Shoji
Bar · South of Market ·
Cafe by day serving coffee & tea, Japanese-inspired bar by night
Cafe by day serving coffee & tea, Japanese-inspired bar by night
"During the day, this SoMa cafe is all about matcha and espresso before transforming into a Japanese restaurant at night. Slide into one of the curved booths and order a matcha einspänner that’s topped off with a dollop of whipped cream we’d eat straight from a spray can. It’s the ideal dessert-drink hybrid for a midday pick-me-up, especially if you’ve spent the morning chained to a desk in one of the nearby offices (metaphorically, of course). Whether you go during the day or at dinnertime, we suggest getting a reservation. Walk-ins are accepted for cafe and restaurant hours, but you may end up sharing a booth or having to stand at the bar. The good news is that reservations, particularly before 7pm and after 9pm, are easy to snag just a day in advance." - julia chen 1, patrick wong
"After months of serving only coffee and matcha drinks—which are worth a visit on their own—the long-teased dinner service has arrived at Shoji. The Japanese cafe-restaurant hybrid in SoMa has a tight menu of fantastic small plates like knockout uni amaebi donburi (one of our favorite recent dishes), and a fried chicken and egg salad sandwich that we wish was available all day. Thanks to its proximity to downtown offices and BART, Shoji is a convenient all-day option—whether you're mainlining caffeine or winding down with a date after all of your Slack notifications have been silenced. Whether you go during the day or at dinnertime, we suggest getting a reservation. Walk-ins are accepted for cafe and restaurant hours, but you may end up sharing a booth or having to stand at the bar. The good news is that reservations, particularly before 7pm and after 9pm, are easy to snag just a day in advance." - julia chen 1, patrick wong, lani conway
"At this buzzy new San Francisco bar the “Shoji burger” arrives with tableside theatrics: your server will pour the cheese sauce into the hot platter in front of you, continuing the trend of sizzling, shareable, video-friendly presentations." - Bettina Makalintal
"Is Shoji a bar or a restaurant? Or is it a cafe? Honestly, don’t think too hard on it, just enjoy the plethora of offerings this establishment has to share from morning to night. During the day, it’s a thoughtful cafe with coffee and matcha drinks, plus pastries to boot. At night, it’s a sleek spot for smoke-whisped cocktails and burgers doled out to tables in pans of bubbling cheese. There’s a strong selection of NA drinks, if your night is leaning that way, but otherwise let your palate guide you through an adventurous night of food and cocktails." - Dianne de Guzman
"Shoji is a Japanese café that transforms into one of SoMa’s best spots for dinner after the offices let out. The short menu of small plates includes silky oysters, a flawless fried chicken and egg salad sandwich, and a donburi with uni and amaebi that taste like they were caught right before plating. During the day, head here for your caffeine fix. There are the usual lattes and espressos, but we suggest focusing on their specialty matcha drinks, including the matcha einspänner with a generous scoop of whipped sweet cream. Whether you go during the day or at dinnertime, we suggest getting a reservation. Walk-ins are accepted for cafe and restaurant hours, but you may end up sharing a booth or having to stand at the bar. The good news is that reservations, particularly before 7pm and after 9pm, are easy to snag just a day in advance." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong