Sochu House

I don’t know why this placed closed but probably because nobody ever went here. When I went here with my cousin, it was kind of empty late night on a Saturday a few months before it closed but it was raining that night and Phoenix night life always dies when it rains. The food was pretty good. I had a hot pot and we had a bunch of appetizers. We had a few drinks and the bartender was decent. Price came out to be way lower than I thought. I’m sad to see it gone but the owner is a FOAF and he’s opened another asian place named Red Thai, I think.

$ 2 split fee for seperare checks. So if you are a party of 7 people, that is $ 14 addition. Totally insane.
Don’t try to order Lemongrass Chicken. Even though it is an option on the menu «the Chef will only make it with fish.»
Screw this place.

This place is great! It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside is very chic and classy.
Things to get:
–Truffle Edamame (like 10 orders — so good)
–Sugar Cane Pork
–Soup Gyoza
–Spicy Wonton
–Ginger Mint Duck Salad
–Spring Rolls
The cocktails are also delicious. They have cool happy hour deals every night.

I was very excited to try this place out since I’d heard such great things about it. Upon entering, I was totally blown away by the décor. It was beautiful! I stood near the door for a couple minutes waiting to be greeting, or at least be given some sort direction, but no one seemed to notice me. I looked towards the bar and made eye contact with the bartender but he quickly looked away. The staff didn’t seem friendly and I kinda felt awkward just standing there. As I struggled with deciding to stay or go, a friendly girl named Naomi popped up out of no where and greeted me with a smile. She immediately apologized for the wait and was very kind in explaining the menu to me.
I placed a pretty large order for my takeout. I ordered the Pad Thai, Hong Kong Flat Rice, Stir Fry Udon Noodle, Pork Pot Stickers, House Dynamite and Orange Chili. I knew the order would take a while so I settled in. Immediately, Naomi brought over some water and made certain there wasn’t anything else I needed. Wonderful customer service.
Now, the reason I give this place one star is because of the head cook, Nayir, and because of the food.
After about 15 minutes since placing my order, I could hear the head cook yelling at the hostess who helped me and she was throwing a fit over my order. She was also yelling at the two other cooks in the kitchen with her. Why? I don’t know. Nor did I care. It could’ve been something as simple as a miscommunication on the ticket. Regardless, it was extremely unprofessional of her to go on like that loudly enough for myself and other customers to hear. After a few minutes of hearing her complain about God knows what, I went up to Naomi, the hostess who took my order, and asked her to just cancel everything. I’d already paid but I didn’t care anymore. Incidentally, Naomi happened to be standing right in front of the kitchen so when she asked me to reconsider, I gladly explained, loudly enough for everyone in the kitchen to hear, why I was upset and why I didn’t trust food made by someone with that kind of unprofessional work ethic. At that moment Nayir stopped her rant and continued making my order without another word.
I decided to take Naomi’s suggestion and I waited a few moments longer. The food was ready. I took it home, tried it and was pretty disappointed. The Pad Thai lacked any flavor, The Hong Kong Flat Rice was still so spongy and undercooked that I couldn’t chew it, the Pot Stickers tasted store bought and the House Dynamite was swimming in a sauce that resembled soy sauce colored water. There was no viscosity. The Orange Chili was decent but definitely not enough for me to return.
I will definitely try it out again at a later time since first impressions aren’t always correct. But, for now, I’m left with a really bad taste in my mouth.

I’ve been coming in periodically since it opened. My boyfriend and I love this place. It’s very affordable– okay wine and cocktails. Fun atmosphere– really tasty Asian Fusion with super tasty vegetarian options.
Everything I have ever ordered tastes great. My only gripe, I wish they served brown rice– white rice is just straight starch without any nutritional value and I don’t like eating it.

We are a fan of any restaurant that Johnny Chu puts together. The soup gyoza dumplings are one of my favorite dishes EVER.
It’s a romantic spot for a date night and they have great happy hour pricing. We haven’t had a dish we haven’t loved and they have an extensive beer and cocktail menu.
You’re missing out on a Phoenix gem if you don’t go to SoChu House!

Met my gal pals for our regular hump day happy hour session and we were «so sure» that Sochu would hit the spot. Thought it was going to be somewhat packed up with thirsty folks simply cause it’s Wednesday. It’s the middle of the week for crying out loud. But it was pretty vacant in there for 5:30 PM maybe that’s because the location is a bit nondescript. But no complaint here cause our waitstaff, Brandon, was too cool for school. The menu is delicious all around. The only downer is that happy hour drinks is only at the bar. But wine bottles are half off at the dinner table… boo! Nonetheless, it was a good time. I had the Lust Cocktail and it saved my soul but at $ 10 a glass… it’s a good thing I was thirsty. I like the open concept of the kitchen though because I like to know who’s messin’ around back there.

Zero stars! where do I begin. stop by for dinner & drinks. Ask the bartender if he can wipe down the bar it was very dirty, he replied «it shouldn’t be dirty I wiped it down last night». made my drink left it sitting at the other end of the bar for ten mins. We Asked for a menu, gave us dirty one.(see pic.)bartender bitching how he wants to go home… this place is very dirty .dead on a Friday night, now we know why shut this place down!!,

My boyfriend wanted to take me to dinner for my birthday and I chose Sochu House! I saw the pictures and it reeled me right in!
For drinks i ordered the Sweet Karma. This was a lychee martini that was quite tasty. And let me tell you. They do not skimp on the drinks. This was filled to the rim! For the entrée I ordered the crispy island noodles. This comes with chicken, carrots, baby corn, mushroom. The sauce that came with it was really good. We also ordered the fried rice ball. It’s exactly like it sounds people. A fried rice ball. Lol.
I really loved this place. They have so many items to choose from for their tapas menu. I definitely want to come back to try more of them. We came on a Monday so it is also $ 3 off your martini drinks. The best part was the ambience and décor of the place. It’s a great place for dinner or they also have a lounge to have drinks at. I will definitely be back!

Been here 3 or 4 times already, for dinner and happyyy hour. Whooo. I love the multi colors wedding look, its so pretty. Very romantic feel… But then, Trance music comes on. Haha. Get my groove on :)
Hmmm let’s see, I got the tofu and vegetable with rice. The rice was kinda soggy. The tofu was good though. My friend got the noodle dish. He said it was mediocre. He said it would be better if they didn’t put too much salt. :/

We went on a Saturday night for late-​night happy hour. Despite what I expected from reading a couple reviews, we immediately sat down in a rather empty bar. A large party came at one point and a few small groups, but it was not very crowded and there was no DJ.
The service was not great. The servers were short with us and seemed impatient. We didn’t have questions, but it was as though we were supposed to know what we were going to order without getting menus.
We had the sugar cane pork. It was OK. it was a sweetened hunk of meat on the bone. I probably wouldn’t order it again. We had the chicken wings. The flavor was good but there were tough. We also had the truffle butter edamame which was good and I would order it again. Each was $ 5.00.
To drink, a glass of red wine and a vodka press, each $ 5.00.
Overall, I liked the late happy hour. The prices were good. The drinks were good. If I return I’ll try different menu items.

Don’t let the nigh club double personality of this place scare you away as there are some solid and unique menu options here.
One of my favorite was the «green dragon balls» they are like an Asian gnocchi, chewy bits of noodle in a spicy sauce. it was great. Another great veg dish we had was the crispy noodle island with tofu.

Okay, since first going in December of 2012, I have been back more times than I can count. I go at least 1 – 2 times a month and take out-​of-​towners there constantly. I’ve tried almost every tapa dish and quite a few of the entrees. I can honestly say there hasn’t been a dish on the menu I’ve tried and said «No, I wouldn’t order that again.» The last time we went (aka 3 days ago), I ordered the sugar cane pork for the first time. Umm, why hadn’t I done that before? I could probably eat that all day. I’m also a huge fan of their baby bok choy, like HUGE fan. It’s so garlicky and wonderful. Also, give me all the bacon wrapped okra please. All-​of-​it. I love to end the meal with their wontons, cheesy, fruity, yumminess.
I will say that if you are someone who is very sensitive to spice, you may not like a lot of the dishes. Everything is so effing good, but there is a kick to many dishes. Ask your server for suggestions if you have a delicate palette, or you know, buck up and enjoy the ride.
In my first review, I said I was too hungover to try the drinks, now I specifically go to Sochu to get drinks! Their saketinis are so, so, very good. Well worth the $ 11 price tag. I usually for the cucumber-​mint one (I think it’s Kyyuri Minto or something like that), whatever it is, it’s tasty as hell, strong as hell, and makes me happy. Lust is a great one, it’s really sweet and I like it as a dessert cocktail. They also have a few spicy martinis (Spicy Mama/​Hot Mama?) that are indeed super spicy, so be wary! They are quite good, but I’ll be damned if my mouth wasn’t on fire. For a good time, read the drink descriptions out loud. Just maybe not around your parents.
I also love that this place is open late. So rare for Phoenix. And the specials! Tuesdays are Tapas Tuesdays, 3 tapas for $ 20. Thursdays are Date Nights, 4 courses for $ 30 (1 salad, 1 tapa, 1 entrée, dessert). I believe Mondays have a Martini special and Wednesday nights after 9 they have a comedy show in the bar/​lounge area.
Also, shout out to Johnny! When he is there, he goes around to all the tables and checks in. We go enough that he remembers us and really takes his time to chat. I wish him all the best with his new endeavor (new place on Northern and 12^th av) and can’t wait to check it out!

So disappointing. Sochu is located in a shopping strip with plenty of parking. We decided to stop in for happy hour. The restaurant is trying a little too hard in terms of décor — white walls, windows blocked with red and black curtains, purple lights, white tables and chairs. It’s nice, but a little over the top for my taste.
After sitting in the restaurant area, we were told happy hour (3 – 6 pm daily, and reverse from 10:30 to midnight) is only available in the bar. No biggie, we move. After asking for a couple beers and wine that they were out of, we had a couple reasonably priced drinks.
The food was lackluster. I did not enjoy the chicken lollipops — sauce was too thick and had little flavor. Orange puffs were pretty good, a little spicy with plenty of orange flavor, but simple. I did like the Sochu tofu — thought the tofu was fried well and dipping sauces were nice.
After waiting awhile to catch the eye of the bartender, we ordered a couple more drinks and two more tapas. We received the drinks quickly, but after waiting 20 minutes and watching other tables who ordered after us receive their food, we figured we weren’t getting more tapas. We flagged down the bartender, paid and left.
Nice concept, but it just wasn’t for me.

This restaurant has a weird vibe. The bar area feels like a creepy dive bar trying to be cool – very dark with purple-​y lights. You can barely see the person next to you. The dining area is brighter with white furnishings and white walls. With concrete floors, white drapes, and covered windows, it’s hard to decide whether this place is trying to be a techno club or a restaurant.
That said, the drinks were very reasonable and the food was solid. The gyoza soup was flavorful and the green beans were delicious.

«Tapas Delights»
Me and my co-​worker happened across here because a place we wanted to try was closed. We were asked was it our first time, we said yes, and then asked for some suggestions. He recommended the tapas side of the menu for variety. Soo we looked at we made some decisions:
Sizzling Shrimp
Spicy Wonton
Sweet Soya
Thai Spring Rolls
Chicken Lollipops
Some fancy green beans
And absolutely amazing experience. And the bonus was they timed everything so appropriately. By the time we finished with one thing the other was arriving. They would deliver as ready and not waiting. Nothing like hot, fresh food. You can totally taste the freshness of all the ingredients. Yummy!
Sidebar: They have Martini Mondays

this place is friggin fantastic! From awesome ambiance, super creative delicious food and tasty drinks. Sochu really has it going on. We tried a bunch of different dishes and just loved all of them. Being as indecisive as I am, I love small plates and this place gave me exactly what i was looking for. Check it out, you’ll love it!
I can’t wait to go back!

I wanted to go back since the 1^st time was so good.
We tried all new dishes…
Chicken wontons a little doughy, but good.
Pesto Edamame delicious as long as you like salty.
Fish Salad on papaya slaw… dressing was a sweet chile that ran to the bottom of the bowl and did nothing for the generous piece of fried fish and chewy slaw.
Green Papaya salad with tofu… too similar to fish salad and the tofu has no flavor since they don’t seem to marinate it.
I would definitely go back for the nHouse Dynamite I had last time and the Pad Thai that was also delicious last time.
Today was a bust.
Last note… the music for the lunch crowd should probably be different than the happy hour crowd. We didn’t enjoy it at all.

I really had high hopes for this place since Chef Johnny Chu’s restaurants are generally no joke. This place was rated by Phoenix Magazine as a top 10 Asian restaurants!
Well unfortunately, the jokes on me I guess. I think the place is pretty hip and cool. Ambience is classy with a club vibe. However, on a regular day this place is displaced. Located on Central off a strip mall and next to Lenny’s Burger is an odd location it seems. Once you walk in it’s like a new world that you didn’t expect looking from the outside. I’m sure during the weekends this place can be popping.
I attended with a foodie friend this lovely Sunday evening hoping we would be impressed! Great reviews from my fellow Unilocalers! We ordered the Crispy Fish Papaya Salad, Red Curry, and Crispy Fried Sole. Our papaya salad too light on the spice and seasoning. Needed more lemons and definitely more spice and fish sauce. The fried sole, well was fried but overly glazed with the sweet and spicy sauce — seemed pretty generic to my taste; just add water taste. Finally, the curry was okay. Again the spice for it was sparse and I really didn’t get a taste of traditional curry from it.
Needless to say, I’m disappointed! Sorry gang I really wanted this place to work for me, but it didn’t. It’s not to say I don’t have respect for Chef Chu, but I’ll have to pass on this place. I don’t know who came here from Phoenix Magazine to vote, but really; really?! — Enjoy!

The Sochu House has an interesting aesthetic style with seemingly random vintage-​modern furnishings and splashes of color. The dining room has relatively few tables, is a bit dark, and a little loud from the music. Yet, the chairs are extremely comfortable.
The food is a unique and creative Asian fusion. The mint pepper chicken dinner plate was amazing. It bursted with flavor from healthy white meat chicken pieces (fried with light skin, no breading), water chestnut, and sweet juicy pineapple chunks. The sauce contained a great blend of spices and was good enough to eat itself. For tapas, the wasabi soy chicken was fresh, nicely grilled, and had a thin layer of teriyaki. It came with the most stunning fresh wasabi and wasabi-​soy sauce I have ever had. The quail tapas was very small, but had a good Chinese duck style flavor. However, the green tea cheesecake dessert was a bit disappointing, since it basically tasted like a regular cheesecake.
Sochu House is located in a bit of an odd location on a high-​traffic route, which is a deterrent to going back. While I like the size of the meal portions, since they are small, the value ratio is not on par with other great places in town. Often, I leave other locations with one or two extra meals for the same price and food quality. This is the kind of place that I might bring an out of town guest to, since it is trendy and has creative dishes.