Shoyo — Restaurant in Dallas

The food was absolutely delicious, and nearly every dish was executed to perfection. We had the pleasure of being served by Chef Jimmy, whose expertise and passion for his craft were evident throughout the meal.

The toro and Chilean seabass stood out as the most memorable dishes for me. The toro was rich, buttery, and practically melted in my mouth. The addition of truffle enhanced its flavor beautifully. The Chilean seabass was equally impressive—soft, buttery, and so tender it melted with every bite. Chef Jimmy’s presentation of each dish was skillful, showcasing an attention to detail.

That said, there were a couple of things that didn’t quite meet my expectations. While eating the shinshu salmon, I found a fish scale in my piece. I understand that this can happen—it’s fish, after all—but at a fine dining restaurant of this caliber, I expect a higher level of precision. It didn’t ruin the meal, but it was disappointing given the setting and premium price point.

Another thing I didn’t love was the shots served at the end of the dinner. Last year, they served champagne, which felt much more appropriate and elegant for a fine dining experience. The champagne added a celebratory touch and helped wrap up the meal on a high note. In comparison, the shots felt out of place and a bit cheap for the atmosphere.

On the positive side, Chef Jimmy’s personality really stood out. He’s funny and makes the whole experience feel a lot more personal and fun. If you ever have a chance, I recommend reading about his backstory. It’s inspiring and gives you an even greater appreciation for the effort he puts into his work. He’s clearly very talented and hardworking, and it was a pleasure to see him in action. I hope to visit again next year. Thank you...

A true 5/5 all around!

Food: No one goes to omakase expecting to leave full, but surprisingly we weren't as hungry as we thought we would be (we shared a cup of pretzel bites about an hour before though). We booked the 8:15pm slot, and we had 19 courses. Chef Jimmy and Chef Jun made it 20 courses because they ran a teeny bit late to start for which they apologized deeply. Every bite was special and had us stunned for a few seconds as we were appreciating all of the unique flavors. Our favorites were the chilean sea bass from the kitchen, followed by the chu toro, and then the hamachi aburi (a la carte). The ice cream was also so wonderful. The texture was like marshmallow fluff, and the fruits were all sweet! My fiancé really liked the white peach and apple sodas!

Service: There were 3 servers who cleared our plates, brought out the kitchen dishes, and explained what was in the dishes. They were all very kind, patient, and attentive people! Chef Jimmy was lively and made a great effort to include everyone in with the conversation. Chef Jun was respectful and was generous with the portions he gave. I had gotten proposed to that day, and the chefs as well as the servers made us feel very special and loved!

Atmosphere: Somewhat low lighting, but not too dark - perfect in my opinion. 14 people in front of the chefs, and it felt very warm, like two people who wanted to bring friends in and feed them. Highly recommend this place. The chefs are very humble, acknolwedge when when there are pitfalls, and just want you to have the best experience. Would go again for sure. Please don't hesitate on eating at this place...

Was excited to make a reservation here when they opened up a new block of dates, until I saw that "we are unable to accommodate allergies or any dietary restrictions."

Yeah, I get it, there are some people out there that try to make a reservation for omakase who say things like "I'm allergic to fish" and expect you to accommodate them. But this seems to have gone way too far in the other direction. I have a basic allergy to tree nuts. I can be near them, I can deal with cross contamination no problem, I'm not going to die from a tiny bit, but if I eat a course with nuts in it I'll get hives along my entire digestive tract for days. Yeah, it's exactly as uncomfortable as it sounds. As suggested below, contact the restaurant to check if you have issues like me.

UPDATE: I had an amazing meal at Shoyo last night. I've only ever had omakase in the US, but I've had multiple Michelin starred omakase experiences in NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco, plus others in smaller cities. Shoyo is right up there with the best of them. Every single course was delicious in a slightly different way, flavor proportions were excellent, and my particular allergy issues were accommodated thoughtfully. Service was excellent as well. Get the house made ginger for a small bit more, it was much better than the mass produced stuff. My only suggestion would be to expand the sake offerings with more carafe (~300ml) options. The larger bottle I had was delicious when paired with the sushi, but it would have been nice to have tried more than one sake and/or pair them with...