I've been to Shaba Shabu several times over the last few years, and the business model has changed quite a bit since my first time. Several years ago (~2007), the restaurant was split between traditional dining and Japanese hot pot (shabu shabu). I had the shabu shabu back then and loved it. Tasty, clean broth and fresh ingredients. As of late, the restaurant has remodeled and become much more loungey with a contemporary feel. I've come for after work drinks and appetizers and again for a sit-down dinner. My experience has been very different for these two occasions. I really enjoyed coming here for cocktails. My friend and I sat at the lounge bar and got drink recommendations from the bartender. I tried a few concoctions, and while the ingredients didn't include fresh-squeezed juices, they were still tasty and refreshing. We got appetizers with our drinks - gyoza and tuna tartare. While the portions were small for the price, we really liked what we got. (3 stars) Dinner was another story. I think the Japanese and Thai foods are not authentic at all. I got the phad kee mao. The dish was drowning in this dark sauce that masked the flavor more than enhanced it. It just should not have been. Was the portion size awesome? Yes. Was the service good? Yes. Would I rather have had Sawasdee? Yes. Of my party of three, we had 1 thumbs up and 2 thumbs down. (2 stars) This is a review of averages. I really enjoyed casual bites here, but probably won't be back to try the rest of their dinner menu. (2.5 stars) read more

Lets seek for the good stuff first: Interior, nice and posh. Atmosphere is good. Front door greeter is good. Food, Whoa, I had the worst stomach/digestive issues following lunch here. Maybe my expectations were too high as I had no breakfast that morning and came with a hunger. I had the $15 three course lunch meal which consisted of salad, veggie and seafood mini rolls and a rice a tofu dish. Maybe the fish was not fresh but following lunch like 10 minutes later I was in the bathroom. My tofu was white in the middle and not fried all the way through... I would not recommend. read more

ShabaShabu - Bad - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I do not know why it has taken us 10 years to visit this restaurant. I think of all the lost sushi opportunities we could have had. But alas, we now know what a wonderful restaurant this is. Let me start with the drink special on the night we went. You got a bottle of champagne and a carafe of orange juice to make mimosas at your table for $15. What a deal. Then we both had the three course dinner for $20 and shared a killer piece of coconut cake for dessert. A wonderful meal of delicious food and great service. read more

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Had a great lunch here with some awesome service from our waitress. Ill start off by saying you really cant beat their lunch special which comes with a rather large serving along with tom kha soup which is GREAT here for 5.99! The other lunch items if they arent on special are only a few bucks more. We got their sushi rolls which are all BOGO and were pretty good. I liked the fuji roll over the Flambe roll. Will definitely be back and it wasnt terribly busy for a weekday lunch. Plenty of parking since its in a strip mall. read more

At there today. Food was great, service excellent. Everyone doing their best to keep to the covid19 guide lines

My friend brought a plate and when it was delivered they gave her the wrong plate with meat and she does not eat meat. When she called and send a picture to you, you said the plate was not from your restaurant meanwhile my friend orders food there often. We are disappointed with your service. We will not recommend anyone there you gave her poor service. read more

So, when I come to these places I am NOT looking to eat sushi. Thai is my thing. Came here because it is fairly close to my job and I was craving Thai. More often than not. I walked through some heavy doors that introduced me to glass doors that were divided by wine bottles displayed on the wall. Very fancy I thought to myself. As I walk in, there was a hostess station with a small dining area accompanied by a long bar with fancy blue lights in the background. Ohh.. I peeked my head into the right and behold a sushi bar and a casual dining area. Then I went to the ladies room and then poked into another room that would originally be to the left coming in and it was a more upscale dining area. Ahh.. The hostess/bartender (haha) took my order of a Tom Kai Gai soup (spicy) and a Sapporo. Did not have time for a real entree here but I will surely be back. She was courteous. I must admit it was a little pricey, I paid close to $20 for those 2 items. Overall, was a good venue that I will come and have dinner. Or maybe lunch since that seems to be their special. read more

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Red curry was delicious. Tom kha soup was as well. The Japanese appetizer sampler was not that great. Good service.

the steamed shumai was soggy, i also ordered the yummy roll and it was decent. overall the food was just okay not extremely delicious but not terrible read more

I have been here multiple times in large groups for sushi outing. Their BOGO sushi has always been good and has never disappointed me. Their pad thai is disappointing. I found it to be too dry and lacked any flavors. I missed the fish sauce flavor in it. Chicken Yakishoba as good. In another instance, I do recall their thai dishes to be inferior to their japanese menu counterparts. Bottomline: Sushi and only dishes off their Japanese cuisine pls. read more

ShabaShabu - Chicken Yaki Shoba - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I come here so often just to get BOGO shrimp tempura rolls, & sometimes the Wolfpack roll. So good at such a fair price.

I've been here before and had their curry dishes. I would recommend their rice dishes over the noodle dishes. The Yakiniku was good, but the Kee Mau Guy noodles were a bit too chewy for my taste. They don't use the thick, flat noodles which are normally served with this dish. Overall, I would say this is a 3.5 star experience. The server although very nice, was a bit slow to get back to us. Expect a 5-10 mins delay between each request. The host was very nice and the presentation of the food was beautiful. read more

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We've been going here for a few years and I always like their sushi. There was a short period of time where we though they May have changed sushi chefs... but within the last month or so, THEY'RE BACK! and I couldn't be more pleased with their quality. read more

I can't believe it has taken me this long to review this place. It is one of my most frequent restaurants that my wife and I go to. Their are a few better places like Cowfish and a couple others but their price is significantly cheaper and they never seem to have a wait. Their staff is friendly and they have a large selection of sushi as well as pasta dishes. It seems to be a place that is very popular for takeout. They do buy one get one free sushi which is always good. I also like their ginger salads and crazy noodle Thai dish. My wife enjoys their pad tai. I would highly recommend checking it out if u want something reasonably priced and quick. read more

ShabaShabu - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Good food but Horrible Customer service! Worse customer service ever! Called to double check my order and the young lady on the phone couldn't give me a answer about anything.... Instead she ran to the manger.... You should hire people that know alittle something about the menu instead of going straight to the manger because you don't known the answer! Waste of my time and the mangers time! Learn the BASICS before hiring someone... this goes for all host/hostess and of course the servers anyone works in a restaurant and retail too! read more

love this place ! the food is so good & the staff is so nice and helpful ! Definitely a go to spot for me and my friends

It was worth a shot. The server was very nice and helpful. The gyoza came out room temp ok. When our meals came out the shrimp tempura roll had a tiny shrimp in it and they had smothered the roll with a sweet sauce we couldn't eat it there was what looked like a large pocket it Panko flakes where the shrimp should have been. The two Thai dishes we had were to put it bluntly slimy and mushy the only thing we ate was the dry chicken 58 dollars for a meal non of us enjoyed in the slightest. To be honest they did ask if we wanted anything else but after the attempts on the two dishes we would rather gone to McDonald's. My husband tried my dish and couldn't tell the difference between the two except mine had broccoli. No one came out to talk to us. Even with out meals almost untouched. read more

This restaurant is definitely my favorite sushi spot in raleigh! The people are wonderful and keep their restaurant clean.

Had a business trip in Raleigh, NC and discovered this little gem in this city. Came here for lunch and they had a wide selection in their lunch menu, and the best part is BOGO sushi! I got pad see ew and BOGO eel sushi for a total less than $30!!! Super worth it! read more

ShabaShabu - Pad see ew beef - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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This used to be our favorite restaurant but that is not the case anymore. I don't even know where to start we were brought sushi where the salmon appeared to be cooked, the waitress had to ask me how to make a sakitini (the signature drink) and the service was just so-so. The thai basil recipe has changed and tasted like soy sauce from a frozen meal. $59 down the drain. I am so shocked at how badly it has declined that I really don't know what else to write. There was nothing positive about the experience and it pains me to write that. Needless to say we do not plan to return. :-( read more

Came here for Valentine's Day and it was wonderful. The dinner for two included 2 appetizers, 2 small dishes, 2 entrees, 2 desert. All with great options, especially the entree! I'm really a fan of large portions and this whole course filled me up. We were also very satisfied with our waitress's professionalism. The only downside was that the shabu shabu bar was closed for Valentine's Day because of the high volume of customers they would be expecting. I personally think they should have still left the bar open. Nonetheless, it was a great night and I will definitely be returning for some shabu shabu! read more

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Loved the sushi and service today! Went at 4:00 on a Friday and it was empty. Our server (Idah?) was super fast, friendly, stopped for a nice chat with us and I just really liked her a lot. The sushi was delicious!! Nice and fresh. This may have to be my new sushi spot! Buy one get one rolls, can't beat that! The manager was really friendly too :) thank you for an amazing first impression! read more

ShabaShabu - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Love Shaba shabu for food, service, environment, AND delivery. Assuming you get a delivery driver that doesn't turn your sushi upside down

The restaurant has a unique style. The Thai and Japanese appetizers were modest and decent. The pad Thai also just okay, not bad, not great. The Fuji roll is the most popular for good reason, it's ultra-filling. read more

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I stopped in for lunch on a recent business trip. The restaurant has a nice look and the staff was very pleasant. The host showed me to my table with a warm smile and the waitress was nice and very attentive. The sushi "buy one get one" roll lunch deal is a very good deal. I got a Fish Lovers roll and an Avocado roll for $13.00. Both rolls were large. The Avocado roll was fresh with plenty of avocado. The Fish Lovers was just OK. It had little pieces of shopped fish inside a nori wrap with rice. I suspect their other rolls might have been more to taste (large pieces on top of rice), but I didn't ask first and it was an OK roll. I would definitely come back here next time I am in town. read more

ShabaShabu - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Perfect place for vegans! I recommend getting the avocado roll (the avocado is on the outside and greens are in the middle but it's amazing) and the fusion roll (sweet potato and zucchini tempura with avocado). This was the first place I ever tried Tom Kha Tofu soup and I crave it all the time now. read more

Always great food and the best service! The manager always greet me with a smile. I've tried everything and not one bad experience.

After being so excited to try shaba, having never been there before, the result was not even worth the thought. After being greeted and sat at the tightest table against a wall, as two people it's not horrible but just not the nicest when other tables were open. Having a random persons phone charging on my table, come to find out it was the loud tables behind ours. We waited over 30 minutes for our waitress who inevitably never came before we got up and left. Watching her walk people's food out and take her checks, but yet never come to us except to bring us water. We told her MANY times we were ready and made eye contact but to no response. Finally, we politely walked out and I can say wholeheartedly I will NEVER even try to give them my service again. Sadly disappointed:( read more

Worst food ever. Ordered a pineapple fried rice and got 3 small pieces of pineapple with lot of onion. And the food doesn't taste even good. When I told the manager, he said this is what I will get for the price I am paying for lunch. I am a big fan of thai food but not this one anymore. read more

The worst Sushi I've ever had in my life if I could give a zero I would give a zero . The fish actually needed antibiotics . The waiter asked how our meal was I told him it was very fishy he could have cared less. Do not waste your money going to this restaurant . read more

Boo. Called confirmed time closed. Got there in plenty of time. Closed early said they had a slow night. Rude. And unappreciative of the fact we drove 20 mins to get there. There are so many options in Raleigh. Will not come back. read more

A truly ordinary Thai restaurant that was given two stars as the server was spot on great. She could go anywhere in Raleigh and would fit in with many 5 star restaurants. The green curry had cucumbers, zucchini but no Japanese eggplant and limited protein. We did not stay for dessert. read more

Mediocre food. Cool vibe inside and great bartenders but the food is meh. I've gotten the pad Thai and a stir fry dish. Both times it was just ok. Pretty decent prices though! read more

Meh. I have given this place 3 tries and I am done. The first time, I got the sushi and it was fine, although it was expensive and nothing to really write home about. My main problem was with the cooked dishes that I ordered on my next 2 visits. I ordered fried rice and pad thai respectively. Both meals were very dry and flavorless. I have no desire to fight through the nightmare that Holly Park has become for another shot at mediocrity. read more

Good prices, friendly staff and great area. Pretty girls come here on Saturday nights alone to eat. Great place to date

Excellent pad Thai, miso soup & Thai tea. The ambiance and decor were nice and resembled ancient artifacts.

The moment we sat down, we were surprised by a furry dog the people sitting behind us brought in. Is that even okay??! Anyhow, we told them we were going to do shabu shabu and a couple sushi rolls. I guess our first server was new because she had seated us in the non-shabu shabu area. After we got seated and were sipping our drinks were we notified to move to the shabu shabu area..... *facepalm* ...so we moved. The place we were moved to was dead empty, yet we were seated at the table with a dirty rag. What?! Our second server was extremely slow. We got the ny and seafood shabu for 2 as well as the rainbow roll and the salmon crunch roll. I wanted to get the mahi crunch roll but apparently they ran out. Our rolls were tiny AND they came out sloppily made/falling apart. Cooking the shabu shabu was flustering because we couldn't reach the hot pot- they are stationed at the very end of the tables. My dad got annoyed trying to reach the hot pot so he just got up, stood right by it and ate standing up haha. Our server rarely came which bothers me more than usual because it was such a slow evening. Oh but when she did come, it was to give us our bill. Food was a-okay. Service was horrid. Experience was no bueno. Was it worth the pricey bill? We know the answer to that question. read more

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We went to Shabashabu specifically for the shabu-shabu, which is like Japanese fondue. My husband eats it when he's in Japan. Things to know: 1. If you want the shabu-shabu, you have to tell them when you're being seated so they can put you at the shabu-shabu bar and not at a regular table. You need the hot plate and the boiling vat of broth. 2. We ordered both the steak and seafood platters. Everything was fresh and delicious minus the tuna. It looked blanched and gray, had the taste of cat food when cooked, and we skipped it after one bite. The veggies were fresh and crisp. All good. 3. The service was helpful without being too pushy. 4. Drinks were reasonably priced. We were the only ones having shabu-shabu, which is a shame. It's fun and a good idea for a date. read more

Shaba shabu is one of my fav restaurants. They have amazing sushi, thailandese dishes, and spectacular deserts. I love the pineapple fried rice, and the Kobe beef has always been cooked and served deliciously not mentioning the beautiful presentation. Some of the friends that I have brought to this restaurant have the same opinion. Keep it up Shaba Shabu!! read more

I'm reading these other reviews and think it's first important to start by stating the obvious: There are two types of sushi restaurants. There's the ultra-authentic and expensive restaurant with a Japanese owner/chef who's gone through years of training and has 20 years experience in the art, with a menu that would intimidate the standard American palate.... and then there's the run of the mill sushi restaurant that has gone through the typical Americanization of the menu to appeal to the masses. You can't rate these two restaurant classes together because they are clearly in different leagues and even differ in what is typically offered on the menu. With that said, Shaba Shabu caters to an audience of the latter and in all honesty, hit the spot on two different occasions. The restaurant is just across the street from the Courtyard, so it's easy access for those of you who stay at the hotel. Tuesday night I decided to try their pad thai for take out. While the dish was average, their prawns were as fresh as they come--so kudos there. Thursday night I decided to dine in and try their sushi. I ordered a Hamachi nigiri, Okinawa roll, and Tar-Heel roll. Everything was delicious on various levels: fish was fresh, tempura fried perfectly, and rice was seasoned well. Coming from California I wasn't expecting to be impressed by the meal, but can say that this was one of the better sushi restaurants I have had while traveling on road. The beer selection on tap has a ways to go, but you can at least get an average IPA with your rolls. Also, the service at the front desk and bar were exceptional. read more