Vegan
Japanese
Organic
Delivery
Take-out
Fusion
Gluten-free
Vegan Japanese restaurant est. 2008 on the third level of downtown's Little Tokyo Shopping Center which has parking. The menu features a variety of refreshing beverages and vegetable sushi rolls, plus salads, ramen, seitan entrees, and other creations. Intimate setting. Reported closed April 2024.
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333 S Alameda St Unit 310, Los Angeles, California, USA, 90013
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 12 Apr 2024 by
Update business info -
Added by eric on 14 Jan 2008
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130 Reviews
First Review by button
AnnasOrganic
Points +35
Perfect for a date night - Edit
The ambience was really nice,
Read morethe server was sweet,
Most of the food was delicious!!
the only thing that wasn’t that good,
was the Ramen, it lacked something, and the vegan egg was salty. Other than that the crunchy roll was soooo good!
The “pumpkin flan” was divine!!
Everything else was delicious.
It’s definitely not a cheap and quick meal.
Guest
Passittowill
Points +3564
Nothing Special - Edit
I always heard raving reviews about this place, so I finally made the trek over. It's in a sketchy part of town, so park at your own risk. The wait time was ridiculous. Waited over an hour on a regular weekday. I was a bit taken back by how expensive everything was. I decided after the drive, parking and waiting I would just stick it out. $40 later (just for me) It just wasn't that great. It was good, but not for that price. I've had plenty better at a much smaller price point. I definitely wouldn't return, but glad it's another option for everyone else out there.
Read morePros: Vegan sushi
Cons: Expensive, Parking, Wait time
Guest
Chrisarnold
Points +250
Hidden gem in a mall - Edit
The restaurant is not really obvious in the mall. It took us a while to find it. People that were leaving the restaurant were already telling us how good the food was. Once we moved the curtain to enter the restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised by the great welcome and high standard service. The menu is interesting. It's a high standard restaurant so it's more pricy. We ordered a starter and 2 sushi rolls. However we couldn't stop eating and we ordered more and more. At this point we didn't care about the bill any longer because the food was just freaking amazing. It was something totally unexpected and worth the money! It's the best sushi we ever had. Highly recommended👌They also stamped our parking ticket wich saved us $$
Read morePros: Great service, amazing sushi, clean
Cons: Pricy but worth the money
Guest
Immaterial
Points +38
An acceptable choice - Edit
The food was fairly good I think, but it's rather expensive and I believe I've had better (and equally or better presented) Japanese food for cheaper. The interior of the restaurant is actually rather nice, but it's location isn't all that fancy.
Read moreThe service during the meal was definitely one of the better aspects in my opinion, although I am not a big fan of some of their unique rules.
Overall if I was in the area and wasn't worried about price, or if I wanted a Japanese vegan restaurant that seemed fancy I might consider going here again.
Guest
PlantSavour
Points +52
Creative and tasty - Edit
Friendly and helpful staff.
Read moreCosy dining area. Slightly too dark atmospheric lighting at night.
Nice and exciting range of dishes on the menu. Creative american japanese sushi rolls, hearty tasty ramen with nice toppings (like kale, sprouts and even vegan "egg"). Everything was taty.
Overall a nice dinning experience.
Guest
vegangelique
Points +72
Just nice but... - Edit
The place is nice and tables good, but the sizes toooo small and not to tasty , better options than this , but try so you can feel nice well treated that’s all , I try dynamite roll it’s good , the crab bake hand roll good ,
Read morePros: Nice service , Staff pro and friendly , Tables and decoration good
Cons: Expensive , Small dishes , Not too good
Guest
Gregalor
Points +74
A gem - Edit
Where else in LA are you going to get crazy American-style sushi rolls vegan-style? Nowhere!
Read moreSushi is the star of the show at Shojin (say THAT five times fast). It's all very creative. My favorite is the Yellow Magic Orchestra, which is topped with pumpkin tempura and curried tempeh.
Venture away from the sushi section and it's almost like you're at another restaurant. Flavors became more restrained and "natural." There used to be a wide range of entrees, but now it's just ramen. I wish I could recommend it, but... walk two blocks to Rakkan if you want vegan ramen.
If they have the tempura banana & chocolate mousse dessert when you're there, get it! I haven't fallen in love with the other desserts. They still serve Kind Kreme with most of their desserts, which never impressed me, and especially doesn't impress me now that we have Cocobella. Kind Kreme is too gritty and crystally, it's not smooth.
Service here is the best in the world. You'll be treated like a star. Actually, it's just typical Japanese service standards.
Pros: Elaborate sushi rolls, Impeccable service
Cons: Non-sushi stuff can be a bit bland, Wish they'd ditch the Kind Kreme
Guest
WFPBJeffAF
Points +100
Awesome - Edit
This place is awesome! Excellent food. Amazing flavors. Everything on the menu is great. A must visit if in the area.
Read morePros: Vegan sushi!, Great atmosphere., Awesome staff.
Cons: None
Guest
K8isgr8
Points +42
The Fanciest Vegan Restaurant - Edit
It seems like often times 100% plant based places don’t have the ambiance of a nice restaurant. While this was a little pricy, it was beautiful and the food and delivery was amazing!
Read morePros: TONS of vegan sushi options, Beautiful atmosphere , Delightful servers
Cons: Expensive
Guest
HeatherV
Points +150
Amazing food and atmosphere - Edit
We started going to this restaurant when it opened and switched to the Culver City one when they opened. But we still love this one. Food is amazing and atmosphere inside the restaurant is beautiful. We love that it’s in a shopping tower because we like the other shops in the center. We also like to make this a fun night by also going to the karaoke place downstairs either before or after dinner. Really amazing, unique food with wonderful service, presentation, and atmosphere.
Read moreGuest
AguacateVegano
Points +30
expensive - Edit
The food is not as good and the prices are high
Read morePros: 100% plant based food , Good customer service , Good deserts
Cons: Mandatory two dishes per person
Guest
phytophile
Points +1274
really not as good as you would hope - Edit
The place is awfully uptight and then the food is only ok. I really wanted it to be great, but it was bland and oily. I will try the one in Culver City one day when I’m not that hungry to compare. Sorta sad about this to tell you the truth.
Read moreGuest
xavierfretard
Points +387
Best Sushi Ever!!! - Edit
This place is amazing! Finally I can eat incredible exiting sushi. A must try.
Read moreGuest
BlendedFruit
Points +271
What a Wonderful World - Edit
Shojin is located within a shopping mall in Little Tokyo. The restaurant is quite nice and fancy inside.
Read morePros: Vegan restaurant, Macrobiotic options, Delicious cuisine
Cons: Cannot see restaurant from the street view, Must go through mall to get to restaurant, Crowded during busy hours
Guest
zoenewpony
Points +90
Was okay - Edit
Went here after a day of shopping. The food was okay, but in my opinion it was far to pricey for what it was. Ordered the ramen and orange chicken appetizer and it was pretty decent, just in my opinion - it wasn’t worth what I paid. Not a huge amount of food for the money you spend.
Read morePros: GREAT service, good food, all vegan menu
Cons: too much money
Guest
Katie Le
Points +531
Best classy restaurant in the world! - Edit
... at least, tied for best. The food is sooooo divine and unique. Ambiance is beautiful. Staff are warm and lovely. Truly one of the nicest dining experiences I’ve ever had! It’s not formal per se, just very nice. All around perfect.
Read moreGuest
GreenMark
Points +153
Amazing! - Edit
High class restaurant for that special dinner. Along with Crossroads this is one of my favorite LA restaurants. The sushi rolls were unbelievable and the stuffed mushrooms appetizer was my favorite. The staff was attentive and so nice.
Read moreGuest
VeganBubble
Points +233
Good but be aware of fried stuff - Edit
We had the tasting menu for 2 and everything was yummy and creative, but I was surprised at how much was deep fried. If we had it to do again we'd order more carefully.
Read moreIn terms of simulating fish sushi, I was spoiled living in NYC when Soy and Sake was around (closed a few years ago). Shojin's sushi won't "fool" a carnivore--but I don't think it's meant to. Instead it's just their own creations.
The place is located on the 3rd floor of a mall, which is odd for a NYer but I guess in LA that's not unusual. They do a good job hiding the mall environment away with curtains, but the interior of the restaurant, while pleasant, isn't particularly special. I understand there is another location as well, but we didn't go there on this trip.
It's *not* cheap. The meal for the two of us with 1.5 beers each was $106 with tip. The staff was super-attentive and nice. There was a line outside when we left, so I guess it's popular!
Pros: Creative ingredients, Treat to have all-vegan Japanese
Cons: Pricey, Oddball location in mall
Guest
crturner25
Points +127
Most unique and flavorful dishes! - Edit
Shojin absolutely blew me away. My boyfriend took me here for our anniversary dinner and we were extremely spoiled! Everything is organic and packed with flavor. We ordered the tasting menu. This included three appetizers, one salad, and three sushi rolls. This was A LOT of food but also just right to get a taste of everything. My favorite appetizers were the spicy "tuna" on crispy rice and the freshly made gyoza (no explanation can justify how amazing these are -- try them yourself!)
Read moreFor the sushi rolls -- the crunchy tiger and kiss of the spiderman blew me away. I never knew vegan sushi could be this fun and flavor packed!
After our meal we ordered a lovely caramelized banana desert and they brought it with a candle for us to celebrate. They even took out picture and printed it out for us, writing HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Overall the experience was wonderful and the service amazing. There are two locations in lA -- downtown and culver city. I highly recommend hitting one of these up if you are visiting / live here for a delicious evening!
Pros: Amazing Service , Unique, Flavorful Food , Good Value
Cons: Higher price point , Downtown location is in shopping mall
Guest
vegfoodlvr
Points +49
Good atuff - Edit
Glad we went and experienced this place. Service was friendly and attentive with good descriptions and clarification of menu items. The rolls are different in flavor and texture which I liked but my husband is still on the fence. It is a bit pricey if you try a lot of different things but you could have one roll and it wouldn't be bad
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-08-14
Pros: New flavors, textures and uses of plants
Cons: Maybe the price if you're waiting for payday
Guest
rap attack
Points +187
So yummy - Edit
Went to this place 3 years ago and hope to go back again. The food was filling and tasty
Read morePros: wonderful food, beautiful place, great service
Cons: no cons
Guest
JunSix
Points +20
Sushi Was Awesome but Pricey - Edit
The hostess was awesome. Our waiter was a tad pushy. Maybe it was because they were closing the kitchen soon. Very expensive and compared to many other vegan or vegan-option restaurants I've been to or could have gone to that night, the portions were much smaller. I do think the sushi is great! If you're looking for a spot for a special occasion and love sushi then this is your place!😁
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-08-05
Pros: classy, upscale, great for a sushi craving vegan!
Cons: way too expensive
Guest
Bea_lc
Points +573
fresh and top quality ingredients - Edit
I really enjoyed my dinner at Shojin. This place is a real Japanese eatery and the service you get is truly genuine. The food is fresh, light and top quality. I tried a couple of rolls and a spoonful of my friends ramen. My favourite dish was the black widow tempura roll by far, finding the rest ok but not special.
Read moreI also had the gf matcha cake dessert and it was nice but a bit too heavy and dense for my taste.
Pros: real Japanese eatery, wonderful service, top quality food
Cons: nothing truly special
Guest
Misanthropia
Points +2827
You will love this place! - Edit
Shojin makes art with food and it is not just looking amazing but also tasting delicious!
Read moreConsidering that you get the atmosphere and service of a high class restaurant I wouldn't even consider it to be too pricey but this restaurant is definitely more of a pick for special occasions.
Guest
Darbi
Points +69
vegan sushi!! - Edit
I love Shojin. It's pricey but exquisite. The service is always exceptional and the dishes and desserts are creative and tasty.
Read moreGuest
Chia
Points +3631
Creative Rolls, Intimate Space - Edit
I had learned about this restaurant on HappyCow when it had first opened (2007?) and have eaten here numerous times since. Was here again in Dec 2016, here's my Shojin review update.
Read moreIt seems that Shojin is constantly evolving, changing its menus, and adding new things. The current menu features a range of contemporary vegan Japanese cuisine: veggie sushi rolls, salads, soups and ramen noodle, and a couple of hot plates with seitan. Also on the menu are a range of beverages. The desserts always change, so you have to ask about it.
The space is rather small and intimate with very dim lights. The food is always well-prepared and presented.
I like the ramen noodle options as well the assorted vegetable sushi rolls. For the rolls, the sauce can get too salty, so I ask them to put the sauce on the side instead of a pour over.
Dessert-wise, I like their baked cakes.
The service is very good. Can get pricey, though. To me Shojin feels more like a special occasion outing, or a date night place, or if you have lots of money and enjoy spending it on yummy food, then definitely enjoy it here.
Pros: creative rolls, good service, nice space
Cons: i prefer less salt
Guest
stephanievilchis
Points +39
Amazing rolls! - Edit
Their rolls are amazing. My friend had one of their ramen bowls and it was great too. The only con is that it's a bit pricey. I know a lot of vegans are looking for good sushi so I think if they lowered the prices a bit it might be more appealing. Also the rolls are a little small for 14 bucks. Other than that would've been a 5 star review.
Read moreGuest
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