JoJo's Tacos

Critic's Review

JoJo's is gone and has been replaced by an underwater painting gallery.

Gug Art Gallery

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I guess JoJo got tired of working. I'm surprised he kept on as long as he did. What's surprising (and stupid) is that they ripped the place so the restaurant is gone. So don't expect this to re-open as a restaurant anytime soon.

Review 9/25/14

JoJo's Tacos Fort Lauderdale

I hadn't been back to JoJo's since they opened, before I left I checked their menu and was astonished that the menu is virtually the same as it was when they opened. It's unbelievable that JoJo got everything exactly right before he opened and hasn't had to make 1 adjustment to the business.

One thing they did change is the furniture; the original furniture was heavy and while visually appealing, not very comfortable. They also have more chairs at the "bar" now as well.

JoJo's Tacos Kitchen 9/14

They had some pretty nice tables that they've tossed for some more traditional restaurant tables.

JoJo's Tacos New Tables 9/14

I don't recall if they had blackboard specials before, but they do now. $6.50 for specialty tacos, $14 for Corn Chowder. Is that for a Quart?

JoJo's Tacos Blackboard Specials

I ordered 2 tacos; the Frisky Brisket and Cathy's Catch, no drink. $11.66.

While I was waiting, I thought that it would have been nice if they offered the chips and salsa while you waited for your take out. It took more than 10 minutes to make the tacos.

When I got home, I unloaded the bag; it was all nicely packed and the tacos has survived the trip.

JoJo's Tacos Take Out

They gave me quite a load of chips and 2 containers of salsa; I remember getting a bunch of chips on my first visit with a tiny thimble of salsa.

JoJo's Tacos Chips and Salsa

I tasted the chips and the salsa; the chips themselves were some of the best I've had anywhere. Usually they don't season the chips, but these were salty. The salsa was pretty good also; not spicy but a good balance of ingredients. I ate way more chips than I wanted to.

The Tacos where packed well, and they put a lot of stuff in the taco, which they ought to for $5.50 each.

JoJo's Tacos: Frisky Brisket and Cathy's Catch

Like JoJo's menu, nothing much has changed in that they still have the exploding tacos. They didn't even survive the transfer to a plate. They started falling apart as soon as I grabbed them.

JoJo's Flimsy Tacos

Realistically, these aren't really tacos, because they're impossible to pick up and eat them like a taco. After 1 bite they'd both exploded and I got myself a fork.

JoJo's Tacos Aftermath

The "Frisky Brisket" supposedly had "red chile" brisket, but it wasn't very tasty and it certainly wasn't spicy. It was pretty bland as meat goes. Cathy's catch featured a fish stick (a breaded finger of white fish) with tartar sauce that didn't taste like anything other than a fish stick. The slaw tasted like cabbage and cilantro.

Conclusion

All in all, the tacos qualify as decent grub that didn't remind me of Mexico in any way. When you add in the chips and compare to other lunches available; I've had worse for more. Nothing to go out of your way for but certainly better than the chain mexican joints; one thing we know for sure is that it's not going to get any better, because apparently JoJo isn't ever going to change the menu, or his hours, because he did everything perfectly from day 1.

Review 8/13/11

First we had Rocco's Tacos, and now in a little shack in Lauderdale by the Sea we have JoJo's Tacos What are the chances?

For a shack, JoJo's is a pretty nice place. There are a handful of free parking spots and a few street metered ones nearby. They did a nice job decorating the place, however during the daylight hours the sun beats in and much of the lighting ambiance is lost. There's a big TV in the corner that's not on. JoJo works in an open kitchen behind the counter.

Jojo's Tacos Inside - Photo Courtesy of Woodbury Associates

JoJo's is one of those semi service establishments. You order at the register, tell them where you're going to sit, fetch your own drink and silverware, and then take a seat. It's a bit awkward, because you pay in advance and it's not clear if they expect a tip or not. You can't tip in advance; what if they mess up your order or drop your tacos in your lap?

The counter chairs are pretty big and heavy and seating is a bit tight. The place was empty at 5:30, but if the seats were occupied it would have been uncomfortable. There are a couple of small tables and bench seats that offer a bit more elbow room. Just after I sat down some chips and salsa were brought over; they were pretty good but there wasn't nearly enough salsa for the number of chips they give you.

Jojos tacos

They bring over the tacos on a wooden tray along with the sauces that you chose. The tacos are placed right on the bare wood, which I'm not particularly cool with. I'd like to trust them to completely sanitize the trays, but I know enough about the restaurant business to know that dishwashers aren't always 100% compliant with the rules.

First I tackled the Arranchera taco, which is flank steak, corn, onions, romaine lettuce and manchego cheese and parsley. The Churi sauce, a chimichurri, was recommended and that's what I got. I sampled the Churi; it was a chunky version with rough cuts of garlic and parsley. While it was good, chimichurri works better when you make it in a food processor. The single, thin taco shell fell apart on the first bite, and by the time I was half done it ceased to be a taco and I had to eat it with a fork. From a taste standpoint it was pretty good, but it's not a taco experience when you have to eat it with a fork.

JoJo's Arranchera (flank steak) Taco

My second choice was sort of a buffalo shrimp variant, with 'flash fried" rock shrimp, celery, blue cheese and "new mexican" buffalo sauce. It comes with the crema azul sauce, which they call blue cheese sour cream. I tasted the sauce first, and frankly it tasted more like russian dressing than blue cheese. I'd ordered this as a default after rejecting the other choices; I'm usually not a fan of buffalo shrimp. Chicken just works better for me. This taco also fell apart and was difficult to eat. It was OK but I think you could have put just about any buffalo shrimp recipe on a taco and gotten a result pretty close.

While I was eating JoJo was chatting with another customer and he seemed to have some odd ideas about running a new business. He complained about people asking why he opened at 3pm, which is a pretty strange time to open. His reasons weren't very business savvy; something about wanting to have a life, and not wanting to work for 11 or 12 hours. All I could think of is that for me, tacos are much more a lunch food than a dinner food, so it makes sense to be open for lunch. You can't bring a date to this place, or a family. And you're in and out in 15 minutes. It just doesn't seem like a dinner place to me.

Now my 2 tacos and a bottle of water was $13.52, which just seems like a lot for a relatively small amount of food. While the tacos were unusual, I had trouble finding something on the menu that sounded like something I wanted to try, and the exploding tacos didn't result in a satisfying experience. There are "no substitutions"; so you're stuck with JoJo's recipes.

The best tacos I ever had I got at a little taco stand in Cancun, away from the malls and hotels, where a little man chopped up some chicken and grilled it with a bunch of chilies and spices and it was just crazy good. This just didn't rise to that standard.

JoJo hasn't changed his menu, prices or hours since he first opened; he must be a genius; he got everything exactly right on the first try.