A popular local food trailer recently went brick-and-mortar, bringing all its Chicago-style favorites to its first permanent location in Port Orange.
JoJo’s Tastes of Chicago opened for business inside Ridgewood Avenue’s Amoco Gas Station less than two weeks ago, offering customers an authentic taste of “da South Side” with pizza, hot dogs, subs and Italian beef sandwiches, among other items.
Owner Joey Kielbasa, a South Side native and seasoned restaurateur with over a decade of experience, is no stranger to the industry, having owned and operated a handful of other “Chicago-themed, pizzeria-type restaurants” along the west coast of Florida, where he originally ran the JoJo’s Tastes of Chicago food truck before moving to the Daytona area about a year ago.
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“Unfortunately, the various cities around here are not as food truck friendly as they are on the west coast of Florida,” Kielbasa explained.
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“When I realized that a few months ago, I was like ‘OK, I gotta start looking for a brick-and-mortar again.' This kind of worked out because it’s not a full-blown restaurant, it’s takeout. So, it’s kind of that in between of a food truck and having a restaurant.”
The new eatery’s location, which sits across from Dunkin Donuts just north of Dunlawton, had been in the works for about a month before opening, Kielbasa said, serving as a midway point between the Holly Hill and Edgewater markets where he had primarily operated the food truck.
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Having previously owned a gas station-attached eatery in Melbourne years ago, the restaurateur noted that the new venture was comfortable territory that’s been met with nothing but positivity by the surrounding community since its recent opening.
“You get a lot of walk-in traffic, so that’s kind of what attracted me to this,” Kielbasa said. “And the word is getting out there to this area, as well as my existing customers that we’ve had. So, it’s been good. We’ve been busy.”
What’s on the menu: Pizza, hot dogs and sandwiches a plenty
JoJo’s Tastes of Chicago prides itself on being the sole restaurant of its kind in the Daytona area, where its authenticity goes without question and customers know they’re getting “da best” when they place their orders.
“There really isn’t any other Chicago-style eateries (in the area),” Kielbasa said. “We’re the only Chicago-style pizzeria, hot dog joint in this — gosh, I think the closest one is Lakeland. There’s not many of us.”
The new spot is known for its pizza, most notably its Chicago-style thin crust.
Recognizable by its square cut, the scratch-made selection is created using Kielbasa’s homemade dough and sauce, with its crust being the ultimate star.
“What makes the Chicago thin crust what it is, is it’s like a cracker crust — very thin, very crispy,” he explained. “I hear everyday people telling me, ‘gosh, we can’t find Midwest-style pizza down here.’ So, everybody — when they hear about us, they’re very appreciative and eager to try us.”
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The eatery's Vienna, all-beef hot dogs, however, certainly don’t take a backseat. JoJo's offers three variations of the classic favorite, including the chili cheese dog; plain dog; and loaded Chicago dog — with tomato, mustard, onion, relish, celery salt, sport peppers and a pickle spear.
“In Chicago, we call that dragging it through the garden,” Kielbasa grinned. “Our hot dogs are 100% beef with a natural casing, and that’s what gives it the snap, which the Chicago customers are looking for.”
The eatery also offers Chicago-style deep-dish pizza; specialty pizzas, including the meat lovers cracker-crust pizza and Da Italian beef cracker-crust pizza with giardiniera — a JoJo’s original; as well as subs — like the Italian sausage sub and Maxwell Street Polish sub; sandwiches — like Da Beef Sandwich; and appetizers — including the “Chicago favorite” pizza puff, Chicago-style tamale and breaded chicken wings.
Patrons can place their orders online and have it ready to go by the time they arrive, or order from the eatery’s window and enjoy their meal at one of the restaurant’s outdoor tables to the right of the building’s main entrance.
JoJo’s Tastes of Chicago is located at 3790 S. Ridgewood Ave., in Port Orange and is open 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. For information, call 321-576-2804 or visit jojostastesofchicago.com.
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