There’s a lot more to Boston than beautiful brownstones. Boston is a city where you can find giant crustaceans the size of your torso over at Yankee Lobster Company. Bean Town even has powdered sugar coated pastries of the lobster tail variety that the peeps at Mike’s Pastry will let you gleefully munch on. One thing you may not know is that Boston boasts the third largest Chinatown in the United States. While there are plenty of places in Boston’s gritty downtown Chinatown where you can pick apart Peking duck or dive into sweet and sour pork, Shōjō is not that kind of spot.

A photo of the kung pao grilled chicken sandwich with shaoxing soy marinade, fried peanut aioli and chilies at Shōjō, a local Asian restaurant located in Boston, Masachusetts' downtown Chinatown. Photo Courtesy of FoodWaterShoes
Kung Pao Wow – A Grilled Chicken Sandwich Featuring Shaoxing Soy Marinade, Fried Peanut Aioli and Chilies at Shōjō in Boston, Massachusetts


Shōjō opened in 2012. It is founded and owned by Brendan Moy. Moy’s family operates another Chinatown stalwart China Pearl (which is also located on Tyler Street). Shōjō’s family of restaurants also includes BLR by Shojo (formerly Ho Yuen Ting and also known as Best Little Restaurant before it was folded into the Shōjō brand) and a pan Asian noodle house called Ruckus.

In addition to Shōjō, here’s a list of other neat little local spots we love across Boston.

According to Dana Hatic over at Eater, rumor has it that the family might be adding a new member. As luck would have it, soon you should be able to give delicious Shōjō a whirl even if you’re just flying through Logan Airport.

A photo of super cool hip graffiti mural featuring Logan Airport and an orange monkey character on the inside wall at Shōjō, a local Asian restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts' downtown Chinatown. Photo Courtesy of FoodWaterShoes
Party Animal – A Funky Graffiti Wall Mural at Shōjō in Boston, Massachusetts


When you enter Shōjō you’re bound to encounter a line at the hostess counter (book a reservation via Reserve online before you head over there). You’ll also likely hear Kanye or Rihanna blaring through the speakers (which makes it great for rocking out, but may not make Shōjō the ideal spot for whispering sweet nothings or trying to close a serious business deal).

A photo of two pints of Hitachino white ale, a Belgium style white beer from Japan, sitting beside a carafe of house sake at Shōjō, a local Asian restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts' downtown Chinatown. Photo Courtesy of FoodWaterShoes
Wish You Were Beer – Pints of Hitchino (a Japanese Belgian Style White Ale) and a Carafe of House Sake at Shōjō in Boston, Massachusetts


The name shōjō refers to a red faced Japanese sea spirit who has a penchant for alcohol (you can catch a glimpse of him, he’s the monkey like character, featured in the murals painted on the walls at Shōjō). So, naturally, we decided to kick off our meal at Shōjō with sake and pints of Hitachino white ale from Japan which paired perfectly with our grub.

A photo of the pork belly dumplings at Shōjō, a local Asian restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts' downtown Chinatown. The dish features sake hoisin, jalapeños, radishes and cilantro. Photo Courtesy of FoodWaterShoes
Turn Up the Heat – Jalapeños and Radishes Add a Scrumptious Crunch to the Pork Belly Dumplings at Shōjō in Boston, Massachusetts


Shōjō’s menu is full of small tapas style plates that are meant to be shared family style. It also offers a wide variety of custom cocktails with names like samurai 75 and yakuza old fashioned. (The yakuza are members of Japan’s organized crime syndicate.)

A photo of the Shōjōnator at Shōjō, a local Asian restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts' downtown Chinatown. The burger features smoked bacon and kimcheese. Photo Courtesy of FoodWaterShoes
Sweet Dreams Are Made of (Kim)Cheese – The Shōjōnator at Shōjō in Boston, Massachusetts


One of our favorite dishes of the evening was the Shōjōnator. This massive slider packs a punch. We were glad we actually got to spilt it with another person because it’s a beast in all the best ways.

Clearly we’re gluttons for brilliant burgers. Curious about some of the other crazy burgers we’ve taste tested around the globe? Here are some of our favorite burger places in the world.

This gut busting mini burger features smoked bacon and kimcheese. Unlike the grilled kung pao chicken sandwich, which had too much chicken crammed in it for our liking, the perfectly proportioned Shōjōnator was delectable to the last bite.

A photo of the miso hungry dish at Shōjō, a local Asian restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts' downtown Chinatown. Miso hungry consists of miso buttered house made noodles, parmesan cheese, duck egg yolk and lemon. Photo Courtesy of FoodWaterShoes
Noodle on This – The Miso Hungry at Shōjō in Boston, Massachusetts Consists of Miso Buttered House Made Noodles, Parmesan Cheese, Duck Egg Yolk and Lemon


Our all-time favorite dish at Shōjō was the miso hungry. Miso hungry is literally so good that we promise you’ll be licking every last drop of the cheesy ridiculously good sauce off of your chopsticks. The noodles are chewy and yummy in all the right ways. If you find yourself in Boston searching for inventive cocktails and are willing to give remixed Chinese cuisine a try, one thing is for sure, you won’t regret an evening at Shōjō.

An exterior street view photo of the outside front of Shōjō, a local Asian restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts' downtown Chinatown. Photo Courtesy of FoodWaterShoes.
Shōjō in Boston, Massachusetts


Shōjō
Address: 9A Tyler Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02111
Hours: Monday Through Wednesday 5:00pm to 11:00pm (Kitchen closes at 10:30pm), Thursday 11:00am to 11:00pm (Kitchen closes at 10:30pm), Friday and Saturday 11:00am to 1:00am (Kitchen closes at 11:30pm) *Closed on Sundays. Well, technically speaking they are open for one hour on Sundays.
Phone: (617) 423-7888
Pricing (All in USD): Beer $5.00 to $12.00, Cocktails $12.00 to $20.00, Cup of Sake or Shochu $10.00 to $17.00, Virgin Drinks $3.00 to $6.00, Wine by the Glass $8.00 to $12.00, Food Items $3.00 to $16.00, Dessert – Are you really going to make it that far? We didn’t.


We get it, it’s tough work slogging through and reading word after word about delicious Asian food. Go ahead, give your pointer finger some much needed exercise after all that heavy scrolling you just did. If you enjoyed our article on Shōjō let us know. Please click the “like” button with a star on it at the bottom of this post or share our article to with someone you know who is heading to Boston. If you’re feeling super ambitious buy us a cup of coffee, so we can visit and review even more awesome places for you.