Ho-Ja: what is it like?
Ho-Ja is a small Taiwanese restaurant on Goldhawk Road, in Shepherd’s Bush, a stone’s throw from the O2 Shepherd’s Bush and all the fabric shops on Goldhawk Road. They specialize in Taiwanese street food, although there’s a strong Japanese flair to the menu, too.
And it’s a pretty extensive menu, from Chicken Popcorn (very popular) to Taiwanese Meatball Soup to Deep-Fried Taro Bun. Plenty of excellent value bentos too (these come on a plate rather than in a bento box, but it’s the same principle as the more usual bento box format). Spicy dishes are clearly labelled, as are vegan dishes, and there’s at least one vegan option in each menu category. For drinks, there’s a selection of imported beers and tea (the bubble kind as well as the not-bubble kind).
During the pandemic, they started a Taiwanese supermarket, stocking a large range of products, not only from Taiwan, but also Korea, Japan and Hong Kong. That supermarket is still going in a corner of the restaurant, as well as online. You can actually order the Chicken Popcorn as a frozen meal. Nice!
There’s a canteen feel to the place (in a good way): striped brick walls, distressed panelling, industrial lights. The staff greets you, get you a seat and bring a menu to the table, and you order at a screen at the counter. Plates come quickly and prices are very reasonable, although – in all honesty – some portion sizes might feel a bit small, if you’re very hungry.
Still, the food (everything I’ve tried, at any rate) lives up to the restaurant name (Ho-Ja apparently means tasty). Next time, I’m going to try the popcorn chicken with a side of sweet potato fries with prune powder. Chicken and chips!
So there you go – a great little neighbourhood restaurant to have on your radar if you’re in the area.
But you find yourself hungry on the other side of London, I wholeheartedly recommend Dom’s Subs in The City. If you’re south of the river, there’s Italo Deli in Vauxhall, or you could go all the way to Croydon and visit Paratha Inn.
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Ho-Ja: practical information (and a bonus karaoke bar)
Address: 39 Goldhawk Rd, W12 8QQ
Opening Hours: closed Mondays; 11:30 to 21:30 the rest of the week.
Website: https://www.ho-ja.co.uk for the restaurant; https://ho-ja.uk/ for the online supermarket.
How to get there: the nearest Tube station is Goldhawk Rd (Circle line, Hammersmith & City Line); it’s about a 10 minutes walk from Shepherd’s Bush (Central line, Overground, British rail)
Eat in? Yes
Take away? Yes
Outside seating? No
Toilets? Yes
And also: there’s a secret karaoke bar in the basement that you can hire for parties.
