Shoyo is an omakase style sushi restaurant that serves one of the BEST sushi experiences in all of Dallas. Its exclusivity is the brainchild of Nori's former sushi chef and a master sushi chef from Nobu. With only 12 seats and two dinner services a night, if you're one of the lucky few to get a reservation you'll be in for an unforgettable evening.
My Overall Rating - 5 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Facility, Return)
Atmosphere - Shoyo is small and elegant. The restaurant is a total of 12 seats around a sushi bar. Long thin, white lighting setup a dimly lit room. The backdrop is simple, yet sophisticated. A true sushi bar, the top shelf holds the bowl and freshly cut ginger and the bottom has your plate. For the next 2 hours, you and your fellow culinary friends will share an intimate and delicious meal together. 1 Star.
Service - I'll start with the reservation system. It opens on the first of the month, and all dining times will be taken within 5-10 minutes. There are two times per night: Early at 5:45 and then at 8:30 PM. The late weekend spots will go first. At the time I booked through Resy.com but apparently they have switched to open table. There are two very attentive and fantastic servers, but the stars are our two sushi chefs, Master Chef Shin Kondo and Chef Jimmy Park. They will take time to describe each bite, fish, and even tell stories of themselves. 1 Stars.
Food - Omakase means "I leave it up to you". Here each dining event is different. What I ate may not be what you'll eat, but here's what stood out for me. First - the ginger is amazing. It's made inhouse, and julienne chopped. I enjoyed eating it between each dish. Second - the sushi rice is perfect. No soy sauce required, in fact, there is none served. The flavor of the rice intensifies and compliments each fish. My favorite was the Mexican toro. This soft, warm fish melt in my mouth and was easily the best tasting piece of sushi in my life. The tamago (which I rarely eat) was soft with a hint to sweet. To end the meal, we ordered the Japanese A4 beef which was torched in front of us. The only negative was I had to go home. 2 Star.
Will I Return? - Yes. Shoyo is a fantastic omakase experience. It's not cheap - in fact you choose between the Edo ($125) or the Sho ($175) menu. Both are worth it at least once. For now, I'm saving up my pennies for my next visit. 1 Star.
My Yelp Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star - Atmosphere - Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I'll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star - Service - You can have a great meal with bad service. But that's also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It's important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars - Food - I'll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it's really all about the food.
1 Star - Will I come back? - If I know for a fact I'll return, I'll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Yelp score. read more