ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen

Fast casual Asian food modeled after Chipotle (clean sourcing on meat, organic tofu) that offers an appealingly simple yet varied model of selecting your own combinations of ingredients-what’s not to like. Service is prompt and friendly. As it was my first time, staff patiently and enthusiastically answered questions and gave recommendations. I tried the rice noodles (instead of rice) with chicken, spicy green beans, and the red sauce which is very spicy and toppings. You can add as many vegetables as you want for a dollar more each. The crunchy garlic was a fun texture in the bowl. I did not have to add any spices to the bowl. My mouth was on fire, but it was delicious and healthy. I will probably not mix two very spicy ingredients next time. I look forward to trying this again. The serving was large and easily provided leftovers. I got a free dessert-​a mix of rice and mango. I don’t like rice pudding so didn’t like the top but the bottom mango part was yummy.

Got the shophouse bowl, delicious, the heat in the spice complimented the food well and the chicken pork meat ball was pleasantly tasty

It’s like the Asian chipotle with siracha as its main heat source.
You go in, pick your base (salad, white or brown rice, and vermicelli noodles), your protein, your sauce, and your toppings. You can also opt for half and half.
I absolutely am a fan of their peanut sauce here — it is a great replica of the peanut sauce used for chicken satay, with the spicy kick to it of course. Bummer is that you have to pay $ 1.10 for extra sauce.
A bowl is under $ 10 bucks and is a quick bite when you’re in the mood for some southeastern Asian flavors.

Chipotle has expanded throughout the country and now it’s exploring different cuisines in this case Southeast Asian!
Ordering of the food is very similar to Chipotle in which you decide what ingredients you want in your rice bowl. You can mix-​match different bowl base (noodle, rice, salad, or a mixture), meat, sauces, vegetables, and toppings. In additional there are also bowls that you can simply order without having to make your own.
At first it could be a bit overwhelming trying to assemble a bowl together. I ultimately decided on satay chicken with broccoli and pickled vegetables on a bed of lettuce and brown rice with the peanut sauce. It was delicious! I was a bit sad that you could only have one vegetable item with additional being extra charge. You can’t pile it on like in Chipotle. Other than that I really enjoyed my meal. The store isn’t very big with a limited seating. You might have to share a table with strangers.
Also, a cautionary tale, as many other reviewers have pointed out that ShopHouse means business when it comes to spicy. I didn’t personally get anything that’s spicy, but one of my friends did and she was dying from her bowl. So be careful with what you wish for! At the end she had to go up and get more rice. They didn’t charge her for extra!

Three and a half stars? What’s wrong with people? This place is the absolute bomb. Incredibly spicy, the dishes are savory and sweet (ish). A lot of healthy options to pick from. They have my favorite veggie as a regular add on — green beans. This particular location… the service is good. The restaurant itself has enough seating to usually accommodate people even during busy times thx to the community style tables. The only thing I don’t like about it is they serve Coke products which runs completely counter to the idea of cleaner eating. They should serve kombucha since it’s an Asian theme to the restaurant. Doesn’t prevent me from giving them five stars though. I will be back just about every time I’m in the area if I’m even slightly hungry. And I was checking to see if they franchise restaurants. That’s how much I like this place.

Best fast casual restaurant chain I’ve ever been to. And they actually HAVE SPICY FOOD! Basically this place is Chipotle Asian style. Only downside is that they just raised there prices and there is rarely anywhere to sit.
Start with jasmine rice, brown rice, chilled rice noodles, or salad
Then, add a meat: grilled chicken satay, grilled steak lamb, pork & chicken meatballs, or organic tofu
Then, add a vegetable: broccoli, charred corn, butternut squash & thai basil, or green beans.
Next add a sauce: tamarind vinaigrette, green curry, spicy red curry, or peanut sauce.
Next add garnishes: green papaya slaw, pickled vegetables, or herb salad.
Last top it off: toasted rice, crispy garlic, crushed peanuts, or thai chillies.

A lunch favorite of mine when I was interning in Santa Monica. I have to say that obviously it’s not as good as Chipotle but at least Chipotle did try expanding into other flavors.
When they say it’s spicy, they actually mean it. There’s a lot of flavor in a shophouse bowl but at also can be tricky to get down the right flavor profile for your bowl! (I’ve only made my own and have never ordered a premade one so maybe those are better?). The meatballs are actually addicting and I highly suggest that as the meat. What I don’t really like is how they limit your choices of veggies to one (unless you pay extra).
Try it out if you want a cheaper lunch option in Santa Monica.

Not bad if you’re in a pinch but nothing to write home about. They get you in and out fairly quickly, but the food is average.

Got the shophouse bowl! Great curried flavor to it. Definitely same company as Chipotle; same business model and feel to the restaurant (and high quality utensils.) Meatballs were on the salty side but they contrasted the rice and veggies nicely.

Good place for fast, cheap and good food, especially in the Promenade. I absolutely love the concept of an «asian» chipotle centered around Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
Ordered the chicken satay + brown nice + green curry + SPICY green beans (spicy means spicy!!) — very flavorful overall and I didn’t think it was very salty.
Next time I’m ordering the chilled rice noodles with meatballs. The guy next to me ordered that combo and it looked SO GOOD

Asian style and owned by Chipotle. It’s essentially the same premise as Chipotle. You choose which meat, noodles, etc. I found everything to be super spicy. I might have ordered the wrong things so I am going to try it again. Meatballs are good though.

Think of SweetFin Poke and or Chipotle and insert «Southeast Asian» style food. Its located right at the 3^rd street promenade. I don’t remember much other than it not being that good. You can have a type of meat and or use tofu with a side over rice. They don’t have that many free toppings or sauces which don’t matter much cause its still cheap but just an overall weird taste and it led to a stomach ache.

Shop house just isn’t good.
There it is.
I’m gonna say it.
From the creators of Chipotle, shop house is their south East Asian cousin of said Chipotle. Their success is heralded by how amazing the flavors at Chipotle are and how they come together.
That, and how big your meal tends to be.
That just doesn’t happen at shophouse.
The flavors don’t do that. They don’t come together in a glorious way that makes you want to come back.
That’s what chipotle did.
That’s not what shophouse does. The flavors, even when paired well, clash. Thai food has a lot of strong, distinct flavors, and they don’t come together at shophouse the way they should. Maybe I’m ordering the wrong bowl. Who knows?
Concept is good, execution not so much.
¹⁄₅ NOMS

The food here is just ok, it seems to be good quality, cooked well, etc… But in my opinion I can never find a combination that is quite to my liking (unlike Chipotle where literally every combo seems like a winner). It’s good for a cheap quick meal, but I’m never just walking around and think to myself «Shophouse sounds amazing».
Definitely great value for the amount of food you get, which is something a little challenging to find in Santa Monica.

I really like this place! It’s inexpensive and delicious Asian food. Plus, thanks to Kelia N., I just found out that the parent company is Chipotle, which shouldn’t be a shocker since they share the same ordering system.
I went for the Chicken Satay Bowl and substituted with chilled rice noodles. Everything was delicious and surprisingly refreshing! The peanut satay sauce was stellar, and the chilled rice noodles is different in a good way. If anything, I’d like a little more chicken.
I also like how they have a ton of Sriracha bottles along the wall, too. It’s literally edible art.
Overall, I enjoyed it. It’s a perfect inexpensive spot to dine at when you’re at the promenade.

I enjoyed getting some satay chicken bowl here. It’s very fast and convenient. They have brown rice which I prefer over white rice.
You can choose your own ingredients or go with prefixed bowls. I thought the peanut sauce was delicious here. It’s alway crowded because the location is ideal.

Dieser Laden ist absolut top, weil er schnell ist, ein einfaches Preismodell hat und individuell, sowie vielfältig zubereitet. Ich wollte es sehr, sehr scharf und es war sehr, sehr scharf. Ungefähr 15 Menschen lächeln den Gast an der Theke an. Die Preise sind auch sehr gut. Das LTE-​Netz von T-​Mobile USA ist gut erreichbar.

I really liked this place! I was visiting Santa Monica from Atlanta and we don’t have this chain here. But I did understand that they are the same owners with Chipotle. It’s almost exactly like Chipotle, but with Asian food.
The food was great– I got the grilled chicken satay bowl with the peanut sauce, green papaya slaw, cilantro, peanuts, and jasmine rice. It was delicious and just the amount of spicy for me! Also, you can make your own bowl which is great for picky people :)
Absolutely loved the environment and the Siracha bottle wall. Staff was very friendly. No reason not to give it less than 5 stars!

I’m not a fast food girl. I’m happy paying $ 10+ and waiting 15 minutes for food, if it means a filling, healthy lunch. Chipotle is great in a pinch, but I don’t really crave it. ShopHouse caught my eye when I was running errands on the Promenade and thought it was worth a try.
First thing that caught my eye was the menu — a vegan bowl! It was everything I would’ve chosen for myself and more, so I went for it. Brown rice, tofu, sautéed kale, peanut sauce, herb salad, burnt garlic, pickled veggies… mmm! The tofu is especially good. So often it’s treated as an afterthought, but these guys prepare it so it’s as flavorful and delicious as any meat option.
I douse it in sriracha and I’m on my way. Without a line, I’m in and out in less than 5 minutes. Wow! These guys work fast, and the food is affordable (about $ 7) and delicious.
If I happen to be in the area around lunch time and I’m in a hurry, ShopHouse is a no brainer.

I don’t know how ShopHouse doesn’t have a solid four stars. The servers work fast, they’re friendly, and the location on the busiest crosswalk of the Santa Monica Promenade should alone give it three stars. The food is that fourth and well deserved star.
The only inclination I can give about this place is that it’s basically like a Chipotle, but think Chipotle for Asian bowls. I won’t try to describe the food and the flavors because I’ll fail miserably, just know it was delicious. And when one of the servers tells you he’ll only drizzle a little of the bright red chili paste over your bowl, just take your bowl and go! Don’t say you want more «cuz you like your food spicy.»
I was completely satisfied and thrilled by ShopHouse, especially because it’s right on the Promenade.

This is definitely an «Asian Chipotle,» as many others have described it. My buddy and I saw a consistent stream of people coming in and out of this Thai-​Vietnamese joint, so why not? Great concept, and being able to customize everything to my wants/​needs was quite empowering hehe!
The steak was tasty enough, though it wasn’t anything to write home about. I did like the green curry sauce though, as recommended by the employee there. My buddy’s peanut sauce was also not too shabby, though definitely on the sweeter side.
Not much else that really stood out to me, though there is very limited seating (they’re quite popular) and you may find yourself having to share a big table… so don’t be shy, ask nicely and get cozy! It’s a great casual place to enjoy an Asian inspired meal without breaking the wallet :)