You don’t have to be Vegan to fall in love with this restaurant!! Phenomenal organic, natural Vegan food! Outstanding service! My Vegan friends have been loyal, repeat customers since the restaurant’s opening about fifteen years ago! As a skeptical meat eater, it took me a while to go along with them for a nice dinner, never dreaming what I had been missing! Each nutrient dense dish is beautifully presented. The flavor and taste is extraordinary. The atmosphere is calm, intimate and peaceful-you feel cared for and special. Eating here with my friends gave me the curiosity to try other Vegan restaurants, but to this day, I have not found any place that tasted better than from this restaurant! You can order alcohol drinks to go with your meal if you desire. The meal will range $35-$100 per person based on the number of dishes you order or whether you add an alcoholic drink. I highly recommend you make reservations as they fill up their seats! Ask to try their Dynamite Roll if it is available—it has been a recipe item of theirs since the beginning! I am so glad I have eaten here and am very excited to give you the encouragement to try it out! This is an optimum place to celebrate a special occasion. Also of note, if you cannot get to the downtown location, they now have a location in Culver City as well!

Good concept, if it was executed well. Overall, I thought the meal was okay but quite overpriced for what you get. We ordered 3 of their most popular rolls: - Baked Crab Hand Roll: 1 order only came with 2 rolls so it came out to be $40 for 4 rolls. Truly not worth it for the cost. The hand roll was not bad but had too much vegenaise inside. - Purple Treasure: Eggplant with miso glaze on top a carrot roll. I liked the flavor of the eggplant the most but thought it was too salty. - Shojin Dynamite Roll: This is their #1 best seller and I’m struggling to see why. The excessive use of sauces once again perpetuated the feeling of “mushy” while eating. Service was mediocre, though the ambiance is nice. Shojin has a long way to go to improve their dishes.

Omakase tasting menu is a big disappointment. This is not real Shojin cuisine. If you want to experience real Shojin cuisine in the US then check out Kajitsu in NYC. None of the dishes they served were anywhere close in quality and exoticness to the Shojin restaurants I've tried before. They named the restaurant Shojin but all the dishes they served can be found at regular Japanese and vegan restaurants. That's not the only disappointing part. The food was not that tasty either and neither was the presentation anything to rave about. The portions were small (that's typical with tasting menus) and the last four courses were just single pieces of Sushi rolls served together in a single plate. So it's not a nine course meal at all, it's a five course and we were done in like 40 minutes. Shojin restaurants I've been to before easily serve for 90 minutes or more because of the number of courses. They also seemed to rush and brought the next course when we had not finished with the current one. There was no dessert included in the tasting menu. Dessert is usually included in testing menus so that was quite unusual. For $80 per person (including taxes and tips), I expected a lot more in every department. I had to go to another restaurant afterwards as I was still so hungry and unsatisfied.

I have dined at Shojin several times before and I have always been blown away with the quality of service received and the food. My visit last week was no exception. As someone who loves typical sushi with fish, I am always blown away by the rolls. I am a huge fan of the crunchy tiger roll and their dynamite sauce lives up to the name in my eyes. As someone who is gluten free for medical reasons, it is a place I feel totally comfortable eating at. It is super refreshing to go out someplace and know everything is gluten free and I won't have to suffer with the consequences of gluten contamination. Let's not leave out the fact that I have a full menu that I can eat from. Did I mention the service? It is incredible from start to finish. They even took and printed a picture, which was placed in a nice sleeve, of our table since we were celebrating a birthday. As for COVID times, I was hesitant about eating at an indoor restaurant, but with the temperature checks and the requirement of everyone using hand sanitizer before even walking in, it gave me some piece of mind.

I would say I will not rate less because the very best ingredients are the philosophy of this place. No refined sugar, macrobiotic ingredients, gluten-free. Sounds like a paradise to me. I just don't think it's best representation of macrobiotics. The beverages were phenomenal. You must try the homemade cola, that is so nice and refreshing and ginger cooler as well. So nice! The orange chicken was nice only smaller portion than expected. The baked scallops sushi filled with (very healthy) hijiki seaweed was way too salty and one portion contained more of the daily dosage for 1 person than optimal. Maybe George Osawa would enjoyed it very much and I hope most people do, but believe me, that my never macrobiotic husband said himself that it's super salty. I hope people enjoy it mostly. The ramen was nice, but again very salty tho. I think it was made by miso-natto, which again is so healthy and so much needed product for us. The vegan egg is not really necessary because it doesn't try to imitate the taste. The egg white is made of something healthy fermented which could be cut on little cubes in the soup and make the same purpose. Hijiki roll needs something crispy like seitan tempura or Fu, it would be nice to cook it with more mirin and rice vinegar, it tastes too much see-ish. I know that meat eaters use to love hijiki with seitan tempura made in Kushi institute - a macrobiotic school.... The staff was amazing. People are really gentle nice people. I wish all the best and I'm happy that the place seem to be prosperous. I will give a try next time maybe also at the other location at the culver city. Thank you for using the best ingredients.

What a hidden gem! FIFTEEN YEARS!? You're telling me, this has been here for 15 years and I've missed it every time I've gone bowling at Xlanes? Incredible. And this is the first time I've ever gotten seating? It's like it only appears after stars align Anyway! The service was top notch. Every person there was flawless in their demeanor and presentation, the food was incredible, and the ambience was 😘 chef's kiss 🤌. We got the Summer Tasting menu and weren't disappointed. It was enough to fill up, no problem, and the price of food was worth it for the quality of ingredients. We also got the Taste of Gion dessert. It was well worth it.

It is my first time trying Japanese vegan food and this is a super interesting experience. The “tonkatsu” ramen really tastes like tonkatsu. The manager is very friendly and offered impeccable service.

The food was all vegan and honestly delicious. This is a place you come to celebrate something. The prices are very expensive, portions are small. I had the spicy vegan ramen. It came topped with a vegan egg which was such a new texture I've never tasted before. The "beef" was mushrooms and they worked very well with the broth. The noodles were perfectly cooked! Overall it was a very nice bowl of ramen. $25 ramen. My favorite dish of the night were the hand rolls made with potatoes. We also tried the sushi and the trio ice cream. Overall, my first impression was that the service was excellent!

We read several reviews before we went to this place in downtown LA on September 12, 2021. We did not share in the negative opinions and did not have any of the few negative experiences that we read. The service was excellent, the food was delightful, nothing we ordered was bland or oily. We had the truffle miatake tempura, orange chicken, pesto pasta, dragon sushi, and crunchy tiger followed by trio ice cream and tempura banana desert. All was tasty, interesting and unique. Yes it was pricey but for their level of excellence in all vegan all gluten-free artistic presentation in a clean quiet environment, it was worth it. What a gem for those of us with such dietary restrictions! We will be back!

Great spot for people who have lots of food sensitivities or are vegetarian/vegan! They have soy free, grain free, dairy free, onion free, garlic free, and all the other frees you can think of. I would definitely recommend making a reservation, even though it's not crowded but just so they can space people apart properly. Food here is A++ super good for not having garlic, onion, soy and other food sensitivities. My mom and her friend are onion free and garlic free and there were so many options they couldn't decide. We got the Kabocha Pumpkin Croquettes, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Spicy Ramen Revolution, Dragon Roll, Purple Treasure, Dynamite Roll, and the Spicy Tuna on crispy rice. For drinks I just ordered the Virgin Yuzu Cucumber Cooler. Everything was absolutely amazing! I totally recommend getting the Purple Treasure. If I can order 5 plates I would. The Kiss of the Spider Woman was a nice roll and so was the Dynamite. Croquettes were so good and super hot, so don't burn yourself. I probably would not get the Dragon Roll, Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice, Spicy ramen revolution and Virgin Yuzu Cooler. Dragon Roll was decent but the fake eel was not it for me. The spicy tuna on crispy rice was okay, harder to chew but not too shabby. I would absolutely not get the ramen again. It was super bitter, probably from the veggies. I recommend other items because everything here is so good!

We went for the holiday celebration with our family. Ambience was very warmly and well decorated, perfect for any celebration. Food was absolutely outstanding and offering unique vegan sushi. We tried Dragon Sushi, Dynamite and crunchy. Flavor was interesting with mix of spicy, hot, colorful and fresh ingredients. It was a little expensive side and had additional surcharge added to the bill. Definitely a good experience worth trying!

I was SO excited to finally be able to try Shojin. Shojin is located on the 3rd level of the shopping center. Ambiance is very nice. Lightly dimmed and super romantic. Great for dates! My good friends brought me here for my birthday. Fortunately it was a Wednesday, so we didn't need to make a reservation in advance and snagged a table right upon arrival. Shortly after, it did get busier but we made it just in the nick of time! First, let me preface I am not a vegan. But was vegan for awhile and eat mostly vegan when I can. I have an appreciation for vegan cuisine as well as Japanese. Our table decided to order a bunch of dishes to share. Spicy Rock Mushroom Tempura 2.0 - Tempura mushrooms with ichimi red chili pepper and wasabi mayo. - Too heavy and oily tasting. Stuffed Shiitake Mushrooms - Shiitake mushrooms stuffed with tofu, miso and shiso served with sweet tamari sauce. - Decent. Stuffed Squash Blossom - Pan-fried tender yellow-orange blooms filled with mountain potato, eryngii mushroom, onion with ginger tamari sauce. - Also too oily. Purple Treasure 3.0 - Eggplant and kale on an asparagus carrot roll topped with sweet tahini miso. Ginger tamari sauce on side. - Good. Kiss of the Spider Woman - "Soft shell crab roll" mixed with enoki mushroom, yuzu mayo, pumpkin tempura, asparagus, kaiware daikon radish sprouts, avocado wrapped with soy-paper. Chia yuzu ponzu sauce on the side. - Good and fresh. Pirates of the Crunchy 2.1 - Fried tempeh and tempura flakes mixed with spicy mayo on cucumber, shiso and avocado roll. Dynamite, green chili and spicy beet sauce on the side. - Again very heavy, could only eat one. Shoyu Ramen - Tamari based broth with shiitake mushroom, teriyaki tofu, kale, bean sprouts, carrot and organic flour ramen noodles. - Super bland, I make my own vegan ramen and it's much tastier and healthier. The only thing I really loved was "Kiss of the Spider Woman" which was a little disappointing. This wasn't an inexpensive meal, so I was hoping for a little more satisfaction. Overpriced. Not sure if the quality is where it should be in terms of pricing. Service is excellent. Friendly and very attentive. I wouldn't come back. LA has great vegan options, but this isn't one I suggest unless it was more affordable.

We did the tasting menu and it was divine. I don't really consider myself a foodie or anything but this was definitely next-level stuff. Not exactly cheap but super high quality and a really lovely experience all around. I hope to go back at some point for sure

It's an excellent experience if you come in with the right expectations. This is not a restaurant to go to and get a ton of food. This is a place to go to and have a unique experience and have a special night. We got the ten 'course' sampler for $65 each. I put 'course' in quotes since one of the 'courses' was a side of pickled vegetables and another was the miso soup. We were two people, so we got two of each sampling. The sample was literally one of the item, be it one piece of type of tempura, one piece of a type of sushi, etc. The moment you begin tasting the flavor, the item is already gone. None of the dishes tasted amazing 8+/10. Many of them had very mild tastes. The best tasting dishes for us were the tempura and the miso soup. So why am I rating this a 5? The dishes were unique, creative, nothing we'd seen anywhere else. The service was very polite. The presentation was great. The atmosphere was nice. It was a very special event for us, and exactly what we were looking for. We don't do this kind of stuff often, and maybe there are other similar places that are the same but taste better, but it was an experience that I'm happy I did, and I felt like I got what I expected.

Beautiful vegan restaurant located on the third floor of a mall, Shojin is famous for its vegan sushi and tasting menus. We tried the holiday tasting menu ($62/person) and it was delicious. Drinks are not included in the tasting menu, nor is dessert. That being said, I wouldn’t skip on either. I just wish the “eggnog” were a little thicker.

I’ve been coming here for 10 years… even when Shojin pivoted during the pandemic and served people in their cars in the structure. I absolutely love Shojin. This is not your typical “avocado roll vegan sushi” joint. Their dishes are innovative and delicious. The service is awesome. This is fine dining vegan food that I’d recommend to anyone. ❤️

Great vegan restaurant! We tried the tasting menu and enjoyed the variety of foods. We really loved that everything was vegan. You really don't miss the fish or meat although there were many sushi rolls. Vegan sushi is great and highly recommended. If you haven't tried it yet, this place is a good start!

One of my favorite vegan experiences ever! I love this place so much and the food is absolutely delicious! I wish I could eat here every day! Be sure to make dinner reservations as they are usually quite full. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for a table to open up. Look at this food! It's incredible!

Super looking forward to try this place. However, the experience was a bit disappointing. The seatings are very close and we were very close to a big loud group - couldn’t really enjoy the experience. The sushi are very innovative, flavors are unique but the rice was a bit hard but tasting healthy since they used brown rice. The restaurant doesn’t serve with refined sugar which is a plus. Dynamite roll is pretty good! I think the experience made it good since they torched the top right at our table. Recommend the baked scallop as well! They use mushroom as the scallops. Truffle shiitake tempura is on a salty side. Would recommend the dragon roll as well.

This was the highlight of our LA visit. I'm really tired of places that advertise as "fine dining" and turn out to be nothing but expensive. This place is NOT one of those. The food is outstanding, the flavors, textures, presentation, every detail is carefully put in place. We also got a fantastic bottle of wine, and the friendliest service we have experienced in the city during this trip. Kind, but authentic. No big show, just real warmth and attention to detail. This will be a place we'll come back to every time we're in town.

This vegan restaurant is so freaking good. So me & my friends came a right as they were about to close but they were nice enough to seat us still! It’s such a small & intimate setting. The lights are dimmed but it’s nice. The food was soooo good & came out super quick. It’s hard to find good vegan sushi but this definitely comes at #2 for me. It’s also located in a market mall & you have to go upstairs via escalator.

This is truly one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angels. I've only been to the downtown location but want to try Culver City as well. Their service is top notch and the quality of the food is the best in the city. The atmosphere is perfect for a special evening or date night. I wish they'd open a location in Pasadena!

Shojin is an intimate experience. It doesn't over market itself, but isn't afraid to reveal its true beauty. The kanji paintings on the wall were painted by the head chef (as told to me by the staff)! What more, this vegan sushi is not merely substitute for vegans and vegetarians, it is true food which stands on its own. The atmosphere is very suitable for a few close friends, family, or a date (with whom you have already established a good rapport). The elegance of this meal is befitting for a special occasion. As for the portion sizes and pricing, it befits the food's upscale quality (but not pretentious by any means). On a personal note, I would consider the price modest in comparison to what one can spend on sushi. By the same note, I would come here with a purpose. The only negative point I will make is their website states that they only take card and do not take cash. I ate at their Culver City location, but I did not remember whether cash was allowed or not at that time.

This was a fantastic meal from start to finish. Did the tasting menu to try as much as possible and it didn't disappoint. Great value too.

From not struggling to find parking, food service, and the taste of food actually was an amazing time. This was the second time we’ve been here and they’ve been consistent. - parking is a little weird Google maps pushes you to the middle of the street, look for the parking structure and they validate (3rd floor of the “mall) We tried the valentines menu, and there was only 2 items that weren’t amazing (fish filet and the meat loaf) but for vegan, and being creative with the presentation and flavor profile overall all the food was a 9/10.

We came here for our Anniversary dinner. We chose the tasting menu as we are here the first time and want to try a variety. The atmosphere is perfect for romantic celebration. The service is excellent, the waitress keep filling up tead and water for us. The food has very nice presentation to it. My only complaint is the price. Over all it cost twice as much as eating real sushi. The ingredients used in our dish aren't any fancy comparing to the cost. The cost of trying something new and unique I guess.

Wow. We had the best night here, the atmosphere and the food and the service were all incredible. They validate your parking so definitely park on level 4 in the garage. I love that it's in a mall but then you walk behind the curtain and it feels like you're somewhere else entirely. We did a tasting menu and loved every moment of it. And they had so many thoughtful surprises for our anniversary. Thanks so much!

Fun and unconventional sushi. This landmark vegan date restaurant replaced a run down little restaurant there before it. On Friday it was so packed we were lucky to get seated within 10 minutes. We all ordered the tasting menu and each chose some different rolls. The in-n-out roll is fun and tasted like fries, beef and onion. A variety of novelty is normal here, but the standard rolls rock too, like the spicy tuna. The layers of flavors are worth savoring and chewing slowly. The green tea matcha cake from Pomegranate bakery is amazing. In general, good but expensive.

love shojin!! this is some seriously top notch sushi and one of my all-around favorite vegan food spots in LA. every dish is delicious and SO flavorful, as are the drinks. i can’t recommend it enough (for vegans and non-vegans alike)!! i also really appreciate that the kitchen is dedicated gluten-free and celiac friendly.

This place rocks! My sister took my mom and I to this magical restaurant and we were beyond impressed! The cozy ambiance was a bonus to the scrumptious food being served by sweet attentive staff…… I highly recommend this spot to indulge in deliciousness…..

Shojin is our favorite restaurant in LA! Everything is so thoughtfully and lovingly prepared, from the ingredients to the presentation of all the items on their all-vegan menu. The staff goes above and beyond to make sure you have a pleasant experience. Love love love, thank you Shojin!

I am a strict vegan as well as someone who has worked in the restaurant industry for over 20 years. I swoon over service, execution, presentation and delicious mindful ingredients. Shojin goes above and beyond in all of these areas. They can accommodate almost any food sensitivity/allergen with full transparency and never let the art of what they do suffer. You can tell every dish is so carefully crafted and translates to the guest just how much love is involved. Don't sleep on this restaurant. Shojin is special.

Went on a whim with a vegetarian friend. Every single person on staff we interacted with was incredibly sweet and the ambience was whimsically cozy. We opted for the chef’s special menu, which was several courses for $96. We were absolutely blown away and could not have left happier.

Some of the dishes were good. My favorite was the rainbow roll. We ordered about 6 menu items. Service was inline with fine dining. Very nice decor—even in the bathroom. We actually sat next to a famous celebrity when we were there. We listened to him on the way over to the restaurant. As soon as we sat down, he walked in. We made eye contact about 5 times. I didn’t speak to him because he was on a date and I don’t feel comfortable speaking to celebrities while they are on personal business.

BEST vegan sushi ever! Walk past the curtain to be transported to a dim lit restaurant in one of Little Tokyo’s iconic plazas. You wouldn’t even expect it to be there. Food is always top notch and the service is right there with it. They’ve gotten rid of the white table cloths but definitely a higher end meal. We always get our classic rolls: Spicy Baked Scallop, Green Forest, Pirates of the Crunchy, Dynamite Roll, and the new Saturday Night Fever. I’ve had other main entrees before but their rolls are what’s top notch. Go to celebrate a special something or someone and don’t worry about the cost because it’s worth every penny. Happy Munchies, @aVeganAndHer

I will start with the positives. The service and atmosphere here are really nice. The waiters are very attentive--your water will never go more than halfway unfilled, and they are very kind. I liked the darker lighting and soft music as well. However, the food leaves much to be desired. Disclaimer: I'm not vegan but I wanted to try vegan Japanese food. I had high expectations from this restaurant based on other reviews but I was left disappointed. I ordered the Dynamite Roll and the Spicy Ramen Revolution. I could barely finish the Dynamite Roll--it was too mushy and it tasted bland. For one roll of sushi made out of tofu, I'm not sure why the price was $21. The Spicy Ramen Revolution was at least more flavorful, but I still felt like the broth lacked body and spice. The portion was also very small, I ended up feeling hungry afterwards.

Great location for delicious Vegan food. Certainly worth a return visit. Prices were decent.

If you are looking for vegan food, this is a great spot. Great dining environment. Food was delicious, but service was below average.

Amazing food & attentive service! They explained every dish and answered all of our questions about what each substitute was (if it wasn't listed on the menu). Will definitely be going there again!

the ambience is for taking a date night, not for general dining. the food is great as well as the service. i think maybe a bit too much sauce but that’s just my opinion and minor negative.