Honestly, every time I've come here, the food has been pretty solid. The only thing is the sauces, especially the house sauce, don't always seem consistent, but this visit the house sauce was actually really good. Came with a group of 4 and ordered the set for 4 with beef toro, American wagyu, and pork. Portions were actually pretty generous, especially the vegetables. The beef toro was definitely my favorite. We also got the beef balls and gyoza, not bad at all. Service was attentive, and I also like that it's usually not too busy so getting a table is easy. Overall, solid experience. read more

Food and service are great, best shabu meat quality in the bay! Never a wait for a table and the server is always so friendly and efficient. Only complaint is they no longer have ice cream or any type of dessert of the menu! They used to offer multiple flavors but were told that they were no longer keeping it on the menu. Still would come back! read more

Hot pot powerhouse in downtown South San Francisco. Thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Shabu Shack. My friend and I both got the all you can eat hot pot. I haven't done a lot of hot pot experiences, but WOW- I don't see how this one could be topped. Our service was great- Anthony was really helpful and guided us through the process seamlessly. The flavor really speaks for itself. I got the miso soup as my broth and then added a lot of different ingredients to the mix: cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, wagyu, American beef, pork dumplings and spinach just to name a few... The quality of the fresh vegetables and meats were impressive. The greens were crunchy and the meat was savory with nice marbling. The condiments were plentiful. The sauce bar included, sesame, chili, ponzu, soy and in-house sauces. All delicious. The flavor was dynamic and I left super full- so full that I passed on the complimentary ice cream (vanilla or green tea), which is very unlike me! The environment was relaxing, with a spacious dining room and ample seating. I can't express how great Shabu Shack is- for the flavor, value and overall experience. read more

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Great ayce shabu place at a reasonable price. Quick and friendly service. I'd recommend the spicy tonkatsu broth! Plenty of protein options and sides to choose from. They also have a sauce bar to make your own dipping sauce. read more

Shabu Shack - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Food was good, their Spicy Miso broth is a great choice. The spicy sichuan broth is good too if you like really spicy kick. You can have up to 3 broth at a time. Service was good, they check in quick and bring your order out fast. The ambiance is chill, nothing too special, a nice stop if you want fast dining and food. read more

Shabu Shack - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Super solid spot for shabu. Meats pretty good quality and the their sauce bar is loaded! Got the wagyu and spicy tonkotsu broth. Great amount of kick to it but not over the top spicy. Love the green cilantro sauce they have. The portions are sized nicely and price for ayce or alacarte is better than other spots. Service was quick as well, got seated, ordered and everything came out within 10 min! read more

Shabu Shack - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Pulled up for the lunch special, I was the only one there lol. Perfect portion for lunch with the large for my size cravings, the sukiyaki, my go to, smacked. I really like the 2 premade house sauces they have, they're good bases to build on and on their own. I always love me some toro read more

Shabu Shack - Toro lunch special - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Pretty solid place to get shabu in the area, the meat quality is pretty good for the price. It was about ~$65 for two people and the meal is definitely lasting another one. The spicy sichuan soup is super flavorful and definitely a favorite of ours. The tonkotsu was on the lighter side and not a personal favorite. The sauce bar has classic sauce options and their house sauce mix is similar to a chimichurri sauce that paired really nicely. read more

Shabu Shack - Beef Belly and American Waygu - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Very clean, spacious, well ventilated and well decorated environment. The sauces have a nice variety. Fresh meats. The vegi plate complement is a little on the small side. The spicy miso is REALLY SPICY- unexpected. Not killer spicy but giving fair warning. Very polite service. read more

Shabu Shack - Spicy miso and creamy vegetarian. Spicy is SPICY! - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

My first memories of Shabu Shack are back when I was a new grad living on my own in Sacramento for my first big girl job. In fact, that location was a sponsor for one of the events my company put on. I am forever grateful they took a chance on me when I was trying to make a name for myself. I was actually pretty excited to see that they were branching out with locations in Davis, SSF, and Elk Grove. We came by recently and the decor inside is actually pretty cute. The Sac location was darker and I remember a black and red color scheme. The SSF is the opposite with a pink floral wall and pink cherry blossom decor. We got a split pot with our own choice of broth, as well as an order of the beef and vegetarian entrees. The veggie option is a little disappointing in terms of variety. I had the standard spinach, bok choy, napa cabbage, tons of enoki mushroom, pumpkin, a few pieces of carrots and tofu. We also had the option of a carb. Although the main dish didn't really have more variation (think lotus roots, baby corn, different soy options maybe), I did end up pretty full and needed two boxes to pack the unused ingredients. There's a sauce bar where you make your own concoction. Ice cream is not included in the price (unlike other shabu restaurants). Not a hater bc I don't need the extra sugar content, but if they offered it, I also probably would not turn it down. Service was okay, but there were quite a few fruit flies hovering around us during the meal. read more

Shabu Shack - Vegetarian option - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Came here with some friends and had a great experience. The broth was flavorful, the meat and veggies were fresh, and there were plenty of options to choose from. The staff was friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. Definitely one of my favorite hot pot places, and I'll be coming back! read more

Shabu Shack - Had a great experience. The broth was flavorful, the meat and veggies were fresh. Our server was great and friendly. - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

One of the best Shabu spots I've had in the Bay Area. They offer lunch special on weekdays Monday through Friday from 11:30 - 4:00PM. We came on a Sunday and were sat very quickly and the server was super attentive. We ordered both the premium pork shoulder and toro in the vegetarian and sukiyaki broth. Both were good and the medium portion was more than enough for a hungry person with a decently large appetite. The store was super clean, and the sauce bar had a plethora of unique options like their "Shack Sauce" or our personal favorite, the "House Hot Sauce" which was a zesty & citrusy sauce that would be perfect for seafood. The flavors of the house hot sauce were reminiscent of Thai sauces. For $23 & $24 respectively, this was a great deal for the portion and quality of food. We will be back! read more

Shabu Shack - Premium pork shoulder and beef Toro medium - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Me n the wifey have been wanting to check this place out since it opened but just not have had the time. Also the parking in Grand Avenue , SSF can be atrocious at times. Combine coming off a crappy 49er Saturday loss and dreary rainy weather, I thought today was the day to get a W! So I brought the family the Sunday after a little bit after 1pm and luckily we were able to get fairly close parking and no meters on Sunday! Already a win so far and when we went in we got seated right away! The restaurant itself is nice and clean and has decent seating with plenty of tables. The waiter was very efficient and took our order fairly quickly. For the soup base you can do half and half, so we went for miso and sukiyaki. The miso was good but I found the sukiyaki to be more flavorful. You have the option to get regular AYCE at $43.99 for adult and half off kids under 10. There is also a premium option for $98 I believe that includes A5 Wagyu and lobster. When you order AYCE, everyone in the table has to order AYCE so we opted for the regular. The meat started to come out and the beef was beautifully marbled. What I appreciated is the meat looked fresh and did not come out frozen. They also have other side dishes like dumpling and fish ball with roe. The portions were big and the waiter was very attentive asking if we wanted to put in an order. All in all it was a great experience and we will definitely go back. Great food, great price and great service. What else can you ask for? read more

I stumbled across this place on Yelp while looking for hot pot spots in the area. My friend and I came during non-busy hours, and we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time. The space is very spacious and comfortable. I am not sure how busy it gets during peak hours, but the overall setup felt open and relaxed. One of my favorite parts is the sauce bar. There are so many options to choose from, and I love being able to customize my sauces. I usually choose the miso soup broth, and it is flavorful and not watered down. When I order a small size here, I always leave very full and satisfied. I've been here twice and the servers here have been extremely kind. They both consistently checked in to see how my table was doing. Overall, this is a solid spot for hot pot, and I will continue to come back. read more

I've been here two times for lunch (a Friday and a Sunday), and one of my favorite aspects is that there's no wait. The first time I had a party of 4, so we went for the shabu ring, which was fun, but it took up a lot of space. The second time I went, I had a party of 3, so we each ordered an entree from the front of the menu. They were able to split the pot into three soups, which is good because one of the people in my party liked spicy broth. For my most recent experience, I chose the sukiyaki and ordered a medium lamb entree. Each order already comes with a vegetable assortment, so I waited to see if it would be enough (since I could always order more later). The lamb was pretty good. I also tried wagyu and angus (courtesy of the rest of my party) and found that I liked the wagyu better, which was consistent with the server's rec. If you'd like to add more flavor, there is a sauce bar on the way to the restroom. I tried the house sauce and ponzu with garlic and cilantro. Both were good, though I prefer ponzu. The vegetable assortment was decent, but it had way too much Napa cabbage in it. The server was pretty attentive, which I appreciated. While I don't think it's worth coming all the way to South San Francisco to try this place, the food quality is pretty good (though not the best), and they use mostly reusable foodware (though I hope next time they ask if customers want straws instead of automatically putting straws on the table, see Eco Notes below). ECO NOTES (Dine-In) Dine-In Dishware: Reusable bowls, trays, and sauce dishes Napkins: Single-use disposable paper napkin Utensils: Disposable wooden chopsticks Serving Utensils: Metal soup ladles & metal tongs Water cups: Pint glasses Straws: They placed straws on top of a stack napkins on the table, but I asked them to take the straws back because we didn't need them. read more

quick service and delicious food for AYCE at $44 per person! i love that you can choose three different broths and a variety of meats ranging from wagyu to lamb to pork. there are sides that are also unlimited like udon, instant noodles, and my favorite enoki mushrooms! it's a small shabu spot but it's busy on a friday night. there's also a sauce bar for those who enjoy dipping their meat! read more

Shabu Shack - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

I came here as a party of three and got the beef belly, sukiyaki broth, and Kobe fries!! They give a decent portion of veggies, but my carrots were a bit bad :( Their sauce bar is also quite extensive! I'm a big fan, I loaded up on my usual and got to dipping. The kobe fries were fried quite well and had a generous amount of beef on them, but I don't think I would get them again- and I love loaded fries!! I'm not too sure why, I think if the sauce was more flavorful I would again. read more

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"Local gem" Friday Date night - so this place was all over my feed on IG- finally made time to come here. The interior is chic and airy. Cherry blossom tree and light fixtures were a nice touch. There's good ventilation and pretty spacious. No wait time -7:00pm- we're greeted and seated right away. We did the all you can eat $43.00 a person- grand total was around $120.00. Yes it's pricey but honestly what isn't now a days! Overall it's a decent price for the quality of meat. We ordered everything except the lamb. Limited choices but the meat was yummy. Come hungry! Must try Wagyu and beef belly toro. Family friendly, stroller friendly. Parking is easy. The staff was friendly. I'd give a 4.5 for the rice. It was dry :( but the staff made it to 5. Looking forward to having a fluffy not dry white rice. For me it's what enhances the dish when eating shabu. Overall I recommend coming here but look to spend at least $100 for 2 people. read more

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Date: Wednesday, February 5th, 2025 Time: around 6:45pm Party of: 2 Meal: Dinner *AYCE ($43) x2 *Dassai 45 Junmai Dai Gingo ($18) *Fruit Soda ($4) An old friend and I decided to grab dinner together. He's been here before and suggested this spot. I'm always down to try something new, so agreed. When we got here, there were about three-ish tables taken, so no wait at all. For the all you can eat - we got the spicy sichuan and I believe the tonkotsu. Tho when delivering , they said it was tom yum and when refilling she asked if we wanted more miso. That wasn't really my side of the pot, so not sure if there was a soup mix up or not. My dining partner didn't seem to care, so we never said anything. In terms of proteins, we tried them all - american wagyu, certified angus beef, beef belly toro, new zealand lamb, premium pork shoulder. There is also a select seafood, but we actually ordered sides of seafood that made up the items in this plate. For the sides, we got - shrimp, mussels, fishball with roe, mushroom, kabocha pumpkin, spinach, napa cabbage. I wanted a raw egg, but due to the shortages, they were out. So the sauce I made wasn't as rich. My fav meat was the wagyu. It was the most tender and our first plate was the best cut. For the lamb, the first plate was pretty mellow, but the second plate was very gamey. I almost never eat lamb anymore cuz the hubby cannot stand lamb, so I wanted to indulge a bit. I grew up eating but maybe my time away has affected my taste buds. As for the sides, fishballs with roe are always my fav. I ate the majority of this plate. The mushroom and spinach were also tasty. Kinda out of the way since I live in the city, but no wait for hot pot on a chilly night? That's always a plus. REVIEW #3687 read more

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They're really nice and quick with your orders. Make sure everything is okay. The meat overall is good as well. They give a good portion to serve. Very clean read more

Shabu Shack - Tom yum & tonkatsu broth - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

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Shabu Shack is a total gem for anyone who takes their hot pot seriously but wants a relaxed, modern vibe. The meat quality is the undisputed star here--just look at that incredible marbling on the beef--and it melts perfectly after a quick swish in the broth. I love the split-pot option because you don't have to choose between a savory miso and a spicy base, and the fresh veggie spread with enoki mushrooms and spinach keeps everything feeling light and balanced. The service is efficient, the induction burners keep the table clean and safe, and the overall atmosphere is just perfect for a long, cozy meal with friends. read more

Shabu Shack - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

I love love this place. It hits every time, Definitely go for the beef belly toro! my fav broths are the spicy sichuan and tom yum

This is one of the most underrated Shabu spots in the Bay Area! When I used to work at Genentech, we went almost once a week to get our fill of protein. The meat quality (Wagyu) has remained consistently good! Top 3 favorite broths: Spicy, Tonkotsu & Sukiyaki. Their menu has all the essentials for a good shabu, not too much distracting stomach fillers that keeps you from getting the most of your ayce wagyu! They have a self serve sauce bar and a cute lighted wall with a shabu punchline! The best time to go is during happy hour! Their servers are nice and friendly but sometimes when it gets busy it could take awhile for them to attend to you! We wish this restaurant continued success so we can keep coming! read more

First time here, great food. Lamb and angus were tasty and the sauces especially the green cilantro sauce is amazing! Great service as well. Thank you, we will be back! read more

Shabu Shack - Angus and lamb - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Food is so-so. Service is not good. Would not recommend. Server threw straws at are table. Took to long to get our orders.

Came here on a rainy Sunday and it was exactly what me and my family needed. Broth of spicy tonkotsu was super flavorful and ordered the wagyu fries was a treat. Coming back here again! read more

Shabu Shack - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Free parking in back of the restaurant! Came in for their soft opening on a Thurs before their AYCE was offered. Service was solid and attentive. F O O D Ala Carte/set menu - The ordering experience was confusing. We didn't know it was a set menu priced by the meat, but found out you get a veggie bowl, noodles, and one selection of meat. The beef toro belly and American wagyu were both good. The veggie bowl had a LOT of napa cabbage - almost half. For you breastfeeding Mamas, I'd recommend switching for more spinach. The broth was great and you can get three kinds! The only thing I'd avoid is the fish balls with roe. It was $7 or 5 for six!! Super expensive and wasn't amaaaaaazingly better than anywhere else I've gotten them. For the price, I'd go for the AYCE instead. One drink, two fish balls with roe, and two orders/meals with meat/noodles/veggies, etc came out to be ~$90. There are a decent number of people that eat at this place on the weekends, but I haven't seen a line out the door. read more

Smaller hot pot restaurant with honestly such a great deal! I got the shabu combo ring with two friends and it comes with 2-3 soups (we got spicy miso and tonkotsu), 3 meats of choice (American Kobe x2 and angus for us!), one rice or noodle dish PER PERSON, and two sides (fish balls with roe for us)! The broth is super comforting and not too salty and this amount of meat was PLENTY for three people! The combo ring is only $125 and is worth it! The restaurant itself is clean and a little smaller than your normal hot pot restaurant but the service is fast and attentive! Parking is a little difficult since it's south San Francisco but there should be spots with meters up and down the block. Definitely will be back to try their other broths and meats! read more

Shabu Shack - Shabu combo ring - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

One of my favorite shabu places in the peninsula! Great meat quality, sauce bar, service, and price :)

Food was great and the price was fairly decent. It was about $43/adult and half for kids under 10 (or was it 12)? We were able to make reservations for Saturday evening at 6 pm. My side of the pot was spicy Tonkatsu. I appreciated that they had an area for sauces, garlic, etc. We ordered a little of different sliced meat, some shrimp and mixed veggies. I appreciated that the refilled our pots but it would have been nice to have done it towards the middle of our dinner as opposed to towards the end when we were ready to tap out. Veggies were cut in good sizes as so was the meat slices. Waiters were attentive. I'd definitely come back when I'm in town. Hopefully they'll have more flavors of ice cream because I wasn't a fan of the sesame flavor they offered for dessert. The matcha one tasted more like vanilla. read more

Shabu shack has a few different menus to choose from for ayce shabu! We went with the premium one which includes unlimited wagyu, it was $98 per person I believe which is around the same price as Mikiya wagyu shabu house . I really liked the soup bases here ! We got 3 different soup bases and they were all so yummy, even the vegetarian one!! Usually veggie soup bases aren't that great but the veggie one here was so delish . The wagyu menu also comes with one lobster tail per person but to be honest lobster tail is kind of hard to eat and it got messy. The quality of the wagyu here was so good!! It melted in my mouth and was delicious. I also really liked how often the server came around to take our orders, even though it is not self serve I didn't feel like we were waiting for our food for too long . Great place for wagyu shabu if you don't feel like going to Santa Clara ! read more

Came to shabu shack with the gals and enjoyed it! I liked that you get to pick your meat either 6oz or 8oz and then Shabu Shack will provide you a bowl of vegetables, sauce, and a choice between rice and vermicelli. I went with the angus which was on the leaner side but it was still very good. The only cut I liked more was my friend's wagyu. The toro was a bit too fat and the lamb wasn't that memorable. The vegetables were also pretty roughly cut and most of the napa cabbage was unfortunately on the stem end - crunchy, but takes time to cook. I did like the variety with firm tofu, carrots, enoki, and pumpkin though! The spicy tonkatsu was my favorite broth tonight. The creamy vegetarian was good too but not as memorable for me. It was interesting that there was no top off on the broth so towards the end, it did boil down into an unappealing mush so make sure to not let it get down to that level. $32 with tip for a 'just enough' shabu experience is a good deal as I don't always want AYCE. read more

Shabu Shack - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

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our favorite shabu spot in the area! always has fresh ingredients and they have really good service. read more

Shabu Shack - american wagyu - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Great value for $43/pp AYCE. For a Friday night, they had a good crowd but no wait for us. The service was quick and they always checked up on us for our next round of orders so there was a constant stream of food. Not much to say besides great value, great service, and I would definitely come back with looser fitting pants. read more

Shabu Shack - AYCE menu - Japanese Near Me - South San Francisco, California

Good and fast service! They have a good lunch special Monday - Friday from 11:30-4pm. I love shabu/hot pot but often don't want to opt for an AYCE experience so I was super happy that Shabu Shack offered an a la carte menu too. They have a lot of options for your broth and the food came out quick! Great if you're in the mood for a casual week day meal. read more

3 star purely for the quality of the food. Soup was salty, even for the Tonkatsu favor which should be more mild and tasteful but all I can taste was sodium in my mouth. I end up pouring half of my ice water into the broth to dilute it. The veggies were old and welted. One piece of bok choy even had yellow and holes on it, gross... The meat quality was just okay, nothing special. But I did notice one of the tray of meat we ordered (Angus Beef) was still frozen, meaning it's been sitting in the fridge for a while. Last thing to mentioned is the shrimp was just regular size shrimp, not tiger prawns or anything and it costed $13?! Overall, won't be coming back. Not sure how this place got a 4.5 star rating. read more

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Really solid hot pot experience. Huge variety of sauces and fresh ingredients, and the staff was on top of everything. The spicy broth was a highlight. Good value and a fun place for a group dinner. read more

meat quality was fresh, soup was flavorful and sauce bar was full of variety! The waiter jonathan than also was very funny and responsive. service was quick and i will come here again! read more

Food-wise, we got the AYCE in favor with how much we can order--as a family, I was amazed how many soup bases were able to get. The service here was alright! Every so often, the servers would come by and ask if we want any more proteins or sides to add for the hot pot and not in a very attentive way--which I prefer. The ambiance is very friendly and open but I suggest sitting at the tables rather than the booth! read more

One of my most favorite things in the world is fish ball with roe. So they automatically get a high rating for having those! But seriously, the service was great! The food came out quickly and they checked our soups regularly. We went on a Friday night and there was no wait. They have a decent variety of options. And the price is good for AYCE! I ate a bunch of enoki mushrooms and we had lots of bok choy! The meats were very good and I love that they have mussels and shrimp. We got the spicy tonkatsu which was very good! And my favorite was the Tsukiyaki! I love the sweet and salty blend in it! Will definitely be back here again! I want to try the miso broth next time! read more

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