JJ Fish & Chicken - Maplewood, MN

CLOSED mid(?) 2009 

3094 White Bear Ave N

I wish the TC had places like JJ Fish & Chicken at every street corner, not to say that JJ is located on a corner. It's the concept of a small unpretentious old school eatery that sells good street food at good prices.


Gyro Combo. The TC has many burger joints and not enough gyros joints so I'm glad that one more can be added to the count. The gyro is on par with what I've had at other places in the TC. It's my way of saying if you've had one gyro in the TC, you've had them all. Prove me wrong. However at $5 bucks for a gyro, fries, and pop combo, this may be the cheapest best gyro deal in the TC. So now I can get my gyro fix with the least amount of drive and dollars shelled out.

Fish Combo. Despite fish being prominent in the restaurant name, the fish was the least outstanding of the food we ordered. The fish came out mouth burning hot but the batter was heavy, the amount of fish left wanting, and overall too salty. The fries were crispy and perfectly seasoned.

The TC has a severe dearth of good Philly Cheesesteak joints, which is surprising considering the taste of cheesesteak coincides with Midwest palate tastes. Come to think of it, I don't know of any place in the TC that's known for its Philly cheesesteak. Not having eaten the real deal, Pat's or Geno's Philly, I can only compare against what I've had before. The best I've had was in Phoenix made by a former east coaster. JJ's compares favorably but I was a little put off by the roll which had like an egg washed shiny exterior. The taste and texture of the roll didn't synergize with the otherwise excellent filling.

I like this place. The food isn't awesome but it is good with prices to match. The $5-$6 bucks per combo prices are better than most in the TC. If I'm in the Maplewood Mall area, this is the first place I'd stop in for lunch.