JJ Fish and Chicken (it actually is “JJ” not JJ’s) opened in 2009, in a spot that had previously housed a few fly-by-night restaurants. I reviewed it a few years back and ended up ordering a comical amount of food for two people in an effort to try different dishes. Part of the reason for that is that they serve most plates with 2 slices of crappy bread and more double-battered fries than anyone needs. I hate double-battered fries! Are they even double-battered or is the more correct term just “battered”?

I revisited JJ in tribute to its longevity in the spot and the fact that it has lasted a lot longer than other “soul”-type restaurants (for lack of a better term). I mean, it’s more just fried than soul per se, but c’mon, it does have chitlins on the menu. I’m not touching those with a ten food pole!

I thought it was just a Bay Area chain but a friend burst my bubble by telling me it’s nationwide. Didn’t seem as cool then.





The chain aspect detracts from the foodie cred, but you can get delicious homestyle desserts shipped in from Oakland including red velvet cake and banana pudding.

The greens actually retain a bit of the fiber and flavor that you might expect from a mom-and-pop operation and the creaminess of the mac and cheese was appealing at first and then somehow got a bit neauseating as I kept eating. A dollop of vinegary hot sauce made it a little kickier. The fried catfish was mealy. I accidentally got fried wings and I should have gone for legs. Regrets. The fried okra in ranch is addictive.

All in all, not the most memorable place, but it serves its purpose. I mostly wanted to post this to showcase Matt Maxwell’s excellent pictures. This was the same night that we went to Vampire Penguin. Luckily we hit up VP first because we had two big bags of food leftover from JJ. Fun night, but VP is the place I’ll be returning to. In fact, I already have.