Shonos, a Dining Delight

That the Birmingham area is gifted with great places to eat is no secret. But sometimes, the best dining spots take a little sleuthing to find. Colleen and I have decided that Shonos Japanese Grill in Riverchase is one such case.

Eddie Cui and his wife Flora opened Shonos with a pretty simple idea in mind: Healthy food can be delicious and doesn’t have to drain your wallet. We think they’ve managed to achieve that goal.

Available for dine-in or take-out, the Shonos menu includes veggie entrees along with chicken, shrimp, fish and scallops.  The ‘Eddie’s Special’ entree offers steak marinated in Eddie’s custom blend of ingredients.  A rib eye steak is also available.

Eddie prides himself on preparing your meal without MSG.

A chilled salad with Ginger dressing is standard with each entree, along with vegetables and your choice of steamed or fried rice. Soups and appetizers are also available, along with egg rolls.

You won’t find the theatrics of chefs cooking at your table and tossing bits of food into customers’ mouths that’s so common with conventional Japanese steakhouses. But you will find food that’s just as delicious, and at much lower prices than what the big steakhouses charge (of the nine dinner entrees Shonos offers, five are less than $10).

If you pay Shonos a visit, whatever you do, don’t overlook the squeeze bottles containing the mysterious white sauce. We didn’t know what it was on our first visit, until our server explained that it’s sauce for the shrimp. The sauce, it turns out, is another of Eddie’s special concoctions. And it’s outstanding. In fact, customers pour it, not just on shrimp, but on chicken and steak … and we’ve even seen diners using it as a salad dressing.

Colleen and I have dined at Shonos several times now, and on each visit, the food and the service were excellent. There aren’t many places these days where two people can have a filling, healthy meal and still manage to get change from a $20 bill.

Shonos is located at 1843 Montgomery Highway, Suite 107, in the same shopping center as Picadilly cafeteria and Dale’s Southern Grill, south of the Riverchase Galleria. Open Monday through Saturday for lunch, 11am until 2pm, and dinner from 5pm ’til 9pm. If you want to place an order to go, give Eddie or Flora a call at 988-3319.

Shonos is just one more reason why living in Birmingham sure has its advantages. Enjoy!

David