I found this place on Google Maps and decided to try it without knowing much about it. With a name like “Shokunin,” I expected something serious and authentic. The word means a craftsman -someone who spends their life mastering their skill. That sets a high expectation.
Unfortunately, the experience didn’t match the name.
The place looks nice at first. It’s clean and modern. But once the food came out, it felt pretty underwhelming. It looks better than it tastes. There’s no real depth or care behind it. It feels like it’s trying hard to look authentic instead of actually being authentic.
The beer was a big disappointment. There was only one option, and honestly, it wasn’t good. At an izakaya, beer is important. It’s part of the whole experience. Being limited to one mediocre option just makes the whole experience feel cheap.
The biggest issue is that the price, food, and service just don’t match. The quality doesn’t justify what they’re charging. The service felt cold, and from the moment I walked in, I felt unwelcome and out of place.
Overall, it feels like this place is trying to present itself as something serious and traditional, but it doesn’t back it up.
Food: 3.2/5 service: 2.9/5 cleanliness :3/5 Atmosphere & Vibe: 3.8/5 Value for Overall: 2.78/5
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Eunji Cha
Yakitori Omakase night! 🥢 Surprised by how filling it was. Everything was 10/10, but the chicken oyster stole the show. Majorly satisfied!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Benjamin
First course (sashimi) delicious. You can tell that sushi is where this place really shines. The quality of the fish served was amazing. My partner had a shellfish allergy and they were amazing to accommodate. Second course (tuna tartare) okay, I felt like the milk buns the tartare was meant to be eaten with were an afterthought. They were cool and stiff when served, and textures and flavours did not blend well. Third course (wagyu steak frites) steak was not cooked hot enough, some of the fat was not rendered properly and therefor had poor texture and mouthfeel. The fries were okay. Fourth course (wagyu donburi) this was very good and my partner loved it. I found the portion size small, however I am a 220lb man and my partner was nearly full at this point. So this might just be me. Dessert (whisky brownie) this was not good. The Wagyu fat tasted out of place in the brownie. “Meat flavoured brownie” is how I would describe it. Overall the experience was mediocre. The waitstaff were phenomenal, however; the food was mediocre at best in comparison to what is served by other restaurants in the city. Especially considering the price. I paid 560$ for the reservation without drink pairings. (we don't really like whisky too much) The portion sizes were extremely small. I found the cocktails okay, but uninspired. The food was unnecessarily pretentious and complex, especially the dessert. I'm sure that this establishment shines in its niche, but overall the valentines wagyu experience wasn't what I was expecting. Considering how great the sushi was we will definitely be back to try the restaurants à la carte dishes. If you're considering Shokunin I would definitely give it a try!
Jan
The omakase experience is everything you would expect. A wonderfully curated story with a story that draws you in and delivers an experience beyond just the food. The drink pairings were exceptional and the presentation and ambience of the restaurant further elevated the meal. The servers, chefs and bartenders were genuine, passionate and knowledgeable and made me feel like a part of the Shokunin family. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who finds themselves in Calgary, and I can't wait to return and experience more of the menu.
Kristin
From the setting, to the staff, to the food, to the drinks, there is nothing you could ask to improve. We chose to let our server pick our courses, and not only did she do a lovely job but she nailed the timing between, the complimentary cocktails to go with, and even anticipated when we would be getting full toward the end of the evening and checked in before continuing courses. Absolutely wonderful experience every time. It's the type of restaurant every one should get to experience if they want to feel good going out for a special night out.
Brianna
Great food! Was super excited to try the beef tongue dumplings and nothing to do with taste but the texture wasn't necessarily for me. Loved the music they played but wish it was slightly quieter as I did find it loud! All in all though, I had a wonderful experience and would definitely go back.
Kurtis T.
Always a fantastic choice. Food and service has always been fantastic
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Olivia Dee
Food was alright for the price although I had higher expectations for a restaurant listed in Canada's top 100 (#75). Extra points for creativity, but at a restaurant that has a share plate style menu I would have thought the small dishes would come out together instead of one at a time- the fried cabbage would be better paired with something else. Our waitress was unfortunately quite overbearing and it took away from the intimacy of our date. Also felt that when having other staff bring our dishes out it would make sense for them to introduce themselves or say something to us before just rearranging our table and drinks.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Olivia
Food was alright for the price although I had higher expectations for a restaurant listed in Canada's top 100 (#75). Extra points for creativity, but at a restaurant that has a share plate style menu I would have thought the small dishes would come out together instead of one at a time- the fried cabbage would be better paired with something else. Our waitress was unfortunately quite overbearing and it took away from the intimacy of our date. Also felt that when having other staff bring our dishes out it would make sense for them to introduce themselves or say something to us before just rearranging our table and drinks.
Great dining experience with a trendy atmosphere. Highlights were the gindara (sablefish), the beef tataki, anything off the yakitori menu, eggplant and goat cheese tempura and more. They were out of the Wagyu Sando so we missed out on that, sadly. The sake-infused beer was also really nice and fresh. Highly recommended. Expect to pay for what you are getting.
Stephan Wiebe
Very disappointing gluten free menu. Gluten free here means they remove all the sauce and all the flavour then give you expensive, bland flavourless food. They won’t even give you gf soy sauce for the sushi. When I respectfully raised my dissatisfaction with the gluten free labelling on the menu the manager didn’t even bother to respond.
Food: 1
Tom Connell
Get the Gyoza's or the Ramen noodles!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Volakiri Hyorinmaru
The highlights- the scallop was the best dish of the night, followed by the potato salad. Everything was cooked perfectly, and the yakitori was amazingly juicy and seasoned. Service was fast, helpful, and charming.
The interior had a very fun vibe- loved the artwork. It was a bit hard to see due to the darkness level, and on the wall side, the bright LEDs were blinding when looking to the side.
Downsides- quite pricey for what you get, and the staff was a bit pushy on ordering more. $16 for a single scallop and minimum $11-14 for 2 pieces of nigiri. Alcohol was also fairly pricey overall, as was tea at $6 a glass, no refills.
When I was ordering, the staff kept assuming I was ordering 2 versus the 1 I asked for - for example, I’d say, “We’d like to order the scallop” and they’d say, “2 of those?” Not terrible, but happened ordering almost every item. They also commented that they thought we hadn’t ordered enough to fill us up- for reference, without alcohol we had ordered around ~$150+ worth of food for 3 people.
Overall, great taste, and okay value if you order the right items. Really fun for a special meal!
Feel like I’m dreaming every time I eat here
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I found this place on Google Maps and decided to try it without knowing much about it. With a name like “Shokunin,” I expected something serious and authentic. The word means a craftsman -someone who spends their life mastering their skill. That sets a high expectation.
Unfortunately, the experience didn’t match the name.
The place looks nice at first. It’s clean and modern. But once the food came out, it felt pretty underwhelming. It looks better than it tastes. There’s no real depth or care behind it. It feels like it’s trying hard to look authentic instead of actually being authentic.
The beer was a big disappointment. There was only one option, and honestly, it wasn’t good. At an izakaya, beer is important. It’s part of the whole experience. Being limited to one mediocre option just makes the whole experience feel cheap.
The biggest issue is that the price, food, and service just don’t match. The quality doesn’t justify what they’re charging. The service felt cold, and from the moment I walked in, I felt unwelcome and out of place.
Overall, it feels like this place is trying to present itself as something serious and traditional, but it doesn’t back it up.
Food: 3.2/5
service: 2.9/5
cleanliness :3/5
Atmosphere & Vibe: 3.8/5
Value for
Overall: 2.78/5
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Yakitori Omakase night! 🥢 Surprised by how filling it was. Everything was 10/10, but the chicken oyster stole the show. Majorly satisfied!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First course (sashimi) delicious. You can tell that sushi is where this place really shines. The quality of the fish served was amazing. My partner had a shellfish allergy and they were amazing to accommodate. Second course (tuna tartare) okay, I felt like the milk buns the tartare was meant to be eaten with were an afterthought. They were cool and stiff when served, and textures and flavours did not blend well. Third course (wagyu steak frites) steak was not cooked hot enough, some of the fat was not rendered properly and therefor had poor texture and mouthfeel. The fries were okay. Fourth course (wagyu donburi) this was very good and my partner loved it. I found the portion size small, however I am a 220lb man and my partner was nearly full at this point. So this might just be me. Dessert (whisky brownie) this was not good. The Wagyu fat tasted out of place in the brownie. “Meat flavoured brownie” is how I would describe it. Overall the experience was mediocre. The waitstaff were phenomenal, however; the food was mediocre at best in comparison to what is served by other restaurants in the city. Especially considering the price. I paid 560$ for the reservation without drink pairings. (we don't really like whisky too much) The portion sizes were extremely small. I found the cocktails okay, but uninspired. The food was unnecessarily pretentious and complex, especially the dessert. I'm sure that this establishment shines in its niche, but overall the valentines wagyu experience wasn't what I was expecting. Considering how great the sushi was we will definitely be back to try the restaurants à la carte dishes. If you're considering Shokunin I would definitely give it a try!
The omakase experience is everything you would expect. A wonderfully curated story with a story that draws you in and delivers an experience beyond just the food. The drink pairings were exceptional and the presentation and ambience of the restaurant further elevated the meal. The servers, chefs and bartenders were genuine, passionate and knowledgeable and made me feel like a part of the Shokunin family. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who finds themselves in Calgary, and I can't wait to return and experience more of the menu.
From the setting, to the staff, to the food, to the drinks, there is nothing you could ask to improve. We chose to let our server pick our courses, and not only did she do a lovely job but she nailed the timing between, the complimentary cocktails to go with, and even anticipated when we would be getting full toward the end of the evening and checked in before continuing courses. Absolutely wonderful experience every time. It's the type of restaurant every one should get to experience if they want to feel good going out for a special night out.
Great food! Was super excited to try the beef tongue dumplings and nothing to do with taste but the texture wasn't necessarily for me. Loved the music they played but wish it was slightly quieter as I did find it loud! All in all though, I had a wonderful experience and would definitely go back.
Always a fantastic choice. Food and service has always been fantastic
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was alright for the price although I had higher expectations for a restaurant listed in Canada's top 100 (#75). Extra points for creativity, but at a restaurant that has a share plate style menu I would have thought the small dishes would come out together instead of one at a time- the fried cabbage would be better paired with something else. Our waitress was unfortunately quite overbearing and it took away from the intimacy of our date. Also felt that when having other staff bring our dishes out it would make sense for them to introduce themselves or say something to us before just rearranging our table and drinks.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Food was alright for the price although I had higher expectations for a restaurant listed in Canada's top 100 (#75). Extra points for creativity, but at a restaurant that has a share plate style menu I would have thought the small dishes would come out together instead of one at a time- the fried cabbage would be better paired with something else. Our waitress was unfortunately quite overbearing and it took away from the intimacy of our date. Also felt that when having other staff bring our dishes out it would make sense for them to introduce themselves or say something to us before just rearranging our table and drinks.
Restaurantji Recommends
High end Izakaya. Taste great but too pricy...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great dining experience with a trendy atmosphere. Highlights were the gindara (sablefish), the beef tataki, anything off the yakitori menu, eggplant and goat cheese tempura and more. They were out of the Wagyu Sando so we missed out on that, sadly. The sake-infused beer was also really nice and fresh. Highly recommended. Expect to pay for what you are getting.
Very disappointing gluten free menu. Gluten free here means they remove all the sauce and all the flavour then give you expensive, bland flavourless food. They won’t even give you gf soy sauce for the sushi. When I respectfully raised my dissatisfaction with the gluten free labelling on the menu the manager didn’t even bother to respond.
Food: 1
Get the Gyoza's or the Ramen noodles!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The highlights- the scallop was the best dish of the night, followed by the potato salad. Everything was cooked perfectly, and the yakitori was amazingly juicy and seasoned. Service was fast, helpful, and charming.
The interior had a very fun vibe- loved the artwork. It was a bit hard to see due to the darkness level, and on the wall side, the bright LEDs were blinding when looking to the side.
Downsides- quite pricey for what you get, and the staff was a bit pushy on ordering more. $16 for a single scallop and minimum $11-14 for 2 pieces of nigiri. Alcohol was also fairly pricey overall, as was tea at $6 a glass, no refills.
When I was ordering, the staff kept assuming I was ordering 2 versus the 1 I asked for - for example, I’d say, “We’d like to order the scallop” and they’d say, “2 of those?” Not terrible, but happened ordering almost every item. They also commented that they thought we hadn’t ordered enough to fill us up- for reference, without alcohol we had ordered around ~$150+ worth of food for 3 people.
Overall, great taste, and okay value if you order the right items. Really fun for a special meal!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
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