Shijo in Newcastle upon Tyne

Ordered a delivery, the chicken Kaarage stick was raw under the batter! And their telephone number doesn’t connect

Amazing as always. Did prefer the old vegetables option rather than the bean sprouts but still amazing!

The food is good and well priced . The guy with piercings at the till was beyond rude though for no reason so have to rank down due to this.

I used to adore this place, but recently they have only been doing a tiny drizzle of curry sauce when ordering the curry option. The first time I thought they had forgotten to put the curry sauce on altogether and just thought it was a mistake. I went a week later and same issue again; about a tablespoon of curry sauce at the very most. Only realised when I got home. Sadly won't be going back for now. Generally it's still a great place, nice atmosphere and good service. The food itself is always delicious.

This used to a regular spot for us, but there are better and cheaper places nearby. The quality of food has significantly went down. Ours took considerably longer to come than others, which we didn't mind. However it was lukewarm, which we found bizarre. After both spending close to £10 each, it was disappointing that we weren't able to add a drink retrospectively, as this didn't meet the minimum £6 criteria. There are also lots of 'cash only' offers, which isn't ethically right. The charge of using a card to the restaurant is circa 4p for a £2 transaction, it's disappointing that they are that tight, they refused the purchase. This is a huge case of being short sighted, as I will never return here. I strongly urge others to look at nearby restaurants for better value, service and food quality.

Super cosy place, the food was so nice! Me and my boyfriend got the chicken katsu donburi and sides of chicken wings. The dons were flavoursome and the wings so soft and juicy! 4 chicken wings were £7 but worth it! The dons were £6 each as it was a special offer if paid by cash. Thoroughly recommend, the staff are very friendly and informative too!

Little bit pricy however would recommend, nice food and pleasant staff.

Great fast food with good price for a takeaway. Option for student discount. Tofu is amazing. Short waiting time. Highly recommend.

Been coming here for a couple years, food never disappoints, it’s always made quickly and it’s always 10/10

Only marks down for the fact it is a bit small and crowded at peak times and they don't give you receipts even when you ask. Prices have gone up but comparitively cheaper.

Ordered katsu chicken yakisoba. I received over-cooked chicken nuggets, over-boiled carrot and green beans with unseasonal noodles. Very disappointed, did not finish.

It's gone down hill. Asked for Katsu curry and teriyaki curry. Katso curry the rice they used was dry -like 3 day old. Asked them to make it spicy which they said they couldn't, which is absolutely fine but man said it very abruptly and was rude about it. Place was very messy but there were only 2 customers. I would say kato is a better alternative, with excellent customer service, similar cuisine and price range.

Have gone there for a long time but a recent experience with a rude staff member is enough to put me off going back.

From what I can tell the photos DEFINITELY don’t do a service to Shijo, this place is fantastic! Excellent choice and impressive service, I’m always coming back!

Ordered the katsu chicken curry as it’s their signature, however i surprised when I found out that the chicken was not actually real chicken it is more like nuggets. The katsu sauce was amazing but the chicken quality ruined the flavor and the experience

Bought a seafood tempura using my card on Friday, no receipt given. Checked my statement on Monday and £17.80 has been charged.

Was always a treat when I was a university student and now when I visit Newcastle I enjoy coming back and getting a meal. Mainly the Vegetable Tempura Curry. Always filling and tasty. Not much room for dining in but still manageable if a seat can be found. Convenient for a quick bite- especially if near the university.

Avoid this place. Terrible experience. They gave us our plates incompletes and were told that the rest would be delivered soon, which of course didn't happen until we claimed (after 20 minutes) and our plates were cold (and they still didn't give us all the ingredients). They said it was our fault for not insist more in the rest of the ingredients, and denied us a refund. Conveniently the store manager wasn't there and refused to speak with us by phone. Their only "solution" was to give us an email, which of course, didn't reply to any of our messages. It is a trap and you will lose your money

Always fantastic value and fantastic food.

We have a bad experience but also we received a bad treatment. the food didnt came as it should, it came without vegetables (both yakisobas), they told us that vegetables will be later, so we wait. After 15 min I ask for vegetables again, and they give just brocoli, wich is not right. When we asked for a refund they only treat us really bad, telling that they can't make a refund just because we didnt like the food, but that was clearly not the problem.

Take this from an asian guy, do not come here The katsu is frozen, the yakisoba isnt even yakisoba and the beef is cold I would rather starve than pay to eat here

Been going here for quite some time now and they simply don't disappoint. Simple menu loads of flavor and a lovely little walk in or take out.

Nice little Japanese street food place. Cheap and quick but always delicious.

I think it exists to beat out any nostalgia of Newcastle I have

Great chicken katsu curry with friendly service and good prices!

Excellent quick food, tasty and probably the vegetables at least we're healthy.

This place is cheap for a reason. I ordered katsu it was dry processed chicken with a drizzle of what looked like katsu sauce but had no taste. My husband ordered spicy beef he said it wasn't spicy beef they just squirted abit of sriracha sauce in and have 4 small pieces of beef. However the chicken gyoza was delicious so maybe I'd pop in for them as a cheap snack but definitely wouldn't be ordering anything else

I absolutely love shijo. The food, the staff, the atmosphere, everything is just perfect. I would recommend ordering the chicken katsu curry (halal) because it is so good and the portion sizes are really good.

Asked if the prawns are fried in the same oil as all the other stuff (chicken, meat, pork, etc.) and the workers in Haymarket said yes. Then went and asked on northumbria uni campus Shijos and they said yes and then said no. Then they said they will have a meeting etc and let us know. Just felt really dodgy with the differing answers lost my trust a little bit and now go to Kato where they ensure that their halal and fish products are stored, prepared and cooked seperately without me having to probe into it. Felt more trustworthy. No good saying X dish is halal when it's cooked in the same oil as pork and other non-halal meats! And then not agreeing on whether or not it's cooked in the same oil... just felt like they'd end up lying and saying they cook it seperate when they don't. Also the breadcrumb is not the same consistency but Kato was panko. Not just about the religious dietary requirements but imagine someone is allergic to prawn and then they eat meat prepared and fried in the same oil as prawn. Could cause a serious allergic reaction. Would love some confirmation/evidence about this issue and more confidence in the workers and if things are right then I'd update this review and maybe even go back there!

Lovely place with one of the best cuisine If you are in the Newcastle must try it once. Simple and delicious

Come here with my boyfriend quite regularly and it’s always hit or miss, sometimes they are generous with the katsu curry sauce other times not. Last time we went they served us thick paste like curry sauce. Nice food just wish it was the same quality every time!

Great food for the price and lovely staff

Another excellent visit to Shijo. Fast, cheap and delicious!

I’ve been eating at Shijo for over 7 years and not much has changed throughout the years. Quick service, simple ingredients, satisfying rice/noodle bowls at low prices. A great lunch spot option for students and city workers!

This is my first time visiting this place. I heard a lot about this restaurant. Small place with seating capacity for 10. Food took about 15min to be ready. It was not that exciting. It was a bit salty. They don't clean the tables frequently after customers leave. Portion sizes have come down as well.

It was amazing. I probably would have paid more than 6 pounds for the meal i got. Even though it seemed like my order was ignored in favour of others that arrived earlier, it was worth the wait. Coming back soon.

We were excited to try this place because of the reviews and when we looked at the menu the prices were really low... but of course, there is a reason behind it. We got a Chicken Catsu Curry and the chicken were frozen nuggets style. The vegetables were: one undercooked giant broccoli ( impossible to eat with the fork provided) and some frozen style baby carrots. The rice was overcooked and while eating it, it become a mush. The curry was very base. Overall, the products are frozen quality, so even if the product were cooked correctly, the taste will be very average. Not recommended as a place were to eat authentic and hand-made food.

I have bought from this restaurant three times now, at around november, january, and lastly just today. I can't tell if there is a drop in quality in the food or is this just inconsitencies that happens every now and then. One my first and second time (second picture) going here, the chicken katsu looks like actual katsu, with crispy breadcrumbs and everthing. There are also a lot of vegetables cut to bite size pieces to be easily picked up and eaten by the spork. However at my most recent purchase (first picture), the chicken katsu ( looks either more like tempura batter or premade nuggets) They also change up the vegetables from spring beans, carrots, and potatos, to only broccoli and carrots. While I do not mind the change in the vegetables i do find it odd that the brocolli served was one large florette instead of cut into bite sized chunks. It was still cooked thankfully, but it was a bit annoying to try to cut into the broccoli's stem especially in such a small bowl without risking my spork from breaking or accidentally flinging my food out of the bowl. Overall it is still a very good food if you want a quick meal, I just hope I could know the reason behind these changes.

Absolutely appalling. Got the spicy beef udon to take away. Got it home and the broth was fishy and over salty, even to my taste and I like things on the saltier side. There were 4 slices of shredded beef that were about a third of the length and the same thickness as a lollypop stick. Beef was as tough as beef jerky like it had been under a Sunday carvery hot plate all weekend and there were 2 chunks of gristle with a wafer thin slice of beef attached. Noodles were nice but overall an absolutely monumentally disappointing dish. I would have been better off getting a pack of super noodles from lidl at a sixth of the cost. I didnt even bother taking photos to post, it just went straight in the bin.

It’s a shame you can’t rate lower than one star because I definitely would if I could. This happened a few months ago but according to other people it hasn’t changed. I wanted to get a takeaway from here after a long day of uni work and the vibes in the store were terrible. I can typically deal with bad vibes if the customer service is good, but the lady behind the counter was so rude. I had just walked in and within seconds she was tapping her fingernails on the table waiting for me to order. When I asked what drinks they had, she pointed them out to me rather rudely. When the food did arrive there was no bag given to me or cutlery so I had to awkwardly grab that myself because the lady turned away. The food was awful too. I’ve been before, but something’s definitely changed because the meat and veg was like rubber. I ordered a katsu curry and a drink, but it felt like I got a bowl of frozen food. I’m not an expert, but that definitely wasn’t katsu. On top of that, the prices have definitely gone up. I wouldn’t mind as much if the food was good, but pair the bad food with the poor customer service and it’s not worth it at all.

Really good japenese food. The gyozas are excellent and it’s great for a cheap, affordable takeaway.

Amazing chicken katsu with super fast and friendly service. There's a pumpkin option to replace the chicken to make it veggie, which is also very nice. Vegan options and vegetarian options are available. Would recommend the vegetable spring rolls.

Yakisoba is worse than it worse before they changed noodles or something, Katsu curry class tho

The shop was crowded as there was a poor use of table space. The tables were absolutely abhorrent as they were rarely cleaned. I was also treated rudely by the service. Worst of all there was a hidden £1.30 charge to make a dish halal!. This restaurant definitely should be more inclusive towards muslims and jews with a kosher diet!

Still love this place after all these years, nice little selection of curry and yakisoba dishes! Get yourself along.

When you're told "we're just defrosting the chicken" 10 minutes after you've ordered you know it's not going to be good food. Food was edible but wouldn't come back.

We spent 30 pounds on the food we forgot to get a drink, so went back asked to bill the drink on card, the person on the till said that even for drink card payment has to be minimum 6 pounds. Which doesn’t make any sense

I take all my friends here. Food is so tasty and satisfying! Prawn Katsu Curry is just amazing!

Perfect place for lunch or dinner, the food is incredible and the portions are generous. I went weekly during uni and have to visit every time I'm back up in Newcastle, it's just that good!

Lovely food and the staff were incredibly helpful during my visit

I ate here for the first time on Saturday and have to say all of the staff were really friendly and helpful great customer service too, the portions of food were generous and the food was very very tasty, great price also, i ordered a beef curry and really enjoyed it, I will visit again soon, great job Team Shijo

Great food love the katsu curry

great place to have katsu curry . highly recommended

Waited over 20 minutes for chilli chicken yakisoba, ended up being mushy ‘chicken’ and over cooked noodles. The veg was unappealing and the meat was grey and inedible

Ordered on Uber eats, the special was supposed to come with a dessert and pickles which were not included the chilli chicken I have no idea what it was but not what I expected and was so bland just gave up on eating it, only gave 2 stars as the side I got was nice, waste of money overall and would not order again

Should have read the reviews thoroughly. Had the chicken Katsu yakisoba and it was not good at all. It was basically chicken goujons which had come from a freezer pack with some microwaved veg and noodles, and a bit of yakisoba sauce drizzled over. I’m actually quite shocked they get away with serving what is basically a dish derived from bits of the freezer section of a supermarket. I mean, really bad. Giving it two stars as the staff were nice, but really need to increase the quality of the food served.

I ordered the vegetable gyozas, it was £2.50 for 3 pieces. They were a really yummy, quick snack with a nice kick to them. You get a pot of sweet chili sauce too. It was made quickly and the staff were friendly. It is a small and cute eatery, with access from the Haymarket metro and from the street too. (Minimum spend on card is £6.50)

I took my two young children here as I had promised them noodles for lunch that day. Had been past a few times and thought it looked interesting and always seems busy. Ordered 2 Chicken gyoza ramens for me and my 4 year old. They came in good big sized tubs, couldn't believe how fresh all the ingredients tasted and really authentic flavours. I loved it, was actually contemplating ordering another while my daughter finished hers :D She got full so we got a lid and were able to take the rest of hers away with us, shared it with my partner when we got home and he was also very impressed. I'll definitely be returning with him in the future. The price was great too. Only downside was no highchairs but my younger child just ate in his pram as we had only popped in for a quick lunch stop.

the food is fine but for some reason, they have a minimum card spend of 6.50 when their most popular dish is 6.00. They also don't sell anything for 50P so you end up having to spend significantly more. This just comes across as deceiving and slimy. I am regular there and I can imagine many other people are as well. I ended up having to convince them to let me just pay 6.50 for the 6.00 dish. seems ridiculous and can't think of any reason why they would have to do this, just charge 6.50??? unless you're trying to get at least 7.50 out of your regulars. Just bad customer service and obvious price discrimination for their personal gain. Hate this kind of business and so thought I'd let everyone know!!! Be better Shijo!! look after your regulars...

Absolute delight of a little stop, simple and delicious food. Can't recommend the pumpkin curry enough. Edit:- Recent visits have left me feeling conflicted. Service felt sluggish during a quiet period, and some issues regarding food handling. Cashier wore gloves which is fair, but spent a great amount of time counting out coins before serving customers using the same gloves. This was In tandem with food being left uncovered at the cashier station whilst serving other customers. I'm not sure what it is, but the vibe in the past few weeks has been different. Latest update:- Latest visit included uncooked rice mixed into my meal. The food here is usually lovely however this has put me right off.

I’ve been coming to this place for nearly 3 years now. And at first, it was amazing. 5 pounds for a katsu curry as a student on a budget was brilliant. Then however they took that away from us, unsure why. Then they upped the price to 6 pound each and notched up the minimum card price to 6.50, forcing you to pick up a water, or a lemon tea that is ridiculously over priced. They’ve lost a lot of customers because of this including myself because they can’t separate themselves from other competition. Now, Kato has opened and it’s the same price for a chicken katsu but 1000% better in quality. There chicken is tender, breading is crisp and vegetables are freshly steamed and the meal is overall nicely presented, even though it’s budget it’s still made with love. What put the nail in the coffin for me was returning to Shijo after about half a year of opting for its alternative, Kato. I got a chicken katsu and honestly it was dreadful, the chicken, which of course is frozen, tasted like it had genuinely been sitting out under a heater after it was cooked or was over cooked. It was so stale and disappointing in comparison to how I remember it being. Little things they used to like adding sesame seeds wasn’t included on my dish. So please if you want a katsu curry, boycott this dreadful place as it’s increasing prices and somehow making the quality worse, I believe even one of the workers has jumped ship too

27/12 the notice written it opened till 8. But when I arrive there at 7 p.m. the staff just tell me we are closed in a rude way. When I curious ask him why it written 27/12 closed at 8, he just say good bye and we want to change it anytime. The good is nice, but the staff are totally bs after the boss changed.

Live Shijo. Coming back to it every two weeks because it is so delicious, quick service and the people there are lovely. Special love for the tofu katsu curry as it is my all time favourite.

not recommended. not cheap and not delicious at all. a cup noddle is much better and cheap than its food. I will definitely not go there again.

Staff are lovely and meals are quickly preped

I stopped by for lunch after passing by in a number of occasions, seeing that the place tended to be really busy and the food appeared to smell wonderful. How wrong can you be? I ordered the chilli chicken noodles, it was over running in oil and the chicken (if you can call it that) was disgusting, all skin and fat just awful. It left my stomach in agony after eating it not recommended, for nearly £7 you are wasting your money

Have tried this place twice now and was dissatisfied both times. The katsu chicken yakisoba is awful, battered chicken which tasted and looked straight out of a feeezable bag (very unappealing), regular steamed unseasoned veg that tasted nothing out of the ordinary freezable bag, and noodles which had absolutely no flavour. No sauce, just extremely bland. Topped off with sriracha which was the only sauce present, and something I can buy myself. I don’t need to spend restaurant money on something that tastes like it can be cooked by even the most incompetent chef. I adore Asian cuisine and never in my life have I had something taste like this

Fake japanese place. Its cheap but the food still manages to be bad value. Only Japanese restaurant ive ever been to that doesnt have soy sauce. The teriyaki chicken had not been in the same room as teriyaki. The chicken was bland and grey.

Delicious hot food, the teriyaki and the katsu curries are really good, with lots of rice and vegetables on the side too. The portions are perfectly sized and nicely filling at lunchtime. The place does get very busy between 12 and 1 but even though it's all made fresh, the wait is never very long (it's a ticket system, you get your receipt with a number on it, then they call our your number when it's ready). The staff though, can be comically grumpy and the only sushi they had left this lunchtime, even though it was only 12.30, was chicken - no fish available at all! It won't stop me visiting here, but I'd head back to Nudo a few doors down for the sushi.

Bought the Sweet chilli chicken donburi and this was bitterly disappointing. I don’t normally write bad reviews but there was no hint of sweet chilli taste and the rice was flooded with water. The katsu curry is great for the price so thought I’d try something different but couldn’t pay me to finish that again.

Food smelt a bit off, also chicken and rice little flavour kato pan asian cuisine is FAARR BETTER!

Extremely tasty food and very reasonably priced! Wasn't too busy which was good but easy takeaway containers if needs be. Would definitely recommend to anyone.

For some reason this place must have changed management as the portions have halved, the friendly staff have gone also, the menu board has been taken down, no disrespect but new staff all Asian and can't speak English except one blonde girl, I have been going every Sunday for the spicy beef noodles for a few years now, I won't be going back as the magic has gone.

Myself and my daughter live this place 💕

I frequently visit Shijo and im always incredibly satisfied with anything I order. The staff are all very friendly! One if my favourite places to eat in Newcastle

Friendly atmosphere; great food! Would recommend

Katsu curry dishes are 10/10, haven’t tried anything else just yet!

While their webpage looks fresh and chick, the reality of it is a bit more rough and ugly. On the web Shijo promises that “All our dishes and sushi are made fresh dialysing freshest ingredients possible…Absolutely NO MSG, NO artificial color and NO preservatives. Just 100% Goodness”. Well, I doubt it! The take away place is certainly not cleaned regularly and the small kitchen is overflowing with used plastic buckets of readymade chicken stock. It is, however, cheap.

when I arrived at Newcastle, some months back this was my go to lunch place, the food was the best and for the cheapest prices. Of recent they increased their prices, which followed some more price increase. Grilled chicken teriyaki and chilli chicken were my favourites but the quantity of the chilli has reduced drastically and the quality of the teriyaki also decreased, it became more sloppy and bitter. I once ate a not so well done chicken that was still raw in the centre (mistakes happen) however with these continued negative experiences I will stop my eating at shoji, some other stores offer better quality of food at the same price. An advantage shoji has is that it is very close to some major Newcastle university buildings.

Their ‘Daily Favorite’ with veg gyoza curry is my go to lunch. The food is fresh and in good quantities!

Treat myself usually at pay day. Love the katsu chicken curry. Just wish it was slightly cheaper then I would eat it more often.

LIVED on shijo for 3 years when I was in uni. Now I work in London and every time I come back to Newcastle, this is my first stop! I’m patiently waiting on the carry Shijo Katsu Curry Kit to be available online :)!!!

It’s really hard to fault the food here. It’s reasonably priced, it’s prepared quickly and it tastes delicious. What more could you want? A solid choice for a quick meal.

I visited the shop today and the till guy acted rude to me. I asked for extra spring rolls for the extra pence i had,he responded badly and asked me to stay away from the queue and rudely dismissed me. Just outside the shop ,thought of reviewing suddenly as i am very disappointed

A go to lunch of mine is the beef curry - which is also halal - they have some other halal options but be sure to ask

Super good food at a great price. Nice and filling with streamed veggies 😁 The staff are wonderful, and hilarious! The place is always lively. So, of course, try the chicken katsu curry, then try it with the meatballs, and there udon soup is amazing too!

Good and affordable food that is served quickly

Asked for chilli chicken with ramen. Ended up with 2 tiny bits no bigger than half a teaspoon of chicken with normal noodles. Then at the till told that minimum spend on the card machine was 6.50. The noodles cost a whopping 6.40, and got charged the extra ten pence. Avoid this place, they also thought I could not use chop sticks, quite rude I thought. If I required a spoon I would ask!! I bet if I had come in with my wife who is chinese the experience would be better.

Wasn't expecting that much, just wanted to get a quick takeaway to eat in the sun. Got chicken katsu. Literally low quality chicken nuggets with some microwaved vegetables and noodles. Taste was weird, everything had a faint fishy taste like the chicken was cooked in dirty oil. The katsu sauce was abysmal, no flavour and very little of it. On the plus side staff seemed friendly and you get a lot.

BEST PLACE AREA!!! Thank you! Xxx Amazing food loved it. Great service. The place to go. Totally worth it and I reccomend

Such a busy little place and I can see why. Food was delicious, a good portion and a great price. The singing chef wasn't bad too

Lady behind the till was rude (4:30 pm today). I walked out to take a private phone call after paying for my food. Came back to pick it up after just 3 minutes, and she very rudely ranted about the amount of times she had to yell my order number and how I shouldn’t leave because it only takes a minute to prepare the food. First and last time I’ll ever go here.

Chicken katsu very good. Good choice for a quick meal.

The most disgusting katsu I ever seen in my life . Frozen chicken filets with no flavour served with basmati rice !!!!

Very cosy, cheap and very friendly staff. Food is excellent.

Edit: ordered again after being very happy with my previous order. This time went for the chicken teriyaki as they don’t have the beef option on the app. It seems my teriyaki was missing? So I received a bowl of dry chicken thighs and rice 😬 Pleasantly surprised! Ordered through Uber, arrived super quickly, still warm. Came with a piece of brownie, some spring rolls too. The chicken katsu was lovely as well. Best prices around for a quick takeaway and you get loads!

You cannot buy any meal without buying another thing. Their pricing strategy should be clear at the beginning. The menu was tricky.

If you eat from a specific restaurant everyday you will definitely get bored of. But this one you will love it more and more. This place is perfect. Lovely food and lovely staff.

Taken aback by aggressive behaviour of lady at till (afternoon of 27 Dec), I can see this complaint is also indicated in previous reviews; have enjoyed the food from here but this has put me off from visiting again!

Best meal in Newcastle for less than £10 in my opinion. Brilliant food, cheap prices and great customer service. My only complaint is how fast all the best dishes sell out. Recommend the pumpkin for any vegetarians.