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    Shabu Gen

    4.3 (983 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 11:00 pm

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    Hot Pot in house broth, tonkotsu in the back
    Jean S.

    Shabu Gen offers all-you-can-eat hot pot for $19.99 or hot pot and sushi for $28.99. We came here on a Saturday around 4pm and there was no wait for a table. We ordered the AYCE hot pot, which was really good and very filling. There was a tablet to order from at the table, but it only lets you choose 5 meats at a time, and then you have to wait 10 minutes before putting in the next order. We could each choose a broth so we got one tonkotsu and one house broth. They were both good, but I liked the house broth a bit more. Of the meats, I liked the prime rib eye the most. One order of prime rib eye comes with 3 slices of meat. We also enjoyed the pork belly, beef toro, and prime blade meat, but some of the meats were a bit fatty. They were out of brisket. The crispy soy garlic chicken wings, gyoza, and edamame were okay. We liked the sesame balls for dessert. They were out of ice cream because their freezer broke. In addition to the meats and items you can order through the tablet at your table, they also have a buffet bar with other hot pot items such as vegetables, mushrooms, noodles, and seafood. They had clams, mussels, crab, and shrimp. The restaurant was large with many large booths for large parties. The service was good, as in they delivered the ordered items promptly, but didn't engage, chat, or appear too friendly. For sauces, I mainly used the ponzu sauce. They didn't carry the Chinese bbq (satay) sauce, which I usually like with hot pot. Overall, we had a good dining experience because we liked the food and left pretty full.

    PAUL A.

    You're not going to find a cheaper cleaner. More delicious. All you can eat option Hot pot for $20 anywhere else. There is a big selection of veggie seafood sauces toppings. You name it to go in your hot pot! I came here for lunch with my coworker on a Friday exactly when they opened at 11:30 and we finish about an hour later and we were stuffed. Couldn't eat another bite. The tonkatsu broth was flavorful and it's cool you have your own little Hot pot vhs induction stove at your seat so everybody has their own Hot pot! You order the meats and appetizers from the tablet at the table. Here's a pro tip. Don't hit order after selecting an item. Wait until you select everything and then submit your order. Or you're going to have to talk to the server to submit your order for you and you can't order for another 10 minutes. Our hostess Nikki was super nice and helpful. Nikki helped us fix our faux pas ordering on the tablet LOL All of the staff was super friendly and very accommodating filling our water. Checking on how we're doing, seeing if we needed anything. It was a great experience I highly recommend!

    Sarah T.

    I always enjoy coming here. Came for dinner Friday night. It wasn't extremely busy but I still got on the waitlist via Yelp. I indicated I'd arrive within 20-30 mins & received a text that my table was ready as I was parking. I had both hot pot & sushi. I love the fried tofu & sesame sauce. I like their sushi as well. Ikura & salmon are my favs. Staff are always so nice. I love ordering via the tablets cuz I don't have to wait for staff. Definitely it's a lot quicker. I'll be back soon.

    Janelle M.

    This is a decent late AYCE buffet when you are hangry and looking to get full. I highly recommend that you put yourself or group on their waitlist for faster service in case the wait times a crazy. Shabu Gen is location in a shopping center next to other restaurants and Best Buy. Our hostess was great and even though our full party wasn't there yet. We were able to be seated and start ordering we just had to follow the 90 mins time limit. The hot pot was decent. I don't think I got the actual broth I ordered, but it was fine. The seafood options for the hot pot was okay, the veggies were plentiful and the side dishes just okay. The meat options were pretty good, I enjoyed the ribeye, but my favorite was the pork belly. The price is definitely worth it for $20 and you will leave full. There is ample seating for small bd large groups and it very spacious inside. The decor is nothing special.

    Eva W.

    This place is an AYCE hot pot or both hot pot and sushi. You can choose both or just hot pot. We opted for just the hot pot. This place can get busy. We usually come early, before the dinner crowd starts. We always eat an early dinner, 5ish. You place your apps, meats, and soups orders on the i-pad. You can order 10 items per order and after your order, the next order cannot be place until 10 mins later. All of the vegetable, noodles, steamed rice, and other items are located their self serve bar. The food is decent and pretty good. I think the service is sometimes slow getting your ordered items out to the table. The staff are nice. The place looks pretty clean, but can use some more cleanliness in some areas.

    Celyne D.

    After a long hiatus, my husband and I finally came back to Shabu Gen for our hot pot fix. We came in around 8:30pm, got seated right away, and were greeted by their new kiosk ordering system. And as always, the AYCE dinner price is honestly hard to beat compared to other hot pot spots in the area. That said, a few things fell short this visit. My tonkatsu broth came out brown and murky instead of the creamy, milky white I've always gotten here. My husband's sukiyaki was also lacking the flavor it used to have. The meat quality was still good and came out fast, but I'd skip the appetizers entirely. The veggie, fish ball, seafood, and noodle variety is solid, and the sauce bar is a highlight as always. Service was noticeably lacking this time around. The servers only came by to drop off meat -- no check-ins whatsoever. The kiosk is convenient, but that's not a reason to abandon the tables entirely. Overall, Shabu Gen is still a decent spot for the price. You get what you pay for. Not sure I'd rush back, but if you're looking for affordable AYCE hot pot, it'll get the job done. we

    Deniece B.

    Some things have changed since we came last. Now they have little iPads for each table that you order from. BEWARE you must order everything you want before hitting order, otherwise, you will have to wait 10 mins before ordering again. We made the mistake of placing the order before actually being done and the waiter was able to fix it and let us order the rest. They were very busy, which led to mediocre customer service. We waited 1.5 hours for a party of 3 even after checking in online. We had to ask several staff members for water, utensils, bowls, and a bill (we never got). No one greeted us or asked if we needed anything. It felt like things went down hill especially because they have gotten more busy. I don't think we will return and I'm sad about that.

    Golden California rolls, my favorite.
    Connie L.

    We went to Shabu Gen for my birthday. It's wonderful. The only noise we heard in the restaurant was the background music. We didn't hear chatting at the next tables or dishes clinking when they cleared the tables. The lighting was set just right to put us in a mellow mood. We were able to enjoy our dinner leisurely while conversing with people at our table freely. Since it's our first time there, the waiter was gleefully explaining how to order, etc. We chose to have the hot pot and sushi option. I loved having our individual bowls so we can choose different soup bases based on our individual preferences. After we placed our first rounds of meats, sushi, and our soup bases, we headed to the bars to get fixings like vegetables (bok choy, woodear, Napa cabbage, spinach, ...), mushrooms (king, enoki, seafood, ..), noodles (udon, wide rice noodles, rice balls, rice cakes, ...), tofu (fried, steamed, ...) seafoods (fishballs, large shrimps, clams, mussels, octopus, ...), sauces, and fruits. I appreciated the variety of the trimmings offered. The only thing I was disappointed was the clams, which were very low in stock and most, if not all, were submerged in water. I didn't take any clams. The sushi was very nice. We found the Golden California rolls (little sweet and crunchy) and the volcano scallops (little scallops in every bites) particularly delightful and we ordered these two twice. We finished off my birthday with an ice cream!! We enjoyed this place very much. The prices are great too! $20 for hot pot only and $30 for hot pot and sushi. We will be back for sure!!

    Ordering kiosk
    Carmen Y.

    This place has gone downhill. Not only did they implement a self-ordering iPad system at every table that is very restrictive, but the quality of the meats and food is not what it used to be. Service was slow and wrong orders were brought to the table a few times too many. If you go with a big group, you're out of luck because you can only order a maximum of 5 plates of meat, and each plate only comes with 2-3 thin slices, which is so little. There is also a long timer of 10 minutes, and if you don't time it right or pay attention you will miss out on placing orders. Even though they kept their marketing price of $19.99 for hotpot, it's not worth it anymore because you get way less food. I'd rather pay more at another place with better service and an actual all you can eat experience. This restaurant is not giving good vibes.

    Jonathan S.

    We came to Shabu Gen on a Saturday evening for dinner. Before our trek out there from Vacaville, we saw online there was a long waitlist, ~1hr 23 minutes (ready ~7:13pm), so we got on the waitlist. We ran into some traffic, so we arrived around 7:24pm. We went inside to check in and were told it would be another 5-10 minutes wait, but ended up getting seated after 7:50pm. Once seated service was fast, we were promptly greeted by our waiter who took drink orders and explained how everything worked. We each order our broth flavor as each seat had their own burner to boil the soup. For just the Shabu Gen AYCE Hot Pot, it was $19.99/person. If you wanted AYCE Hot Pot plus Sushi, it was $28.99/person. From 7pm-11pm, Soju, Wine and Beer are 50% off. We chose to have Hot Pot only. For parties of 4 or less, you can choose 5 meats per round. For parties 5+, you can choose 10 meats per round. They have 6 broths and 11 appetizers to choose from for their Hot Pot AYCE meal. For the veggies, seafood and dipping sauces, you go and get your own at the buffet bar. The waiter was very attentive and came by frequently to ask if we were ready to order more meat and for water refills. Their policy is that you have to be finished in 90 minutes, but I don't think anyone really tracks the time to the minute. The broths we ordered for our party of 4 were Original House, Spicy House, Sukiyaki and Tonkotsu. All the broths were decently flavorful. There was a nice selection of vegetables, mushrooms, seafood and dipping sauces. The sauce area can get a little messy, so it could benefit from an employee wiping it down a little more frequently. Ambiance is what you would expect from an AYCE restaurant, lots of groups of people all enjoying the food and chit chatting. If you are into hot pots, sushi or AYCE meals, this is a nice place to eat at for a budget price. My son who brought us here said they are much slower and he had no wait for a table at lunch time on a weekday versus the long wait for a table on the Saturday evening we were there.

    Cindy L.

    My significant other and I ended up coming here one night to try since I've seen many posts about the ayce shabu at a really good price! We came on a Tuesday night and while we didn't have to wait at all and were seated immediately, it was pretty packed! I got the spicy house broth and my s/o got the regular house broth and I thought both were okayy. The spicy house broth wasn't spicy at all in my opinion and I was adding more chili oil to make it a tad spicier and it still wasn't spicy.. The meat quality was also okay, we weren't exactly sure what we were eating half the time it came out but I think i liked the brisket the most. I did really like the buffet style for veggies, seafood, sauce, rice, and noodles! It makes it easy to get what you like and portioned it to how much you prefer as well so I found that fun and enjoyable but it could be stressful when it's super busy and there's a lot of people around trying to grab the same items! My s/o and I agreed it was pretty good for the price but we probably would choose other shabu spots and wouldn't come back unless it was after 9pm and everything else was closed already! But I am glad we tried it!

    Aileen M.

    Shabu Gen features all-you-can-eat hot pot and sushi. The ambiance is welcoming and sleek. Staff are friendly. You get your own hot pot, help yourself to the items at the food station (veggies, meats, sauces), and place your sushi order with the wait staff. Overall, I feel Shabu Gen has plenty of variety to choose from at a reasonable price. The food was average to pretty good.

    tonkotsu broth
    Terri S.

    This is so affordable for an AYCE, this is my favorite spot to have whenever I want AYCE hot pot. Their broths and meats are also super great too, pretty good quality. Veggies and seafood are fresh too! They now installed tablets at each table, so you can order whenever. The tablets can be glitchy though, so make sure yours is working fine before ordering. They pre-bus the plates fast, so makes room for a new round. It's pretty big in there with lots of seating. I never wait too long whenever it does get busy

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    Shabu Gen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Shabu Gen

    Is this restaurant halal friendly?

    What are the prices? Is there a lunch price? What time does dinner start?

    There is no lunch price and no dinner time! 20$ AYCE any time! 30$ if you want AYCE Sushi+Hot Pot. 20$ is only for hot pot!

    I'm vegetarian and I don't see veggies on the menu for the hotpot. Could I choose my own veggies like how people can choose their own meat? Thanks.

    There is an open self-serve bar for over a dozen veggie options

    If I'm the only one that's vegetarian, do I get my own pot? Do I have to get a shabu? Could I order a vegetarian sushi that's not kappa maki without a shabu?

    Yes you get your own pot and you can do a sushi roll as well for $28 but if the rest of your party is all you can eat then I don't think you can do ala carte by yourself

    There is a newer menu now, can someone post it?

    Yes will do so in a yelp review! Check it out soon

    How much per person?

    SHABU GEN HOT POT $19.99 SHABU GEN HOT POT+ SUSHI $28.99

    Does lunch pricing include sushi and everything on the menu?

    Hello, this is Shabu Gen. Thank you so much for your interest in our restaurant. Please note that for the lunch price, only hot pot and appetizers are available. If you would like to enjoy sushi as well, it is offered at the dinner price, which… 

    What time does dinner start?

    4 pm. However, on weekends I believe they only serve the dinner menu. Since I don't eat sushi I usually skip the weekends but the hot pot...amazing

    What time are the Lunch and Dinner prices?

    It looks like it's this price opening to closing hours SHABU GEN HOT POT $19.99… 

    Are the weekends all dinner(shabu+sushi) or is lunch pricing still available on weekends?

    Sadly, lunch pricing is NOT available on weekends. I don't eat sushi so I'm not able to enjoy on Weekends. Other than that the place is awesome!

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    Bad Bakers

    Bad Bakers

    3.6(265 reviews)
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    Interesting place but not to our taste…read more We stopped by to get a thank you gift for someone at the Elk Grove dealership. The donuts are definitely pretty, colorful and unique. The injections or syringes full of sweet fillings are quite novel. Kids love 'em. I know they were super popular when a student's parent brought Bad Bakers donuts to celebrate their birthday. So presentation wise, they have it down. Taste wise, ugh. Texture is all wrong and way too sweet. I grabbed an old fashioned donut to take home and by the time we got home, it felt all mushy, unlike old fashioned donuts at other shops. You know it's bad when the donut sits around at home untouched by everyone! But I'd say it's a good place to go for maybe kids, teens and younger customers who just want a cool-looking donut and some sugar. Our gift recipients thought they were super cool though. I kinda mumbled under my breath that they look amazing but not sure how great they taste (having tried the Roseville location in the past). Neat place but not quite our thing.

    Given them a couple tries but it's just not for me. It's waaaay too sweet and some of the flavors…read morearen't so good. I don't like the gimmick of squeezing your own jelly/jam into the donuts. It's wasteful and inconvenient when you are trying to eat on the go.

    Photos
    Bad Bakers - Half dozen donuts

    Half dozen donuts

    Bad Bakers
    Bad Bakers - Maple with rice crispies and a croissant doughnut with chocolate and chips on top. Both were dry, tasted like they were left out.

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    Maple with rice crispies and a croissant doughnut with chocolate and chips on top. Both were dry, tasted like they were left out.

    Shabu Gen - hotpot - Updated September 2026

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