Dallas, Texas
17-course | $175 | 12-seat
As one of the most sought-after reservations in Dallas, Shoyo has made it to the top of many sushi-goers must-try lists. Add to it that Founder and Owner Jimmy Park is the chef who introduced us to the world of omakase, and you get Chitown Sushi’s most anticipated restaurant experience to date.
Offering two dinner seatings, Tuesday through Saturday at either 5:45p or 8:15p, reservations are released on the 1st of every month at 9a (CT) via resy.
Chef Jimmy Park has been working on Shoyo for years, creating the concept, cultivating flavor profiles, and enlisting master sushi chef Shin Kondo. Both Jimmy and Shin worked under the Nobu Companies, honing their skills and mastering their craft. With more than 50 collective years of restaurant experience, Chef Shin Kondo and Chef Jimmy Park, have come together to bring Dallas the intimate omakase experience that is Shoyo.
Located in Lower Greenville, Shoyo’s architecture and interior stood out to us. Upon seating, we were greeted by the amazing staff and shown the drink selections for the night. Small details go a long way in a tasting and thoughtful additions like homemade ginger from Fuiji and adjusting each nigiri piece for us based on our hand orientation did not go unnoticed. Not only was Shoyo focused on taste, but the experience as a whole.
Shoyo was full of unique preparations and creative flavor profiles. While different from your more traditional edomae sushi experience, we thoroughly enjoyed the culinary adventure. Shoyo’s innovative style is a great fit for the Dallas sushi scene where diners are constantly looking for new trends and the “next big thing.” Chef Jimmy’s creativity and passion shined through his dishes and nigiri. Some of our favorite bites of the night were the chutoro caviar, salmon fried mozzarella, duck with simmered daikon (think healthy, flavor packed noodles), and the salmon and beet dish.
We were intrigued to find that Shoyo’s menu progression didn’t follow a typical order, going from nigiri to small bites or the reverse. Instead, each small bite was peppered throughout the nigiri courses. It was nice going back and forth from heavy to light and a pleasant change in pace.
The rice, a huge piece of any reputable omakase, was exactly what we look for and more. Using akazu, red viegar, the rice was full of umami and natural sweetness. Even further, the rice was the perfect temperature, warm and sticky.
One criticism we left with was the portion size of each “small bite”. Items such as ceviche and cooked salmon were portioned more like individual meals than mini courses. With that said, our critique comes more from our experience with fine dining and less from what the Dallas target market may be looking for. In summary, our Shoyo experience was wonderful and we are so happy that Dallas, a city near and dear to us, is growing in quality and passion-filled sushiyas.
Shoyo Omakase at a glance
Rice: Perfect – in our book.
Fish: Fish selection, flavor, and preparation was great.
Vibe and Experience: A traditional omakase experience in terms of high-quality service with a very fancy feel.
Value: The value was spot on, with lots of food and great quality ingredients.
Meet the Chefs
Shinichiro Kondo, “Shin” was born in Nagoya Japan and began his career in interior design while working part time at a Japanese restaurant. Traveling through Europe and eventually finding himself in New York, Shin joined the Nobu franchise under famed chef, Nobu Matshuhisa. Shin not only became the head sushi chef for Nobu Las Vegas, but also Corporate Executive Chef of Nobu.
Chef Jimmy Park was born in LA and raised in Oahu, Hawaii. Taking a leap of faith, Jimmy dropped out of high school, completely immersing himself in the restaurant industry. Inspired by his family and determined to become a “somebody” Jimmy went restaurant to restaurant mastering everything thrown his way. Jimmy’s sushi skills were fully refined once joining the Nobu companies. Making his way across the states and ending up in Dallas, Texas, Jimmy helped open Pok the Raw Bar and Nori Handroll Bar. After years of experience and working under some of the best sushi masters, Jimmy decided it was time to open his very own restaurant, Shoyo.
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