They don't seat more than 4 people at the tables and we had a party of 7, so we sat at the bar. I didn't mind, our waiter was very attentive and always asked if we needed anything. He had a Green Bay Packers mask. I'm not a huge fan of hot pot, but I really like this place. To start you off, they give you a bowl of veggies and udon noodles as well as a small bowl of rice. They also have their sauce already made and set up for you. I love the sesame paste sauce, especially with one drop of the spicy oil. He said it's one million Scoville! I really don't think you need more noodles than what they give you. My friend got their seafood meats and she said it was really good. It looked super fresh. The truffle ponzu is also so good! I got the spicy tonkotsu broth -- which will be my new go to. I recommend getting the beef belly as your protein! So yummy! Would come again! read more

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Service here is exceptional and everything was delicious! For our broths we ordered the tonkotsu & spicy crab. If you like a rich & creamy soup, go for the tonkotsu. My favorite was the spicy crab because I loved the spice, & the broth got sweeter the longer we cooked the crab. The spicy crab broth tasted soo good after we finished cooking our protein & vegetables. All of the flavors came together, and the udon paired so well with the broth. We ordered the 6 oz beef belly, sirloin bavette, and chuck flap for our protein. My favorite cut was the chuck flap! It had a nice balance of fat & meat. The beef belly was almost too fatty for me, but it did flavor our broth very well. Sirloin bavette was also good! I tend to like leaner cuts of meat which is why sirloin bavette & chuck flap were my favorite. The vegetables were all delicious, and my favorite part of the meal was ending with the udon. The servings were perfect! 6 oz of meat and a bowl of veggies, udon, and rice were enough to fill me up. Each broth order comes with the vegetables, rice & udon. It's also really cold in the restaurant, so you won't get hot while you eat. Definitely try this place out! read more

Shabu Squared - Spicy crab broth, beef belly (top), sirloin bavette (bottom) - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Stunning hot pot place with a fantastic waitstaff (love you alex!) and some absolutely stunning food. Delicious variety of both protein, broth, and vegetables. The noodles were fantastic too. My friends and I are torn between the ramen or udon, so we got both. I prefer udon, my friends preferred ramen. You can't lose! Great bathrooms too. read more

Shabu Squared - Tofu noodles and Corn - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

UH-MAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! First of all, go see Molly before she leaves town. She is an amazing server: friendly, real, knows what she's doing and on top of her customers. She talks to her customers like they are real people. The staff was great too. It's that rare, perfect storm where everyone on the floor makes sure the guests are taken care of, they all bus the tables, they all check on you and they all Come by and pre-bus your table or maintain your hot pot. They all seem genuinely happy to work there and it comes out in the execution of the experience. The food was very good. Lunch special was perfect. Amazing experience. PS the goma sauce is amazing!! read more

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This is my second time coming here. I find this place very clean and the food great. My only issue is they are now charging for vegetables. I'm used to hot pot coming with a serving of veggies and you pay for your protein. I'm very disappointed that they don't give you simple vegetables. They do give you a small scoop of rice. I ordered one 14oz serving of meat and with all the little charges, my bill ended up being $130.00. I wish they would keep the rice and give the vegetables instead. Will I be back? Maybe. Service was excellent and food was great. I think that of late consumers have been getting nickle and dimed so much that every little thing just adds up. I know business have to absorb the cost of higher products as well. Not faulting the business which is why I gave 4 stars. I just feel it's a small thing that they should revisit. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The food: I was not necessarily impressed nor disappointed. The meats were good and seemed to be high quality. I think the broth I got did not have a ton of flavor (tonkatsu spicy). I'm also not the biggest fan of the sesame and ponzu sauces they provide because it all ends up being just a little too sweet for me. The problem with them providing you a prefixed bowl of vegetables to add is that I end up wanting more of some ingredients and less of others. For example, you get one small tofu cube and one mushroom, two ingredients that I typically really enjoy in hot pot. The service: This is really the only thing that bumps this place up from a 3 to a 4 for me. The waiter was very friendly and helpful in explaining everything, and the service overall was very timely. It was easily the best service I've had at a hot pot restaurant to date. Overall: The problem is that I end up comparing this place to some of the all-you-can-eat options. For basically the same price or cheaper (depending on the meats), I can get more variety and control over my meal, and have it be unlimited. Not that I left here hungry, I just wish I had more options. Also, when the meats can reach such high prices (compared to other places with lower quality but unlimited meats) I would have hoped for the other things like broth and sauce and vegetable options to be an elevated experience as well and that was just not the case. read more

Shabu Squared - Bar seating - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Came on a Saturday afternoon so plenty of room and was helped immediately. The service was great and the food was good and priced pretty reasonable. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The best place to get high quality shabu shabu! Now that it's AYCE, the price point makes a lot of sense for the delicious wagyu and broth. My favorite has always been the spicy crab broth paired with the zabuton. read more

Food and atmosphere was great. I recommend the spicy crab and tom yum. All the meats were very high quality and vegetables were fresh. Our waitress vy was also very welcoming and knowledgable about the selections. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Went around noon , beautiful ambience and was pretty quiet as there was only a handful of people eating. However , service was absolutely horrible. The only two times I needed my server (1. to place my order, 2. to get my bill) it took her a solid 15-20 minutes to do both. I understand since I'm a little younger I'm not a priority to most people. But 20 minutes ? To place my order ? B.s. Hotpot was okay , fish balls were definitely not a hit. Once my soup started burning from the fire being on for too long and too high, I simply left. Negligent staff ruin customer experiences, and for that i will not return here. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Favorite hot pot place, pretty healthy as I am never bloated after eating here. I personally love eating at the bar so I can have my own personal pot. The tonkotsu broth is my go to. People ask why I don't get the spicy one, and it is because I don't like spicy broths that are sour. I would request for spicy drops and put three in my broth and one in my dipping sauce. The shrimp balls and the crunchy cucumber are a must try!!! They also have an $18 lunch special on the weekdays which is super worth it. (It ends at 4pm) Also, try the zabutan for a là cart meats. It is much better than the ribeye with even marbling. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

The soups were good. There is a few different options. Meat was great. Not too much veggies in an order. Overall, everything was good. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Definitely my favorite place for hotpot in Houston. The broth is delicious and the meat is high quality. read more

Shabu Squared - Mixed broth with beef belly and chuck flap - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Shabu^2 is a MUST eat when in HTX. I enjoyed it each & every time I dined. EVEN IN THE SUMMER! & to note, when you enter the establishment, it's definitely chilly inside. There's a reason for that though & it's because your SOUL will be awaken by the fiery spice drops. I order the broth split with spicy tonkotsu & spicy crab. Tried the sukiyaki, I like it too. Each person gets an individual serving of seasonal vegetables (cabbage, spinach, carrots, mushrooms, boy choy, broccoli, squash), Shabu stamped tofu, white rice, & udon noodles. &&& 2 types of sauces! The ponzu & goma sauce. Goma sauce is something special. It's so dang go0dDD. Good, like give U the D good. lol. Don't be a wuss, try some spice drops. I recommend 1 for first timers, but if you can handle the heat. Do 3+. Always order the ZABUTON "SHORT RIB". Toro beef if you like fattier cuts. & the wagyu ribeye is *chef's kiss*. read more

I really enjoyed it here. Visited them on Sunday afternoon for lunch and was intrigued by their spicy crab broth. My boyfriend and I did a split pot of the spicy crab broth and Tom yum broth. The spicy crab broth did not disappoint at all YALL. It was so good, I sat there at the end just drinking straight up broth. The Tom yum was good as well, but not at good as the spicy crab broth. Everything here is ordered a la carte. We ordered 1 8oz beef belly plate, 1 8oz chuck flap plate, 1 prawn (HUGE), 1 order of baby bella, 1 assorted veggie bowl, and two eggs. The meal does come with a complimentary scoop of rice per person, but it was a really baby sized scoop.... Comparable to an ice cream scoop. I would have liked to at least had a full bowl of rice offered but I digress. Overall our meal was yummy and I would recommend checking them out. Just be prepared to spend a little more than you usually would as everything will add up quickly. Service was very kind and our waters were filled as needed without asking. They also offer hot drops to add to your sauce if your prefer a more spicy dipping sauce - just ask your server! read more

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One of the best places for hot pot. I really like their meat quality. The pricing is decent at the lowest tier available. The other higher priced tiers are too expensive for me since I don't eat that much. Parking spaces are limited. The inside of the restaurant is rather small so it's best to make reservations before coming to guarantee you have a table and less wait time. Their spicy crab broth and dipping sauces are delicious. I do wish they had more sauces selection. Also, Tier 1 AYCE includes white rice and some veggies. I wish more items were included with the AYCE, such as noodles, more veggies variety and desserts. They have limited options for what comes with the AYCE. You order from the waiter, and your food items will be delivered to your table. I like the complimentary mint Andes chocolates at the end. read more

With so many hot pot places to choose from, often flavors start to blend together and it can become monotonous. Or the broth is bland. Or the meat and veggies aren't fresh. Fortunately, that isn't an issue at Shabu Squared. They do a great job at having a concise menu with curated sauces and broths that are complementary to the add ons. They have lunch specials from 12-4 pm, which in my opinion are really best bang for you buck, especially in this economy! My partner and I each got the $17 hot pot lunch special. It came with Chuck flap and beef belly, Napa cabbage, watercress, bok choy, one tofu, mushrooms, udon and a small bowl of rice. They also gave us a ponzu sauce and sesame paste sauce. We chose our broth to be sukiyaki and tonkotsu. The sukiyaki came with a raw egg yolk for dipping cooked meat, yum! This was all included in the lunch special price. I went in expecting unsalted broth with minimal add ons. So when I took the first taste of the meat with some broth, I was blown away. The tonkotsu was rich and perfectly seasoned. The sukiyaki was sweet and salty. Perfect umami. The sauces complemented the meat and veggies well. Honestly, I thought I would be hungry because of how little the add ons seemed but I was actually stuffed and for only $17 per person! Our server Evelyn was super accommodating and informative about how hot pot worked and which sauces paired with which protein/ carb. We had a great experience. Give this place a try during lunch if you're iffy about the price and portions, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised! I will definitely be back! read more

The broth is delish compared to other Shabu around Houston. The tonkotsu broth with spice is very good. The meat is high quality. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

It was ok... the meat was not very special... very fatty or grisly. There was nothing special about this place unfortunately..

I was very happy with my experience, portion are perfect, staff was very polite. Crab broth is too spicy for my taste but still delicious. We had the half and half and was still spicy, stick with the non spicy broth if you can handle with that well they are equally tasty. Only downside is the place is extremely cold even while eating you feel cold, take a sweater. read more

Shabu Squared - Salmon bites - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

First time eating here, pot is huge for a myself. Yummy choices of meat. I had the wagyu I think. Recommended by this yelper read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I had a chance to come eat here on an afternoon. It wasn't too busy at all and the place was very clean! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal there. I was given these dipping sauces that I thought were extremely tasty. One was a ponzu dipping sauce and the other was a sesame paste-like sauce. These complimented the meal very well and my server, Chris, had excellent recommendations. The broth was extremely tasty-- this is very important to me as I've had many broths that don't taste very strong. I got the spicy tonkatsu and it was great! The other broth we had on the table had actual crab inside it! This was pleasantly surprising and if I wasn't allergic to shellfish, I would've tried it. My friend thought it was great so you'll have to take his word for it. I had beef belly and zambuto (don't know if I'm spelling it right but it was the $28 for 6 oz.) and the meats had a perfect amount of marbling. If you enjoy spicy, ask your waiter/waitress to make it extra spicy for your broth! I'm a huge spice eater and I thoroughly enjoyed the spice with my meats. I really like how the meal came with vegetables and udon. It was the perfect amount of vegetables and an ample amount of variety as well. My server Chris was extremely knowledgeable and very kind. I really enjoyed his service and attentiveness. A perfect compliment to an excellent meal. Ask for him if you're ever there! Will be coming back! Yes read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The quality here is very good and the spicy crab broth is my favorite! It come with a crab leg in it and is very flavorful. I love the beef belly so that's what we got, but they have other cut options as well. It isn't all you can eat so it can get a little more expensive, but the flavor is there and worth it read more

Shabu Squared - Spicy crab broth, beef belly, vegetable bowl, and to lotus broth - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Best Shabu in Houston. Tonkastu broth and ribeye was amazing. Veggie bowl also delicious. Soy bean paste is to die for. Great staff, great sake. Leon is the best! read more

First thing first, I'm so sorry not to have pictures. We were visiting from Austin and affordable shabu shabu does not exist in our neck of the woods. I brought my 4 year old vegetarian homie and eating mate for her first time. I'm not new to shabu, but I rarely see children. Our server was wonderful and incredibly patient and super helpful. My homie loved it. She enjoyed putting the veggies in our broth. It was an easy way to keep her occupied as our food cooked. I enjoyed having a light delicious meal we got the veggie plate with half kombu and half shoyu. We add truffle ponzu and sichuan sauce, glass noodles, raw shrimp, two orders of raw scallops, and a green tea. Each of us also got a bowl of rice. I definitely ordered a lot of food; the problem with ordering while hungry. We had two containers of soup and my glass noodles were untouched. Our leftovers were delicious and our meal keep me full. I will definitely return. read more

Great atmosphere. Great food. Awesome service! Made going here around Christmas a tradition when possible!

Hadn't been to many shabu places before so this was a new experience. Beef belly and the other cut of leaner beef were excellent. The broths are very flavorful too. Customer service by the waiters was great as they all explain the menu and how to eat shabu. Overall this place is definitely worth a try but be warned it's not the typical Chinese/mongolian hot pot place. Don't forget to ask to try they house made chili oil! Anything over 2 drops is spicy read more

Shabu Squared - Beef belly - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The best hot pot i have eaten and really clean location and the service is great have no complaints

Firstly, the food is outstanding. The customer service was AMAZING!!!! Our server was Tony, he was so kind, very knowledgeable, and had a lot of pro tips! You leave out a pro with all his great guidance! We met one of the coworker she was amazing! She helped cook some of our food, gave us some pro tips. We really appreciated her undivided attention as she was definitely busy doing everything, from cleaning, serving, etc. The tonkotsu was our favorite base broth. The crab was good as well. Everything is quality here. 10/10 would recommend. They also have Shataki noodles here. It's nice to know they considered keto customers. My Best advice is: come ASAP you need to eat here. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Went in during COVID! The waiters were wearing masks and each table had a hand sanitizer as well and the overall service was excellent. This was the first dine in restaurant I went to after 6 months and I felt comfortable and safe throughout. This is the third time I'm having the Hotpot and probably the best one among the three places I've been to. I love Japanese food for the complexity in the flavors and the flavor combinations. We ordered the spicy sukiyaki and spicy tonkotsu broth. The peanut base dipping sauce had so much flavor and it added that extra flavor to the meat. For the protein we ordered wagyu strip and angus strip and both were excellent! The side order of veggies and udon just complete your meal. Can't complain about anything. Worth the money spent. Will definitely visit again. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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My favorite restaurant in a Houston. Their sauce is super tasty but it's their broth that makes it memorable. I always get the crab and tonkatsu (mix). And you can even make it spicer by asking them to place their liquid drops. I advised to try their uni Wagyu and their shrimp balls. read more

Shabu Squared - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Nice vibes but food is just ok honestly. friendly staff. Overall I would come back to see if there are improvements

A must try!!! You just have to. I almost want to keep this place a secret for myself, but they truly deserve your business. I don't really review unless a restaurant really stands out, whether good or bad, and shabu squared is truly a 5 star. I've always heard about shabu squared but never went because I thought I already had a favorite in Chinatown. Since there was a long wait at the other place and upon many recommendations, I finally decided to give Shabu Squared a try after driving past it so many times. I was impressed with many things, but most of all, I was impressed with the quality of the food. The meat is so soft, flavorful, and melts in your mouth. I can tell the difference right away from the other hotpot places. I got the tier 2 AYCE and it was just right for me. If you care about the ambience, then this place has that too. It's clean, modern, not overly crowded, not hectic, it was actually peaceful there. I will keep coming back as long as the food and quality stays just like it is now. read more

Food is so good, staff is friendly , and the interior felt modern and very clean. Have been craving it since the first time I went about 2 years ago read more

AMAZING and DELICIOUS Shabu restaurant with great ingredients, delicious broth and dipping sauces, and service. We finally got a chance to tried this restaurant for lunch and LOVED it. What a great meal. We ordered pretty most of their menu and you can't go wrong with any choices. The beef belly is very fatty so unless you like fatty bacon, don't order this one. I loved everything so all the items are great. read more

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It's a favorite for us. We love the tonkatsu broth and always order the beef belly. Decent amount of veggies for each person. The sauce and quality of the meat are the reasons why I keep coming back for. This place gets pretty packed on the weekend so I try to go on weekdays as a late lunch to skip the crowd. read more

Had a reservation but waited and waited and waited! Friends of the workers there reached after us and I heard them say that their reservation was for the wrong day. They were still seated before us. Place is too loud and it makes it uncomfortable. Food is ok but it sucks that if they sit you at a table with one burner, my wife and I could only pick one broth. I personally won't choose to go back. read more

One of our favorite shabu spots. Meat and broth are on point. We really like the new AYCE options. A bit pricey but we felt it was worth the price. read more

If you are looking for a unforgettable new experience and cuisine , I recommend you come here ! This evening Luis walked us gracefully through the menu and guided our experience that turned into such a pleasant evening . The vibe of the place was welcoming and the music was great . By far best service I've experienced at something new and thou I was nervous at the beginning Luis made this so easy for us ! Thank you to Shabu, Chef T and Luis y'all made this unforgettable! read more

Went with a party of four. All covid precautions were observed. Our waiter was very attentive and knowledgeable of their offerings. We got the sukiyaki and the dashi soup bases- I think both were winners. Excellent service from start to finish. Looking forward to coming back again read more

Shabu Squared - Mixed veggie with udon underneath. Each guest gets their own bowl. - Japanese Near Me - Houston, Texas