Long over due but tabu shabu is literally the best shabu spot in the oc. You can't go wrong here. The food is amazing 10/10. The service is always, always 100%. Tram has helped us over the years so many times and everytime she delivers, everyone does. Must come here if youre on the fence just come. You will not regret it I promise. read more

I feel kind of bad rating this so low but I had to because the shabu competition is fierce. This place is located in a high frequency area so I think they still get lots of visits since it's always busy. However, I'm a little put off by the water temperature. My pot wasn't hot enough and never went into a nice rolling boil even though I waited before putting cold food in it. I had to ask the waitress to turn up the heat again and again to the point that I seriously thought I was getting annoying so I didn't want to keep asking anymore. & then they would keep turning the heat down even though it wasn't hot enough. Boo. Usually shabu is a few swishes and then your meat is done, but the water was never hot enough for that to happen. I had to leave the meat in there for a bit and it kind of killed my experience because it didn't matter if the food was good if the temperature was never right. read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California

The food, atmosphere and service were awesome. My complaint is there is absolutely no service in the restaurant. I took myself on a date (so by myself). I planned on catching up on social media, emails and texting, as I am very busy and have limited time to relax. There is NO WIFI for guests. I literally cooked all my food at once, packed it up and left. If you're going out with a date or friends, this place is great. If you're by yourself, bring a book. Very disappointing. read more

Food is fresh and delicious! Our server Courtney was so kind and friendly. Ambiance is lovely, music choices were spot on! We had a great time and enjoyed the meal! Highly recommend! read more

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Good soup, good service, good everything! My girlfriend and I came here with our appetites, ready to eat. Before heading to the restaurant we added ourselves to the waitlist, which was a little longer than the amount of time it took to get there. When we arrived we were greeted and asked if we were on the waitlist, and about 10 minutes later seats opened up for us. It's like any other shabu place where you order the broth, choose your rice/noodle and the protein you'd like. We both went with the same choices of spicy miso, white rice, udon and the Prime Level Ribeye (regular size). The good thing about this place is that you can customize your included vegetables! I opted for no mushrooms, carrots, or the squash. As far as drinks go, we had water and ordered a Hana Lychee Sake. The meat quality was excellent. Perfect little pieces that retained their soft, moist texture even after being cooked in the broth. The Hana Lychee Sake was delicious and smooth, with barely a hint of the usual sake taste. The rice was good, cooked to a good level of moistness. The broth carried enough flavor for my taste. The sauces, both the peanut one and the ponzu, tasted good. I added 5 hot drops to my ponzu which was the cherry on top. Service was excellent. Our server never failed to check up on us and was very informative for being first timers to this location. The workers even turn your plate of meat once they see that it's a little far for you to reach! The restaurant layout is perfect, just a long row of seats and counter space that u-turns at the front of the restaurant. The layout allows servers to pay close attention to everyone dining in. Parking is a PITA, it seems, but I managed to get a spot in the "circle". I did read some reviews prior to coming here about the pot being quite far for shorter people. My girlfriend, who is shorter than the mentioned heights of those reviews, was able to eat comfortably with no problem reaching anything. And no, she doesn't have abnormally long arms haha. I highly recommend this place, as I'll be back again! read more

Excellent service tonight. Team took great care of our party even with a semi late start. Highly recommend this great little gem in the heart of the Circle for extremely tasty shabu. read more

Great place for hot pot! This place is not all you can eat, it is ala carte, but it's so worth it. If you are looking for a trendy place with excellent food and outstanding service, you've come to the right place. Pros: -amazing service by our waitress -you can spice up your dipping sauce -they offer to marinate your meat for you -restroom is available Cons: - most seats are on the higher side (think bar style seating) which may not be accessible for larger groups that have wheelchairs -the hot pot plate was a bit far away from where you sit so the spacing was interesting Overall, I would love to come back again! read more

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Wanted to try a new hot pot place and found this Shabu on Yelp with good reviews. We went early as we saw that the place is not very big and has limited seating. We ordered the edamame garlic and the cucumber salad. For the broths we got tonkotsu and sukiyaki. We ordered the combination for the protein and got angus beef, prime ribeye and shrimp and also ordered the chicken dumplings. They marinated the meat in garlic, green onions and sweet chili sauce. We also had a raw egg for dipping our meat in. Everything was fresh and delicious. The server was nice and attentive. We would come back to this place again. It did get busy when we left. read more

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Absolutely love this place the food and service is always amazing. Only complaint is the music, they are constantly blaring rap music that has fowl language. I love to bring my children here often so I always have to coach them. Can you please change the station to clean music? read more

New shabu shabu restaurant at Old Town Orange. This is the perfect spot for date night! Just saying. Came here on a Friday night and the place was not too crowded so we were seated right away. I really liked the decor and upbeat music which was perfect for a Friday night. The staff was very attentive and helpful and they gave us good tips on what to order from the menu. My bf and I decided to try different cuts of meat so we shared our pork, Angus ribeye, and lamb. We both got all the veggies that are included in the 2 meat option but different types of broth. I went with their spicy miso broth and my bf got their sukiyaki. It was so much fun dipping our meats in the really hot broth and switching them around until they were cooked to our liking. I also enjoyed dropping the veggies in to cook and then later fishing them out with my chop sticks! If you like playing with your food then this dish is perfect for you! After we finished our meats we added our noodles to make a nice veggie noodle soup! I tried their shirataki noodles which were very chewy and my bf got udon. We were pretty stuffed by the end of our meal. It's literally two meals in one! read more

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f you're on the hunt for a hot pot experience that truly hits the spot, look no further than Tabu Shabu. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with a vibrant atmosphere and the enticing aroma of simmering broths. But let's get straight to the star of the show for me: their tonkatsu broth. Seriously, it elevates the entire hot pot experience to a whole new level. Beyond the incredible broth, Tabu Shabu boasts an impressive array of high-quality proteins. Whether you're a fan of succulent Wagyu beef, tender lamb, flavorful pork, or fresh seafood, they've got you covered. The variety ensures there's something to satisfy every palate, and the generous portions mean you definitely won't leave hungry. I especially appreciated the freshness and the careful slicing of each protein, making them perfect for a quick and satisfying cook in that amazing tonkatsu broth. Just when you think the deliciousness has peaked, Tabu Shabu offers a truly special way to conclude your meal: they can transform your leftover broth into a flavorful porridge. This comforting and savory ending is the perfect way to soak up all the remaining goodness of that incredible tonkatsu broth, infused with the essence of all the ingredients you've cooked. It's a unique and satisfying finale that truly sets Tabu Shabu apart. While the broth, proteins, and the amazing porridge are the standouts for me, Tabu Shabu also offers a fantastic selection of fresh vegetables, noodles, and dipping sauces to customize your hot pot adventure. The service is attentive and friendly, guiding you through the process if you're a hot pot newbie. In short, if you're craving a comforting and flavorful hot pot experience with an exceptional tonkatsu broth, a fantastic selection of proteins, and the delightful option of ending your meal with a savory porridge, Tabu Shabu is a must-try. read more

Meh. Good but nothing too special. I'd compare it to the nearby Kaizen shabu, thought it had a similar vibe. I prefer Mokkoji over either one of them. read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California

Been coming here weekly for almost 2 years. 10/10 food, service and ambiance Spicy miso with wagyu short rib read more

parking sucks. food was delicious. counters were a little sticky but the sauce made up for it. not enough veggies if you like veiggies. clean restrooms always a plus. sometimes you have to wait during rush hours. service was great. i come here once a month or so with my lady. pro tip: add veggies and once pot boils leave on low heat add udon while you eat read more

Great service! The food was fresh and delicious. We found parking quickly, though I could see it being an issue at busier times. We'll definitely be back! read more

Fantastic shabu! The service at this location was so friendly and attentive. I was served by a male server with blue/grey hair and he was so knowledgeable and attentive. He kept checking in on my brother and me, recommending ways to eat our food (like marinating the meat and saving the noodles for the end to eat in a bowl), and rotating our plates so that the side with the most food was always facing us. He provided service I never would've expected or asked for from someone. In terms of food, the prices here are quite reasonable (you can easily eat here for under $30, which is not too pricey for shabu) and the servings are large. You get a bowl of rice, a pot of broth, two bowls of sauce (goma and ponzu), a plate of sliced meat, and a plate of veggies & noodles. The nice thing about this spot is you can customize your veggie platter to skip on veggies you're not big on and then they'll double up on the veggies you actually want. So I skipped on the broccoli and cabbage to get extra shitake mushrooms and tofu. The meat here is super tender and the veggie selection is quite good so you don't get bored with the flavors. I also liked how they provided a lot of sides/sauces so you can change the flavor up. There was soy sauce, chili oil, diced garlic, shaved mountain yam, sliced green onions, and one more that I can't remember. read more

The food was amazing. I love how you have the ability to take it to go versus all of the other hot pot places I've been. The service was great as well. Our server was very attentive to us and if we any questions was able to answer. I would say it was a good server to people ratio. The atmosphere was cool as well, it was bar seating style so definitely something not with a big group of you wanted to talk to people. read more

Service is always on point. My go to place on a rainy day. Dumplings are amazing. Definitely recommend

This place is just a fun and yummy place to have dinner. Lots of food, great service, and reasonably priced. The servers do a great job and are attentive. If I could suggest one thing, it would be to offer dried strips of seaweed and a raw egg with the leftover reduced broth. Add the rice so customers can have their rice porridge option. It's yummy! read more

This is our go to shabu shabu restaurant in Orange a county!! My kids are huge fans and we eat Shabu shabu at least once a week. We have tried many different places of shabu shabu in OC and so far this is the best ! The sauces are always on point and the quality of meat is pretty amazing! With that said, the best part of tabu Shabu is definitely the service! The waiters and the waitresses are by far the nicest, friendliest and coolest!! We live next to Mokkoji shabu, but make the extra drive to tabu Shabu for the experience! read more

The staff here is always extremely friendly and helpful. Me and my husband come here probably three times a month. And we never have any issues. The food is always good. read more

I had been telling my son about Shabu and we happened to be in town antique shopping. We saw Tabu Shabu, decided to try it and we weren't disappointed. That service was amazing, our server was kind to my little guy and helped us through choosing broths, meats and extras. The food was amazing, the broths were tasty, everything was good. Cooking our food in the broth was also fun. Overall great experience here! read more

Leaving a second review- still 5 stars!! shoutout to my girl server Laura who is so sweet and checks up on us if we need anything, just makes the experience 10x better. Still love to do my 50/50 sukiyaki and tonkatsu broth- I like almost always finish the entire pot. Definitely recommend! I am coming back to try the bottomless sake next time read more

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Wish I could keep this joint a secret but the word has spread rapidly especially since this area is near a college campus. There are definitely pockets of time where large crowds come and could make the wait time very long, but if you go during non peak times (day/weekday not weekend) you can try one of the best shabu options in Orange County. We love their dipping sauce and their ponzu sauce. Sauce completely changes the complexity of the dish and overall taste, and they've mastered it. The meat that comes out is always high quality, and I overheard there are some nice split options (though I wouldn't share my plate with anyone!). Inside there is football on the screen too which is needed during football season. They are meticulous about cleaninf and I always feel full in the best way possible after leaving. I wish I could bottle up their dipping sauces for home! But for now a visit to this part of old town orange is a regular occurrence for my husband and I. read more

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Tabu Shabu has amazing service with fresh quality meats. My favorite thing about Tabu is that they have an option where you can get your meat "marinated" so they add seasonings, oils and garlic on top of the raw meat before you dip into your soup. The perfect rainy day spot! read more

We absolutely love tabu shabu!! Some of the best high quality meat you can find for a hot pot location! You get your own bowl & can choose from different meats. This location definitely did not disappoint. It's nestled in one of the cutest little areas we've ever seen! If you want to try hot pot for your first time or if you're a hot pot lover I recommend you try it! I always get tonkatsu and two different types of meats (beef belly and wagyu short rib are usually the way to go). I'd say if you're going with someone, get 4 different ones so you can try different types! read more

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Tabu shabu is one of my favorite spots. Great food, nice servers, and an overall cool spot.

I just had the most amazing experience!! The service was top-notch and the food was absolutely delicious. I will be returning in the future. I think I've found my new favorite spot for shabu shabu! read more

Had a great experience here! Food was good. My broth was a little bland but used the dipping sauce to help. Great variety and fresh ingredients. Service was fast and friendly Atmosphere was casual and clean Will come back! read more

What an amazing experience at Tabu Shabu! It was our first time and we came in rather lost but we were blessed to have Cici guide us into culinary deliciousness! From start to finish her personality and suggestions were absolute gold! Looking forward to bringing family and friends to experience the awesome flavors and great vibes Tabu Shabu provides. We will be back in full force! read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - The most amazing Cici! - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California

good portions except for the prime rib and shrimp amount (4 jumbo) except for the amount you pay. Just enough to be full and no leftovers. Prime rib was thinly cut but paid 32 for the entire meal for it. Didn't seem like a lot. But I guess it was good quality so that's why. Ponzu and peanut sauce served with meal. Made the ponzu seem less sour by adding soy sauce. Chili flakes were good as well. Would try the spicy miso broth instead since the seaweed one was literally just water and a piece of kelp. Overall enjoyed the meal despite sauces being ok. service pretty good but there weren't that many customers and to whoever was on aux. recommend going with one person because more than one is hard to communicate over noise and eating. read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - seaweed broth with everything except the prime rib - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California

Fun and yum. What else can I say. Everything is fresh and great service. The environment is inviting. Great for groups.

Such an amazing lunch and experience! I had such a nice lunch with my daughters and we can't wait to come back!! Dana was, by far, the best server!! She is a credit to your restaurant! read more

Tabu Shabu is located in Old Towne Orange, there's a lot of places here, so you may struggle a bit to find parking. Inside is very cozy and modern. You pick your soup, vegetables, base, and meat. I mixed my soup, the spicy miso, and tonkotsu, got all the veggies with udon, white rice, and my meat choice was beef toro, I also ordered the crispy garlic edamame. The garlic edamame was very flavorful, I could eat the crispy garlic dressing by itself, it was delicious. The soup was also very flavorful, and the meat was of very high quality, very tender. They also dress your meat for you. Save the best for last, customer service was AMAZING, our server Kanica, was super helpful, and attentive. She deserves a raise. This place is great overall, I recommend this restaurant to everyone. read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California

This was my first time eating shabu shabu- and this place didn't disappoint! The service was quick and helpful to get us oriented to the menu and sauces etc. I didn't take any pics because I was so excited to eat! We'll be back! What we had: Cucumber salad Combo with Wagyu and Ribeye I had tonkotsu broth and hubby had tonkotsu mixed with spicy miso The veg was so fresh- loved the squash and the udon noodles at end were delish! We brought our leftovers home and look forward to eating the rest this weekend. read more

First time trying this because my friend wanted to go for her birthday and OMG so good! Would love to come back. Service was great, the waitress was very attentive and answered all our questions. Food was delicious! read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California

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By far one of the best tabu shabu locations, but you can never go wrong with any of them! I love the bar atmosphere, it's nice when I get seated next to people who are fun. The staff make this location, they are so nice and accommodating, they are consistently awesome! Music is always a vibe and sake/nigori is yummy! I used to love getting pork belly, but their grassfed ribeye is too good!! The gomu and ponzu sauces are legit, I like to dip meat in ponzu and the veggies in gomu. You better make sure to get crunchy garlic sauce for your rice, it's life changing! One of our servers recommended doing a porridge at the end, and take home leftovers to serve with the crunchy garlic sauce and egg. Genius! read more

Tabu Shabu has quickly become my favorite Shabu spot. It's hard to find a place that has consistently good service and food but this place always has both. Servers are attentive and friendly, and the meat/seafood/veggie quality is always super fresh and tastes high quality. I love that they marinate your meat and the sauces are sooooo good. I love using the ponzu for the veggies and both ponzu + goma for the meat. Opt for making the porridge at the end and you'll have enough left overs to last you a few meals! read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - Porridge - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California

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4 stars because Tabu is good. I do wish there was more of an umphf though. We chose this shabu place because of such high rating and I think the rating is over hyped? I do have to agree the service is great, everyones super attentive with extra requests as well as adjusting the temperature of the broth. Although the food doesnt seem much when brough out. I did end up pretty full. The broth isnt as flavorful as i expected, i think there needs to be more a umami flavor. I thought adding more spice would help but it didnt do much. It was salty and spicy enough but umami lackin. Another con for me is that (as a short person 5'2) it was a little of a reach. i had to really scooch up to grab things from my pot into my bowl. I dont think its a kid friendly place unless they use a booster. Not sure if I will come back to this location unless I'm in the area. read more

great service, delicious food, nice location!! this place never disappoints. the staff and service here is top tier. there's so many different options to choose from and it's always a fun experience. their ponzu/goma sauces are addictingly good!! be sure to ask for a refill. you can park behind the restaurant by taking the side streets. most times finding parking has been a breeze but i would caution on weekends since it's a good area to visit. all in all this place is great for any weather. it just brings so much comfort and joy eating shabu. i've been to many but the tabu shabu brand is top info the list in my book. read more

Tabu Shabu - Orange - Hot Pot Near Me - Orange, California