JoJu — Restaurant in New York

JoJu makes amazing authentic and pan-asian inspired Vietnamese banh mi. Nestled amongst a countless variety of Chinese restaurants it's great to have something a little different.

There are a few reasons why I have to rate JoJu at five stars: Freshness Taste Service Value Cleanliness What else can you ask for from a restaurant?

Let's talk about the star of the show: Vietnamese sandwiches. Our of their set of "original" sandwiches, I've had their Lemongrass Chicken, BBQ Pork, Beef Bulgogi, Pork Chop (gone now), Caramel Pork (replaced the chop), and Kakuni Pork Belly. That only leaves the Classic (Vietnamese ham and headcheese with pate) and Vegetarian Ham. Every single thing I've had has been amazing. I've had them all at varying levels of spicy and with or without a fried egg (I prefer medium runny). The bread is delivered fresh twice daily and when they run out the close up shop. The lightly pickled veggies are great and crisp with just the right amount of cilantro to make me happy (a couple sprigs). I haven't asked, but I suppose the pork chop has been replaced due to ease of labor. I did get a bone or two on occasion. That's ok though since the new caramel pork is the perfect mix of sweet and savory. It's sort of a sliced/minced pork with a caramel glaze.

In addition to those basic choices, JoJu offers a variety of other custom designed sandwiches. I recommend just reading their menu for descriptions as they do a great job at explaining what your choices are. My favorite off the other list is the Bulgolgi "Bomb Me" which is the normal bulgolgi + extra kimchi and a runny egg.

Let's not forget their awesome sides and appetizers. This place has an amazing fryer. They kick out amazing fries, spring rolls, and wings. I served their pork spring rolls at a party and people couldn't stop eating them.

A year or two after I started eating there, they added two amazing versions of their fries: JoJu Banh Mi fries and Kimchi Fries. They are amazing and exactly what they sound like. Take a basket of crispy fries and top them with banh mi veggies or kimchi, add an egg if you want. Since they let you customize just about anything on the menu, I love to get either of those fries, add a runny egg, and some bulgolgi beef on top. A fun meal alternative to a sandwich.

They also serve some of the better bubble tea I've had, with plenty of flavor and topping options.

With all those delicious food options, nothing on the menu is over $9. You'll probably average $6 for a sandwich. No matter what though, you'll...

The smell when you walk in teleports you into another world. Being brought by a friend, I didn't expect much from a sandwhich shop, but don't let the simplicity fool you. The menu was simple in a good way. Easy to read and self guiding, I was able to grasp an understanding of the many different bahn mi variations. As it was my first time, I ordered the original bahn mi, and when I took my first bite, I was blown away. The crisp and vinegry radish/carrot topping combined with the meat and headcheese was hugged in a perfectly baked baguette. The roll was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. All the ingredients merged together into a harmony of textures and flavors. Nothing was overpowering as it seemed like the sandwhich was tested to perfection. Small pieces of jalapenos kept me on the edge of my seat as I finished my bahn mi very quickly. Between my friend and I, we shared the bahn mi fries. The light radish/carrot toppings that are featured on the bahn mi was generously added on top of the crisp fries. The saltiness of the fries were counterbalanced by the vinegry "salad" and the creamy siracha mayo took the fries to the next level. Combining all the flavors, these fries were like nothing I had before. A perfect combination similar to the original bahn mi, but with a slight spicy twist. Both items I tasted were top quality. After that day, I spent the next few weeks trying the many other takes on the bahn mi. If you're looking for a sweet bahn mi with a strong flavor, i recommend the bulgogi bahn mi. Maybe a flavor that your more used to? I personally like the lemon grass chicken bahn mi. The chicken flavor we all know and love combined with the many toppings that come with the sandwhich. For the best experience, i recommend adding the green bomb sauce. I find it to give the bahn mi a little kick that makes you wanting another bite. However, the extra jalapenos they add along with the green bomb sauce caused some issues with some of my friends. But, if you're a spice head, green bomb is the way to go on all the bahn mis. My personal recommendation: The Hot...

We weren’t even hungry when we stopped in on a Saturday at around 2:30 pm. We just happened to be in the area and I’ve been wanting to try this for a while, so we decided to pop in. There were a lot of people ordering food for takeout the whole time we were there, even at such a weird meal hour. That’s gotta be saying something. Orders take about 15 minutes so I’d recommend ordering ahead if you can.

If we hadn’t eaten lunch two hours ago, my husband and I would have ordered a lot more. Instead, we shared the Joju fries (JoJu’s banh mi inspired fries, topped with spicy mayo, spicy green sauce, pickled daikon & carrots, and fresh cilantro) and the JoJu banh mi (classic Vietnamese ham, headcheese, pâté spread & BBQ Pork). The fries themselves were amazing. It’s coated in batter (?) and double fried, which is the type of fries I like because the batter makes it extra crispy and flavorful. However, all the toppings on top of eating a banh mi was a bit too much. If I was just eating the fries, I would probably add meat + a runny egg. But eating it with a banh mi, I would have preferred the fries plain (with a side of their spicy green sauce, which is crack. Also appreciate that they don’t charge extra for dipping sauces). The banh mi could be one of the better banh mis I’ve had in my life. It’s stuffed with ingredients and I don’t just mean they’ve filled it with veggies. They are super generous with the meat. The bread is also toasted perfectly.

For drinks, I had the Vietnamese iced coffee, which was perfect. Not too sweet and not too bitter. It was the perfect pick me up. Husband had the taro milkshake with tapioca, which was too sweet for me but he liked it. I’m not sure when I’ll be back since this location is far from me but I’m looking forward to trying their more conveniently located Midtown location. There are still so many menu items I need...