JUJU
Japanese restaurant · Coytown
700 Maguire Blvd, Orlando, FL 32803
Highlights
Retro izakaya with Japanese small plates & creative cocktails
Retro izakaya with Japanese small plates & creative cocktails
"We’d be a happier society if all abandoned Pizza Huts were converted into fun izakayas. Consider Juju a case study in this theory. The former strip mall Pizza Hut is now a very fun izakaya that serves great Japanese small plates while impressively skirting copyright laws. Inside, the salad bar is gone and the seats are now cushioned beer crates. The big menu ranges from sushi to yakitori. Juju is a great spot for grazing between cocktails, and works just as well for a big meal that consists of an overwhelming amount of grilled skewers. In addition to the architecture, Juju honors the restaurant’s past life with a casual, family-friendly atmosphere (and a cocktail that comes in one of those old-school red Pizza Hut cups). There’s also a $120-180 omakase counter that you’ll need a reservation for, but the izakaya is walk-in-friendly. Food Rundown That Old Pizza Hut Here are facts about this cocktail in descending order of importance. It has edible googly eyes. It’s served in a vintage Pizza Hut cup. It consists of whiskey, ginger-honey syrup, and orange zest whipped cream. It should be ordered with dessert. photo credit: Ryan Pfeffer Teba Wings Start with these wings, which have been stuffed with ground chicken, rice, shiitake mushrooms, and can be neatly consumed in two bites. photo credit: Ryan Pfeffer Pressed Salmon Sushi Order this if you want to leave full. The hefty, square pieces of sushi are bricks densely packed with rice, avocado, and salmon. It’s like if someone put a chirashi bowl into a trash compactor. photo credit: Ryan Pfeffer Okonomiyaki This pancake puck is sweet, chewy, and topped with bonito flakes that dance like no one is watching. It comes with a metal spatula so you can portion out slices for the table. PlayMute video credit: Ryan Pfeffer Mentaiko Udon Finish the meal with this. The nest of chewy udon noodles is coated in sake butter like a responsible pale person applies sunscreen during a heatwave. It only gets better when you mix in the spicy cod roe, ikura, and marinated egg yolk sitting on top. photo credit: Ryan Pfeffer" - Ryan Pfeffer
"Stepping into this Showa-era-styled izakaya in Colonialtown is like time warping onto a Japanese movie set from the 1960s. It only serves to enhance Juju’s seasonal tasting menu, presenting chef-owner Lewis Lin’s meticulously plated gems at the six-seat kappo bar. The $180 kaiseki brings binchotan-kissed, dry-aged fish and meats to the table, as well as appealing creations of fish-bone “tonkatsu” with aged kinmedai, and tempura A5 wagyu wrapped in sakura leaf served with yuzu sabayon. The highly recommended sake pairing goes for $70 more." - Faiyaz Kara
"Juju is from the same folks behind Susuru, and it shares the same quirky dining room with an izakaya menu, but here they take it to another level with a seven-seat kappo bar that features something similar to kaiseki yet original. Seasonality reigns and diners choose from a wide menu of snacks and soup before selecting from the fried, grilled and dry-aged sashimi courses. Slices could include Japanese rock fish with citrus zest and skin-on goldeneye snapper, both aged a few days. Two-week-aged king salmon and four-week-aged otoro finished with Kaluga caviar are loaded with depth and prove that this spot is putting a different spin on sashimi. Steamed chawanmushi made with spiny lobster and mushroom is hit with a supremely creative lobster head dashi that packs on the flavor." - Michelin Inspector
"“Juju” is the Japanese word for the sound made from sizzling meats, but the vibe inside this sister restaurant to Susuru nearly upstages the binchotan-seared yakitori, kushiyaki and dry-aged fish. Stepping into the Showa-era-styled izakaya is like time-warping onto a Japanese movie set from the 1960s. It only serves to enhance the dining experience here, which features a 10-course meal at the 6-seat kappo bar, or Japanese soul food faves in the izakaya dining room. Enjoy a cocktail or two while watching old Japanese music videos in the lounge. Lin will launch Hikiniku to Sumi, a lunchtime hambagu subconcept at the kappo bar in early 2025." - Faiyaz Kara
"Juju is from the same folks behind Susuru, and it shares the same quirky dining room with an izakaya menu, but here they take it to another level with a seven-seat kappo bar that features something similar to kaiseki yet original. Seasonality reigns and diners choose from a wide menu of snacks and soup before selecting from the fried, grilled and dry-aged sashimi courses. Slices could include Japanese rock fish with citrus zest and skin-on goldeneye snapper, both aged a few days. Two-week-aged king salmon and four-week-aged otoro finished with Kaluga caviar are loaded with depth and prove that this spot is putting a different spin on sashimi. Steamed chawanmushi made with spiny lobster and mushroom is hit with a supremely creative lobster head dashi that packs on the flavor." - MICHELIN Guide
