First of all, I can't believe we waited so long to go back to this place, since we live less than half a mile away. This is such a unique place in Chinatown, with very creative (and well made) cocktails and a menu for just about anyone's palate. After seeing a segment on TV, I really wanted to try the burger and it might be one of the top 5 burgers I've ever had (and I have had thousands). The Bao bun is just so good, as was the sauce and the pickles. Top it off with a side of duck fat fries and you have the perfect burger. We were there on a Monday night around 6:45 and the place was packed. The bar too. No pictures but I wish I had. Will definitely be back to try more of the menus.
Darin W.
Delicious food, great service, awesome vibes. Get a reservation in advance. Many walk-ins were turned away.
Tommy H.
Service was great as usual. I'm not sure if they changed the chef but the food is not as good as it was when I went last year. The menu seemed smaller and the food in general just didn't have the flavor I remember it having. I used to tell people the food there reminds me of the show Top Chef. I'm hoping they get back to whatever it was that made their food great. If I didn't have history with this place I would have given this a 3 star rating. 5 for service and 2 for food.
Gwen Hoerman
We had a waiter, Mitch, who just went above and beyond to make our night. Super great. The food was awesome but he was 10 out of 10
Service: 5
michael eustace
I understand why it is hard to get a reservation here! Everything was exceptional. Drinks were 10/10. Food was 10/10 and shareable! Perfect
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Moed
Our lunch was super yummy!! Service is fast and the staff is friendly. Great place!
Great menu with frequent changes and high quality food. Haven't had anything bad here.
Anthony Makridis
Foodies beware. Restaurant charges additional fees for eating here which the customer shouldn't have to pay unless they make these fees in the costs of the food raising the prices rather than telling them it's automatic and I have to pay for something the restaurant owner should be paying better salaries! Gratuity should never ever be mandatory! And being it's not the law I will make sure I dont pay that PAY IN CASH SO YOU DONT PAY FEES OR GRATUITY UNLESS ITS DESERVED! THEY CANT MAKE YOU PAY THAT!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Irene Gao
Fast service and great appetizers. The mains were also good. Fried kimchi in the calamari was tasty. The tiger ribs were fire, great texture and flavor addition with the peanuts & fried shallots/onions. The edamame dumplings were confusing tho, I loved the truffle corn puree and the skin of the dumplings, but the edamame dumplings filling was a bit bland and lacked texture. I think the truffle corn would be good on its own with a side of fried dough sticks to dip with. A diverse option of drinks!
I was super excited to come here after looking at the menu and reviews and I have to say I was pretty let down. Not only was the service quite slow—not just the server finally coming over to take our order, but also the amount of time in between each course was long. Plus, we ordered 3 things to share and they forgot one of the items and had to remind them to make it.We got the chicken and waffle, the burger, and the vegetable stir fry. The burger was the best. A bit on the smaller side but we ordered it with duck fat fries (probably not worth paying extra because they just tasted like normal fries. They were tasty though). We asked for it to be cut in half and it wasn’t.The chicken and waffle and stir fry were both similar in that they were very one-note and bland. The chicken and waffle needed more salt and/or more syrup. The stir fry was watery and salty—it needed some other kind of flavor to balance it out but it just tasted like roasted vegetables that I could easily make at home.The vibes of the restaurant are cool. They have good artwork and I really like how the tables have hooks underneath for hanging up coats. The restaurant was quite warm though.
The ambiance is a little dark and a bit loud for my tastes, but the food is fantastic and totally worth it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Monkey Chicken Wings
Marek Michalak
Comfort food in a nice setting in the middle of Chinatown.Food: This is the definition of comfort food - it's nice and well seasoned and familiar, if a bit greasy and heavy. If you are in for what is offered, you won't be disappointed.Drinks: A nice collection of cocktails to choose from as well as other drinks. It has a great gastropub vibes to it.Ambiance: The murals are definitely a nice touch, and it does have a nice streetfood vibe to it. We enjoyed it a lot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ariel Smith
This review is not in review of the food but of the owner, Brian Moy of Shojo group who is the owner of this establishment. We are a small business operating out of Braintree, Ma. We were hired by Nomai for nightly cleaning services. Nomai is a restaurant in Hingham, Ma also owned by Brian Moy and Shojo Group. They have an outstanding balance with us for over $25k (insane, right?). After many false and prolonged promises we would be paid, we still haven't been paid for over a year now. It's been a hassle to get in touch with the owner and when we do, we have had many emails of him promising payment installments. We obviously ceased services but before and after doing so have been extremely flexible with the option for payment arrangements. So if you like supporting local businesses who exploit other local businesses, then this is the right place for you to enjoy a meal. Actually, please do support this business so that there is hope that we get paid!
Guadalupe Flores (Lupe)
The best chicken and waffles I've ever hard! Strong drinks, tasty food, cozy atmosphere. Overall, highly recommended if you're in Chinatown and looking to splurge a bit on lunch or dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chinese Chicken and Waffles, Shojo Pig Bao, Dumplings
Samantha Wolfe
Sat at the bar. Enjoyed the ribs, the eggplant bao and their house old fashioned. All delicious. Friendly and knowledgeable service.
First of all, I can't believe we waited so long to go back to this place, since we live less than half a mile away. This is such a unique place in Chinatown, with very creative (and well made) cocktails and a menu for just about anyone's palate. After seeing a segment on TV, I really wanted to try the burger and it might be one of the top 5 burgers I've ever had (and I have had thousands). The Bao bun is just so good, as was the sauce and the pickles. Top it off with a side of duck fat fries and you have the perfect burger. We were there on a Monday night around 6:45 and the place was packed. The bar too. No pictures but I wish I had. Will definitely be back to try more of the menus.
Delicious food, great service, awesome vibes. Get a reservation in advance. Many walk-ins were turned away.
Service was great as usual. I'm not sure if they changed the chef but the food is not as good as it was when I went last year. The menu seemed smaller and the food in general just didn't have the flavor I remember it having. I used to tell people the food there reminds me of the show Top Chef. I'm hoping they get back to whatever it was that made their food great. If I didn't have history with this place I would have given this a 3 star rating. 5 for service and 2 for food.
We had a waiter, Mitch, who just went above and beyond to make our night. Super great. The food was awesome but he was 10 out of 10
Service: 5
I understand why it is hard to get a reservation here! Everything was exceptional. Drinks were 10/10. Food was 10/10 and shareable! Perfect
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our lunch was super yummy!! Service is fast and the staff is friendly. Great place!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Fat Fries with Sriracha Aioli, Shojo Pig Bao, Kimchi Fried Rice
Great menu with frequent changes and high quality food. Haven't had anything bad here.
Foodies beware. Restaurant charges additional fees for eating here which the customer shouldn't have to pay unless they make these fees in the costs of the food raising the prices rather than telling them it's automatic and I have to pay for something the restaurant owner should be paying better salaries! Gratuity should never ever be mandatory! And being it's not the law I will make sure I dont pay that PAY IN CASH SO YOU DONT PAY FEES OR GRATUITY UNLESS ITS DESERVED! THEY CANT MAKE YOU PAY THAT!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Fast service and great appetizers. The mains were also good. Fried kimchi in the calamari was tasty. The tiger ribs were fire, great texture and flavor addition with the peanuts & fried shallots/onions. The edamame dumplings were confusing tho, I loved the truffle corn puree and the skin of the dumplings, but the edamame dumplings filling was a bit bland and lacked texture. I think the truffle corn would be good on its own with a side of fried dough sticks to dip with. A diverse option of drinks!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salt & Pepper Calamari, Shojonator, Wu-Tang Tiger Style Ribs
I was super excited to come here after looking at the menu and reviews and I have to say I was pretty let down. Not only was the service quite slow—not just the server finally coming over to take our order, but also the amount of time in between each course was long. Plus, we ordered 3 things to share and they forgot one of the items and had to remind them to make it.We got the chicken and waffle, the burger, and the vegetable stir fry. The burger was the best. A bit on the smaller side but we ordered it with duck fat fries (probably not worth paying extra because they just tasted like normal fries. They were tasty though). We asked for it to be cut in half and it wasn’t.The chicken and waffle and stir fry were both similar in that they were very one-note and bland. The chicken and waffle needed more salt and/or more syrup. The stir fry was watery and salty—it needed some other kind of flavor to balance it out but it just tasted like roasted vegetables that I could easily make at home.The vibes of the restaurant are cool. They have good artwork and I really like how the tables have hooks underneath for hanging up coats. The restaurant was quite warm though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
The ambiance is a little dark and a bit loud for my tastes, but the food is fantastic and totally worth it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Monkey Chicken Wings
Comfort food in a nice setting in the middle of Chinatown.Food: This is the definition of comfort food - it's nice and well seasoned and familiar, if a bit greasy and heavy. If you are in for what is offered, you won't be disappointed.Drinks: A nice collection of cocktails to choose from as well as other drinks. It has a great gastropub vibes to it.Ambiance: The murals are definitely a nice touch, and it does have a nice streetfood vibe to it. We enjoyed it a lot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
This review is not in review of the food but of the owner, Brian Moy of Shojo group who is the owner of this establishment. We are a small business operating out of Braintree, Ma. We were hired by Nomai for nightly cleaning services. Nomai is a restaurant in Hingham, Ma also owned by Brian Moy and Shojo Group. They have an outstanding balance with us for over $25k (insane, right?). After many false and prolonged promises we would be paid, we still haven't been paid for over a year now. It's been a hassle to get in touch with the owner and when we do, we have had many emails of him promising payment installments. We obviously ceased services but before and after doing so have been extremely flexible with the option for payment arrangements. So if you like supporting local businesses who exploit other local businesses, then this is the right place for you to enjoy a meal. Actually, please do support this business so that there is hope that we get paid!
The best chicken and waffles I've ever hard! Strong drinks, tasty food, cozy atmosphere. Overall, highly recommended if you're in Chinatown and looking to splurge a bit on lunch or dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chinese Chicken and Waffles, Shojo Pig Bao, Dumplings
Sat at the bar. Enjoyed the ribs, the eggplant bao and their house old fashioned. All delicious. Friendly and knowledgeable service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5