Review: Jojos

For clean and tasty shawarma in a cozy and considered environment, Jojo is a simple answer. It’s a small and tastefully presented café / bar with a gyro machine up front and a focus on the good stuff.

Jojo’s good stuff comes in the form of shaved slices of doner chicken tossed in shredded salad, smothered in garlic sauce and wrapped in toasted flatbread. They’re fresh, juicy, delicious and almost worthy of the time it takes to prepare them.

They offer two sizes (¥25/35) and the sauce options are piquant or fiery. For a few extra yuan there’s the chicken ‘bom’ option (¥28/40) with upsized meat. Take it with the RMB10 upgrade for a can of pop and a small bowl of salad or mashed potatoes and you’re up to ¥50 for a meal set. Which is not particularly cheap or volumetrically impressive, but that’s the price you pay in Shanghai for a relaxed bite in a good setting. A selection of RMB25 imported beers and RMB35 mixed drinks makes up a little and perhaps lends enough incentive to order a second kebab.

Steer clear of the menu’s other options though. A prawn pilaf (¥28) is a microwave disappointment and the salads are lackluster and overdressed. Our advice? Bring a chilled group and treat Jojo’s like a bar with one great snack on-hand and you’ll be in for a good time.