Editor’s Note: This story is a follow-up to The Berkshire Edge’s October 29 article “Lee restaurant appetito Pizza & Gelato sold.”
Great Barrington and Lee — Known for its fried chicken and ice cream, Great Barrington-based Juju’s! restaurant will open a second location in Lee, co-owner Josh Irwin confirmed to The Berkshire Edge on October 29. The eatery opened at The Triplex Cinema, 70 Railroad Street, in May 2024, and its new digs are set for the 54 Main Street space vacated earlier this month by appetito Pizza & Gelato.
“Juju’s! is a fun, vibrant, yummy eating establishment with core products of popcorn chicken and soft serve ice cream,” Irwin told The Berkshire Edge in a phone interview.
With three other establishments Irwin owns with wife Emily Erwin—The Well Restaurant+Bar, MoonCloud, and gift store Home love Berkshires—keeping them busy, the couple has not set an opening date for their newest venture and the first one outside of Great Barrington.
Lee’s center of town was a draw for the Irwins as it offered “a great opportunity for us to really tap into a really strong community,” Josh Irwin said. “That’s where we feel that we try to target the most to our customers, is with the families and with the locals, as a place where kids feel comfortable hanging out after school, parents feel comfortable bringing their kids to eat, people feel excited about going for lunch during the work week, and a spot to bring their friends on the weekends,” he said.
Some changes are in store for the space, Josh Irwin hinted, with the former bar area to be turned into a counter for ordering. He is overseeing design-oriented renovations, including the addition of graphic murals “to bring the Juju’s! vibe into the space so that when people walk in, you get the ‘wow’ and the smile, and the immediate feel of ‘good juju.’”
Given the larger site in Lee, the new spot will offer more tables than its Great Barrington counterpart, as well as menu updates including “classic” New York pizza slices, a staple from Josh Irwin’s early years in lower Manhattan. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here with creativity, but I’m trying to make the inner child inside of me happy knowing that I’ve been able to put out a damn good slice,” he said.
Interestingly, the flagship product at Juju’s!—soft serve ice cream—features milk from Lee’s High Lawn Farms, “with those cows now just right down the road,” Josh Irwin said.
The Irwins intend to apply to the town for both alcohol and entertainment licenses held by appetito and continue the weekly Songwriters Series that offers new artists a place to showcase their works.
“We’re incredibly excited to become a part of this [Lee] community,” Josh Irwin said.
To make their personal lives easier, the couple recently relocated their family home from Great Barrington to Stockbridge, a midway point for their commute that may, in the future, encompass more than just Lee and Great Barrington.
“We’re going to continue to bring Juju’s! to communities in the areas that we feel we can have a high impact in and continuing to spread that good juju, wherever that may take us,” Josh Irwin said.
