Intriguing New Restaurant to Take Over Legendary Toms River, NJ Landmark

It was a dive, but a dive with Jersey attitude.

Many were saddened by the loss of a staple on Route 37.

Of course, I'm talking about Joe-Joe's Italian Hot Dogs.

For decades and decades, this tiny place on 37 in Toms River served up the most authentic Italian dogs.

I'm talkin' the best beef, crunchy peppers, potatoes all served on pizza bread delivered daily from Calandra's Bakery in Newark.

This was the real deal.

Joe-Joe's closed in early 2020 after the pandemic hit all establishments hard.

Owner Joseph Rizzolo did all he could to stay open but ultimately had to shut this landmark eatery down.

That space has been vacant for a while, but there's finally some activity.

Signs on the building are up for a new dining option called Chomp! "Crafted for Big Bites and Appitities."

I couldn't find any information on social, but they do have their menu up on their website and by the looks of it, there will be an awesome selection of fast-casual options with a Jersey theme.

They also are keeping Joe-Joe's legacy going. More on that in a second.

The breakfast sandwich selections include:

• "Jersey Shore" - Pork roll, egg, and cheese
• "Up North" - Scrambled egg, sausage, and cheese

There are also plenty of omelet choices and you can even get old-fashioned PB&J.

The "Foregeta Bout It" Italian Favorites" look tasty with the choice of meatballs, potato and eggs, eggplant and chicken parm, and of course sausage, peppers, and eggs.

And in a truly classy move, Chomp! will feature "Jo Jo Dogs." As they mention on their website "the legend lives on."

You can go to the old site of Joe-Joe's and still get a dirty dog, cheese dog, and yes, Italian hot dog.

We are hearing that Chomp! is set to open its doors by the end of February.

Good luck to the Chomp! crew and welcome to the Jersey Shore!

We should probably add Chomp! and make this list 36.