I LOVE this place. I come a couple times a month. The first time you go may be a little overwhelming and you may end up with a meal you are not too crazy about. Feel free to ask the staff for help and suggestions! I always get the Mongolian broth extra spicy! Along with the veggie delight. I am not a vegetarian but the veggie delight is a huge dish was a plethora of delicious raw vegetables. Some veggies I have never seen before either. Carrots, mushrooms, bok choy, tofu etc.....they are all so good when cooked in the broth! I also always get a side of chicken with white rice. After I eat this meal I am happily full but do not feel yucky because I just ate so healthy! Chicken and veggies! It is definitely fun to flavor your own broth and cook your own food. This place is also great when you are super hungry because you do not have to wait for the kitchen to cook and prepare you food, you get it almost immediately and start cooking yourself. The broth will cook the meat throughly in about 30 seconds! read more

Food is great, I've eaten here many many times. The last time however the service was very poor. Lethargic, disinterested hostess; inattentive waitress who never came to our table after getting the food; empty glass of water all thru lunch; had to call to get my check; had to get up and go to the hostess to sign my receipt after waiting 10 mins. read more

I came here with two friends and none of us were very familiar with shabu. Our waitress, Amy, was super friendly and helpful in answering our questions and leading us through the ordering process. Here's how it works: - If you sit at a table, there is a large hot plate in the middle that will hold a large bowl of broth. Bowls can hold one, two or three different flavors of broth. -Order an entree: all meats come with a side of veggies and the vegetarian delight option is a large plate of lots of different veggies and tofu. All entrees also come with either rice, udon or vermicelli. - Broth and veggies/meat will come out super quick and come with some delicious condiments. -Cook whatever you want in the boiling broth. A lot of reviews have been disappointed with the amount of food you get but we were really satisfied. Three hungry girls (who can eat a lot) split two entrees (one meat combo with beef and chicken and one vegetarian delight) and we still had lots left over. We tried the Mongolian Spicy added to the house pork broth (really good; spicy without being inedible, a few sniffles and teary eyes but in the best way possible) and the Chinese Herbal added to the vegetarian (tasted like a salty tea; subtle but yummy). The veggies were all delicious and the meat was great but I could've just drank that broth and been happy about it. My friend ordered a mango mochi for dessert and wasn't super impressed by it. So maybe skip that. But you should probably eat here. For real. And bring your friends. Lots of food for less than $12 each... a great deal. read more

One of the worst restaurants that I have ever been to. Bad value/bad food. Been to many hot pot restaurants, and this is the worst. Bad flavors of the broth, etc. Uncreative. Good for the hip crowd that don't know food. read more

Love this place! Definitely the more expensive menu items are worth it. I recommend the kimchi broth, for sure. Tastes pretty authentic to me. I also prefer this location to the Chinatown one because of the option to get two broths, and split/share. read more

I've been to a few hot pot restaurants in Chinatown, and thought I'd give this place a shot. I went on a Sunday afternoon for lunch, and was seated promptly. I ordered the vegetable gyoza appetizer, kimchi broth and mongolian broth (both spicy), with beef and lamb, as well as a vegetable dumpling appetizer. The appetizer and the broth came out almost instantly, as well as side dishes, but then we waited for our meat...for 15 minutes. While our broth boiled away, we told two different servers about us waiting for our meat, which was met with nods, but nothing else happened. Finally, our server came to us and told us she forgot our meat, and went and retrieved it. She noticed that our broth had boiled down to about half its amount, and asked if we wanted more broth, which we agreed to. She then went and brought out a pot of hot water and watered down both broths. We finished our meal quickly and left. Food: 3/5 The veggie gyoza and dumplings were average, nothing special. The broths were mediocre, but it may have something to do with being watered down. Decor: 5/5 Wide open spaces, flat screens at the bar. Service: 2/5 Server forgot our order, didn't check on us for a long time, and watered down our broth. I understand that this may have been an oversight on the server's part, and it was a mistake, but I've had a better experience (service as well as food) in Chinatown. It doesn't look like I'll repeat again. read more

I always order the same thing and I always leave perfectly content. I think the thing to appreciate most about this place is the consistency. Here and at the Chinatown location. My order of choice is always a Singha (crisp thai pilsner) and a meat combo (pork and lamb, skip the chicken). Their selection of raw meats and raw veggies are always fresh. If you need some tips on how to hotpot, here it goes: 1. Order what I order. You also have a choice of rice, udon, or vermicelli with your combo. I get rice for less hassle. Get udon if you want some thick, good noodles. 2. You'll get four little trays and a dish of soy sauce. Dump everything (shallots, chiles, garlic, korean bbq sauce) into the soy and stir. 3. Wait for broth to come to a boil. (If you got udon, dump it once broth boils and cook for like two minutes. Move it all to big bowl) 4. Dump all the veggies except the bok choy (the darkest green leaves). 5. Cook the meat one piece at a time, using the metal strainer to keep it from floating all over the place. You can use your chopsticks on the raw meat; just dip it in the boiling broth after each use. 6. When the meat changes color, it's ready. Dip in your soy sauce mixture. Eat. 7. Rinse, repeat. After 7-10 minutes, I take all the cabbage and the stringy mushrooms out. Let cool, then eat. 8. 10-15 minutes, I take out the tomato (deskin), maybe big mushroom, and tofu. Let cool; eat. 9. Last, I take the carrot out and dump in the bok choy. Wait for about 3 minutes, and take out the bok choy. Cool and eat. 10. Take out the corn. Cool, eat. Follow my instructions to a T and you'll look like you know what you're doing. Source: Not Asian. read more

The food is not bad , I just didn't know what the he'll was in it. Bcz no one spike English and I raelly did my best to understand them . To much money and a lot off mess , boil pot at home dip all you can find . read more

Great choice on a cold rainy night for dinner! There was a short wait, but it WAS Friday night. I was seated at the counter with the individual broths, which was excellent...I never liked sharing my broth. I shared a delicious order of seaweed salad (a bargain at $2.50) with my friend. Surf and turf seemed like a good way to go when I couldn't decide what I wanted...it came as 2 HUGE plates of seafood and meat, along with a third plate of veggies. Very high quality meats & seafood and good ingredients for dipping. The service I encountered was fine...most of it is hands off anyway b/c you're cooking your own food. I didn't have any issues getting the check...you just have to wave to one of the servers, like in any other restaurant. All in all, delicious and fun! read more

It's like a shabu factory, and they crank it out. - Chinese spicy and regular broths, great flavor, and you can ask for more. I didn't like the tom yum broth. - Chicken is pretty dry when cooked, so I prefer the beef. Short rib is good too, but a bit more expensive. - Toss up between vermicelli and udon. I like the texture of the glass noodles (vermicelli) myself, but it's tough to make sure they all get to your mouth! I found the trick is to stuff the long handled dipping basket with the dry noodles, and then dunk them for a few seconds. Cook only one mouthful at a time. The rice was pretty overcooked, so I wouldn't recommend going with that. - Veggies are great! Watercress, cabbage, two types of mushroom, tomato, carrot, corn, broccoli, tofu and tofu skin. The harder veggies take longer too cook, and the softer veggies only take a few seconds. - Sauce is tasty - load it up with all the fixin's: garlic, miso, green onions, chilis. - Salmon sashimi is hard to beat here. Buttery and fresh! - Gyoza is also great. Wonderful flavor, and comes out freshly cooked. - Watermelon smoothies are tasty, but doubtful that it's really watermelon (probably just a powder blended with ice). - Service is so-so. Fairly incompetent when it comes to seating, and they don't check on you that often once you're seated. Oh well. It's a bit pricey to eat here often (I plead guilty to that charge) but totally worth it! Other tips: - If you have a big group, you can make a reservation ahead of time (good idea during rush hours, otherwise you can wait forever) - There is a parking lot in back. Often it's full, and everyone knows Brighton Ave is hell to park on. If you drive one block past Shabu Zen, you can park in the parking spots by the car dealer, and there are always places there. - No draft beer. I've heard a number of customers ask this before, but they don't have it. read more

Here are some fun facts about Shabu Zen: Sake bombs are how I start every shabu session. Their attention every holiday brings me joy. The prime beef is dope. Sapporo for the win. read more

Went for a company outing. I have never had hot pot before and it was so good! The waitress was really nice and she was able to answer all of our questions! We have a few vegetarians and they were able to cater to their needs as well. I can't wait to go back! Great food and great service! read more

I like this place : D a place to chill, a game on a big screen, hot broth, cold beer ... (try the fish paste!) read more

Last night was my first Shabu experience, I went with my girlfriend who was also a first timer. We got seated right away and after telling our server it was our first time she was happy to inform us on what was going on. I got the Beef Combo with beef and pork and she got the Beef, which both comes with veggies and rice or noodles. Simply put, our server was really friendly, the food was great and it was a fun time. I would definitely go back. read more

This place really bummed me out. Went for my husband's birthday dinner this weekend and was really disappointed. I had called a week beforehand to ask about reservations for a group of 12 and was told they don't take them. They took our info and said they would do everything they could to get us in with a short wait. OK, so we risked it. Showed up and prepared to wait for a bit. Got some drinks at the bar, which were good, sweet sake-tinis. But then the wait turned into a solid hour, with not a word from the hostess about when we might expect to be seated. When we finally got our table, it took a while for a waiter to show up, and when he did, it was immediately apparent that he was completely overwhelmed. Several orders were taken down incorrectly, and several others just didn't arrive. The meat and chicken orders showed up a full 15 minutes after the vegetables, which made it pretty difficult to cook them together. Drink orders were left unfilled. The waiter wasn't able to give us any guidance on the best amounts to order for our group. As soon as the food was (sort of) delivered, he disappeared for the rest of the evening. As in, we literally never saw him again. I had to hunt twice for someone to take our dessert order, and then had to go hunt again for someone to bring us our $400 bill, which had a stinkin' 18% gratuity written in. Boo. Shoddy. read more

Nothing special. Definitely make better Shabu Shabu at home. Service was not so good either but a cool experience!

I agree with Angie T. I went here yesterday before the Peaches show @ the Paradise. I've been to the Shabu-Zen in Chinatown, so I know what to expect food-wise. I didn't expect the place to be so huge though! When we got there, it was super-packed with BU graduation people who were finishing up dinner, so we didn't mind waiting for a table. However, we had to wait FAR too long! There were tons of people leaving and tables being cleaned off and the hostesses were not seating anyone! Finally, after 25 mins (we were told 10-15, but whatever) we finally got a seat and were able to enjoy dinner. The food was excellent, but the service was slow- even after all of the graduation people left. I'd like to come back here again on a non-super-busy graduation day to see if the service is like this all the time or if it was just a fluke because of the busy afternoon they had earlier in the day! read more

I came here having absolutely no idea what I was ordering, cooking or doing. Our waitress was a great help and guided me through the menu and how to prepare my food without making me feel like an idiot for being new to hot pot dining. Her recommendation for my dish was spot on and I was super impressed with my meal. Loved the experience and the food and the service. Will be back often! read more

I live out past Rte 128, and so coming into this location requires serious dedication. I am willing to devote the drive in for their shabu! I usually get the Vegetarian Delight-not because I'm a Veg, but because of the sheer quantity and quality of their veggies, and the tofu that come out. What my husband and I will usually end up doing is each ordering a Veg delight, then sharing a side of meat. I used to call this the absolute best deal in town (Veg delight was $12) but I noticed the last time I went the price had been increased to $17. I'm not complaining. I still think it's worth the drive! read more

Terrible service, rude waitress, longest wait time (STANDING) would give a zero star if I can

I loved this place. (Take note: I was visiting so I really don't know where or what to compare to other places around this area). I got the plate with the seafood and vermicelli noodles and it was so good. The portions I thought were big but the noodle portion was sort of small. They give you a good variety. The place was clean and the service was very nice as well. I would definitely come back to this place whenever I come back to the Boston area. read more

SO good. But I just rang up a $55 bill between me and my boyfriend...so it's not as cheap as some others suggest, especially if you like to keep piling on plates of meat like we do. :) It was delicious, and the wait staff was very friendly and attentive. Highly suggested!! Shabu shabu is perfect for a cold night out in Boston, and Shabu-Zen is a great restaurant for that. It's the quintessential Asian soul food--one quick tip: don't forget to drink the broth after you cook all the meat + veggies in it! Also, if you'd like some variety, you can ask for a half-and-half pot with two kinds of broth (they add a divider in your hot pot so you get, for instance, herbal broth on one side and spicy broth on the other). read more

Eh..... it's okay. I ate here for a late dinner, and I ordered the chicken combo. The chicken was still a little frozen when it came out, and so when I cooked it, it was a little dry. The broths (I had kim chee and tom yum) weren't that flavorful. The broths are suuuppper salty... the paste must've had more than its fair share of sodium. Anyways, it was just okay. I only come to Shabu Zen maybe like twice a year. I'd rather put my money towards another restaurant where they cook the food FOR me. read more

Delightfully clean, clear, and peaceful surroundings, but I've had more variety (sauces, other addendums to the crux of the meal), which makes all the difference to taste. Still, delightful - just not stellar. read more

This place is huge but when it comes to food, I can go to another place with much better quality and much better customer service. They are expensive and very little food. They are still around these days because of college students. The boss is just arrogantly rude with his third mistress working in the seafood section. The waitresses hide behind the bar and won't come out to serve. These are like kids in a playground holding and swinging their hands while working. Grow up and be professional. I rather go to Little Q and Q restaurant any day over this Shabu place. It's ridiculous! I ordered very little food and come out to be $90 something dollars and I'm not even full. Especially I'm already a skinny person. read more

We love this place!!! Soup and sauce are delicious. Really worth the price when you order for lunch.

Came for dinner and we were seated about 20 minutes later. The food were good; I liked that the vegetables were fresh. The meat was just okay. The serving is definitely smaller than most other places. I have had better hot pot experiences. The service was just okay as well. This wouldn't be my first choice for hot pot, but I wouldn't mind coming with friends if they pick it. read more

This is my first review for Shabu-Zen in Allston, but I've been here a million times. The BF had been residing in Boston, and we had been making the arduous trek through the crowded streets of Boston's China town for shabu, and thank goodness we discovered their Allston location. There's just significantly more space to dine (in China town you can only have a table with a party of three or more, otherwise you're dining at the bar whether you like it or not!). But best of all, there's parking! TA-DA! Since our discovery last year, this has been our go-to place for dinner. Our favorites include the chicken and lamb combo with the mongolian broth. I hold on the rice and order extra bok choy with water cress on the side. Every combo comes with the std platter of veggies which include cabbage, tofu, tomato, mushrooms, bokchoy, carrots, and corn. When we're feeling super hungry, we add mushrooms and assorted tofu. The BF also loves the surf and turf. I'm a Shabu addict, and I need help. There's obviously a lot of sodium in the meal, but you can make it low carb and pretty healthy, which is why, I love it! read more

Shabu-Zen - Mongolian spicy broth with chicken and veggies - Japanese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

How could shabu be any better? Don't look disappointed when I chose plain broth over special, 22oz Sapporos and keep "em coming. That's it.

I had a really great experience at ShabuZen last year and was excited to give it another shot a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to have a repeat of my last experience. Some highlights were the appetizers - gyoza and the Berkshire sausage. Not sure how the sausage makes the menu at this place, but they were delicious. We split a half/half order of the chicken and beef and decided to give the fermicelli noodles a shot. While the chicken and beef were good, the noodles were watered down. They were very difficult to eat. They definitely skimp on the vegetables here, so I'd recommend ordering an extra side of them. The service was horrendous. I didn't know who was waiting on our table... it got really confusing. And, we waited for what seemed an eternity for our check and the sales slip to sign w/ the credit card. Not sure I'll be returning anytime soon. read more

My children love this place. It's fun for them to cook their own meal and it's probably one of the healthier meals they'll eat all week. We've eaten here four times in the last two weeks. There are several different sauces to choose from as well as many different veggies & noodles to eat. The staff went well above & beyond tonight after my daughter left her retainer on her plate. She had completely forgot and only remembered several minutes later after her plate had been cleared. We assumed it was gone & to our surprise the server was digging through the trash and recovered her retainer. We were shocked that someone went out of their way digging through the trash for us. The staff went above & beyond and we are so grateful. read more

Another good hot pot restaurant is in Allston. Great meal on a cold winter's night. Great food and great service with an energetic atmosphere...don't forget to ask for extra bbq sauce! read more

One of my regular favorite restaurants. Great food at a reasonable price. There's something about cooking your own food in front of you yourself. My family always have a good time and leave satisfied. Sometimes you may have to wait but its never that long. Highly recommended. read more

Place is getting cheap. They keep replacing higher priced veg with cheap ones (bakchoi replaced broccoli and watercress) and giving less. $90 (with tip) for dinner for two + 2 beers + watermellon shake. read more

awesome hot pot. just the right portion sizes when ordering off the menu. the soup stock is bland and I mean that in a good way because you can sauce it up to your liking with the tiny bowl for dipping sauces. great ambience, clean and even a parking lot out back which is a rarity in boston. read more

Shabu-zen was and always is a great experience. Living in Brighton/Allston area I never knew what I was missing out on. Great experience, great food,drinks and staff. This experience is deff different but deff welcomed. I have gone there so many years. The whole hot pot experience Devine. Thank u for the experience and great customer service, as this is why I continue to come back. read more

Well... having had hot pot in Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, Kyoto, Singapore, Bangkok and quite a few other places (I have spent about six years in total living in Asia), I don't expect an American-based hotpot restaurant to be at the same level (with the exception of the uber-Taiwanese settlements in the US, such as Flushing, NY and Monterey Park, CA), so... 1) By far, the number one reason to come here is the excellent Mongolian-style broth. It is absolutely excellent (though you need to be able to handle spice). The four-star rating is almost entirely because of this. At some point, even though I have been here over 20 times, I would like to try a few other broths (beside the house regular broth). On the other hand, I can't give up on the Mongolian. At least, you can try two broths (split pot). The house regular broth is a good compromise in terms of spice. I have been trying for a few months to replicate the broth at home; once I do (I am about 80% of the way), I probably will not go that often anymore. 2) Side dishes are often way over-priced and of questionable quality (e.g. last night, we order the clams and were shocked that for $4, we received four tiny FROZEN clams!!!; the bean curd sides are even more overpriced) 3) Service is often excellent, but occasionally you get someone who is either not on the ball or overwhelmed by the customer load. Last night was fine. 4) Continuing on the questionable seafood (frozen clams? not acceptable by anyone who actually enjoys/knows seafood), the seafood platter is not of great quality; stay with the vegetarian delight or a meat. 5) I have been told, by the staff, that lunch is a better deal. Never tried... By the way, if you are not there by 7pm in the winter, on most nights, you will have to wait. read more

Shabu can be very "HOT" to eat, I meant temperature hot! It is burning hot when you are eating shabu without AC. The AC broke down just when we finished ordering. Thinking it was not very nice to leave, my friend and I decided to take the "heat" challenge! It was probably the most silly thing we've done. I won't get into the details, but I did not enjoy the food at all because it was SOOO hot. I felt like I was cooking myself in a very heated room. 4 Stars goes to the service, the server was nice and he refilled our water very quickly! read more

OH MY LORD. I have been wanting to try shabu shabu since I was in high school and my dad came back from a Tokyo business trip singing it's praises. Despite the fact that that was (too) many years ago, I didn't actually try this amazing cuisine until Friday night. Now I'm kicking myself cause I have been missing out on years of shabu deliciousness. After reading about the parking lot, we decided to drive, and it is truly the clusterfuck that every other review says it is. WOW. One car actually backed up out of the space and continued to back out through the whole parking lot until he was on the street. WTF? After a trip around the block, things calmed down and we were able to park in something that may or may not have been an actual space. We were quoted a wait of 15 minutes, but were seated in 5. Both the boyfriend and I were shabu noobs, but I had read up on the process before leaving, so I wasn't as freaked as he was. The man doesn't like not knowing what he's doing. We ordered some lovely wine, the prime rib beef and I decided to throw caution to the wind and get the seafood platter. I am not generally adventurous with trying new foods and had never really eaten salmon or any kind of fish besides tuna before. Shellfish, I am acquainted with, but fish fish, I am not. Chalk this up to another thing I should have tried years ago, cause everything was just yummy. I don't think the squid is cut out for this type of preparation, or maybe we just don't know how to cook it, but it was rubbery and my least favorite part of the meal. Everything else was amazing and after subtly spying on other tables to copy their techniques, we were almost shabu experts. I am definitely going back. read more

I like the food their a lot. The restrooms need work please. I used the men room last night and felt dirtier after using it. There was water all over the place. I almost left using it. You have plenty of people that can check the bathroom every hour. I would not even wear my shoes in the house when I got home. FIX IT read more