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Happy Shabu Shabu

3.8 (527 reviews)
Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
Updated 3 weeks ago

Order Happy Shabu Shabu Takeout or Delivery

Happy Shabu Shabu Photos

Business Info

HAPPY SHABU SHABU ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Happy Shabu Shabu

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Reviews With Photos

Young Y.

Got the premium AYCE. Didn't opt for the a la cart. I liked the Wagyu options and they were soft and tender. I also liked the sesame sauce a lot for dipping. The wheat noodles are also super springy and delicious. I got the spicy tonkotsu broth and it was also super rich and flavorful which I liked, since I've had some experiences with very bland or bad broths before. I didn't like the "Wagyu lite" cut though, was lean for my liking. It was pretty empty when I went, at around 6 PM on a Thursday after work.

Richard H.

After coming here 2 years ago, my boys seem to come once a month and have gotten to know the owner and staff who while here tonight I could tell she puts her heart and soul into making sure everyone is enjoying themselves. She also explained in great detail about the differences between the Dassai 39 and 45 sakes regarding the taste profiles and the #s representing the % of rice polished from its original size in the making of the sake. We ordered the all you can eat in which we ordered one plate of premium meat at an up charge. Unlimited portions of meats and veggies. Sake was smooth and paired well with our meal. Will not wait another 2 years since my initial visit to come back when wanting some Happy Happy Shabu.

AYCE Shabu with premium +$8 "Melting Snow" Wagyu
Kathy W.

The absolute best shabu shabu restaurant in San Francisco!! My husband and I have been going here for 3 years now, we are regular customers and love this place. Incredible meat quality, amazing service, and always has great options and accommodations for everyone. It's also a great cozy spot with individual pots for everyone. We've brought several of our friends and their families here as well and every single one of them ended up loving the food! We've even been to Japan and Happy Shabu Shabu is on par and even better than some of the shabu restaurants in Japan. Will always recommend this place and continue to come here

Gina H.

OMG where do I start! This place was hands down the best shabu shabu I have had in awhile. The place is cute and tucked away in the Fillmore district. Easy Uber ride from anywhere in the city. We were greeted by one waitress and sat at the bar because of multiple parties on NYE. The menu is a write on, where you select if you want regular AYCE, premium or on the other side a la carte I guess. We were hungry and opted for premium. It was about 135 for two adults and one child price. The food! OMG SO GOOD! We opted for miso, spicy miso and a tonkatsu broth. All were perfection with some of the added garlic and sauces they give you. The wagyu and thin sliced pork were the favorites for us. So flavorful with the broth. My son got rice which I think I would do next time. I opted for ramen noodles which were thick and took more time to cook but well worth it. The guy cutting the meat was friendly as well. We didn't feel rushed and I feel like we got our money's worth for sure. I definitely would be back!

Kyle H.

Consistently great quality meats. Most people judge meat purely off of "melt in your mouth". This spot definitely delivers on that flavor profile but it goes beyond that. Each meat they offer has a distinct flavor profile and texture that it provides a more diverse tasting experience beyond just a melt in your mouth experience. This place also has very friendly service and my go to spot after a tough week at work. I've gotten to know the owner Jo throughout each of my visits. She always makes each meal feel relaxing and special!

Miso broth with veggies & noodles
Rise G.

Ate here recently and was pleasantly surprised. We arrived just after opening and were seated immediately. Service was quick and friendly. It was a bit difficult to know what / how much to order from the menu but our server was very helpful in helping us order. We got the miso and spicy miso broths as well as the All About Wagyu set for 2. Each broth also came with three dipping sauces and a plate of noodles, tofu, and veggies. We enjoyed our dinner and had a good experience overall.

All you can eat

All you can eat with half price of Sake is a great deal Always go back to this place the service is great clean and tasty

Sharon L.

The restaurant is decent sized. Parking was difficult but it seems like most people park in the neighborhoods or Safeway! Service was slow because there were only 2 staff working. We came as a party of 8. Most of us got spicy tonkatsu and spicy miso. If you're choosing between either, pick the tonkatsu. The miso was near flavorless. The key spotlight of the restaurant in our opinion was the meat quality of the wagyu + spicy lemon sauce. There are other places that I would recommend, but this restaurant was mediocre overall. Worth the try though for ACE.

Donna F.

One of the most underrated shabu places in the city. This place may be small and not look that appealing, but once you get past all of that, they probably have the best quality meats of any shabu place. I actually crave this place. Their prices have went up recently, but it's still worth it in my opinion. The "cloud" wagyu itself makes it worth it. Meat is so soft. Don't need to cook it for too long. I also usually pay the extra $2 for tonkatsu broth. So rich and delicious.

Hot pot
Bella G.

MMMMMM YALL. I LOVE an interactive meal. Hot pot was genuinely so much fun and I don't know if it was just the amount of soju we all had that made it so fun but either way it was awesome. I ate soooo much. Not upset about it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Shoutout to the helpful servers!

Pork
Justin W.

If you like hotpot or kbbq, try Happy Shabu Shabu! It's a Japanese cook-it-yourself all you can eat restaurant (they have non AYCE options too). You can order 4 items at a time from a selection of items and pay a couple dollars more for the premium selection. Food: they have lots of different meat options (beef, pork, lamb, shrimp). In my opinion the premium menu is worth it for the Wagyu option which is by far better than the other types of meat. I also suggest having it without the sauce because the flavor and the texture of the meat is best plain The ambiance is great, I've taken friends here multiple times and the decor and lighting feels welcoming and clean. The service is very fast with both robot servers and Jo who always checks in on how the food is going and remembers our faces when we go.

Set for 2 people with Sukiyaki broth and Spicy Miso broth

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22 days ago

Nice servers...great quality....love this spot. Even we swamped the people here are so nice.

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7 months ago

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10 months ago

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9 months ago

Food is delicious. Service is great. Love the host. Great place for gathering!!!!!!!!!!!

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2 years ago

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5 months ago

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10 months ago

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6 months ago

Great service and food! We got the all you can eat and they were so proactive in coming to refill. Also very nice and respectful.

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7 months ago

Favorite Shabu place on the west coast. Amazing food and service. I always bring friends here when they're in town

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1 year ago

Love this place! The food is so good and the owners are such wonderful hosts. It's always a good and delicious time.

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2 years ago

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Happy Shabu Shabu Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Happy Shabu Shabu

What's the recipe for their sesame sauce?

What cut of beef do they use: ribeye, or short rib? Their menu doesn't say.

It's brisket actually

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Matsuyama Shabu House

Matsuyama Shabu House

3.9
(178 reviews)
0.3 mi

don't even know where to start. This place completely blew me away…read more First, the service. Irene made this entire experience unforgettable. She was so warm, friendly, and genuinely helpful. It honestly felt like we were ordering with a friend who just happens to know the entire menu inside and out. She gave amazing recommendations and even told us she makes the hot sauce from scratch (which... you can taste the difference). That level of care really set the tone for the whole night. Now the food... not a single miss. Seriously, not one thing we didn't like. We went with the Ultra menu ($108), which includes lobster, and it was 100% worth it. For broths, we chose the Tom Yum and Tonkotsu. Both were rich, flavorful, and perfect in completely different ways. The meat selection was incredible, especially the wagyu options, they literally melt in your mouth. You can tell the quality is top tier. The flame-torched wagyu nigiri was absolutely out of this world--perfectly balanced and paired with a wasabi powder that elevated every bite. We also had the hamachi cloud, which was so fresh, flavorful, and had the perfect crunch--such a standout dish. And the spicy clams? Easily one of our favorites. Super fresh, super tasty, and packed with flavor. Beyond the food, the entire staff made us feel genuinely welcomed, which made the experience even better. The location is perfect. It's right in the center of Japantown. Inside they have a bar where you can sit and talk with the servers face-to-face. And it's a great spot to people watch while you eat. I truly cannot recommend this place enough. Between the incredible quality, the variety, and the next-level service. This is a spot I'll be coming back to again and again (and yes, I'll absolutely be asking for Irene).

Expensive for what it is. Basic option for AYCE is going to be 70-80 per person with taxes and…read moretip. The meat is ehh. Appetizers are really bland. Service is very slow and the staff is so overwhelmed but friendly. Management needs to get more help or better training. I'd make a drive further for better options honestly. Many AYCE places around $30-40 per person with better meat offering.

Photos
Matsuyama Shabu House
How beautiful this looks your mouth is already watering by just looking at this fresh seafood Japanese wow
How beautiful this looks your mouth is already watering by just looking at this fresh seafood Japanese wow
Tuna wagyu seaweed wraps

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Tuna wagyu seaweed wraps
Boiling Hot Pot

Boiling Hot Pot

4.4
(1.2k reviews)
2.5 mi
$$$
10 years in business
All you can eat

My friends and I wanted hotpot after hiking at Lands End, so we decided to try out this place…read more I love the fact that you can choose four different soups! We had the spicy soup, tomato soup, tom yum soup, and chicken soup. I also like the fact that there were community tongs near the sauce bar which is useful for those who are saliva-conscious! :) There's a tablet on the wall that lets you order whatever you want. There was plenty of meat, veggie, and seafood options that we ended up indecisive at times since everything looked great. Our favorites were the beef toro, wagyu beef, and fish ball with roe. For the 6 of us, it was around $50 each with tip which isn't too bad considering it was all you can eat. The place is pretty chill and not busy that day. We sat at the booths and it wasn't that loud, so it was perfect for us to chat and catch up. Pretty quick service and a pleasant experience, this definitely hit the spot after a nice long hike!

Boiling Hot Pot is great value for the money. Huge range of meats and seafood, and it's genuinely…read moreone of the better spots I've found for dietary restrictions. Tons of noodle and veggie options, plus both a vegetarian and a vegan broth, so nobody at the table gets stuck. Everyone gets their own individual pot too, which I love, and the place is clean. My one gripe is there's no bar where you can pick your own items, so you're ordering off the menu instead of grabbing what you want. Small thing, but worth knowing. Overall though, solid food and great bang for your buck. Would go back.

Photos
Quality Meat
Quality Meat
Boiling Hot Pot
Sauce Bar

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Sauce Bar
Hotpot Champ

Hotpot Champ

3.8
(218 reviews)
1.8 mi
$$$

Hotpot Champ is a popular hot pot restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown with a signature meat…read morewheel. They have $39.99 ayce hotpot all day (60+ dishes to choose from), as well as $18.99 malatang + 1 free drinks on lunchtime weekdays. There are 7 soup bases: sichuan spicy, tomato, wild mushroom, coconut water with chicken, tomyum, pumpkin and clear broth. Their soup are amazing. There are also various meat and veggie toppings to choose from, and they are all fresh and delicious. You also make your own dipping sauce and I remember their sesame dipping also very fragrant and flavorful! Plus, panda decorations!!!! Very cute panda themed restaurant Overall great value!!! Highly recommend!

Came in no wait time. Server sat us down asked us our broth gave us an ipad to order. No music…read moreplaying no other customers and pretty much no service other than coming out every now and then to drop off the food. Sauce and sides are self serve and unless you like vinegar or soy sauce, that sauce is going to be thick or dry. Theres no ponzu or other liquid sauce. The hot pot stove kept turning off due to a bad cord and instead of moving us to a different table or fixing the problem they had us sit a little bit back away from the table and told us to not accidentally hit the cord thats directly under us. The older lady server also has a small attitude when serving.

Photos
Ferris Wheel Set-up
Ferris Wheel Set-up
Tomato beef pot with noodles, 5th serving
Tomato beef pot with noodles, 5th serving
Treasure Box Set Up

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Treasure Box Set Up
Yakiniq

Yakiniq

3.3
(1.8k reviews)
0.3 mi
$$$

YakiniQ really said "leave hungry? never heard of her."…read more Pulled up with my homie Jun because this man treated me to lobster last time and you already know... Asians keep receipts but in a wholesome way We don't split love, we rotate blessings. For $49.99/person, this AYCE Korean BBQ was straight violating my self-control. The short ribs?? HELLA BUSSIN. Like actually criminal. Every bite had me ascending like a TikTok food review in 4K. Meat so juicy I almost stood up and thanked the cow personally. The grill smoke got us smelling like seasoned warriors walking outta there but honestly worth it. Staff kept the meats coming faster than my auntie asking why I'm still single. And let me put y'all onto some elite Chinese vocabulary real quick: "好吃到舔手指" (hǎo chī dào tiǎn shǒu zhǐ) = "so good you lick your fingers." That's EXACTLY the vibe. Finger-licking good fr fr. YakiniQ got me fighting for my life, unbuttoning my pants in the parking lot, and already planning my return. 10/10. No crumbs left. Their "Red Hot" peanut sauce is the carry here - no doubt. Highly recommend with my utmost respectful regards!

Came here last night to celebrate a friend's birthday. Had poor experiences at the Livermore…read morelocation in the past, so wasnt really expecting much from this spot either. Granted we were a bit late for our reservation, we ended up having to wait another 30-40 mins. The place (2nd floor) is small & awkward. We were all cramped waiting on the stairway and the actual seating area is also fairly small for a busy KBBQ place/big parties. The 8 of us squeezed into a booth with 2 chairs on the side. You can also feel whenever the table next to us got up and stomped/yelled/moved in their chairs-- which was really often. The basic AYCE menu is fairly limited-- esp for the side options. The marinated meats were pretty good as was the tteokbokki. Side & meat portions were alright, but the kicker is having to flag down staff to make sure they put in the order & bring it out. We asked for japchae about 5 times before it actually reached our table towards the end of our meal. The server/manager also told us that he had accidentally brought out 2 bottles of soju for us and that he'd COMP 1 bottle. We didnt notice that he had actually charged us for 2 and comped/subtracted a "third" one. So none were really comped at all. I just realized after we paid and that felt really sketchy. Idk if it's worth coming back here.

Photos
Short ribs
Short ribs
Yakiniq
Seafood pancake

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Seafood pancake
DNM Hot Pot

DNM Hot Pot

4.5
(146 reviews)
2.1 mi
$$

It was my first time at a hot pot place that had chimichurri as part of the dipping sauce and it…read morewas SOOO good, I really enjoyed it. We ordered tomato soup based for the first time and was surprised how good it was, kept drinking the soup until my stomach was full lol Services was great! Very friendly. I like that the place feels like eating at home, which is uncommon at a hotpot place. It was clean and spacious. Definitely a nice way to end the night if you are looking for a soupy dish.

Date of Visit: 5/16/2025…read more We visited the DNN Hot Pot last Friday with friends to enjoy the Mongolian style hot pot and grill. DNM Hot Pot is currently located on Clement Street between Funston Ave and 12th Ave, and soon they will be moving to Clement St and 25th Ave, according to the business owner. The new location will feature a second-floor dining area, which will be even better for party or group dining. Unlimited Dipping Sauce $2.7 There is an unlimited dipping sauce cart for us to prepare our own sauce for the hot pot. My favorite mix is the satay sauce with soy sauce, and topped with garlic and onion. House Special Tomato Broth (Half) $6.92 As a party of 4, we picked 2 different broths as the half portion. The tomato broth was very fresh with the sweetness of the tomato. Inner Mongolian Lamb Back Bone Pot (Half) $38 And we highly recommend the Inner Mongolian Lamb Back Bone Pot! The pot was filled with lamb back bone with meat, which was a big portion for us already. The pot made all the meat and vegetables extra tasty. Definitely a must-try! BBQ Small Lamb Leg $20.79 We got the BBQ lamb leg to pair with the hot pot. Lamb Shoulder (8oz) $11.87 We ordered the lamb shoulder, which went very well in both broths. American Kobe Beef (8oz) $19.79 Kobe beef was soft and chewy too. Beef Tripe $6.92 Love the beef tripe. Duck Blood $10.88 Duck blood at DNM Hot Pot was good. Soft and tasty. Frozen Tofu $5.93 My husband loves frozen tofu in the hot pot. Tong Hao $5.93 Napa Cabbage $5.93 Both vegetables were fresh and tasty.

Photos
DNM Hot Pot
DNM Hot Pot
DNM Hot Pot

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Happy Shabu Shabu - japanese - Updated July 2026

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