Shojin

"Shojin is a solid option for vegans and the occasionally-plant-based sushi fan that wants something more elevated than a basic avocado roll. This quiet, casual vegan Japanese spot in Culver City turns whipped tofu into “spicy tuna crispy rice,” and though it’s not fooling anyone, it tastes good, even if several items  on the menu hit the same creamy dynamite sauce notes. However, the creativity is impressive. A run-of-the-mill rainbow roll is a colorful spectrum of chilled roasted vegetables with fragrant shisho leaf wrapped inside, and the Saturday Night Fever roll, which looks like something you’d find on the Vegas Strip, turns roasted mushrooms into sweet crab meat." - Sylvio Martins

"Make no mistake - Shojin isn’t in the business of serving Impossible tuna sashimi. Instead, they’re taking all of the techniques of Japanese cooking, replacing fish with tofu, and stuffing zucchini blossoms with pumpkin, apricot, and tomato. And the end result is legitimately inventive vegan fare that everyone - from gold-star vegans to even the most carnivorous of us - should try. Available for pick-up and delivery." - kat hong

"Eating at Shojin was the first time I'd had Japanese food, because there were never vegan Japanese restaurants in England when I was growing up. I'd had Chinese before and I had Indochinese, which is really popular in London, but never Japanese food. Shojin has flavors and textures I’d not had before. They do really good sushi there. I really enjoy their vegan spicy tuna and crispy rice, which I think is made from tofu, but they flavor it really well. The pumpkin croquette as well—it's really sweet, but also spicy at the same time inside." - brennan carley

"Jun Matoshiro's brainchild casually tosses around overused LA-centric buzz words such organic, natural, vegan, and macrobiotic. But this alternative Japanese eatery manages to maintain a level of ingenuity to entice any foodie, regardless of food restrictions, preferences or politics, elevating mushrooms, rice or tofu by experimenting with them alongside hijiki, lotus root and konnyaku. The ambience is sufficiently intimate to make it a viable date spot." - Sandwich Video

"Shojin specializes in plant-based Japanese vegan cuisine, with a tasting menu, a la carte offerings, and even an allergen-free kids menu. The food is gluten-free from top to bottom, from its dumpling and crispy rice starters to its sushi and surprisingly affordable nine-course weekday omakase. And though the DTLA location closed in April, the Culver City location remains open." - Mona Holmes, Nicole Adlman