Food
As Calgary’s first yakitori-focused restaurant, Shokunin centres its menu on the precise grilling of more than 20 cuts of chicken and select meats over a traditional Japanese-style robata grill. This method harnesses the elemental interplay of salt, fat, and fire to develop depth and complexity in every skewer.
Particular attention is given to chicken, the foundation of yakitori, from yaki meaning fire and tori meaning bird. Each morning, approximately 30 chickens are carefully butchered into more than 20 distinct cuts, including tail, heart, neck, and thigh, before being skewered for service. Some rare selections require multiple birds per skewer and are available in limited quantities each evening.
Beyond chicken, the menu features a curated selection of grilled vegetables, meats, and seafood. Highlights include Miso Butter Grilled Cabbage, hamachi kama, and select cuts of Japanese wagyu beef, aged in-house for 45 days in beeswax.
Drink
Sake is a central focus at Shokunin, which features one of the city’s earliest and most exclusive junmai, or “pure,” sake collections. By specializing in junmai styles, the program offers clean, expressive profiles suited to both first-time guests and seasoned tōji, or sake aficionados.
The selection reflects Chef MacLean’s longstanding relationships with breweries across Japan. Through regular visits and direct partnerships, Shokunin Collective restaurants secure limited and exclusive allocations, with select pours unavailable elsewhere in North America.
The house-curated cocktail program is designed with equal precision. The list reinterprets familiar classics through a Japanese lens, incorporating regional spirits, distinct flavour profiles, and refined presentation to complement the cuisine.
Beer remains integral to the Japanese izakaya experience. Shokunin features OKAMI KASU, a house-developed beer brewed with sake kasu. This technique lends the ale a rounded texture and subtle sweetness that pairs seamlessly with grilled dishes.
