Jo-Jo’s Tavern

Our first visit here. This place is very popular. It’s really nice looking inside, blonde wood all around brightly lit with the usual bar crowd, couples, families, and senior couples. The one bathroom for women was clean.
We had to wait. They’re is no place to really wait except on the stairs leading up into the place This place is not wheelchair accessible. In the back had tables and chairs chairs with ashtrays for smokers — a nice touch.
We had a bar pie. It was good, not bad, but Sticky Wicket does it better. Hubby had the chicken marsala with angel hair and the pasta soup and I had a veal parmagina sandwich. Hubby loved his food and the place. The food was just okay in my opinion. The overall experience is actually pretty good. My house vodka and tonic was good and cheap. Can’t beat $ 4.50 a drink. Our tab with two meals, bar pie, soda with refill (no charge), and three mixed drinks was $ 48.
There is a decent sized parking lot in the back. We’ll be back.

Jojo’s is our favorite neighborhood bar and restaurant. The food is great, the atmosphere is casual and friendly like a typical ale House. Though it is crowded, the staff are very efficient and friendly. Recommend the nachos and the spicy mustard pie.

If you are coming here to drink and watch a game then this is the place. But to have a family meal, no. Te pizza is over priced and shit. There is never really parking and always a wait to be seated. Much better options in Hamilton that is rather put my time and money into

Great food, good prices, nice portions. Would come here a lot more if the place wasn’t so extremely tiny. Always feel crammed wherever I sit and on top of people.

Great food. good prices… large selection. only reason I didn’t give 5 stars. It was extremely crowded all 3 times I went there and it was very small space

Having tried the mustard pizza here many moons ago, I was thrilled to come back and have it again. Awesome pizza just like the first time I had it. Cheery crowd, friendly service:)

Pretty good food… very good tomato pie… Place is waaaaaay too small for me… not a fan of strangers breathing down my neck when i’m eating… lots of locals… your best bet is to order takeout as there is never any seats… I think the regulars live inside the restaurant… Overall decent but nothing out of this world.

It’s loud, sometimes the service is slow, but if you know what to order, it’s really good.
I try to stick to bar pies, cheesesteaks, and pasta. They really know how to cook pizzas. Sometimes the pizzas are better or worst than normal, so they do have some consistency issues, but the pizza is never bad. Even the «bad days» are better than a majority of places.
Portions of actual dinners are huge. Pasta comes out in huge bowls. Usually, I’ll get the vodka rigatoni appetizer as a dinner. It’s the size of a normal portion.

Great selection of draft beer and amazing pizza… good atmosphere. it’s a small location but it clean… it nice I enjoyed my time!!!

Seriously didn’t know what to expect. I walked in and was a little disappointed to see tables so close to each other but the food was ABSOLUTELY to die for! Worth every penny. I highly recommend trying their pizzas!

Amazing all the way! Ton of fun, great food, great staff/​owners, don’t walk. RUN to Carmen’s place!

The best pub in town, well worth stopping in for a beer or a bit to eat. The food is always good and the price is right.

This is my go-​to for great food, cold drinks and friendly atmosphere. I’ll agree with the other umpteen million reviews out there that Jo Jo’s has a fantastic bar pie. But I normally stick to their dinner specials if we’re out for an occasion, or one of their hot sandwiches for lunch or lighter dinner (their cheesesteaks are just as good if not better than any I’ve had in Philly). Try the lump crabmeat over the NY strip. Easily enough for two meals. Also the seafood linguini with red sauce is one of my all-​time faves. They also feature lamb chops topped with spinach pretty regularly. Even their house salad and fresh bread rock!
I’ve noticed a common theme among consistently-​delicious restaurants that run like well-​oiled machines year in/​year out: i.e. at least one family member is present 90% of the time. That is Jo Jo’s to a tee. Joe’s in the back personally preparing the entrees and Mike is usually behind the bar making sure everyone gets their drinks on time. The other bartenders, like Mary Ellen, are seasoned veterans and are equally vital to the operation.
So yeah, if you’re not a Hamilton local and don’t know when to time your meal or reservation, it’s very likely you’ll be waiting over an hour for a seat any given evening and give these guys 4 stars instead of 5. But since we’ve got two little ones, we usually try to time an early dinner for Saturday or Sunday around 4pm. There’s rarely an inconvenience then.
Lastly, being a local musician from the Hamilton area, I give kudos to Jo Jo’s for also hosting live music and karaōke on certain nights starting around 10p. This is highly important for me when reviewing restaurant/​tavern types of places. They keep their regular website up-​to-​date with upcoming events, so check on it often.

Stopped in for a quick dinner
Staff was great as usual
Had the clam pie for app was great
Filet was tough but cooked to order
Still a good option
Busy and loud!

First — got to order the fried zucchini sticks. There terrific. Great thin pizza and home cooked entrees. Just love going here just wish there was more parking.

Very small place with limited parking, but great menu with excellent pizzas and Italian fare made from fresh ingredients.

Jo-Jo’s Tavern was our post softball league hangout for years when we had our games on the Mercer County Community College campus. It was close. It was cheap. The pizza was great. The crowd was raucous. We might have to wait a while for the pies we ordered, but that gave us time to rehydrate ourselves with whatever was on tap, and tell wild tales about our exploits.
So, when I stopped in last week for a late lunch around 2:00, I was surprised that only a couple of tables were occupied and there were less than 6 people sitting at the bar. It was the exact opposite of what I was accustomed to. It was quiet enough to have a good conversation at the bar. In fact, we spoke in hushed tones so the others across the bar could not hear us.
I kept it simple. Plain bar pie with a $ 2 Rolling Rock draft special of the day. The first crunching bite reminded me why I loved Jo-Jo’s pizza. Thin crust; firm and crisp. Semi-​sweet sauce with a hint of Basil, Enough Mozza to balance the sauce with the mildly salty cheese. The blending flavors while chewing captured my attention in a way that only the best tomato pies do.
On my reacquaintance tour of pizza of this part of Trenton/​Hamilton, Jo-Jo’s pie is at the head of the class (so far).
Bar Pie and Draft for under $ 9. is a great and tasty deal.

YES! YES! YES! Jo-Jo’s Tavern is the place to be. I was in the area for the week and heard interesting things about Jo-Jo’s and the playful ribbing of customers. When I was there, I didn’t see any ribbing and the staff was fantastic! They made sure I was comfortable and taken care of.
I had the daily special of Maryland Clam Chowder, which came with bread. It was amazing. I also had the Clams Casino Bar Pie. The clams were difficult to detect but they actually have real bacon on the pizza and they were sizable pieces. The food tasted great and the portions were priced appropriately.
If you want somewhere that treats you like you’re family and you belong, go to Jo-Jo’s. It’s impossible to not have a good time there.

When it comes to bar pies, Jo-Jo’s has it down to a science. The pies are amazing and consistent. We’ve patronized this place for over 2 years now and the kitchen has never had an off-​day in the baking department. The pies have a good «meaty» bite to them from the layer of cheese, tomato sauce and the crust (which is what makes the pies so good. Not too thin, not too thick, just right).
When it comes to the choice of pies, we swear by their mustard pie with no additional toppings (one has to try it to decide whether one likes it or not). For the mustard, one has a choice of spicy or yellow.
If you decide to order a regular pie, we’d recommend sausage and fresh garlic for the choice of toppings. The sausage has a very good flavor from the seasoning and the fresh garlic goes really good with it.
When the pies arrive, we’d recommend a generous sprinkle of garlic powder that they have at each table to give the pies more oomph (for garlic lovers). Each bite is sheer bliss. We’ve tried take out once and our verdict is that the pies taste best when they come right out of the oven.
Every rose has it’s thorn. Parking can be a pain where «the sun don’t shine». Seating is tight during peak hours and especially on Fri and Sat.

I think this place is great. It reminds me of hanging out in my parents’ basement (they have a bar). The place is in a house structure — doesn’t get more «hangin’ out at home» than that (well, except for staying shut in at home).
As I grew up in Princeton, I understand how the classy folk might find fault in this place (and perhaps this review). As such, I’m going to provide the following five-​prong coat rack upon which you can hang your pretentiousness at the door:
1) Seating is tight. Be it at a bar or a table, you will be close to strangers. Wear deodorant.
2) Service is efficient and as friendly as it can be considering this place is normally jam packed on the weekends.
3) The parking lot is probably full. Park next door and stop complaining.
4) Don’t get dressed up to come here. Just don’t. No one will appreciate it. In fact, it will be frowned upon.
Finally…
5) This place is NOT meant to be fancy. It’s a neighborhood joint. The food is good and the drinks are excellent. I’m a craft beer snob. Mike nails the selection to a T. Further, Jo-Jo’s does frequent tap takeovers — it behooves you to get in the loop.
My only disappointment with this place is that there’s no outdoor seating which would be great during the summer months.