Recently, I went with a friend to grab a bite to eat downtown. We went down to Chinatown and walked into Shojo, a unique and trendy restaurant that serves the food family style, allowing you to share with whoever you are with. This is called tapas style at Shojo, where they give smaller plates but tables order multiple things to try among themselves. The inside of Shojo was covered with art, and was dimly lit. It held a certain vibe, as college students filled every bar stool and each table in the house was taken. 

I started my meal by ordering a drink I had never heard of, Shojo Punch, but have since craved it because it was so delicious. It was a concoction of lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, and orgeat. We shared duck fat hand-cut fries which surprised me by how normal they tasted. I had never heard of fries being prepared this way so I was a little scared but was surprised to realize they tasted just like any other fry prepared differently. As we munched on those, my friend ordered Salmon Crudo to have on her own. The salmon was perfectly presented on a small plate with spices and herbs placed on top, making it look almost too good to eat! She said it was some of the best salmon she ever had, and couldn’t get over how fresh it tasted.

I ordered Chicken & Waffles v3.0, something I’ve heard was very popular but I had never given a try myself. The waffles came with a very sweet syrup to put on top and only a small drizzle was needed. The waffle specifically was very soft and delicious, topped with a crispy, fried chicken allowing for a compliment of opposite textures or tastes. There was a glob of sweet butter that was smack dab in the middle of the waffle and it complimented the chicken nicely as well.

The food was great and the cool atmosphere made me want to come back to Shojo on a Friday night with some friends. This isn’t your average sports bar that you’d find on every corner in Boston, this experience is unique and one you should try next time you’re looking to go out.