Cool chic casual vibes, with some communal tables. Food was tasty and came out quickly. I particularly enjoyed the crab fried rice (good-sized portion too) and crispy tofu salad (we ordered this with extra tofu). The rib eye bao was good but wish it had better meat-to-sauce-to-bread ratio. Lemongrass chicken dumpling was okay but I think I was expecting more of a lemongrass flavor to it. The plating was cute- fun glass bowls and Japanese-style square saucers. Would recommend! read more

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Clean bathroom with a lot of stalls The restaurant isn't too big but they did well with the space, I think they do nights with a dj as well. The service was a little slow, again wasn't a huge space basically 2 rows of tables alongside a booth but it was still difficult to get their attention. The food wasn't a favorite, they didn't taste authentic and lacked in flavor. The drinks thought were strong so if anything I would go for those. It was really sweet though trying to do a little birthday dessert even though they didn't have any. read more

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Good place to hang out. Space is airy though not big. Food and drinks are good asian fusion. read more

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Upscale intimate ambiance in this nice yet casual Central Square restaurant. The food was beautifully presented. The monkey wings were good, but I expected more flavor than they delivered. I do not recommend the ribeye beef bao bun, they were okay. The Dan Dan noodles were excellent, highly recommend! It was the special of the night. read more

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Shojo is a solid spot in Central Square. The vibes are chill, with dim lighting and funky graffiti on the walls. We sat at the bar and just had drinks. The drinks were pretty typical - plenty of cocktail options as well as other drinks. Service was solid and we got our drinks in a reasonable timeframe. In terms of food, the menu options looked to mostly be fusion, which isn't as much of my taste, but it looked decent. I'm not sure I'd bother going for dinner, since there are plenty of other options for Asian around, but it's a good place if you're looking for an easy drink/bite. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Journey to the West - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I am late to the party, but wanted to say that the food was unique and delicious! Crispy tofu salad went way beyond tofu and greens. The edamame dumplings in corn chowder was amazing. And the Golden Sesame Tofu Bao was also wonderful. The vibe is very cool. read more

We have been to the Boston location a few times, but this was the first visit to Cambridge. Drinks were good and unique, food was delicious (try the curry), and service was overall friendly. Things felt a little disjointed with the speed of food and drinks coming out, but overall good time read more

The food was good. I actually enjoyed the edamame dumplings which is surprising since I'm not much of a veggie person. We all loved the papaya salad. I really enjoyed my lemongrass chicken and rice too. The waitress was very attentive. read more

Chill place to just hang out and grab a drink, cute bar and nice vibes. We watched part of a celtics game here. Not a sports bar per se but they do have games playing. The ca phe martini (their espresso martini) was delicious. I wish every version was made with condensed milk and cinnamon. The muy thai was great also. Duck fat fries were solid. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

This fusion place was decent but nothing really stood out for me. The burger was different with the bao bun which was unexpected. The banh mi was of decent size. The flavor was decent. This wood be a good place to bring dates as it's pretty casual. read more

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Nice Asian fusion place in central square, they were able to quickly accommodate the large party I was in. The food was a nice twist on classic Asian cuisine, but be ready to pay Boston-level prices for everything! They have a lot of shareable, so it would be nice to come with a group. I also enjoyed how unique their drinks were (but again, Boston-level pricing). I can always count on Shojo for a nice, after work dinner! read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Fragrant Beef Curry Mazemen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

The food, service, and vibes at Shojo Cambridge were all great. I stopped in here with a friend for quick bite - we split the pork belly bao and the kimchi fried rice with steak. We both agreed the bao was one of the best pork belly bao we've had - the crispy outside of the pork + the sauce + the fresh toppings were very good. The steak fried rice was good also. These were recos that our waiter gave us, and he was great with answering all our questions and checking to make sure we liked the food. He also recommended a drink with banana in it that I really liked and was on the menu, based on what flavors/spirits I like to drink. Our visit to Shojo did what it needed to do and we left satisfied! read more

Wow! What a great discovery! We had just been to Central Square Theatre for a matinee and happened to stop in spontaneously for an early dinner. How lucky were we? We sat at the bar and had an excellent bartender take our order, which arrived in a timely fashion. Then we met the bar manager and engaged in a great conversation. The ambiance and the food were a great discovery. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Great new-ish restaurant near MIT area. Came with a large group of 10 and had great service. The original version of this restaurant is in chinatown, similar menu (smaller) and less seating. I prefer the new location because it has a lot more light (the other one always left pitch black) and what feels like a bigger menu. Ordered a fee apps (papaya salad, wings, ribs, catfish), everything was good. For main I ordered the pork banh mi sandwich. From service to ambiance and food, I really liked this place and will likely come back again! read more

The three of us , all friends went here on a Sunday night to find the food selection to be a Spectrum of Asian, mostly Vietnamese and Thai dishes. The dumplings were to die for the crab. Fried rice was delish! Beef spareribs not so much the happy beef, spring rolls, meh! unique flavors very unique. The staff was very helpful and very attentive, but I don't think we'll ever come back. read more

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I've staggered into this joint more times than I can count over the past year--always on a mission, always hungry, and goddamn if they haven't delivered every time. The Vietnamese carpaccio? A raw, mind-expanding experience--thin-sliced, seasoned just right, and bordering on culinary sorcery. But the real anchor here, the thing I crawl back for when the gears start grinding and the hunger claws at my ribs, is the Shojonator. A burger so greasy and decadent it should come with a warning label and a bail bondsman. Rich, unrepentant flavor--an edible declaration of war on blandness. Don't sleep on the appetizers either. The Wu Tang Tiger Ribs hit like a back-alley brawl--sweet, spicy, tender carnage. And the calamari? Light, crisp, with enough punch to keep you honest. This place is on my short list--a regular stop in my ongoing campaign across Cambridge. A safe haven in a world gone soft and flavorless. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Dk Chicken Lemongrass dish - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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. read more

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. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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. read more

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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! read more

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. read more

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We went to Shojo on a Saturday night and appreciated how late they were open, unfortunately at the time they only had the late night bites menu. The drinks were phenomenal and done so well! We enjoyed the pork belly bao and the ribs, both of which were quite flavorful. The grilled cheese left a lot to be desired and did not feel worth the price at all. But overall we had a good time, and the interiors were really cool, with a very dimly lit, intimate bar vibe. Overall a good spot to stop by into if you're in the area! We will definitely be back to try out their dinner menu. read more

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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! read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Food was mediocre, nothing crazy. Service was mid, waitress didn't check up on us once, she even left the building for a good 10 mins and she had a few tables as well. Save your time and money. Go somewhere else!!! read more

** 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. read more

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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. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Interior wall - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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. read more

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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. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - a bottle of sake sitting on a bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - "One thousand deaths" cocktail - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Mistah Shojo, Bai Bai Mule - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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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. read more

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Had the shadows fries and they were really good. We also had the butter beef spring roll and they were bitter but you could tell there was good flavor just hindered by the bitterness. As far as service, our server was really nice and even asked for our feedback which was awesome. The ambiance was nice as well, we came during the afternoon and it wasn't busy. It was mildly light but in a good way. read more

Very flavorful, pan Asian dining. Fun, innovative menu with playfully named dishes. Quite reasonably priced too. We had the carpaccio to start which was good quality meat with viet spices. The drink "phoget about it" is a vodka-based cocktail that is easy to drink. The hit of the night was a Thai beef mazeman curry (delicious!). Great addition to central square. read more

We came here for brunch on a Subday after being told at Veggie Galaxy there would be a 30 min wait. We really liked it - more below. I don't understand why they don't advertise their brunch more . I would suggest adding one or two veggie dishes for brunch, or maybe one omelette. Considering how many people get turned down in always the same Cambridge spots for brunch, I think people would be happy to come here. Very nice and unique tasting chicken and waffles, edamame dumpling with corn chowder, baos and their famous shadow fries. Only the Cesar salad was too salty - but I guess that's on me - anything with miso and anchovies is bound to be salty. It tasted really good though. Everything else was delicious, so were the mocktails and cocktails. If you like the Asian style food, this is a good brunch alternative to many other impossible to get in to places in Cambridge. Many of which are overhyped anyway. Plus you get Bruce Lee videos and hip hop music read more

The food was excellent. The presentation was beautiful. The pork belly bao was as good as I have eaten. I will go back for more. Everything on the menu looked great. read more

Shōjō Cambridge - Shojo Pork Belly Bao - Asian Fusion Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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