• 2
• Too slow

We love Shojin in Downtown LA. But this place leaves so much to be desired. We had 7:15 reservations and we were seated immediately. I informed them that we had to leave at 9:00 to catch a flight out of LAX. They didn't take our order until 7:47, that included our drink order. Not even water before that. The food trickled out, some things were mediocre at best. Most were not worth eating, other than the fact that we were hungry and didn't have time to go elsewhere. Only two things were sent back, the pumpkin soup was nothing special. It tasted like pumpkin purée that had been watered down. Boring. Switch that to miso and it was okay. The Kabocha Pumpkin Penne took an hour to arrive and was barely warm. The kicker was the 20% gratuity that was added to the bill. It is not mentioned anywhere on their menu so I ask. "It's on the website." I informed the server that I wanted that removed and then I would pay the bill and tip accordingly. She complied. I have no intention of returning to this location. When all was said and done, dinner was nearly $30 per person.