Jo Jo China Bistro

Walked in. sat at the bar and ordered a beer.
The bar is in a really weird location right when you walk in and across from the kitchen which pumps out smoke. The variety of beer was pretty poor, too. Please take this review with a grain of salt because I wasn’t there to eat. I just know this. This is not a place to come in and enjoy a quick beer or two and socialize. Go to Cantine or Firebirds for that.

Worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. Going back to Wan Fu which has been great for 20 years.

Had dinner tonight, our first time here. Started with chicken lettuce wraps; a good sized helping and pretty good. Our entrees were salt & pepper shrimp, 10 good sized ones withe veggies. Our other entrée was chicken and broccoli. Good sized portion, but on the bland side. Prices are reasonable. Don’t expect too much ambiance, but it will satisfy a Chinese food yen.

Went for lunch on a hot, balmy Saturday. I was a bit hesitant to arrive at 1:00 and we had tickets for a 2:00 movie. We walked in and sat right down. Their lunch menu is a bit limited but had something for everyone.
Our food was out in less than 5 minutes which was perfect. I had an old favorite of beef and broccoli. You know how when you go to some Chinese places, particularly take out and it just doesn’t taste «fresh»? Well, not today my friends. JoJo hit this classic spot on the money! It was really good, the beef tasted overly fresh and was cooked perfectly with a light brown sauce. Spring roll, brown rice and the whole meal was well done and quick. Sweetie had some Tofu dish with veggies and a bunch of basil that she really enjoyed. We thought it came with a spring roll but was told differently but the nice man brought us one anyway.
I used to live across from Stonecrest many years ago and went quite often. I need to stick them back on the rotation since I really enjoyed my experience there today!

Good, not great.
Good edamame.
The salad was good, not great. My salad was a bit smaller than hers. Dressing was good. I liked the fried egg noodles in there.
I got the basil chicken on recommendations here and was pleased, nice strong interaction with the peppers and onions. Chicken was well seasoned and cooked perfectly.
Wife (vegetarian) got the mixed vegetables with brown sauce. Her flavors were a little too subtle for her taste. She never adds salt to her meals but needed to on this.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here again. It’s a step up from your normal strip mall Chinese but not nearly as good as Thai House, Vietnam Grille, PF Changs or Enso.
Dinner prices are a bit high — but I guess they have to pay the Stonecrest rent somehow.

Biased… I know. I used to work here and I just wanted to say how wonderful the culture is here. Excellence is the highest of importance. I constantly saw the management pursing quality and the back kitchen was clean and fresh. I loved getting my free meals, that’s for sure! Lunch menu is a decent price. Be sure to get the salad with ginger dressing, yum. Also, JoJo’s always has a coupon on
!

Definitely not authentic but there’s probably slim pickings in the area. Waitress was very pushy and short with hurrying us up and trying to get us to order alcohol to raise the total bill. Disappointed with the roti dish and the food could have been better without all the oil doused on it.

Alright, listen up. Chinese people know what to order here, white people usually don’t. The chef is proper Chinese. He doesn’t make Americanized Chinese food. If that’s what you got, then you probably ordered something on the menu that was Americanized just for your palate. Even our Chinese friends tell us that in terms of «authenticity», it’s pretty good. Not mind-​blowing, but consistently satisfying. I guess there’s a reason this place has been around for a number of years, and we go back every so often.
What do I usually order? Stuff like:
The rice noodle soups (ask for extra chili) — don’t think its always on the menu, you might have to ask for it…
The Mabo Tofu and Bok Choy — $ 16
or their Shrimp dishes, Royal Shrimp with Walnuts is realllly good $ 16
Szechuan or Basil Chicken — $ 12.75
(The holiday buffet, btw, is just average. Now THAT is what I’d call more of an Americanized Chinese thing. I really hate seeing french fries and salad with ranch dressing and stuff like that at a Chinese restaurant…)
The service is typical for efficiently-​run Chinese restaurants in Charlotte. We eat. We get full. We leave happy. The end.
Rankings
# of times dined here: 10+
Cost of Bill: $ 10 – 15 for 1person
Food Rating: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service Rating: ⁸⁄₁₀

I’ve never been disappointed here. Much better than PF Chang’s. Sure, the dishes aren’t off-​the-​wall creative, but its fresh and good.
Best dish here: Basil Chicken.
The service has always been friendly. Good enclosed patio area for little kids to run around while you eat.
Portion sizes are HUGE… enough for take out, or to split among friends.
Come with BOGO, and eat for cheap.

I’m a fan!
Good food! We had a city pass coupon for buy one get one free entrees, even without it the prices are pretty good.
Moo shu shrimp was fantastic! Lo mein noodles were great! Sauces were good! They also had 2 different soups for veggie/​seafood only eaters — seafood hot and sour soup had a great amount of white pepper and tasted very nice.
Wait staff was extremely friendly and prompt! food was delivered quickly… I’m happy and full.

Went here for lunch with my friend (who happens to be allergic to flour). He ordered a beef dish and accidentally ate a piece of fried chicken that must have fallen into the wok. Unacceptable. He very politely told the waitress who just said «ok.» The manager came out and basically told him there was no chicken in his dish even though my friend had left it on the plate. They didn’t even own up to their mistake.
I ordered the Szechwan chicken, and it tasted nothing like what I thought it should taste like. Now i’m no expert on Chinese cuisine, but I do know Szechwan chicken. Unfortunately, this was also a miss. It was not spicy at all, contrary to the chili pepper next to it on the menu, and was unbelievably bland. I asked for some Siracha hot sauce and the waitress said they didn’t have any. BLASHPHEMY! She said they had hot sauce instead. No thanks…
Run away. There are far more quality Chinese restaurants at much cheaper prices. This restaurant should have no place in the Stonecrest area.

Chinese food in general is usually not my forte. Its not that I necessarily don’t like it, its just that I prefer say Italian, Mexican or good old fashioned American pup fare before wanting Chinese food. With that being said, I accompanied a buddy on Saturday afternoon to Jo Jo’s China Bistro. He’s been here many times before and swears by this place, so I decided to give it a shot, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised.
The service was exemplary. We were seated immediately, our drink orders were taken and arrived moments later. We soon thereafter placed our orders — i ordered the shrimp and scallops in the garlic sauce with brown rice and steamed veggies as my sides. Our food arrived promptly and was delicious. Everything tasted fresh and somewhat healthy (compared to what I normally eat). The shrimp and scallops were very tender and seasoned juuust right! The brown rice was the perfect compliment to the shrimp and scallops as well.
Everyone else I was with enjoyed their meals, including my roommate and his aunt and cousin. Everyone’s order was cooked to their specifications and no one had any complaints.
As I stated earlier, the service was truly amazing!!! Our drinks were refilled the second they got below half-​empty and our plates were taken the second we had completed our meals. In addition, the prices, at least for lunch (we ordered off of the lunch menu) were more than reasonable for the amount and quality of food that you get.
If I could write something negative about my virgin experience at Jo Jo’s I would, but I can’t, so I won’t. Its good, solid, Chinese food in the Ballantyne area that is an excellent option for anyone looking for a quick and simple meal without much fuss or frills. Yes, I am def a fan.

Went to Jo Jo last Saturday night with the family. I did a call-​ahead so we did not have to wait. We have eaten there many times over the years and have never had a bad meal. I had the mongolian beef and my wife had the pepper steak. The food is prepared upon ordering and servings qualify for doggy bags. It was a good meal and we will return as usual. The service was excellent. It is one of my favorites in Charlotte where there are not many Chinese restaurants. The prices are very reasonable and there is a discount coupon on-​line. I suggest doing a call-​ahead on Friday and Saturday nights.

Since Jo-​Jo is so close to work and home for me, it’s definitely on my list of standby places when I am in the mood for Chinese. Over the years, I have dined in many times and the service can be hit or miss… but mostly it has been ok.
I love the big open space, bold colors, and modern décor of the place. On several occasions we have ordered a bottle of wine with dinner and their wine menu is not great, but it’s passable. I have found the quality of the food to be good — much better than the typical Chinese restuaruants around town.
The same family that owns Jo-​Jo also owns Baoding in Southpark which used to be one of my stand-​by places when I lived over by Selwyn Ave. Both restaurants have been around a long time and have offered a blend of Chinese fusion and traditional dishes for their clientele.
I have had a lot of different dishes here — everything from the simple steamers to kung pao chicken to many of the seafood dishes. I like that you can choose steamed brown rice to go with your entrée since that is my preference.
My current favorite is their kung pao chicken — which has peanuts, water chestnuts, mushroom, bell pepper & dry chill peppers in a spicy brown sauce. Their sauce is tasty and the veggies are perfectly sauteed. The chicken is cooked perfectly as well — not overdone but cooked through. Many places overcook the chicken and it comes out sort of chewy, tough and rubbery — but that is not the case at Jo-​Jo.
Lauren’s favorite dish here is the tangerine chicken and while I normally try to steer clear of the breaded chicken dishes, theirs is quite good. Of course, it is done in the typical orange chicken style — it is breaded and fried or sauteed. Then it is glazed with the tangerine sauce — theirs is very flavorful with just the right notes of tangy & sweet. Also, they use the whole pepper instead of just red pepper flakes which is a nice touch.
If you check out their website before you go, you just might find a coupon — which they feature from time to time.

A very bad experience, and we didn’t even get to eat there! My wife, 10 month old son and I intended to have a nice dinner there. We were taken to a table. My wife asked if we could have a booth. The hostess said yes, but it will need to be wiped down first and would we mind waiting at the bar. While we waited in the bar for 10 –15 minutes (wrestling our son) in a restaurant that was mostly empty, we watched several restaurant employees standing in the dining room appearing to have nothing to do. The restaurant was not even a quarter full! Finally, we’d had enough and as we left, we voiced our dissatisfaction with their lack of responsiveness. The poorly trained hostess, had the gall to say, «You could have taken the table»? If I owned the restaurant and observed that behavior from my employee, they would have been fired on the spot. A properly trained hostess would have asked us to wait for the 2 minutes it would take to get someone to wipe down the table, or for goodness sake, done it herself!
Based upon our experience, this restaurant is not focused on the satisfaction of its customers or they would better train their waitstaff. We will never return.

Great delivery and even better dine-​in experience.
This was one of the first places we ordered delivery from in Charlotte. Having lived in NYC with its limitless seamlessweb delivery options, we were happy to find a great chinese delivery options. The ingredients always tasted fresh and they had a lot of interesting options (chicken with eggplant and garlic sauce, etc.).
We recently went to the restaurant to sit down and really enjoyed the experience. They have great service and a fantastic beer and wine menu on top of the delicious food.

I absolutely love Jo Jo’s China Bistro! It is one of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte. The general tso’s chicken is awesome! They have a waiter named Jimmy that is one of most colorful characters you will meet. He always makes my boys laugh.
They have great outside dining and their website usually has an $ 8 off coupon for lunch. Very nice!

We’ve ate here a few times and every time it’s just been fantastic! The restaurant is extremely clean, the staff are great, and the food is simply exceptional.
This isn’t the stereotypical Chinese restaurant. This is more of a upscale/​gourmet style. I’ve had a couple of different dishes from their sizzling beef to their Kung-​Pao chicken. The meat simply melts in your mouth and the sauce comes just as you request, and tasting like no other.
I would highly recommend this place!

For me, it’s always been a challenge to find a really good Chinese restaurant that isn’t just a buffet or takeout. Usually I can only find these places in bigger cities like Chicago. A couple of years ago, I discovered Jo Jo China Bistro in the Stonecrest shopping plaza and I’ve been back several times since, bringing local friends and out-​of-​town guests.
Jo Jo offers an upscale, yet casual, Chinese dining experience. Its décor is modern, its menu is extensive, and there is plenty of seating in the dining room or at the bar. I usually start with a sweet plum wine and hot and sour soup (Jo Jo makes some of the best hot and sour soup I’ve ever tasted). Follow that with one of the spicy chicken dishes (and maybe another plum wine!), and I’ve had a satisfying Chinese dinner.
The service isn’t always fantastic, but the ambiance and food make up for it. Say no to Chinese takeout and say yes to Jo Jo! It’s no downtown Chicago restaurant, but it’s as close as you’re going to get in Charlotte!

Nestled in the shopping center, you may not immediately notice the place — it’s not like the restaurant jumps out at you, being that there are only another hundred or so shops in the development. Right there around the fountain have to be another dozen or so shops, and on any given weekend night, it’s pretty packed.
But it’s probably worth stopping in, as the atmosphere is good and the food is quite decent. The service is solid, approaching excellent. The only downfall that we really found was that the drinks weren’t really maintained.
Sitting at the bar, waiting for the rest of our party to arrive wasn’t bad, and service is good for the first drink. But they don’t really ask you if you want a second, or keep your water or soda filled. They don’t fill the snack bowls (pretzels, nuts, that sort of thing). They won’t keep your tab running to your table, and it’s hard to get your check closed out in order to be seated.
Once seated, the service flows well enough, though if you ask for a suggestion from your server, they don’t help much. The menu is small, with only a dozen or so items, and with recommendations of perhaps half a dozen, it really doesn’t help to narrow the field. So if you like to have the server point you, you’re out of luck. The best bet might be to throw darts, or hope you are there with someone who has been before.
Interestingly enough, we did pick some items suggested by the server, but the best food of the night was actually an item not given by the server — it was the sesame chicken, which by most accounts is fairly mundane. But it was quite tasty.
All-​in-​all, the experience was good, and probably worthwhile, but it simply wasn’t the best that there is to bad had. There are certainly worse places to be found around town, but there is better to be had as well.