Hojoko — Restaurant in Boston

The food was pretty good. Ingredients were fresh, and everything was cooked properly.

Our server, Piper, was absolutely amazing and genuinely entertaining to talk to.

On the other hand, this isn’t an authentic Japanese experience, and maybe it’s not supposed to be, but the overall experience felt a bit off. It came across more like a themed interpretation than something grounded in the actual culture.

It feels like the main reason this place works is because of where it is. After a Red Sox game, this is where fans who want Asian food will end up. That built-in crowd keeps the place going.

Prices are high. Rolls were about $20 for six pieces. We also learned that some cocktails were pre-mixed, poured from a can?, which wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the menu and we were still paying a high price. We weren't able to swap out the liquor in that cocktail for another.

While the food was made with fresh ingredients, the execution of the dishes didn’t always make sense. The sweet potato roll felt like a strange spin on a tempura roll (which is what I had expected when I ordered it). I also ordered a spicy salmon roll that came out quickly, but it turned out not to be mine. When the correct roll came, it had no spicy sauce, and nothing else added like eel sauce or another option. It seems like the menu items only exist in one fixed version, with no plan in place for adjustments or substitutions.

Food also came out at totally different times, but our waiter did let us know that's how they do it after ordering. My rolls came out in under five minutes, but someone else at my table still hadn’t gotten their kimchi fried rice 45 minutes after we ordered. I get that they were busy, but a wait that long suggests something isn’t working behind the scenes.

The restaurant seems designed around a very American view of Japanese food. If that’s what they’re aiming for, sure, but I came in expecting a more traditional menu, and it clearly wasn’t that. The setting and atmosphere match that same idea, so I assume it’s intentional. It’s just not for me.

It’s hard to define the exact rating this place deserves. They have a lot of solid individual elements, but it feels like no one took the time to actually put the puzzle pieces together.

To put it simply: if this restaurant were in an inconvenient location, I don’t think most people would go out of their way to eat here. The location and the guaranteed post-game crowd are doing most of the work. That probably explains the pricing too, but overall the full experience just isn’t there.

These are all my own opinions which obviously does not represent all, though I hope that this restaurant will take some time to really dial in the entire...

I was staying at the Verb while in Boston for work for a week, and I ate so much Hojoko while there! I became an expert on the vegan offerings, so it was very fun to introduce a vegan friend who visited at the end of the week to the brussels sprouts, which are absolutely beyond belief. Obviously, the Hojoko menu is incredible, and Saturns instantly became the drink of the trip and of the summer. The hospitality of the Verb staff and especially the Hojoko staff was the highlight of our trip. My coworkers and I were at Hojoko nearly every night for a week in different group combinations, and the staff always remembered us and were so accommodating! It was an absolute joy to talk with Damary, who was our server most of the first half of the week. Damary answered all our menu questions (essential info we would use all week), chatted with us, and has the glow of a good person doing good work as they complete their degree, which is so beautiful and refreshing to be around! The second half of the week, we were lucky to have Mario as our server, who was beyond kind, so friendly, and was careful to make sure our vegan dishes were clearly designated from the non-vegan ones. Both Mario and Damary handled our large groups expertly, asked us about allergies and dietary restrictions, and overall made us feel like honored guests having a luxury dinner—again, the staff here MADE our work trip and really impressed our coworkers who were unlucky enough to be staying somewhere other than the Verb. Thank you also to very sweet host Elshaday, who made us feel so welcome, fit us in at the sushi bar and for to-go orders during rushes after Red Sox games, and remembered our group well enough to be able to tell other coworkers who arrived whether we were in the restaurant yet or not. We had great conversations with Elshaday, too! All the staff had ample time for us, seemed relaxed and confident even when the restaurant was super busy, and overall created an environment that completely helped us unwind and be human after intense workdays. I can’t thank you enough for the food,...

WORST WAITER EVER! My friend and I had the worst waiter experience here. At first, he (i believe his name was Kai and he was bald) was really friendly to us and took our order and gave us our drink. Then throughout dinner, he started to act offhandedly towards us. We didn't think anything of it, even when he never came over to check on us once throughout the whole dinner or refill our water. It came to the point where the manager or the owner came to check up on us. Another waiter had to bring us our appetizers and entree. After we were clearly done for while, it took us an additional 15 minutes to flag him down for our check even though it was not busy at the time.

The worst part was when he showed us our bill. He did not print it out and just shoved the credit card machine in our face. The total was only $55.64 and we paid with a $100 bill. When we handed him the money, he said "do you want change back?" And when we said yes, he abruptly said "how much change do you want back?" Like he expected us to calculate tip on the spot. We told him that we wanted all the change so we could calculate how much tip to give him. He then got mad and basically shouted at us "you don't want to tip?" And made us look bad in front of everyone. He stalked away rudely and came back with only 2 $20 bills and told us he didn't have any smaller bills. He stood there waiting for the rest of the tip even though we didn't have any smaller bills to give him. He has already taken an extra $5 when he didn't come back with all the change, but we still ended up tipping him $10 extra from my wallet (because that was the smallest bill we both carried). He basically snatched it from my hand like the way he was acting was justified. In the end, this came out to a 30% tip for the worst...