Sho’s Kitchen Honolulu

Aloha, so sad to see chef Sho move to the mainland. I hope he comes back soon. His cooking is awesome. Last of the $100 BYOB dinners at Shos Kitchen. Mahalo

Came here for lunch and got the Kalbi bento. Not a bad price for $15.50 as prices these days have gone way up. It came with rice, a green salad, tsukemono and curried potato salad. The salad had a nice mild dressing, not over dressed, the potato salad was more elevated than your normal potato salad. I just wish the kalbi was on the bone and seared harder.

I can appreciate that this was supposed to be a more elevated bento, so in gourmet cooking terms the meat was cooked to a medium and with more technique. But with kalbi, a hard sear and caramelized glaze is what its all about. I just didn't get that. So I can appreciate what they were going for but it was not what I expect from Kalbi.

I can see the potential and skill it took to make this dish. I'd get the pan fried king salmon with garlic butter cream sauce next time or the shrimp tempura over egg donburi.

We ate outside on one of the tables on along the railing. Service was very friendly as we left we couldn't find a trash can so we took our containers to toss elsewhere. The chef came running down the stairs to get our trash! Such dedication and attention to detail.

Located in the 808 Sheridan Building on the 2nd Floor, we found parking on the street a few blocks away.

I haven't actually come to this restaurant but I've eaten their food twice now. I've had the tonkatsu and chicken nanban.

The tonkatsu was kind of dry but not greasy. The curry potato salad was really good.

The chicken nanban was so tasty and not greasy. I didn't think that tartar would go good with fried chicken but it does.

Really great Katsu! Conveniently located in 808 Sheridan. They share the space with our YEE friends, Double Three. Fast and friendly service combined with perfectly executed food. We will be back!
Sho's Kitchen is upstairs on the second floor. Valet parking is free for 1 hour

This review is based on Sho's kitchen chef's table.

A friend of mine was really interested in trying the chef's table, which is a special dinner served on Friday and Saturday nights only. This month for October it was Japanese, last month it was Italian. Seating is very limited. We made reservations for four people and we were excited to try out this restaurant.

As mentioned above, this months chef's table was Japanese, and was all sushi. The sushi was very fresh, elegantly placed, and clearly had a lot of thought into the planning of this dinner, but I think it would've been nice if some of the courses weren't all sushi, but a different style of Japanese cuisine. The sushi was very good, but it didn't stand out from other restaurants that also serve good sushi. Dessert was cheesecake. The chef's table dinner is $80, with tax and tip of 20% ended up being $100.25.

Sho's kitchen is BYOB, but they do serve tapwater on request. Definitely a great place for those of you who like to have wine or beer with your meals.

Sho's kitchen is mostly known for their lunches in which they have a nice selection of rotating Bentos. Definitely would like to be back to try those.

Parking: Valet parking is available in the building, but at times the wait can be quite long as they only have one person working the valet. I parked across the street at the Walmart parking lot.

This review is concerning chef table menu.

Sho does a great job with his special dinners fri sat. Must have reservations.

Lunch specials are nice and reasonable.

Looking for upscale Japanese bentos that are reasonable in price and influenced by Italian, French, and Mexican cuisines? Look no further than Sho's Kitchen at 808 Sheridan.

Sho's Kitchen was opened in Feb. 2021 by owner chef Shoji Namatame and his wife Miki, in the midst of the pandemic. As the executive chef at the Waiolu Ocean Cuisine Restaurant at Trump, Waikiki International Hotel, Sho saw the abrupt closure of its hotel as well as most of Waikiki, came to a shutdown. After reflection, Sho decided to open his own restaurant.

With 28 years of culinary experience, Sho was a sous chef at the Westin Resort in Guam; and executive chef various resorts at the Hacienda Beach Club in CA, Del Mar Los Cabos in Mexico, Sheraton Kauai, Kapalua Bay Hotel in Maui, as well as the Trump Waikiki International Hotel.

Sho's Kitchen serves upscale bentos at reasonable prices and a Chef Table pre-fixe multi-course menu every Fri. and Sat. for dinner. The Japanese bentos and Chef Table dinners are fused with Italian, French, and Mexican cuisines due to Sho's culinary experiences overseas. Local ingredients are used to support local farmers.

Sho's Kitchen's bentos on their regular menu include the popular chicken Nanban, tonkatsu, kalbi, tofu, gapao (Thai fried rice), katsudon, unagi donburi, pan fried sirloin steak, king salmon, butter chicken curry with naan bread, Caesar salad with chicken Nanban or fried tofu, shrimp tempura over egg donburi, California sushi rolls. Their monthly specials have included: spaghetti napolitan with fried egg, hoki Meuniere bento onion butter shoyu, salmon/ikura donburi. All are made to order so call ahead so that you need not wait during the busy lunch and dinner hours.

Even for upscale, their highly popular Chef Table menu changes each month, e.g., flavors of Spain or southern Italy. An example of a meal included seafood ajillo, crab cakes Asian style with spicy aioli, cremini and honey goat cheese with crostini, pulled pork quesadilla with salsa roja, gazpacho with somen noodles, osso bucco with risotto and gremolata, and dessert of mont blanc. Very impressive. The $80 per person menu is for five courses and limited to 14 people and not surprisingly, is sold out for months ahead, so make your reservation early. BYOB.

I've had the following:

* Katsudon. Fresh and made-to-order katsudon results in crispy panko katsu battered pork over sweet fluffy rice, a light sweet and salty sauce with sliced round onions, and topped with egg and chopped green onions. Loved this katsudon, as the katsu was still crispy when I was eating the donburi, and it was delicious! I use this dish as a standard in comparing katsudon in Japan, where the katsu is always crispy; many times, other restaurants prepare this in advance so the katsu becomes soggy. Note that the pork pieces are on the thicker side.

* Chicken Nanban. Delicious deep fried chicken thighs with a vinegar-based sauce and topped with a creamy and tangy Japanese egg tartar sauce of chopped eggs, pickles, onions, and Japanese mayonnaise. Also included were tossed greens with a flavorful dressing, crunchy pink tsukemono, and a tasty curry mashed potato with macaroni. I normally don't like a lot of mayonnaise, but the Nanban sauce was light and using Japanese mayonnaise makes a big difference. Very much enjoyed this bento, and I can see why it is so popular! The eco-friendly container was a larger size than what is used by other restaurants, and because it had a smooth finish, the rice did not stick to it.

I enjoyed both bentos! Not only were they delicious, but also the portions were generous. And the rice - it was sweet and fluffy, and I bet good quality rice was used. Authentic Japanese food that rivals going to Japan!

Sho's Kitchen is located on the 2nd floor of 808 Sheridan (look for the huge white banner of the restaurant's name hanging over the patio wall). The small modest restaurant is between Double Three and Little G's Pizza and is directly across Choi's Garden. Love the cute personalized art in its nameplate above the take-out counter! Take-out is available, and there are tables and chairs lining the outside walkway if you wish to eat there, which is cool due to it being breezy. Hours of operation are 10:30a to 2p for lunch, Mon to Sat; 5p to 7p for dinner, Mon to Thurs; and the Chef Table dinner at 5p on Fri and Sat; Sun closed. Limited free parking available in the building for pick up or metered street parking.

We look forward to trying other menu items and their Chef Table menu! What a delightful find of Sho's Kitchen!

It's reasonable priced lunch place located in 808 Sheridan Center. There're some seatings around and the chef prepares it after order.
My favorite part of the bento was the rice. I could not stop eating it! Chicken nanban was good. I'll try tofu salad next time.

Great Taste and perfect price point with great value

Great Taste and perfect price point with great value

Great Taste and perfect price point with great value

Chef Sho! Way to go!

One of my Yelp buddies secured a reservation (hard to come by and have to wait for your turn) for us and oh what a treat! I had some friends in town from Palm Springs and having them join us at a coveted joint was the icing on the cake. How coveted you ask? Well, there are only 14 seats available for the Chef's Table meal. That should give you an indication of the reservation strict-ness and protocol.

First, you will be dining on the balcony enabling you to enjoy the Hawaiian trades and the afternoon dusk sun before it sets. Second, it is BYOB, Third, fasten your seat belts and prepare for a wonderful exquisite 7 course meal.

Sho's Kitchen is located in the 808 Sheridan Building on 2nd Floor. Restrooms are on the 2nd floor (you will need a code). Parking available; paid in the structure or metered parking on the streets.

Hana Hou