We'll be heading to Chicago on Friday, and when it's for a scheduled doctor visit, Jason treats me to some of my favorite Windy City cuisines afterwards. However, I still haven't decided where we'll dine this week yet. I mean, I usually never say no to Giordano's deep dish pizza, but I also have a soft spot for JoJo's Shake Bar. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll see that their freakshakes are my jam!
If you live in the Chicagoland or surrounding areas, you'll see a lot of advertising for JoJo's on your social media. Pictures of their milkshakes are drool-worthy (and enough to send one into a diabetic coma, I'm sure), but are they worth the social media hype? If you ask me, I'll tell you I'll make the 2 hour drive from my house just for a milkshake. If you ask Jason, he'll tell you he has no desire to ever step foot in there again. So, I suppose it depends on how much you love milkshakes and sugar?
Let me start my review by saying that I had someone on Instagram send me a message after I posted my freakshake pic and tell me that I need to eat better. Not that I have to explain my eating habits to anyone, but JoJo's should be treated as a special treat, not for every day food, which is what I do. I've been 3 times in 2 years, so mind your own business and move along if milkshakes and candy aren't your thing. For those of you who are interested, continue on :)
Before the pandemic, we got to dine indoors. Y'all remember those days? JoJo's Milk Bar is an Instagram worthy little eatery with a full menu consisting of grub like sandwiches, tacos, lasagna, biggie shakes and hot cocoa, and my personal favorite, cheese fries. Vegetarian or Vegan? Not an issue! They can accommodate your dietary needs.
And, where else are you going to get to dine with Biggie and The Queen, who both have milk mustaches!?
The first shake I ever ordered was The Gold Digger.
This milkshake is made with vanilla ice cream infused with caramel. It's topped with gold toned candies and cookies. But, as much as I loved the milkshake, I'll will agree with Jason and say that you're paying for the novelty of these shakes and they really aren't worth the $14 asking price. We split this one and I honestly didn't feel like the actual milkshake was enough to satisfy two people. We had the waitstaff box up the candy and cookie toppings so we could give them to the girls when we got home. By the next afternoon, the toppings were getting pretty stale and hard, so we ended up throwing them out since nobody wanted to eat them at that point.
While I was in Chicago in early December, Jason thought he'd treat me and my bestie to dinner at JoJo's. By treat, I mean drop us off at their outdoor dining winter wonderland and go find himself food elsewhere LOL. I had seen their special peppermint winter shake on their Facebook page and really didn't want to miss out on getting my hands on it before the season was over. Dining indoors was not (and to my knowledge, still not) happening, but they did set up a huge heated outdoor tent decorated in winter/Christmas theme for diners. Now, the setup was all kinds of adorable, but my excitement for my birthday meal went south rather quickly when the hostess told me there was a $20 SIT DOWN FEE. Like, what in the actual fuck is a sit down fee? She didn't tell me of any fee when we put our names on the waiting list and Jason had already drove off, so I paid the $20 just for the privilege of dining at JoJo's, which soured the birthday meal a bit for me. But, it was my bestie's first time here and I did love the decor, so I let it go. We both ordered the Winter Peppermint Shakes and cheese fries. Absolutely delish!
But again, as much as I love the shakes and fries, our total with the
sit down fees and tip came to $85. For 2 shakes and 2 baskets of fries. I
didn't even pay that much for food in New York!
I was going to wait until they took down their Christmas tent dining area to post my review since I didn't want to encourage anyone to show up and get blindsided with a sit down fee, but it appears that they have converted the area to a Candyland theme until the end of April, so I'm sure a sit down fee still applies if you plan to tent dine. For me, on top of the high food prices, tips and sit down fees, JoJo's is not worth the hype. But, the food is really good, so I personally won't stop patronizing them when we're in Chicago, but will place a curbside to-go pickup order for my future visits.
If you like massive milkshakes/freakshakes, and if you're ever in the South Bend/Mishawaka Indiana area, I insist that you stop at
Caracas Bistro. Their milkshakes are about twice the size of JoJo's and only cost $9. And are worth every calorie, imo.
What's your favorite milkshake flavor?
