Shōjō Cambridge

We've been meaning to try out Shojo's wing Wednesday for a while, and finally made it this week. I appreciated that the staff were very upfront about the policies for Wing Wednesday -- each person has to order one item (app, entree, or drink) before they "unlock" $1 wings. They have a special menu with smaller portions of their normal menu as "sides" on Wednesdays. We got the crispy tofu salad and the kimchi fried rice. The crispy tofu salad was great! Packed with watercress, avocado, and tofu, with a tasty sauce. It went great with the wings. The kimchi fried rice was also pretty good. Wings come in sets of $5 per flavor, so we tried 3 flavors. They have some regular flavors as well as special flavors. I tried some wing flavors I've never tried before, like Shanghai sesame. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it was really good! Maybe a bit too much sauce on the outside, as it was a bit too salty. I also liked the Sichuan dry rub, though again a bit too much dry rub -- I ended up scratching some off. It's a bit sweet but since it's a dry rub it's the crispiest wing. The soy garlic was much less saucy than the Shanghai sesame. It didn't make a strong impression on me. Overall the wings are a great deal and the flavors are very unique! I can definitely see myself coming back on a Wednesday. Service was great as well.

May 2025 (dinner): Shojonator very good, and they had no problem with medium rare this time. Duck fat fries were crisp, very hot, and a big portion (even though it was an add-on to the burger). Fish sauce wings were very good. Crisp tofu salad was a great watercress salad. Lots of cocktails on menu, small but good list of beers. Wine selection tiny. Friendly and helpful service Paid $45 pp w 1 glass beer. We shared three dishes, which were lots of food. Outdoor tables not available on May 17 (Sat eve); hope they'll open them soon! Careful: their reservation app shows no availability for the upcoming hour whether they're empty or packed, so call if you're planning to walk in. Review from 2024 (lunch): The Shojonator is a hamburger served on a bao bun. Good idea: the bun isn't sweet and mushy like most burger buns. Bacon, sauce, all good. Portion was a good size, not huge like some places. The patty itself was well done, which I normally don't like, but it was nicely crisped. One problem: the bun wasn't warm. I mentioned that to the server and she offered to replace it, a food sign. Duck fat fries were good.

About the service: I thought it was terrible. The waitress who served us wasn’t friendly, and we ordered three different dishes. It took over 45 minutes for the first dish to arrive, another 20–25 minutes for the second dish, and then some additional minutes for the third dish. I found that absurd—everything should have been served at the same time. There was no one else in the restaurant, just me, my husband, and a woman sitting at another table. Honestly, the service is not what I would expect from any place. There were 3 or 4 dishes unavailable because the kitchen didn’t have them, which is absurd too. I work in a kitchen, so I know how it is. About the food: The dishes are flavorful and creative. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant if the service is gonna be like this, but the food is good!

The bartender was nice and catered us well. The drinks were amazing. The fried rice and salad were great. The pork was okay, not as good as the salad and fried rice. Love the ambiance. It's good a spot for family/friends/dates. Definitely recommend sitting at the bar for a date.

Dined at the Chinatown location previously, this time at Cambridge. Love the food here, especially the curry noodle and Edamame. Must try!

Went on $1 wing Wednesday with a group of four, great experience. They are very upfront with the fact that you must order a drink/side to “unlock” the wings. $10 each for beer and another $10 for some wings, each wing uniquely large and delicious. We will be returning on a very near future Wednesday.

Pretty good! Honestly not as good as the original but still tasty! Cocktails were great and so was the burger. Definitely get the burger with duck fat fries! Pork bao was pretty dry though. The place is pretty small inside but has a decent vibe. Great addition to the neighborhood!

The food was absolutely Amazing! Jim, was the best, followed by the bartenders. Atmosphere, food & great music sections. Definitely a once a week must have.

I've always been a fan of Shōjō when they first opened in Chinatown and this was the first time I got to try out their Cambridge location, which was located in a modern building, with neighboring Asian businesses and HMart is just down the street! The pork belly bao was deliciously tender and juicy and the fresh pickled veggies added the right tingle to the taste buds. The bao itself was soft and fluffy. I was craving the Shojonator and it hit the spot. Definitely get the egg with it! But the Shadowless Fries, with its beef map tofu was the show stealer! I really liked the Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan mural giving the ambiance a modern Kung Fu feel! It wasn't busy for a Thursday lunch so service was quick and friendly.

I'm conflicted here, honestly. Shojo is pretty rad - they really managed to recapture the wacky, garage-chic decor of the downtown location even though its in the most milquetoast building in Central Square (impressive for the mecca of milquetoast architecture that is Cambridge). The cocktails are also pretty decent! They try some interesting things with some spices with made-up-sounding names and I'm definitely into it. But the food is just so eh. It's like they were going for a fun play on cheap Chinese take-out, but..forgot the play part. And the cheap part. We got some kind of fried sampler that was nearly inedible, just salty and tough. The fried noodles were..I mean, they were lo mein. I'd have a hard time believing they didn't just order delivery on them, dump them out of the styrofoam container and onto a fancy plate. I sort of had this same problem with the Shojo in Downtown, but maybe the charm of it or something kicked it up to a 4. But here in Cambridge, it just didn't work the same.

I haven't tried their other locations yet, but had a positive first impression at this location. We ordered the famous nhau platter ($19), Viet Cajun fried catfish ($20), and the Shojonator burger ($12) with a side of duck fat fries ($5). The food seems to be in smaller portions which would be nice to snack on alongside some drinks. The famous nhau platter had an assortment of dried proteins along with green mango and some peanuts. It was fun being able to try chicken jerky, beef jerky, and dried squid with a seasoning/flavor profile that I do not encounter on a regular basis. However, I felt that the dish overall was a bit underwhelming and the peanuts were a little dry. The Shojonator was tiny but had a really nice char on the patty. The bacon on the burger was dripping with fat and all the flavors complemented each other well. The side of fries was a very large portion and they were satisfyingly crispy, although a little underseasoned and a bit too greasy for me. The Viet Cajun fried catfish had a really umami seasoning to it and the fish paired nicely with the refreshing mango salad. Aside from the massive portion of fries, the prices seem a bit high for the amount of food you get.

Asian fusion place with cool vibes. The food and drinks were quite interesting. Everything item could be improved, and given the price point of each item, it was overall slightly disappointing. The seating arrangement made it so that it was hard to interact with the server. Food ordered: -Beef curry mazemen: the flavors were spot on - rich and creamy with a bit of sweetness. It was a pity that the beef was dry and tough. -"Tiger-style" ribs: meat fell right off the bone, and was juicy. The flavoring was a bit too sweet without any particular flavor though. -Beef bao: the pickles were delicious, but otherwise not particularly memorable. It seemed a little overpriced. Drinks ordered: Bai bai mule: refreshing, well-balanced, delicious. I wish I could taste the baijiu a bit more but that's a personal preference. Cold tea for two: comes in a teapot, which is cool, but the drink itself is a bit syrupy, rather than having the pleasant tea flavor coming through.

Decor and service are top notch. I didn't have any cocktails at this location, but anything like the ones in the Chinatown location, can't go wrong. The apps I'm noticing are sometimes meh. They aren't bad, but nothing spectacular. Then the DK Lemongrass chicken dish came to the table. Take a look at the photo, that looks good. And sure tasted good chicken was perfectly cooked and the Lemongrass and crust that was on it works really well! The rice was flavorful, with crispy notes. I wasn't a fan of the Daikin carrot mix, too sour, and also that dipping sauce you see, wasn't for me. First few dabs was ok but I think maybe was fermented or something not something really needed with the dish. Overall good hangout place, pick apps carefully, and seems like dinner dishes are the highlight.

Great music and vibe on the inside for sure!! I only had drinks here so this review is based on that. Its a very unique cocktail menu which i think is a bit more of an acquired taste. I had the cocktail with the whiskey and sesame and I wasn't a big fan. Ended up just asking for a Manhattan which was solid.

I love the other Shojo location so definitely had to try this one when I heard it was opening. I visited here with a few friends. Would definitely get a reservation - the place was poppin when we went on a Saturday evening. Large space inside with fun funky decor. Dark lighting for some ~ vibes ~. The wait staff were all so friendly. Food and drinks were just as great as their other location. Pork bao buns - so yum! The fried rice is always a great go-to as well. I felt like there were a few cocktails that were not there at the menu on the other restaurant. I have 2 vegan friends and they love eating at the Shojo locations because there are lots of vegan friendly items and are well labeled. DEFINITELY will go again!

Food here is fantastic! Solid vegan options, and the menu is well labelled. I had the tofu baos, which were really delicious- tofu was nice and crispy and the bao bread was super soft. The decor inside is also really fun and unique, and the service is quick and friendly. Only reason for not giving 5 stars is that the portion sizes are pretty small, especially for the price.

Shojo has been a longstanding fixture in Chinatown but a new location opened up in Central Square recently. I came by with a friend around 5 pm on a weekday (right as they opened) - they were generally quite empty but a few more tables filled up while we were there. Our server was very kind and helpful with our order, but considering how few people were there when we ordered, it took an unusual amount of time for us to get our food. We started with kimchi fried rice, which was pretty mediocre at best. For some reason that I am still puzzling over, the rice tasted like Hainan chicken rice (e.g. cooked with chicken stock/fat and seasoned) but had very little spicy/kimchi flavour. The kimchi lettuce itself was the only part that even remotely tasted like kimchi. Otherwise, the egg was very nicely cooked and complemented the dish well. I am still a bit torn on how to assess this, because the rice was above average (I like chicken rice!), but definitely was quite a poor attempt at kimchi fried rice. We also ordered the Shojo Pig Bao, which I quite liked. The BBQ sauce was a strong point, with a nice, lightly sweet flavour that ties the overall bao together well. The pork belly itself was nicely cooked - very crispy - and the textural combination of that with the jalapeño and kimchi bites was interesting. Overall, it was an OK meal. I think the fusion aspect makes some of the expected flavours a bit wonky - and if that's your thing, I'm sure you might have enjoyed the meal more than me. However, the price point was certainly on the high side ($15 for a medium bowl of [non-]kimchi fried rice and $13 for two small buns!), and unfortunately not one that was warranted by the at-best middling quality of the food.

The new Shojo location in Cambridge has amazing vibes and an extensive food/drink menu, with some new items compared to the Boston location. The cocktails are all unique and super strong! The staff was attentive and helpful. For food, highly recommend: -kimchi fried rice -calamari -chicken wings -wu tang ribs -duck fries For cocktails, get the Muay Thai and cold tea for 2. Definitely our new favorite spot in the area!

We just had a fabulous dinner at Shojo Cambridge. It opened in April 2023 and is in a newly redeveloped vibrant area of Mass Ave. We ordered five items - a mix of appetizers, dumplings and bao buns. The dishes come out as they are ready and are able to be shared. We started with the fabulous pork bao buns, followed by the incredibly tasty crunchy tofu salad, delicious salt and pepper fried calamari, chicken dumplings and beef spring rolls. The only thing that we didn't absolutely love was the beef fresh spring rolls since the crispy stick in the middle seemed too thick and tough to eat. The service was friendly and fast. The restaurant has a wonderful mural on the side wall, high top and regular tables and a nice outdoor seating area.

** this is a retroactive review as I dined here May 30 and forgot to post! ** I have been to the Shojo location in china town but they recently opened their Cambridge location in central square. Me and my friend were seated immediately and given paper menus (thank god, I hate the QR menus!). We split three dishes which was enough to satisfy us. - The Shojo Pig Bao was so enjoyable. The crisp on the pork is exquisite and is balanced so nicely with the dough of the bao. If you're into textural contrast, you'll love this dish. - The Wu-Tang Tiger Style Ribs are flat out INSANE. They are tangy and juicy and exactly what you want them to be. My mouth is watering just thinking about them again. - The Fragrant Beef Curry Mazemen was so unique and delicious. It's essentially a ramen without broth. The noodles were the perfect texture and the flavors were tantalizingly umami and savory. The vibes and ambience were great. Definitely would be a fun place to grab drinks, especially on the patio! Will 100% be returning.

Shojo had a beautiful indoor ambience inside and unique cocktails. We went on a stormy day so the patio wasn't open but there was a large outdoor patio section as well. We did walk-in with no wait time. They are still in their soft-launch phase so their menu is not complete and their staff is still getting acclimated. Overall we had a good experience and it will likely be "great" once they are fully open.

Had a great dinner there tonight! Randomly walked in with a friend, as we wanted dinner and drinks--and we hit the jackpot! Beautiful aesthetics, art, lighting, set up and music (outdoor seating coming soon). Had the beef Bao and Fragrant Beef Curry Mazemen--both were excellent! We wanted to try more dishes, but will have to wait for their official opening, this weekend.

Great time! Service by Alex was impeccable. Food a spicy delicious treat. Drinks exceptional. Definitely loved the whole experience, which certainly will be hard to beat. Loved the comfortable benches and the wood paneling. Very homey.

Me and my friends went here on Friday. Services is great, people are very friendly and helpful. Drinks are alright, average price $17/ cocktails and I would rate them 3.5/5 for drinks. I was exiting try their foods but I give them 3/5 rate for foods.

Score: 6/10 General Comments: A hip and vibrant asian fusion place, though things run realllly slow when the place is crowded. May have been an off night, as we had delays with both drinks and the menu. While the food is solid, it is certainly pricey and perhaps a little overhyped. Items Tried: Chicken Wings, Shadowless Fries, Journey to the West cocktail Pros: Ambience is A1, the cocktails I was able to try (the Journey to the West) was awesome, solid quality food from the kitchen! Cons: Long delays in the kitchen, slow service (due to limited staff at the bar, not sure if this is always the case), price I had a a few friends visiting from out of town who wanted to check out a new spot that I hadn't brought them too. Looking nearby where I live in Central, I realized I hadn't yet been to Shojo and figured I'd give them a shot. Making a reservation was easy enough of Reserve a Table, and 7 of us were able to be seated inside at one of the high top tables. The interior of the restaurant is very hip and modern, with odes to both Chinese American and Hip-hop culture; murals of Jackie Chan and Biggie smalls on the wall, BearBricks near the front entrance, and Hip-hop music ranging from the 90's to now playing nicely over the sound system. This place is definitely hip. Our server was very kind and gave us time to take a look through the menu as folks were arriving, and soon we were able to order our drinks. Unfortunately, this is where things started to take a turn. The bar itself was manned by only one bar tender; that's one person covering both the entirety of 10-15+ tables inside, another 10+ tables outside, and the individuals at the bar. It took almost an hour of being in the restaurant (30-40 minutes after ordering) for our drinks to arrive. This would've been a small issue if not for additional delays in the kitchen as well; after placing our food orders, it took almost an hour for everyone's food items to arrive. To their credit, the staff did acknowledge that there was a miscommunication in the kitchen about where orders were going to, but the delay definitely dampened the experience. That said, once everything arrived; the food and drinks were generally solid! For a cocktail I had gotten the Journey to the West, which has sichuan peppercorn and sesame infused rye. The drink itself was super smooth-- mostly floral/ fruity elements from peppercorn and the nice nutty + sweet aroma and taste of sesame through and through. For food, I had ordered the shadowless fries as a side, and that ended up being the first item to arrive. I gladly shared it with my friends, and we all agreed that the Duck Fat fries were quality; nice, crisp, and golden brown with a solid bite to them. The Mapo tofu, Kim-cheese and the seasoning up top really helped bring everything together. Likewise, I had ordered the wings for myself. With 7 wings at $13, I'd say they were solid-- nothing mind blowing, but they were certainly well cooked and the sweet and sour sauce and pickled onions added a nice tang. Overall, my friends and I left feeling satisfied albeit it disappointed. The food itself is honestly solid, if anything perhaps a little overhyped. I'd certainly come back here to enjoy more of the cocktails on their menu (the Mistah Shojo was a hit with my friends), and perhaps for some shareable-- but for larger groups and on busier nights, expect things to take some time. I'd recommend folks looking for a cool bar with a nice ambience to give this place a try at least once, though it may be some time before I myself come back.

7/10: Shojo is one of the better Asian fusion restaurants in Boston. The menu features Southeast Asian dishes, with some BBQ-style flair. -The mazemen had a rich creamy curry flavor, but was a tad too salty. -The chicken wings had a great sweet and sour sauce. The daikon got a bit lost in the dish. It would've been prepared on the side as a small salad. -The ribeye bao could have been constructed better. The ribeye was not tender enough to chew through. So, you basically end up eating the whole thing in one bite. The cocktails also showcased a lot of creativity. In particular, the One Thousand Deaths brought a great balance of acidity from the lime, light herbal notes from the yellow chartreuse, and a distinct earthiness from the pea sprouts. All in all, a solid casual option in Central Square.

The food is so delicious, def worth it to try it out. I love the space and the energy.

Had a nice time and would go back with friends when the new menu items become available. The execution of the food worked especially the ribs (get that for sure, meat falls right off the bone) except for the calamari which had some pieces clumped together. Fun to see the Jackie Chan (met him once in HK) and Bruce Lee murals plus martial arts movies playing on the TV

The atmosphere was amazing and so were the drinks! Shojo is a perfect spot for drinks and small bites with groups of friends. I will definitely be back!

We stopped in for lunch and had a delicious experience!! The staff was attentive and very helpful. The restaurant is cost and the decor is wild. Bravo to the muralist! So cool. We sampled a few items with standouts being the tofu salad, tofu bao and the most incredible ribs that we have ever eaten!!! The drinks were equally as yummy. Excited to go back and sample tue new additions to their menu! All in all a wonderful experience.

As I am up at this hour I cannot stop thinking about the food I had at Shojo Cambridge.I walked in around 7pm~ on a Saturday night and was greeted by a lovely hostess. I ordered the catfish and my waiter recommended to eat the cracker, catfish, and salad all at the same time and it was to die for. Words can't describe the flavor bomb I had. Drinks were excellent as well.

food was not good, service was slow and atmosphere loud. I could barely hear my date across the dinner table. The duck fries are great but the pork bao were atrocious and catfish fine but very overpriced for the amount of food.

A new relaxed spot in Central square that is anything but pretentious. Has a really cool vibe for dinning. A bar where you can catch a game or watch old kung-fu movies. Coupled with awesome wall art that is a labyrinth of hip-hop meets kung-fu with homer simpson= good vibes. The limited menu being offered had some interesting dishes and layers of flavor. The drinks menu looks great with plenty of non-alcoholic drink options as well. My only complaint would be the size of the dishes, which could be bigger. There are plenty of pretentious and overpriced restaurants in Cambridge that leave you hungry.

If I could give this 0 Stars I would. Went in tonight. Sat at the bar. Bartender says, "Sir how are you tonight?" Sorry but my wife is right bedside me and no acknowledgement. Gives us the lunch menu at dinner. Pours me water but I guess women don't get water because my wife gets no water. Total failure tonight.