional ice cream treat, which gives it a much smoother, dense, and frankly just more delicious taste.

My party of three sampled the tender & juicy Brisket Cheddar Sandwich (a real melt-in-your-mouth kind of meal for those who enjoy a lot of meat and cheese), a yummy, traditional cheeseburger, and a special featured item called a “Meatloaf Sammie.” The meatloaf was full of flavor and you could taste the special blend of spices and onions packed into every bite. Although the normal french fries are warm and crisp on their own, I would highly recommend taking a stab at the parmesan truffle fries that have a pretty unique flavor profile. I’d say that they perfectly offset any of the sandwiches! All-in-all, the food was fantastic, and I naturally polished off my meal with a generous portion of rich salted caramel gelato.

The next time you find yourself on I-80 with 30-45 minutes to spare for lunch, I would highly recommend taking the three mile detour off the main road into Aurora to enjoy this unique dinery. Kids are mesmerized by the robot that seemingly knows every twist and turn of the restaurant and glides with ease across the floor, and the food is top-of-the-line when it comes to small town eating. Thanks to the staff for their stellar cooking, fast counter-to-table delivery times (maybe that’s on the robot! :)), and just general kindness. Best of luck to the Danhauer family and their future endeavors! Keep up the...

This is the most expensive restaurant I've ever been to.... the food is not worth the price. Your kids meals are 10 dollars!! We got a small bowl of mac and cheese for 6.00 which was literally a box that you can buy at the store for 1 dollar and was very obvious it was made in the microwave. What a waste of my 6.00!! We could have added fries and a drink for 4.00! No thank you! We also got a sandwich that cost 10 dollars, which was just the sandwich mind you, which was not good and very small and messy. Seriously! We spent 55 dollars and left their hungry and disappointed. Im not sure how you are still in business with the prices you charge for what you get. The service was also not good. Not very friendly people. Just a big disappointment all the way around. We were not at all impressed and will never be back. I really don't understand why all the 5 stars on here. If people were honest they would let you know you are over priced and the food is not good. I wish I had taken pictures of our meals for proof. I hope people will believe me when I say this place is not at all worth the prices they charge. And it seems you only answer 5 star reviews with positive feedback but the 1 and 2 star reviews are met with negativity. Very...

Just moved to town and stopped in here shortly before they closed for some gelato a few days ago. The gelato was AMAZING. The salted caramel was our favorite. They close at 9, we came in around 830. Just wanted to grab some and go home we didn't dine in. However the lady that waited on us wasn't super friendly, although I know it was close to closing time so I understand, but she definitely gave off the feeling like we were a bother. Tonight headed back to town from a ball game I called a pick up order in. The lady that answered the phone tonight and was the one at the drive thru window was super nice. They were really busy and she apologized for the wait, we didn't mind as we understand and were in no rush. She was really nice and friendly. The gentleman that brought out our food again apologized and was super nice. Our kids devoured their burgers and said they were really good. We all love their fries. My husband and I had the smoked brisket cheddar sandwiches. The flavor was really good and could taste the smoke flavor. Only downside was there was a lot of fat in the meat and not much brisket. My husband didn't mind but I'm not a fan of it. Overall we will be back again and can't wait to try more...