Great food and amazing service! It was worth the free Mochi plate! Amazing restaurant!

I really wanted to like this place but the spicy miso broth was flavorless & the sukiyaki broth was salty. Not to mention, we waited 45 minutes and my boyfriend and I had high expectations because the reviews were so good. Another thing is the seating arrangement is all bar stool tops, they're very crammed and I kept bumping arms with the man next to me. Giving 2 stars because the service was good and the cucumber salad was decent. Overall, I don't think I'll be coming back read more

Great food, vibes and service! Have been on a search to find a good, local Shabu spot with the excessively long wait times. So glad a friend introduced us! read more

I've loved the food here for a while but felt compelled to write this review based on Tala alone. I work in costumer service and great people go a long way with me! She was the freakin best. I had a few questions on how to make what was already good the best it could be and she was all about sharing her tricks and accommodating to all my weird questions. Should note that this was a Saturday night right at a popular dinner hour (in which we got in faster than I thought based on the people waiting). For a server to be that engaging, promoting of the amazing add ins and mixes with a fun personality while she's doing 20 other things is impressive and applauded! Love her and the food was amazing as per usual! Even better with the egg and truffle oil. Makes me want to come back more. read more

Walked in excited to try tabu shabu. However, as we entered, the waitstaff sat us right next to another couple. With 5 other seats to the right, we asked if we could move over one seat as I am left handed and would be elbowing the other guest. They said no, due to policy but we observed across the way another set of couples that were seated with a space in between. We were confused at the response and I felt uncomfortable during the whole interaction. Sad we couldn't try this place :/ read more

Really cool fun environment and great food! It was my first time here and first time having Shabu and I had no idea what to expect. The people were friendly and helped me figure out what to order and it was great! I suggest the pork broth as it was super tasty and the usda prime rib eye and shrimp was a great combination of flavors! read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Yum! - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Good ambiance! Great service! Not the same as a typical shabu place .. this is more simplified. Did the take home congee option which was a good idea. Spicy miso is too spicy. read more

Came with a friend for a post workout meal and luckily we made it 5 minutes before happy hour (25% off your meal) ended! Initially, we didn't even know there was a happy hour until the server informed us and took our order asap so we'd get the 25% off. Didn't catch his name, but if you're reading this then thanks man ya saved us $9!! What's really neat about this shabu place is that they allow you to mix broths. My friend and I both got spicy miso & tonkatsu which was very flavorful. Their ponzu dipping sauce is also up there, one of the best I've had. Servers were attentive as well. Definitely coming back! read more

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This place is a hidden gem! They have a pretty good selection of tasty meats and broth is pretty good. I love that that wait is always quick and they serve shirataki noodssss MY go to order is: *sukiyaki +egg * all veggies * shirataki noodles * side of white rice * ponzu +goma read more

The beauty of this place has to be their top notch service! The reason for my 5 star review is for the wonderful front of the house peeps (everyone! All of the staff seem to have a great chemistry, very organized, of course the back of the house need to be also in sync. I think they've got a great dynamic front & back of the house here~) forgot the nice young lady's name but she was very attentive, knowledgeable of their menu, & helpful. Not to mention the quality of their meat (choices are beef, chicken, pork, lamb, & fish/seafood) and vegetables (fresh shiitake, enoki, carrots, bokchoy, spinach, cabbage, & brocolli). Everything came out swiftly too. I really enjoyed the chicken & beef short ribs (got the large combo - $32) with the spicy miso broth. Comes with the standard Goma (sesame seed) and Ponzu (citrus soy) dipping sauces (green onions, chopped garlic, & grated daikon radish are on the side as condiments along with rayu/spicy oil). They will drop in those spicy extract per your request too, if you like things more spicy. To finish off the soup, I cooked my kelp ramen noodles with the enoki & spinach at the end and it was a perfect meal for a person who was recovering from a terrible cold. Monday through Friday you have happy hour discount (from 5 to 6 p.m.) 25% off of all food~ They're located in a plaza with good enough parking spaces. Not a huge place so you may have to wait during their peak hours but it will be worth the wait. 'Tis the season for shabu shabu~ go enjoy some hot broth facial while eating your favorite cuts of meats & vegetables! Tabu shabu, it does your body good~ read more

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Good servers , lots healthy food . Just it's bar sitting chair are not comfy . Fun cook yourself . Good price . Highly recommended read more

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In case you miss it, the place is located in the corner of a plaza. Good thing my friend caught it cause I wouldn't have! Its a small place and only has bar seatings. If you are looking for your typical asian owned shabu joint- this is not it! Its a fancy end shabu place. I ordered the regular, spicy miso, and USDA prime ribeye. The soup was lacking A LOT of flavor and tasted like water but I mixed in some sauces and it was better. When they finally refilled my soup, it tasted a lot better so I'm not sure if it was a mistake on the first round. The meat is high quality! Its very soft and tender. The best meat I have eaten in shabu shabu. My friend ordered the kobe shortrib and it tasted even better than mine! Also, check in for free edamame! read more

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Excellent service , food and great time Everything is excellent We keep going back I wish they open more branches read more

A new favorite! Service is on point and the sauces are perfect. I had the spicy miso with the short rib and it just melted in my mouth. Pricing was fair. Roughly $78 for three of us. Definitely coming back to try their other broths. Cheers to the management for running a good team too! read more

Been here before and the hot pot is great, brought my kids to enjoy the food and love it.

Came here on a Saturday night & it was busy! Luckily, I had put our name on the list so we got in fairly quickly. I wasn't expecting the hot pot, clearly didn't do my research. And was surprised to see the bar style seating and no tables. The hot pot was AMAZING!! Hands down better than what I was expecting. The food & service was so good I actually forgot about the bar style seating I was originally bummed on. It didn't even matter. And actually turned out to be kind of cool to be honest! Tala was beyond amazing. She gave recommendations & was quick, yet so efficient and attentive. Her help was also very kind and filled our drinks without asking & topped off our broth when it simmered too low. We're still talking about the experience & cant wait to come back! read more

Get.The.Porridge. All of the servers are amazing, they truly are, the customer service is so great considering how busy this place gets, they make sure to make you feel at home and the food is delicious. Shout out to Ursula for making the best porridge, just let her do her thing you'll thank me later, she just has the sweetest nature. Also the blonde server (I always forget her name and I feel horrible about it) but she knows her stuff too, she always takes care of us when we come in. And her alcohol suggestions are on point. read more

I love this spot so much the service is amazing and the food was absolutely delicious I'm so grateful for this spot yum yum yum ugh

Amazing Food and service is amazing I highly recommend this place if you love Hot Pot

** Complimentary spicy garlic or truffle sea salt edamame with Yelp check-in ** Truly a high quality shabu experience! I'm so glad I finally got to try this place out. Located in Costa Mesa, Tabu Shabu is located in one of the corner locations of the plaza. The interior isn't too spacious and is a bit dark. FOOD: 9.5/10 SERVICE: 8.5/10 ATMOSPHERE: 5/10 FOOD - + Wagyu Kobe Chuck Roll with Tonkotsu + Spicy Miso Base ($16): The broth was a bit too salty cause I mixed the Tonkotsu with the Spicy Miso, but it was a lot cleaner than a lot of other shabu places. You don't get that sluggish feeling from MSG from the broth here. They offer a "paleo" version here too, which is great because you can avoid the carby noodles and rice and just get more veggies! They also have shirataki noodles in substitution for the udon noodles, which had a jello type of texture. The meat was decent quality as well. Overall, it was a healthy experience and enjoyable! They did charge me $1.50 for chili garlic, which I thought was a bit absurd. It was a tiny little dish of chili garlic. SERVICE - There weren't too many people in the restaurant when we went on Sunday around noon, so service was rather quick and attentive. ATMOSPHERE - A bit dark! Would prefer more lighting. read more

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Amazing service and food. Food is very fresh and delicious. I've always had fast service here. Daniel is an amazing server with a great attitude. The atmosphere is great. read more

ALL YOU CAN DRINK SAKE FOR $7?! YOU CAN'T BEAT THAT! This promotion is offered on Saturday & Sunday for brunch from 12-3pm. You have a choice between their hot or cold house sake. They start you off with one & then just let them know when you're ready for another or they're pretty good in checking up on you. Just get ready to get drunk! Definitely beats mimosas any day. As for the food, Tabu isn't my favorite shabu place, but it's still good. They got me with the bottomless sake. The meat & vegetables are fresh & I enjoy their variety of broths. I also appreciate that they have a paleo option which is extra veggies & no rice. You can even do shirataki noodles which have no carbs if you still want the feeling or texture of carbs or noodles. I personally don't care for them, but it's an option! For my appetizer, I use the Yelp check-in offer for free edamame. You get the option of spicy garlic or truffle oil. I like the truffle oil mostly because it provides a nice contrast of flavor since my shabu is usually spicy with hot drops. The edamame is also always perfectly cooked; bright, green & still got its bite. For my broth, I like to mix the spicy miso and tonkotsu pork (+$1.50). The miso isn't very spicy, in my opinion, so the pork adds another depth of flavor which I like. For protein, I get the large certified angus ribeye, but the regular is a good portion if you're eating rice. Another good protein is their Mexican wild shrimp. The shrimp are super big, plump & juicy! A good add-on is the garlic chicken dumplings. They're super flavorful & delicious. You cook them in your pot. Then when they're cooked, you dip it back into the sauce that they serve alongside it & enjoy! Unfortunately, I don't care for their sauces. The ponzu is alright, but I like mine more citrusy & light. The goma sauce is also too watery for my liking. Nonetheless, they get the job done & you start not to mind once you're a bottle of sake in anyways. read more

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One of the best, if not the best, shabu place in the OC! The staff are accommodating and friendly, and the food is awesome. The meat quality is definitely above average and they don't skimp out on their meat portions. The spicy miso soup base is my go-to, just enough flavor without being too salty! read more

Amazing service and food! Definitely a great place to check out!! The vibe of the restaurant and the people that work here is so welcoming and warm! read more

Went here for the first time a couple months ago and it was a great experience! The manager was there and introduced himself and greeted me and my friends, which was a very nice gesture. Rare to see that nowadays when it comes to customer service in restaurants. I got the chicken protein and a bunch of veggies. I had their miso broth which was dense in flavor but complemented the meal really well! Will be back to try their other proteins and side dishes :) read more

Love this spot but a bit slow sometimes on customer service . I will continue to go though because it's conveniently located to my office and I love it read more

Love this place. Great service, great food. Always a fun experience! My advice? Always ask to turn your broth into a porridge. Best leftovers ever. read more

Great spot ! Awesome to see how they are able to still server the city of Costa Mesa! Thank you for all of your efforts ! Tough times don't last, but tough business do! Thank you ! read more

Great food! Great atmosphere! Great service! Highly recommended! The staff is genuinely very friendly & they always check up to make sure we don't run out of drinks. Love this place! We are now their weekly loyal customers. read more

This place is awesome. I came here Thursday night and it was briskly busy. They do ask that you have your entire party before they will see you. So I waited for my friend to come and once seated. We were greeted by Ursula since it's been sometime since I have been to a shabu shabu place I needed a refresher. And Ursula was the perfect person to give us the rundown of the place. She even helped us seasoned our broth. Since I am unable to decide on my choice of broth. Ursula suggested that I split my broth. I have pork tonkatsu and miso soup. Both are delicious but I prefer to tonkatsu broth. Put all my veggies in there I first put the carrots broccoli and bok choy since they take a longer time to cook. Then I dump all my vegetables in the broth I also selected udon as my noodle choice. Service is top-notch and they usually come and ask if we need anything else. I enjoyed my dinner at tabu shabu. We will come back again read more

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First time for lunch with my BFF. The food is great and I love it especially on a rainy day. I'm glad Tabu Shabu takes safety precautions from hand sanitizer outside to plastic dividers between the sitting area. read more

We used to like this place a lot and we went there many times. But last time we went there, we were disappointed. The veggie was not fresh at all, some show yellow and the portion was less too. We went on Saturday lunch and we heard that the night before they were really busy. But it should not be the excuse to ignore the quality of the food because the worker too tired to keep up with their work. It is not fair to us as the consumers. read more

I like this place. They had a nice Yelp check-in offer of a free Truffle Sea Salt edamame. Everyone in my party thought it was really good. I wasn't sure if our party would all be able to get seated - there aren't individual tables here, it's more like one horseshoe shaped bar. Anyway, we were all seated by each other, so it worked out. There are 3 broth flavors: combo, spicy miso and sukiyaki. I tried the sukiyaki and liked it. I tried a large size (8 oz) of the Prime Ribeye. I was afraid it would be too much meat when it came out, but it was perfect. They also have a regular (4 oz) and large (1/2 lb) size. You are given a good range of veggies and a bowl of brown or white rice. I think the quality of meat here is very good. Service was good, too. Our party was happy with our meals. I would revisit Tabu. read more

The food was amazing and the staff was very warm and welcoming. Highly recommend. Will be back!

This is a repeat location for me, the staff, the quality of food are simply outstanding. Well earned 5 stars and will continue to keep coming back!!! read more

Hello Newport Beach area....you guys finally have a SHABU SHABU joint thats closeby. Tabu Shabu is an "interesting" shabu shabu joint. For some reason, it seems different and gives a different vibe towards the place. Sometimes different is better. What initially attracted me to this restaurant was there 100 oz beer tube and their weekend BRUNCH. Hmm attracted towards this place because of alcohol? yah im a drinker...so what?? The 100 oz beer tube looks awesome...and is worth the $$ to just stare out. Beer straight out from the tap...yum. & the weekend brunch is awesome. Now...I know whats going through your head...STEPHAN, what is WEEKEND BRUNCH? well let me tell you...for $20 you get an entree and UNLIMITED SAKE...yes you heard correctly...UNLIMITED SAKE...let me say this one more time...UNLIMITED HOUSE HOT/COLD SAKE. The cool thing about this place is that this is the only shabu place that offers ALL YOU CAN DRINK...and the best part of this deal is that its offered DURING THE DAY TIME! For some reaosn...day drinking is just so much better and "funner" in my opinion...and your so close to the beach...a meal plus some booze...great way to start your afternoon off by the Newport Area. Going on to the food: -the sauce: sauces were very guud, the goma in particular was awesome as well too. This is the 2nd shabu shabu joint where I will ever ENJOY the goma. so congratz to you guys for that -the soup base: YOU GET TO CHOOSE 3 DIFFERENT STYLES! for the same price! Go for the spicy miso! and yes...it taste guud too -the meat: I chose the kobe...the meat is the only downside to it. The layout of the meat looked um.... interesting? I also wished there were more pieces given...but for $20 for the entree and booze...Im def. not complaining -vegetable plate...guud portion...all the typical vegetables...perhaps could do a lil work on organizing the plate? -rice: another joint with unlimited refills on rice! brown rice is also served here as well! -condiments: awesome...cool looking containers...fresh...and actual FRESH CUT GARLIC...instead of that pastey stuff Customer Service is also very awesome here as well too. Its also funny to see servers TRY to fill beer up...especially when they dont know what there doing. Also had a chance to meet the owner of Tabu. Real cool and chill guy. Its always nice to have a owner who will interact with their customers instead of always looking serious and acting as if he was the BOSS-man. My tip to you guys: -FIND A DD FOR WEEEKEND BRUNCH! Overall...very enjoyable experience...def. the most drunk Ive ever been at brunch. Will definitely come back again...let me correct myself...I will probably cab here and back again. IF YOU LIKE TO DRINK..and your looking for a place that does a CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH type of deal...and love shabu...THIS IS YOUR PLACE! keep up the good work Jeff UNTIL THEN!! ^-^ read more

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Not the best shabu and not authentic but this place is not bad. I went to this place with one of my girlfriends on my day off. My friend doesn't eat beef and this place offers more than just beef shabu. I am a purist when it comes to shabu. I cook shabu @ home and l've been eating shabu regularly all my life. Ordered $16 lunch grassfed Kobe shabu. It's kinda expensive for lunch special but it's not bad. It comes with typical ponzu (citrus) and goma (sesame) sauces. I usually ask for double ponzu but the goma @ this place is actually good. Goma is not peanut sauce in case you are not familiar with shabu. They don't dillute their sauces so it's a plus. I don't really care for its veggie plate since they put way too many different things there~napa, spinach, enoki mushroom, other green veggie, brown mushroom, tofu, carrot and udon. Tabu gives you a lot of options: Soup base: you have the option of kombu, spicy miso or sukiyaki. I prefer a traditional shabu style so kombu is my choice of soup base. Protein: beef (angus rib eye, kobe, marbled rib eye or grassfed rib eye), pork, lamb, chicken (free range or organic), salmon, shrimp, scallops and vegetarian. Rice: you have the option of brown or white rice. Happy ending: you have the option of noodle soup or porridge. I refuse both and make my own dipping noodle with my leftover ponzu. Great and fast service but it's a little too attentive. They should just print the instruction how to eat shabu at the table instead of repeating it to every customer. Please don't explain it again If the customers say yes, they are familar with the shabu. More and more people are familiar with this type of cooking..especially if you hang out in Costa Mesa or other Japanese neighborhoods. QUICK TIP: FREE TRUFFLE SEA SALT EDAMAME WITH CHECK-IN. 3.5 stars!! I don't mind coming back again if I am in the area. Tabu Shabu is kinda yummylicious!! read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Grassfed Kobe Shabu $16.00 for lunch - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I'm not a picky person. I really am not, but there were so many obvious, annoying little things that made me pick Tabu Shabu apart. It's the newest shabu shabu restaurant in town and my friend suggested that we try it out to see how it measures with other shabu restaurants in OC. We came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon and the place was somewhat empty, so we practically chose our seats. First off, it's a bit hidden, so look for Bella Bleu (women's clothing boutique), and you'll find that it's a couple doors down. I decided to order their Sukiyaki. Mainly because I wanted to compare it to Swsh in Irvine (which I find to offer pretty damn good Sukiyaki), but also because I'm in my Sukiyaki phase. I was disappointed from beginning to end. It was very salty, even after having more water added. Too much soy sauce? I ordered the Certified Angus Ribeye to accompany the Sukiyaki and was also disappointed. The meat was cut so thin that it basically ripped apart at the touch of my chopsticks. It was fresh; I'll give them that, but the texture of thinly cut meat reminds me of the beef bowl from Yoshinoya. The brown rice was also dry and served in these modernized slanted bowls that I find not suitable for shabu shabu. I'm not messy, but I looked like one hellova messy eater...with my food clinging onto dear life as if it were sliding off a mountain. Your shabu meal comes with a plate of veggies and udon noodles. My problem: the udon noodles came in bits and pieces! And I do mean bits and pieces, 1 1/2" - 2" long. I'm not a baby, ya know. The utensils they provided towards the end of your meal (for your soup) was also pretty much useless for the most part. The wooden noodle tongs were so stiff that you couldn't even clamp the noodles, but noodles can't really be noodles if it's 1 1/2" - 2" long anyhow. The ladle didn't even fit the radius of the pot, making it difficult to scoop up anything. See, I'm picking Tabu Shabu apart... =/ + Service - The staff was friendly and attentive and it appeared that they were pretty knowledgeable. My peeve was that they were extra attentive to other Yelpers that were also dining there. Let's not suck up. I'm a Yelper and I'm here to judge your food and service; end of story. Overall, I wouldn't return for their Sukiyaki. A server did suggest the Spicy Miso so maybe I'll try that... read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - sukiyaki with certified angus ribeye - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Wow. This totally was beyond my expectation in many ways. 1. Located in a corner spot in an older mini-mall. Expectation lowered upon arrival. 2. Didn't pick the place based on a Yelp rating or search. I know, for shame. 3. I have my 2 favorite Shabu places, and didn't think I had room at the top for others. The decor is cute, and very clean. It's small and intimate. Lacks a little energy and vibe, and service is appropriate but not social at all. But the food, was absolutely over-the-top great. Holy cow (and more): ------------------------------- Lots of options for meats (or veggie): veg, chicken, pork, lamb, salmon, shrimp, scallops, certified Angus ribeye, prime ribeye, washimi Kobe short-rib, Meyers farm grass fed ribeye. Choices of soup base: plain, seaweed, spicy miso, sukiyaki. Available in 3 sizes: reg, large, and XL. I tried the spicy miso with certified Angus ribeye (theoretically, their lowest grade available). So dang tasty! The Large ($20) was such a big portion, I Ieft feeling very full, and actually took home a decent size 'to go' container. I appreciated the leftovers 3 more times, because I browned ground turkey, then added and mixed it altogether. Seriously, I was in heaven...and the flavors from the initial mix was even greater in the next days as it marinated. u got booze? ------------------------------- Yep, and lots of it. Drafts (Kirin; Shocktop Belgian White -- one of my favorites), bottles, sake, wine. In conclusion: ------------------------------- I'm a fan here. For the food alone, It parallels my 2 other favs: Joon Shabu Shabu (Glendale) and Shabu Shabu Bar (Santa Ana). I look forward to going back. Tip: bring your whole family or village and order a 100oz beertube! read more

Shabu places are popping up a lot these days and it really depends on your preference, but they all offer you your own pot, two types of sauces -- sesame and ponzu -- with condiments, and your choice of meats with vegetables thrown in. What sets each restaurant apart is the quality of meat they offer and this is where I draw the line when a shabu place offers subpar proteins and charges you an arm and a leg for it. Tabu Shabu's proteins are of great quality. You have a choice of 3 broth flavors -- the traditional kombu, spicy miso, and sukiyaki. My friend and I sampled almost all the meats on the menu..... Rib eye -- even though this isn't the most expensive beef item, it was very flavorful and tender as long as you don't leave it in your pot and let it over cook. Premium -- naturally being the priciest beef item, this was excellent, tender and melt in your mouth when dipped into your boiling broth as soon as the color changes. Scallops, salmon and shrimp were so fresh and one of the best seafood items I've had at shabu places. You must remember NEVER to overcook your seafood or it will be dry and chewy. The salmon only required a quick dip until it was just cooked through and it remains very flaky. We also sampled the chicken and pork but they are not my favorite. I'm not a big fan of chicken or pork at shabu. Vegetables include napa cabbage, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushroom, carrots and a few slivers of onion and tofu cubes and a handful of udon noodles. You also get a bowl of white or brown rice. Definitely a stellar shabu place to check out! read more