Popular Kaohsiung pork BBQ spot with private rooms – enjoy thick pork belly and sashimi-grade scallops!

Text and photos by /Shadow

Located on Tongqing Road, SHOJO Kaohsiung Concept Store is a BBQ restaurant that opened this May. The flagship store is in Tainan, and they recently opened their third branch in Douliu, Yunlin. SHOJO is actually a combination of the two owners' names. They previously worked in Taipei but wanted to return home to open their own shop — so the Tainan and Kaohsiung locations opened simultaneously. Customers who have dined here are impressed by the lively atmosphere, which has also become one of the restaurant’s signature features.

The Kaohsiung location has both first and second floors. The second floor has four private rooms for group guests, while regular customers are seated on the first floor. Business hours typically start in the evening on weekdays, and it gets quite busy with no seats left unoccupied — making advance reservations highly recommended.

The bar seating faces the open kitchen, the busiest area of the whole restaurant, where all the dishes are prepared and served from.

The restaurant uses charcoal grilling, and the charcoal grill is movable rather than fixed to the table. The long black tube above is the exhaust vent, which channels the smoke from grilling out through the duct. This exhaust system works really well — even after a full night of eating, there's no lingering smoky smell on your clothes.

There are two types of sauces on the table: one is a standard BBQ sauce, and the other is a miso sauce. You can mix them to your liking, and you can also add scallions, onions, or minced garlic as preferred. One side of the dipping container already has lemon juice pre-added, while the other side lets you customize as you like.

Dishes are ordered à la carte, with a 10% service charge added.

The table also comes with a pot of rich chicken soup that’s free to drink, and you can refill it as needed.

SHOJO pickled vegetables – NT$50

Scallion sauce tamago rice – NT$50

Made with Koshihikari rice, mixed with plenty of fresh scallions, creamy egg yolk, and drizzled sauce, everything is stirred together so that the yolk coats the grains. It smells amazing and has a slightly sweet taste, while the scallions aren’t spicy — the quality is carefully selected, which explains why it’s a customer favorite.

Creamy mushroom medley – NT$100

A selection of various mushrooms topped with a light touch of cream, perfect for warming up your stomach before diving into the grilled meats.

Pork is here – NT$450

Served on a plate designed in the shape of Taiwan, featuring thick-cut pork belly, salt-and-pepper pork belly, and salt-and-pepper pork collar. It’s quite unique!

Generally, the meats here are only lightly seasoned. The staff told us that if you place the seasoned side down first when grilling, it prevents the meat from absorbing too much seasoning — turns out there’s a little grilling trick, and we just learned something new.

The thick-cut pork belly has such aromatic fat that it’s delicious even without any dipping sauce, showing the high quality of the meat used.

Iberico pork chop – NT$280

In recent years, many BBQ restaurants in Taiwan have started using Iberico pork, known globally as some of the best-tasting pork in the world. Its unique feeding methods and climate conditions give Iberico pork its distinctive aroma and texture.

With such high-quality meat, we’d better not mess up the grilling — time to ask the staff for help. Grilling Iberico pork well isn’t difficult: start by searing the outside to about medium-rare, then cut it into small pieces.

After cutting the Iberico pork into small pieces, the inside is still slightly raw. Then it’s time to put it back on the grill to cook it a bit more.

The fat instantly ignites the charcoal, and the red flames quickly cook the pork. Once done, move the pieces onto your plate right away to avoid overcooking.

Good Iberico pork doesn’t need to be fully cooked. The piece in the photo is around 90% cooked — the surface has a nice charred aroma, the meat retains its juices, and the texture is tender like beef. Absolutely delicious!

Lettuce combo – NT$60

Includes lettuce, garlic slices, pickled vegetables, with spicy sesame sauce and sesame oil. The spicy sesame sauce has a numbing Sichuan peppercorn flavor and kicks in with heat afterward.

For those who find plain meat a bit heavy, consider ordering the lettuce combo. With lettuce, pickled veggies, and sauces, you can mix up the flavors and avoid getting too full or bored.

Shrimp – NT$150

There are four flavor options: salty, miso, spicy miso, and pesto. We ordered the miso one.

After grilling both sides of the shrimp until golden, stand them up to grill the edges. This way, the shrimp turns out crispy yet tender.

Miso pork intestines – 150 NTD

Pork intestines are essential for barbecue and our absolute favorite. They come in three flavors: salty, miso, and spicy miso.

We like to grill the pork intestines a little more charred—they’re even more fragrant and have a bouncy texture.

Iberico pork ribs – 280 NTD, Japanese yam – 100 NTD, two live-grade scallops – 180 NTD

The richly marbled Iberico pork ribs sizzle on the grill, making your mouth water.

Just like the other meats, we don’t grill them all the way through—the inside still has a slight pink hue. The meat is tender and juicy, bursting with flavorful fat that’s simply delicious without any sauce—just enjoy the natural taste.

For the live-grade scallops from Hokkaido, lightly grill both sides, just enough to sear the surface.

The inside remains beautifully tender. Live-grade scallops really live up to their name.

Cherry duck breast – 180 NTD

For high-quality cherry duck, similarly, you don’t need to cook it all the way through. When you can still see a hint of pink, it’s ready to eat.

Italian-style lamb belly – 150 NTD

This is actually a first for us—lamb belly topped with pesto.

Lamb has a slight gamey taste, but fortunately, the pesto helps cover that subtle flavor.

On your birthday, diners can enjoy a special birthday tower. That day, we happened to witness another table celebrating a birthday. The staff brought out the birthday tower, gathered around, and sang “Happy Birthday” to the guest of honor, creating an atmosphere that lifted everyone.

The birthday tower can be customized with either beef or pork. It’s plated like a beautifully blooming rose—it’s almost too pretty to eat.

Kyoho grape soda – 120 NTD (left), plum wine cocktail – 120 NTD

There are many drink options to pair with grilled meat. Compared to regular beer or straight liquor, choosing soda or cocktails is lighter on the stomach and also comes with fruity aromas. (Drinking excessively is harmful to health.)

● ETtoday News Cloud reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, don’t drive after drinking.

The reason we love this place isn’t just because the food is delicious and the meat quality is top-notch. Most importantly, the dining atmosphere is super lively. From the warm welcome when you walk in, to the birthday song sung for the guest of honor, the energetic and enthusiastic vibe gets everyone in the restaurant excited. It may be a bit pricier, but it’s totally worth it. For those who love trying different barbecue spots, this one’s a must-add to your list—we highly recommend it.

Yakiniku SHOJO Kaohsiung Concept Store
Address: No. 31, Tongqing Rd., Lingya District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07-7228814
Business hours: Mon–Fri 17:30–23:30
Sat–Sun & holidays 11:30–15:00, 17:30–23:30
Notes: Parking available nearby, 10% service charge applied

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