So good even though its kinda pricey. Good for once in a while night out. 2 of us do 2 deluxe meat combo and pork belly and we were pretty full. The bill comes up to $100+ including tips read more

Love this place! We eat here once a week, we love it that much. This is hands down the best hot pot place in the city (we've tried them all). They also have the BEST pan-fried pork gyoza in the world. Ivy and Van are awesome, they know our order by heart and have our watermelon smoothies ready when they see us come through the door. We are obsessed with this place. read more

I'm sort of torn. The waitstaff was truly amazing and friendly and willing to explain everything. Service was prompt and attentive, and everything was quite fresh and tasty. But the food was very expensive; my meal cost $40 and I was still rather hungry when I left. read more

I was here for the first time on Monday for a free lunch (put your business card in the fishbowl!). It was absolutely delicious. I went with a veteran, but it is easy enough to figure out on your own. I also recommend the fruit smoothies. I had watermelon and when I was done I longed for another! The place is clean, friendly and fun! Check it out, great for lunch! read more

Everything that has been said has been said already...so all I can say is YUMMY~!! I ate here 2 nights in a row while on vacation. I love how it is shabu shabu, but has a lot of different variety of items you can order (normally for Chinese hotpot). The prices are great too. Oh and the smoothies are really good too. I love this place! read more

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This place has a warm social atmosphere, like a great den to hide in on a rainy fall day- it feels good to be in here. First off, the sashimi is so fresh and super cheap. I always get the prawns, beef and veggies with noodles. You make your own dipping sauce- I throw some garlic in my pot and make everything extra spicy with pepper flakes- but hey that's me- you can basically do whatever you want to do with your food here- palates open and the pot is your blank canvas. Everything is super fresh and cheap, I think if I was able to eat here once or twice a week, my life might feel that much more complete! read more

Shabu-Zen is great for a change of pace. It can be a little intimidating if you haven't had Shabu-Shabu type food before, but don't worry... you can watch all the pro's around you due to the uniquely shaped hot-pot bar and you will be a Shabu pro in no time at all! I am not a huge fan of their broth as it tastes a bit bland, cooking the meat first with the supplied spices will help with this. They have a great selection of meats and seafood that are all high quality and fresh. The wait staff is attentive and eager to answer questions. This is a great place to go during the week and it tends to get more crowded during the weekend. read more

Pretty good hot-pot. Clean-cut and individual pot. Nice sauces as compliment. ok service. read more

My first Shabu Shabu experience! I went on the recommendations of others and did the spicy Kim Chee broth and seafood sampler, while the hubby had the sirloin. We both loved our entrees, everything was extremely fresh and tender once cooked. I cannot say enough good things about this place, the waitresses were very friendly and explained the proper way to cook everything. After a few drinks, white tuna sashimi app and two entrees, we left incredibly satisfied, but also looking forward to our next visit! read more

I love this place! It's cozy, the food is good, and the waitress/waiters are pretty, LOL. I like the short beef rib combo the most. The size seems like a little smaller for guys, but it's not expensive. I love the sesame source and their fruit smoothies. It's an idea place if you have 2~4 friends. read more

Just had the best lunch ever!!! You can never go wrong with shabu. Since it's Friday and it's during Lent season, we ordered the veggie delight and seafood combo! Ive always think that beef works well in shabu so seafood wasn't that great. The veggie delight was very standard but boy did they fill us up! I'm in love with Shabu!! Y'all need to try this place! read more

Our 1st time here. My wife used to live in Japan many years ago and used to enjoy Shabu Shabu there sometimes, but she may never have had it back here in US in many, many years. We both thoroughly enjoyed everything: food. way room looks, service, price very reasonable. She had various fish with Mongolian flavoring added. -- very tasty, spicy but different. Wished I chose Mongolian flavoring in mine as it was unusual As a vegetarian, I had VEGGIE PLATTER with Sichuan flavoring added. Nothing wrong with Sichuan flavoring, spicy like it should have been. Mongolian just different type of hot spicy. But I still THOROUGHLY enjoyed mine. Many interesting, tasty vegetables. She enjoyed her seafood. Fun boiling food ourselves. We sat at the tables in the center, not a booth. Only minor downfall was the Udon noodles were not authentic in terms of feel, taste or size (were not thick), but this is a quibble. read more

I love this place, we've been going here for years and now there's another one in Alston Brighton, my Husband and I personally prefer the fun of going into Chinatown however. This is our favorite place. Hot Pot cuisine is very authentic as well, in fact, you cook your own food, so no complaints to the chef since you are the chef. Service is amazing as well, plates are cleared away promptly. I haven't been disappointed yet. I enjoy the flavor and the experience so much, once we went twice in the same weekend. If you're new to the experience, just tell your waitress, they'll walk you through your choices. read more

My first time here and my first hot pot experience! They were super helpful and patient with me, taking the time to explain the process and the menu options. The food was fantastic!! I highly recommend this place for the yummy food and wonderful, kind, knowledgable and friendly staff!! read more

We were there last night. I was skeptical about their concept (i.e. cook your own food), but I really liked it. The meat is sliced to thin that it is cooked in a minute. I am mostly grateful to the bartender who ran after us for couple of blocks to give the movie ticket I dropped there (We were on our way to the movie theater). That was such a nice thing to do. Also, the place has a great ambiance. I would go there for a fun date. Definitely will go back. read more

Food is good, which I prefer the seafood combo. My favorite is the dessert part- green tea ice cream. Then that's it! read more

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My general rule of thumb for Chinatown is 'don't eat anywhere a friend does not recommend'. So Naturally this was a place I was taken to... It is by far the best hotpot experience I have had to date. They are fast and don't skimp on the veggies, and the staff will help you figure things out if you need it (from ordering to how to cook your veggies). I say sit at the counter so you can get your own broth, which is something I don't see in a lot of places. So consider this a recommendation from a friend. read more

Wow - my wife and I tried this place based on the reviews here on Yelp and some other sites and were very impressed. It's not fancy, but the atmosphere is clean and nice. The individual hot pots are a great idea because each person can customize the broth to their liking. So, my wife got something to compliment her seafood platter (a huge array of salmon, flounder, octopus, clams, shrimp and such) while I got a really good Szechuan broth for my beef platter. The only drawback was that my wife ordered a sashimi appetizer before the hot pot and will skip that next time. She said it was kind of fishy and wasn't the best quality of yellowfin. However, the cooked seafood made up for it. We'll be back. read more

This is my favorite Shabu Shabu restaurant in Boston. Always fresh and fun. Great, bright atmosphere. read more

Shabu-Zen - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Hot-pot is such a self service dining experience, that you can really only judge the restaurant on the broth and the ingredients. Shabu-Zen delivered on both fronts. We got the miso and house chicken broth, since members of our party don't like spice. Both soups were clean and light, but we also had options to deepen the flavor with other sauces. The ingredients were incredibly fresh, which is always so important for hot pot. A really great filling, but light meal. I plan to come back to try the spicier broths. read more

Good spot, lots of character, good but sort of funny service, and the hot pots are the big thing to try. We had a two broth split hot pot, vegetarian broth and chicken broth. Both were very good. We ordered the beef & chicken combo, the fish & seafood, and a vegetarian delight. All were good, but the vegetarian came with some root vegetables that really are not good unless you cook them for a while, which didn't work so well. We also had a few appetizers. The vegetable gyoza are very good, the edamame is good but was too salty, and I would not recommend the sashimi sampler. Both the tuna and salmon were bizarre colors and consistencies. The tuna was a strange magenta color, and the salmon had a slimy consistency and the fat areas were gray. read more

Very rude receptionist/cashier. Came here for lunch on Sunday 05/09. To be fair, the food, the servers and the environment were all quite nice. I got a bill that was 30% more than the menu price and flagged the issue. The receptionist seemed to be in charge and was very rude in handling the issue. She told me the thing I ordered was on the lunch menu and the lunch menu was just for weekdays. I notified her that the menu said nothing about lunch menu being unavailable on weekends (there were many things in fine print for what the lunch menu included and not included but there wasn't anything about weekend prices). She then remarked "I don't know how many times you've been here. We have been open for more 20 years and never had lunch menu on weekends. Other restaurants also never have lunch menu on weekends." She didn't seem receptive to the idea that the customer shouldn't be responsible for unexpected price hikes not clearly communicated prior to the order, so I gave up and paid the bill amount. It wasn't a pleasant experience. read more

Bad service, average meat, appetizers and broth, poor drink selection. First, as far as service goes, this is probably the worst place for hot pot in Boston. While small, they have a policy of not giving tables to parties of two, you have to sit at the bar or counter. While, this may be a fine solution for people who want a quick bite to eat, it's not a good set up if you actually want to share food, get multiple broths, etc. Whats even worse, is if you happen to be a big eater, there is no place to put your food without it spilling over into someone elses personal space. Staff is also unattentive. While other hot pot places in the area constantly check on your broth amd boiling level, here you have to flag someone down to get more broth or adjust the temperature. More importantly, while the prices are reasonable, the meat quality is substantially inferior to other hot pot places like Q Restaurant or even the all you can eat Hot Pot Buffet around the corner. I highly recommend that you go to one of the better choices in the neighborhood. read more

I ordered the beef & chicken combo plate. It came with a healthy amount of both, as well as a veggie plate and udon noodles for a side. We were offered four garnishes for our soy sauce, which I dumped in together. The beef was incredible. Tender, quickly cooked, and delicious. The chicken was slightly less impressive, but still good. All the veggies were fresh and did nicely when cooked. The atmosphere is great - you sit at long bars, which arent cramped but promote a fun atmosphere to do your cooking and eating in. Service was quick and friendly - the price could've been a bit better, but on the whole, a great time. My vegetarian girlfriend had the pure veggie plate which was pretty overwhelming, but full of good stuff. Recommended to *anyone* read more

What better for dinner on a frigid cold winter night than a pot of steamy hot pot? Shabu Zen seems to be a good destination. I usually would give them my five stars but last week they skimped out my regular order of seafood platter. It seems to me that their seafood platter portion have been on the stingy side. My sisters savored their orders of A1 sliced beef. Thursday nights may not be a good time to go there if you would like to have conversations. It would be very likely for you to bump in to larger groups doing sake bombs. Hot tip! For those of you who would like to avoid waiting for a table, come pre or post peak hours (anytime between 5-6.30 PM or after 8 PM). If you'd like to try Shabu Zen with a large group of people, try their Brighton location. read more

Very not bad. Had the tom-yum and szechuan broths with beef and seafood platter. Both were good but the szechuan broth had a fantastic flavor. The meal came with a dessert of red-bean soup, but honestly I felt like it should have come with a side of chips given that it tasted more like a bean dip. This place was pretty busy. Service was sub-par. Food Quality/Taste = 4 Stars Portion Size Given Price = 2 Stars Price = 3 Stars Service = 1 Experience with Staff = 3 Stars Decor = 3 Stars read more

Usually Hot pot Buffet is my go-to place for hot pot. we got 15% off coupon, so decided to check this place out. Definitely pricey than the other place, just arrange the meat and fishes in a nicer way. quality wise is about the same. I like how they provide different dipping sauces. When we went, there was a birthday party, so extremely loud. But in general, it is okay..not super impressed. read more

It's been a while since I've had hot pot--I'm far from an expert as I've only had it once before--and a recent trip to Shabu-Zen did not disappoint. If you're looking for something different and just want to take time to sit back and enjoy your meal, this experience is for you. If you're reading this review, you may already know what hot pot is about; you get a plate of meat and veggies and cook them yourself in a pot of broth that sits on your table top. Be aware that if you're a vegetarian, you don't want to use the same broth as a meat eater--obviously. There are no individual broth bowls, although you can split the hot pot down the middle into two different sections. Overall the meal was really good, but the dessert, a red bean soup, left much to be desired. Should I complain about that though? Probably not. The meal was reasonably priced ($11) and the dessert was included, so really, nothing was lost. read more

Good food and friendly service, probably be coming back when I visit Boston. Nice place where you cook a soup at your table and add ones choice of veggies and meat. read more

这是我觉得目前为止最好吃的hotpot！每次去都有很多人，每次都是等等等。不过真的值得，环境特别干净，有两种选择锅，一人小锅和大锅，我最喜欢里面的和牛肉！！真的太美味了，宝贝说放两秒就OK了，那个味道真的和鹅肝可以一拼，价格也类似，一点也不亲民，但偶尔一次总可以吧！强烈推荐，food fresh ,服务生态度好，OK！！！ read more

Shabu-Zen - 和牛！日本一级wagyu！！70刀后面是澳洲和牛，也很好！！ - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Absolutely delicious! The meat and vegetables were all fresh and prepared very nicely. The broth was also amazing and probably some of the best I've had. The service was slow at first but still friendly and helpful. The entire restaurant was packed and when I left, the line was out the door so that should tell you how popular this place is. read more

Shabu-Zen is definitely my favorite hot pot place in Boston. When you are doing hot pot, you are looking for the experience as well as the food. It's a great hangout place. There is a lot of seating, but the place fills up quickly, so get there early, especially if you're in a large group. Service is friendly, not overly friendly, but fine. They are there to simply bring drinks, turn on your pots, and bring the food. They do, however, go the extra step of asking if you've done hot pot before (something not done at other hot pot restaurants I've been to). I always come in a large group and order plates of seafood, veggie, and meats. All food is very fresh and tasty. For the vegetarians, or veggie lovers - vegetable plates are large and have a ton of variety which is great! read more

I love this place! It is my Hot Pot to go place while in Boston. The beef and vegetables are always fresh. The broths are delicious as well. I've only tried the Kimchi (my fav) and the Chinese Spicy (Szechuan style). The portions are just perfect. The place always satisfies my cravings and I always leaving feeling very satisfied. read more

Best hot pot around. Attentive staff and quality food. They also make great smoothies at the bar. The bar is usually a long wait. If you are bringing a child! Be prepared to spend a little more. They have minimum for the tables. It can be difficult to feed a child at the counter rather than a table. Everyone else must sit at the counter unless you agree to the minimum. Somewhat understandable considered the hot pot requires the burners. They could fit more tables in the seating area. However hot pot is a fun experience for youngsters. This place gets packed. The wait can be hours. If the waits long the foods good! read more

Quality shabu. Always fresh. Broth always amazing. The sauce is to die for. Clean environment. Service is good.

Very excellent, the place, food, and the service is excellent. I glad my friend took me there!

Great food. I've been here 4 times. Twice for dinner and twice for a late night snack with a friend. If I come for dinner I get the regular size for myself, but if I come with a friend for a quick late night bite, we share a jumbo. I prefer the pork over the beef, but you can also get a combination of both. Their seating arrangement is why I give this place a 4. Most of the seats here are set up so you sit next to your party like a bar and can't sit across from each other. They have a few seats where you can sit across from each other but that is very limited. If you come with one other person, it is not a big deal, but any more than that would probably be awkward when trying to talk to one another from one end to the other end. read more

Came with with co-workers- busy restaurant even after 9pm. I was a bit overstimulated as it was my first time having shabu shabu- good experience overall. Plates were dropped without explanation so some dishes were consumed like a game of Russian roulette. Had a good time overall- definitely would return on a cold night to warm up. read more

One of my favorite places for hot pot! The service is great! The quality of the meat is the best I have ever had! Great service! Parking lot is a great option! I recommend this place highly! read more

The best hot pot I ever had in all USA. The service was excellent and very good price. I will travel to Boston just to dine there again.