Jojo (restaurant)

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Jojo
Jojo logo (Portland, Oregon).png
Portland, Oregon (August 16, 2022) - 071.jpg
Exterior of the Pearl District location, 2022
Jojo (restaurant)
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Justin Hintze
City Portland
State Oregon
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 45°29′47″N122°37′36″W / 45.4965°N 122.6268°W / 45.4965; -122.6268
Website jojopdx.com

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.

Contents

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

Food cart pod outside John's Marketplace on SE Powell, PDX, 2021 - 02.jpg
The food truck's exterior in 2021
Food cart pod outside John's Marketplace on SE Powell, PDX, 2021 - 08.jpg
The restaurant's jojos 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. [4]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jojo offered free meals to children, restaurant workers, [8] [9] and hospital workers. [10] In April, when Jojo reopened after a temporary closure, the business offered free sandwiches to all who asked. [11]

In 2021, Hintze confirmed plans to open a sibling brick and mortar restaurant in the Pearl District. [12] [13] The restaurant opened on September 15, 2022. [14] [15] [16] Jojo also caters large events. [17]

Reception

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 the city and 14 "excellent" sandwich shops in Portland, respectively. [19] Jojo was included in several Eater Portland lists in 2021, including Woo and Nick Townsend's 14 "real-deal" fried chicken restaurants in Portland, [20] Krista Garcia's 10 "chicken-and-jojo champs" in the city, [21] Woo and Jackson-Glidden's 15 "outstanding" food carts in Portland, [22] Daniel Barnett and Garcia's 17 "mind-blowing" burgers in the metropolitan area, [23] and Jackson-Glidden's 38 "essential" Portland restaurants and food carts. [24] In 2023, Nathan Williams included Jojo in an overview of recommended eateries in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood, [25] and Waz Wu included the business in an overview of "top-notch" vegan Burgers in the city. [26] Jojo was included in the website's 2025 lists of Portland's best brunch restaurants and best eateries in the Pearl District. [27] [28]

Portland Monthly included Jojo in a 2021 overview of "The Best Fried Chicken in Portland". [29] Michael Russell included the restaurant in The Oregonian 's 2023 list of Portland's ten best new brunches. [30] In 2025, Jojo ranked number 31 in a Yelp list of 50 restaurants serving the best fried chicken in the U.S. and Canada. [31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Russell, Michael (June 20, 2019). "Southeast Portland's Jojo is a food nerd's dream of fried chicken and potatoes". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ Singer, Matthew (May 5, 2021). "In Just Two Years, the Jojo Fried Chicken Sandwich Has Become a Portland Classic". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Review: Portland's Jojo Gets a Glow-Up in the Pearl". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (November 21, 2019). "Chơi Luôn, the Banh Mi Collab from Food Carts Matta and Jojo, Opens This Week [Updated]". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Jojo Was Already One of Portland's Heftiest Meals. What Happens When You Add Eggs?". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. 1 2 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 (December 18, 2019). "Fried Chicken Cart Jojo Ruled Instagram by Fully Satirizing Itself". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  8. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (March 17, 2020). "Portland Food Truck Jojo Gives Away Free Meals as Restaurant Workers Lose Jobs". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  9. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (March 18, 2020). "Portland Food Carts and Restaurants Are Giving Out Free Meals In Response to Food Service Industry Layoffs". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (April 1, 2020). "Funded by Donation Dollars, Portland Restaurants Start Serving Free Meals to Hospital Workers". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (April 3, 2020). "Where to Find Passover Takeout and Delivery in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  12. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (March 6, 2021). "Perpetually Popular Fried Chicken Cart Jojo Is Opening a Restaurant". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  13. ↑ Singer, Matthew (March 17, 2021). "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 August 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (September 1, 2022). "Inside Fried Chicken Cart Jojo's New Restaurant, With Boozy Milkshakes and '70s Lounge Vibes". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  15. ↑ Mahoney, Teresa (September 29, 2022). "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 February 28, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Jojo's Long-Anticipated Brick-and-Mortar Has Finally Opened in the Pearl District. Believe the Hype". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  17. ↑ Roland, Rebecca (June 3, 2015). "13 Portland Food Trucks That Will Cater Your Wedding". Eater Portland. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  18. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (November 18, 2019). "Meet the Finalists for Eater Portland's Best Restaurant of 2019 and More". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  19. ↑ Woo, Nick (March 10, 2020). "14 Outstanding Fried Chicken Sandwiches in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  20. ↑ Woo, Nick (May 28, 2015). "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  21. ↑ Garcia, Krista (February 16, 2021). "10 Chicken-and-Jojo Champs in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  22. ↑ Woo, Nick (June 10, 2015). "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  23. ↑ Barnett, Daniel (May 9, 2017). "17 Mind-Blowing Burgers in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  24. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (January 9, 2018). "The 38 Essential Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  25. ↑ Williams, Nathan (May 8, 2023). "Where to Eat and Drink in Portland's Creston-Kenilworth Neighborhood". Eater Portland. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  26. ↑ Wu, Waz (March 30, 2017). "Where to Find Top-Notch Vegan Burgers in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  27. ↑ Baillargeon, Zoe (August 9, 2016). "Portland's Best Brunch Restaurants". Eater Portland. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  28. ↑ Hilton, Thom (September 9, 2019). "The Best Restaurants and Bars in Portland's Pearl District". Eater Portland. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  29. ↑ Hamilton, Katherine Chew (December 13, 2021). "The Best Fried Chicken in Portland". Portland Monthly . Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  30. ↑ Russell, Michael; Oregonian/OregonLive, Lizzy Acker | The (May 9, 2023). "Portland's 10 best new brunches of 2023". The Oregonian . Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  31. ↑ Pettigrew, Jashayla (July 22, 2025). "3 Portland spots included in Yelp Elite's roundup of the nation's best fried chicken". KOIN.
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