The only reason this place got five stars is only bc it doesn't go higher. First off let me tell you about this place. It's a hole in the wall that's the best spot in town. The food is phenomenal. I get my usual. The emperor special. Chix steak n shrimp. All made to die for. The carrots n rice are moist n extremely tasty to say the least. But every time I eat there the wait staff is spot on n very attentive. Tonite I had a young lady name Hope. Her service tonite was spot on and the service I expect everywhere. Bravo to you Hope. I will ask for you again my next go round. Ever restaurant owner n manager should expect this level of excellence. read more

Tonight I was eating at shotos In lexington nc. The table across from me didn't get what they had ordered. Just guessing I figure their bill was about $50. They asked to talk to a manager or the owner. The lady working the register said she was the owner. I heard the man explain how his meal wasn't fixed properly. The owner said she could only refund him a dollar. It didn't matter if he got what he ordered or not. A dollar was all she was willing to refund. The couple asked for a coupon for a meal in the future. The owner wouldn't do that. She spoke to the couple very rudely. After witnessing what I did tonight I won't be going back there again. As much as I've eaten there I've witnessed this same thing happen several times. I don't agree with the owners decision, the guy paid for a meal and it should have been prepared properly. This is not a restaurant I have any interest in eating at anymore. The owner of Shoto was wrong in the way they treated their guest tonight, so shame on you. read more

We have been going to Shotos for about 4 years and I was super shocked to see I hadn't ever reviewed. This place is always amazing, always consistent with the food quality, the portions are big, and the staff is always very nice. The owners are always on site whether cooking or bar tending or working the front. They are really nice. You can eat in or get to go. I always eat in. The atmosphere is chill with great local art on the walls. Music is always good. Location is right downtown so it is really fun to walk around for a few minutes after you are full of good food. As a side note they have the best ginger dressing for the salads that come with the meal. I always ask for two. One I use for my salad and the other I dip my protein from dinner in. It is so so so good. I have tried to make at home but I can't beat theirs. read more

Be prepared to wait and have to send your food back and wait even longer. Wanted a nice romantic dinner with my gf and ended up getting a huge disappointment instead. Ordered hibachi steak and shrimp, waited 30 minutes for food and almost that long for drink refills just to get very dry chicken and steak. After the waiter finally came back around to see what was wrong she tried to convince me that that's not what I ordered when I know that I would of never ordered chicken because I'm not a big fan of chicken. Nobody apologized or anything. Will never come here again. DO NOT COME HERE! read more

Fried pickle appetizer. Large portion of delicious Japanese cuisine. Unique handcrafted cocktails. Friendly staff. We will definitely return on our next visit to Lexington. read more

Shoto - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, North Carolina

I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I have been to shotos or gotten take out! So I know the menu like the back of my hand. So I have good things to say about shotos, of course there not the worlds best but in our lexington world they are tops. Menu is small and has the important common japanese items and combinations prices are average for the high movement items like hibachi, teriyaki chicken or steak. Sides are pretty well prepared, stir fried veg, sweet carrots and fried rice all match well with the meal and quality. THey offer lobster but very expensive and cant be very fresh as its a low seller. Curry chicken/steak is not bad for a japanese resturant and really the only curry in lexington that I can find. They also have a riff on a bbq crusted chicken that is sweet and crunchy its pretty good and you should try it. Tho the one thing I don't understand is salads offered with the meal and all Japanese places do this and its sad because here same as all places its a sad iceberg salad which is bad quality so please get the soup. The restaurant its self is nice small but plenty of room. They also have a second floor with a bar and occasional live shows. Service every time i have been there is good they are on top of your drinks and food orders. Over all I don't have much bad to say, because they are good! I do wish they would get a sushi chef and get some sushi competition in this town. Local or visiter try them out Paul http://lexington101.com/Lexington101/Resturant_Reviews/Entries/2011/8/27_Shotos_Lexington.html read more

Last day working at a clinical site for Lexington I decided to check out the local restaurants in the area. Japanese food is usually what I enjoying eating the most so I figured I'd check out this place since it was only a few blocks away. I was kindly greeted as I entered and was told to find a seat. I was kindly greeted by my waiter when I found a place to sit. I got some water to start off and was given the menu. I really liked the setup they had with the menu. It was very easy to know what was available and what I wanted to order. I decided to get Chicken Teriyaki with broccoli and mushroom. It included rice so I decided to go with white rice. It also came with a choice of soup or salad, so I decided to go with the salad. I enjoyed the salad and a few minutes later I recieved the chicken teriyaki. I was really impressed with the chicken teriyaki. It looked very appealing and was delicious. The price for the food was very good for the amount of food you get. If I ever return to Lexington I will certainly return. The greeter was very kind and polite when I payed for my food and he wished me a safe day. Thank you very much for that. I highly recommend this place if you want some japanese food in Lexington. read more

Shoto - Chicken Teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, North Carolina

I was working at a client site in Lexington the other day and a co-worker suggested Shoto for lunch. We walked in and were seated immediately. Our server was very friendly and helpful. I decided to go for chicken w/ teriyaki sauce, carrots, and brocoli over lo mein noodles. The food came out fast and was pretty tasty. It was also very reasonably priced. read more

We stayed in the bar area. I wanted to try a few items from the resturant so appetizers were ordered. The egg rolls were good, wonton chips excellent, chicken fingers were certainly above average (hey it's chicken fingers...but seasoned well). The party I was with has no complaints and we will go back for a meal and drinks one stop shopping. Will most def. Go again. The mixologist, btw, was suOkper. Could not have ask for a better setting to talk with friends. Super creative on the drinks. read more

Shoto - Strawberry-Lavender Lemonade, not mine but it was tasty - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, North Carolina

I love how the menu is laid out! Select your meat, then sauce, rice, sides. It gives you an opportunity to make choices and try other flavors than hibachi. All the food was fresh and flavorful! My husband had the Yaki sauce and I had General Tso's. Both dishes were great! read more

Amazing. Everything is fresh and homemade. The server took time to find out anything that may have msg in it. Very large portions. Tempura zucchini is the bomb! Reasonably priced. read more

Well, maybe we hit an off night. Our underage waiter could not answer any questions about the bar, nor the menu. We were sat upstairs and she went down for every question. We waited an hour for our appetizer and the drinks we were ended up with? The bartender said he was a specialist, we ordered, he said beer was not anything he cared about. We were served a hot beer and a weird 6 oz drink that cost $15. Never again. The food was just ok. Not going back. read more

Shoto is a diamond in downtown Lexington. Excellent food at very reasonable prices. Also, the best kept secret in town is Jimmy's Bar upstairs. This is such a cool hangout to shoot pool and have one of Jimmy's amazing concoctions. If you read my other reviews you will see I am extremely critical of below standard restaurants and I LOVE Jimmy's Bar and Shoto! read more

The food is great! Service is great! But it's very small in there, if you sit by the door you freeze in winter!

Shoto is my go-to place when I want great food and a great atmosphere, but the food is only part of the reason I love this place. As possibly the only true bartender in town, Jimmy (of Jimmy's Bar on the upper level of the restaurant) makes top-notch craft cocktails, always with real, fresh ingredients. A hidden gem in a small town like Lexington for sure. read more

This review is for Jimmy The Bartender. It is a Craft Cocktail Lounge hidden away upstairs above Shoto. Cocktails are incredible, Jimmy's palate is extraordinary and his personality is exemplary. Jimmy's enthusiasm and the fruits of his labor are unrivaled by any mixologist or craft cocktail establishment that I've ever been to. read more

Me and my husband Always come here.. all the people there are always so friendly and very attentive. I always order the Shrimp and Chicken/ Teriyaki and broccoli as both of my vegetables sides, and it is soooo good! If you want to have a nice lunch or dinner I recommend this place. The atmosphere is also very soothing... read more

Fast service, good prices, good food. Head up stairs to Jimmy ' s bar for a drink made to his very high standards. I would recommend not ordering off the main menu. Ask for a burger or what ever the special is. Tonight it was ribs!! read more

Food was good , been there twice now. My fiancé however has gotten food poisoning this time. He ate the sesame chicken with carrots and rice. We will not be returning. read more

Went here on a Friday evening, 12/1/17 to be exact. Was seated quickly and that was the end of quick service. After we got our drinks and ordered our food, the waiting game began. I finally had enough after about 30 minutes with no wait staff stopping to check on us and held my glass into the air, hoping to get someone's attention. Finally someone refilled my drink for me and we waited about another 30 minutes for our food. Will NEVER stop foot into this establishment again. You can see that this is the standard of operation at Shoto.... the wait staff is way too comfortable doling out apologies. read more

I'm giving this a five star because the food is great the price definitely matches the proportion and the service is great the staff are all nice I strongly recommend this restaurant read more

Shoto is by far the best restaurant in Lexington... Many more cooking styles than your average Japanese restaurant. Friendly staff, great atmosphere, delicious food, affordable. read more

Great food, great music choice, friendly service, and good strong drinks. What more could you want?

This is probably my favorite hibachi style restaurant in Lexington. The food is always fresh and the portions are always great even at lunchtime! I always feel welcomed whenever I eat there. The sweet carrots are better than any I've had it at any other Japanese style sake house. read more

An oasis of class and good cuisine in Lexington. Attentive and very capable kitchen and staff. On the weekends Jimmy's bar upstairs is where to find very skillfully made craft cocktails (this is not a place to just go and get drunk have some decorum). read more

The only place in Lexington where you can get a good quality, non iceberg salad! Love that they have this whole Asian - American fusion thing going on which includes one day only special menu items. And you WILL NOT find any better cocktails anywhere in the triad than what Jimmy can set you up with at the bar upstairs. If I had any actual complaints about this place it would be that they don't have Sushi but that in no way is a deal breaker for me. read more

Shoto - Drinks by Jimmy the bartender - Japanese Near Me - Lexington, North Carolina

We went there just to try their hamburgers. Wow! Tasted very much like Hops Burger Bar burgers in Greensboro. Waffle fries were great too. Service was excellent. Went up to check the bar out. Very cool stuff, conversation pieces, all around. Bartender, Jimmy, is into making different drinks, wanting to "age cocktails", adding fruit to drinks and more. read more

Just a awesome place, great food at great prices. I recommend the teriyaki steak or chicken, Coconut shrimp and the steak and scollops! Then up stairs is the greatest bar in Lexington and the surrounding area, Jimmy's Bar great drinks and great atmosphere. read more

Best Japanese food in the triad. Great service and nice atmosphere. Will definitely be back!

It was ok, my food was good but could of had more veg. and meats. than a whole lot of sweet carrots. which like just not that much. My daughter plate was a whole lot of lettuce and not alot of steak not worth 9.00 my son got sweet sour shrimp not alot there either. for 12.00 In saying my bill was 50. alittle much. for no more protein than we got. read more

If it's cold outside skip this restaurant. Went in today and all but two of the back seats were taken by people trying to escape the cold front door. Over heard other customers ask about turning the heat up and the waitress said it's on 75 degrees but it's a 150 year old building. We asked if we could be seated at one of the back open booths to be away from the door and was rudely told no that's staff seating. Then we decided to wait for someone to leave one of the other booths that was away from the front door. Luck would have it we didn't wait long and were seated. Still could have done without the attitude and the staff table excuse when clearly those back two booths could have been utilized for customer comfort. But I don't run or own the place so their rules I guess? Just seems a bit off to set aside prime table or booth space for staff who at the time were not even using it at lunch peak hours. read more

This is probably our favorite Japanese restaurant. We come here to eat frequently and are never disappointed; the food and the staff are equally amazing! read more

I paid $14 for the house special just so I could have scallops! I recieved ONE whole scallop on my plate. They nickeled and dime you on everything! Everything is a $1.00 up charge, even to have something not be one your plate! Not to mention that our waitress was good, but didn't even have the decency to try to cover up the half dollar sized hickey on her neck!! I paid $31 for half way decent food! read more

Just dropped by. No regrets. Great service and food. Steaks and shrimp with pineapple and shrooms knocked it out of park. Highly recommend. Will return. read more

I don't always eat in Lexington, but when I do I choose Shoto. Chicken&Cheese Eggrolls get'em! Clean and friendly service, nice full bar with awesome one off drinks as well as the classics. Check'em read more

Love this place! Great food and the staff is friendly. When they have their chicken wings, get them! So amazing!!

Always great food. Always something new to try. Wait staff is usually happy and attentive. One of our favorites in Lexington.

Really friendly place but the decor inside doesn't even look Japanese more like American. Every time I come here they never get the bubble tea right, there is always chunks of ice in it. Is their blender broken?? or they just don't know how to make bubble tea. Lastly why don't they call this a Vietnamese Restaurant!? The owners are Vietnamese come on! read more

Food was okay - but certainly not the filet we ordered - more like sirloin. Place needs to be cleaned and updated (walls have seen better days). Seemed to throw the server off by asking for a beer listed on the menu. Took 10 min for the beer to be delivered with a used coaster. Will not go back. read more

Shoto is one of the best places in lexington too eat! Great prices and awesome food , always need a to go box! Foods always hot and fresh.their ranch is the best hands down! I recomend shoto to everybody! Also stop by on the weekends and grab one of Jimmys fantastic drinks! read more