Joju

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 to eat/drink!

I have been on the hunt just trying out bahn mi sandwiches all over Queens. Joju did not disappoint. It is pricey for what I ordered for myself, which included a sandwich, fries, and a drink or two. Let’s start with the sandwich. I ordered the classic and bbq pork with runny egg on top but they didn’t hear me correctly I guess. Damn you, Covid and masks! The sandwich wasn’t bad though. It was loaded with a lot of shredded and pickled carrots. Of all the places I have tried bahn mi sandwiches, adding an egg was never an option but something highly recommended by the restaurant and fellow clients so I decided to try it. I think that if an egg is ever an option at other places to add to a bahn mi sandwich, I will add that option. It doesn’t change the flavor but having that slight runny egg (if you like runny eggs) made it more delectable. The bahn mi fries - it might be the best loaded fries I have ever tried. Again, it was a lot of shredded and pickled carrots, which covered the green sauce on top of the fries. The French fries by itself is good and crunchy already, but when eaten with the sauce, it tastes better. I wanted to try a mojito (no alcohol) and asked the cashier which one comes highly recommended. One of them was the lemon ginger. Seltzer water with syrup, lemon, and mint is not a bad mixture at all. In fact, I would go back to try other options with the correct sandwich I ordered. The Thai iced tea is a little on the sweeter side but I can pass on it as other viet places sell the same thing. I recommend checking this place out. If not the sandwich, try the fries. I may also try the bowls next time as well.

My go to place a reasonable priced vietnamese sandwich and fries. I like their fresh tops and flavor. Lemongrass chicken and joju fries and bbq pork are my favorites. The quick and cordial. It gets really busy at lunch, about a little over 5 minute wait; lots of people preorder in to pickup. It filling and quick and they dont skimp like some places. Good ratio of bread to filling. The green sauce is medium spicy. I like adding an egg to nearly everything.