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| - I'd heard about Jo Jo's on various food blogs, websites (Man vs. Food), etc. and couldn't pass up the chance to go when I visited Pittsburgh in September. I was actually incredulous at how big the eponymous Jo Jo Omelet could be, but whoa! First of all, Jo Jo's sort of has this reputation for being a bit dingy, having bad service (as it originated as a diner mostly for truckers), etc. but it was, all-told, pretty fun. We went on a Saturday morning and the wait was about 15 minutes for a table. The place has absolutely no ambiance whatsoever, but it was crowded with couples and families. The servers/waitresses are extremely ornery, but I think it's part of the experience.
Once we were seated, we looked around at what everyone else was eating. Surprisingly, no one was eating the Jo Jo Omelet, but they do have HUGE pancakes, excellent looking egg dishes, etc., so I can safely say that basically everything here is good. Well, we did come for a reason, so of course we went for the Jo Jo Omelets... The only mistake was ordering one each. We should have really shared one, and even then, it can be shared among three or four easily. So what is a Jo Jo Omelet you ask (aside from the most expensive thing on their menu at $9)? It's basically a HUGE omelet filled with sausage, peppers and onions, wrapped around a ton of home fries (see my photo for an idea!). Not only was everyone gawking at us when the server placed them on our table, but we were sort of in shock at how big the thing actually is. With that, we dug in and I was successfully able to put away about half before my heart began to hurt. My friend was able to eat even less. Sadly, we sent most of ours back (just because we were so full), so word to the wise, SHARE IT.
Otherwise, Jo Jo's is a great Pittsburgh experience and I'm looking forward to going back on future visits (once my heart recovers). It's centrally located in the Strip District, so makes a good place to start the day for shopping and walking around in nice weather. Absolutely recommended.
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