Shabu-shabu is a type of Japanese hot pot dish where thinly sliced meat and vegetables are cooked in a pot of boiling water or broth and then dipped in a variety of sauces before eating. It's a popular and delicious way to enjoy a meal with friends or family. If you're looking for a shabu restaurant, I recommend Tabu Shabu in Thousand oaks. read more

So fun! Food was awesome. Fun experience and the kids loved it too. We'll be back soon!

Fabulous place to enjoy a healthy dinner plus an experience at the same time! Was able to minimize the wait by putting our name on the waitlist! Food was fresh and taste was superb! Friendly service. Definitely a must try! read more

Tabu Shabu - Japanese Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

Love this place! The staff is super friendly and will walk you through the menu if your a rookie to Shabu like me food is amazing and fresh Kayla is amazing and took her time showing us what to do and how to do it strongly recommend this place! read more

If you've never been to this restaurant, it's cool. The freshness is great, but the staff doesn't really explain well how their system works. They just bring you a bunch of fresh vegetables, rice, and raw meat and tell you to put these items in a pot for like 20 seconds (meat) or one minute or something like that for veggies/noodles. Awesome! So how do I really eat all this stuff? They kept saying there's no particular way to eat it. Yes, there is a particular way to eat it! Lol you have to figure out the way you like to eat it. I will be honest, I didn't like their small rice bowls. I think it would've been better for me if I had a plate or a larger bowl so I can mix things in a different fashion. This is why I say staff did not do a good job of explaining how things work or even offering bowls or plates or silverware. Not everyone can physically hold chopsticks. For someone who has never been to this restaurant or a restaurant like this, I think it would be best to give out little directions versus staff drop off the plates and tell you to shove your meat in for 20 seconds and a bunch of all the other vegetables in for a certain amount of minutes. I wasn't gonna remember the times except for the meat. It's over priced in my opinion. to be honest, I could've just gone to Trader Joe's and bought their cut up fresh vegetables, come home, and throw them in a pot with meat and noodles myself. It just wasn't my cup of tea. PS. I don't think staff should've told us that the owners of the restaurant found out they were closing the doors before 9 PM and they had to stay even if people walked in at 8:55pm. Way to throw yourself under the bus. Who does that?!? read more

Fantastic place! First time experiencing Shabu Shabu. It was so much fun and the food was so delicious! We ordered tonkotsu with veggies, lamb, prime rib and kale ramen noodles! Omg, the kale ramen noodles are amazing! This atmosphere is fun for kids to a romantic date night. They had a nice alcohol list. The waiter was knowledgeable, friendly and just overall made our visit really wonderful. Appreciated them being Covid friendly. Everyone was wearing their masks and didn't seat people so close together. I highly recommend this place! OH!!! And don't forget the dessert! The mango mochi is incredible! Can't wait to go back! read more

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I really hope we just went on an off night but everything was so bad, I have a feeling it's typically not great. We arrived and it took a very very long time for them to even acknowledge us. It wasn't busy either. We noticed there were several employees working.. we counted at least five and more in the back running food. There were about the same amount of tables so not sure why no one could say anything to us. Finally someone came out and said they could seat us inside and we said ok. He then led us to the bar top. We were with our toddler... so we said yeah that's not gonna work since we have our kid and the seats are high and we can't face him. They said well we can put a booster on the bar seat... ummm no. Lol. So we waited for outside. Btw another two tables left due to how long they were waiting. We were finally seated and the service was soooo slow. Again not sure why since there were barely any tables. And they don't even cook your food! You cook The food! My husband and I each ordered wine. When it came his glass was filled to the top and mine was half filled... super odd and annoying. We then had to ask several times how the whole thing worked because they never volunteered any info on how to order. We got two entrees so two different kinds of broths and 4 kinds of protein. When they brought out the protein, it was completely wrong. So they let us have it and got us the protein we were supposed to have. So I'm giving two stars for at least doing that. We then heard the two other tables around us say the same thing happened to them... wonder how much money they lose on wrong orders? As we started to eat, the meal was just so bland. There was no flavor to either broth... even though we seasoned it with everything they gave us... it just felt like eating plain protein with plain veggies and plain rice. The only thing with flavor was the soy type sauce they gave us. I had to drench it on everything for any flavor. I wanted to like it here because it's a cool idea and can be a healthy option too but it was just so bland and bad service. If this ends up being the norm, I don't envision them staying open much longer. read more

Different than other shabu places I tried. It seemed more like make your own ramen place. The soup broths all were more like ramen broths. I liked how everyone gets their individual pot. Meat was ok, not good enough to eat it medium rare how I usually like. Spicy miso broth lacked a taste. Tonkotsu broth was tasty. Service was good. It was a nice friendly guy explained everything to us and suggested some items. read more

Our friends took us here and it was really great. It's a bit hard to understand how it works at first, but the service was great. We were there pretty late and everyone still took their time to be helpful and friendly. My 11 yr old son had so much fun and basically everything tastes wonderful, no matter what you do! Know that you will eat a whole meal and have another to take away. I'd go again in a heartbeat. read more

My absolute favorite ramen spot outside of Los Angeles. The service here is always on point and everything is extremely fresh. The tonkotzu broth... yum! Also, the staff is extremely friendly and they TAKE FOOD ALLERGIES VERY SERIOUS. read more

Great service and excellent food. I really appreciate the server Ben. He explained everything to us, and made our experience amazing. read more

Tabu Shabu - Japanese Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

My wife tried it the other day and decided this was the place we were going for date night. I quite enjoy other Japanese cuisine but this was a lot of fun, with a cozy atmosphere, and excited staff who are there to answer any questions you habe. I had the wagyu chuck roll hot pot and made my own broth to dip it in, with ponzu sauce to finish it off, delicious. We will be back! read more

Tabu Shabu - Just tried this place tonight, will definitely be back! - Japanese Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

A unique dining experience. Food and sauces are tasty, but it is something different and the staff is friendly and helpful.

We just had takeout from here for the first time last week and was blown away by the freshness of the meats and veggies and the flavors of the broths and sauces. The food was delicious and such a nice break from our regular takeouts. The set up was easy - you can rent a burner for $10 and just return it within two days. Definitely one of my new favorite spots! read more

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Since COVID 19 my wife and I have missed our go to date night place. We were very excited to see that they were doing Shabu at home kits through their website. Ordering was easy and picking up was flawless and the food was amazing as usual. We were able to set up a much needed date night with our favorite food from our favorite place. A huge psychological boost! High quality, good portion side. The only thing missing was the wait staff and atmosphere! read more

Tabu Shabu - Take home kit for 2! - Japanese Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

My wife and I have been to the other Tabus in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, so we know what to expect when we come to one. This particular Tabu Shabu can't be beat in terms of customer service! All the staff were friendly from the get go. Our server Shelby was awesome and makes a killer porridge. She learned from the "porridge father" Jordan! Meat was high quality, they gave us an abundance of vegetables, and were very attentive during our entire dinner. The staff gave us a recommendation for the dumplings and they are, indeed, amazing! We have a closer Tabu Shabu to go to at home, but we'll definitely go out of our way to have dinner here whenever we're in the area. read more

We don't live in the area, but stumbled upon Tabu Shabu while looking for dinner on our way back home from road trips. The food is delicious, servers are super friendly, and it's a nice space. I do recommend signing up for their wait list as it can get pretty crowded at dinner time. Can't wait to go back for another visit! read more

Caution: you need to go there a second time. Really great staff who try and explain the process; but if you don't really know what you are doing in this Japanese stew process you're lost. Now that I know what I am doing I can't get enough. You make your own stew and order the protein, veggies, spice level, etc... it boils in front of you and the staff help serve, or you can do yourself. I only wish they sold sushi rolls. That would have complimented it nicely. read more

Delicious food and great experience! We can't wait to go back!! Such a different flavor then our typical local restaurant choices. Give it a try!! read more

REVIEW FROM AN ACTUAL ASIAN: Holy... this was genuinely one of the worst meals I've ever paid for in my life. I'm shocked this place has such great reviews, but then again, its located in Thousand Oaks where the average palate is accustomed to only salt and pepper (sorry). I honestly should have known the moment I saw "keto" and "paleo" on the chalkboard that this place does not cater to actual asian people. The service itself was good -- the waitstaff is friendly and eager to serve. However, the food is just really, really bad. 1. The broth: Real shabu shabu is usually served with a dashi broth or water. However, my friend and I ordered the spicy miso and the tonkotsu out of curiosity. It is SO hard to mess miso up. All you do is add miso to water (if you're going for something very basic), but the miso base we got tasted like water, with the barest hint of salt, and some chili oil on top. We ended up not using this base. The tonkotsu was also shamefully bad. It tasted like beef (not even pork) top ramen spice packets mixed with water. It was like... the antithesis of the rich umami of authentic tonkotsu. 2. The food: This was actually not bad. I think the quantity of the food was very lacking, but it was pretty standard veggies, mushrooms, and meat. All of which seemed pretty fresh. Between my friend and I, we were given (I kid you not) 1/2 of one shiitake mushroom, and two cubes of tofu. We were given a good amount of spinach, udon, and cabbage though. My point is: if you're looking for an authentic experience... NO. If you're Asian and know what good asian food tastes like... NO. If you've ever had real hotpot or shabu shabu... NO. However, if you're looking to dip your toes into asian culture with a diluted and inauthentic version of shabu shabu, then this is the place for you. For people who are inexperienced with shabu shabu or hot pot, this place will be a cool novelty and you might enjoy yourself. To add insult to injury... LA is the home of some of the world's best asian food. Just make the 45 minute drive to Sawtelle, or little Tokyo, or 626 and get actual good food (for cheaper) please. read more

1) I'm glad they have shabu in TO. I'd go to Topanga Canyon to have shabu but I guess I don't need to travel far anymore! Thanks for adding to the variety of TO 2) not only do they have great food, but the entire team is amazing! They are passionate, welcoming, and willing to help, and it will make your visit just flawless. 3) special thanks to Jordon for taking care of us tonight. Such a bright, fun personality, and hardworking server!!! read more

Love this place! The food has been top notch in my three visits. Outside dining is the way to go here. The staff is very helpful. A great addition to the Conejo. read more

Excellent food and service I give it a 5 star rating and will be going back very soon read more

It is EXTREMELY hard to find a restaurant to eat at when you have multiple food allergies (dairy, nuts, soy, egg, seafood and gluten). Fortunately, I found Tabu Shabu! Not only was I able to order off the menu without modifications, I let my server know of my allergies, who let the owner know and she really took care of me! This is my second time here before I got around to writing a review and both times I ordered: kombu dashi soup base (which is just water and seaweed but once you dress it up it's actually pretty good), all veggies (minus tofu - because soy, duh!), shiritaki noods, and the two item meat combo with wagyu short rib and grass fed ribeye. The meat is such top notch quality it makes the whole meal! What I miss most about being able to eat out is the social experience, and this experience does not disappoint! It's so fun adding all the flavors and components into your broth until you get the perfect product! Also, the owner, Yina, is sooo friendly. She even made me my own onion Serrano mixture to compliment my food since I am not able to enjoy any of the house made sauces (because of soy). On my first visit, I told her about a soy sauce alternative, coconut aminos, and she even had it for the next time I came in! So sweet! Will be back soon, thank you so much for making my experience such a great one! read more

Another box checked on the Have-Everything-in-Thousand-Oaks-So-I-Don't-Have-To-Drive-To-Los-Angeles List! Thanks, Tabu Shabu. We completely enjoyed our dinner...the only downside was there was a pretty significant car accident in the adjacent intersection and my three year old only wanted to go outside to watch the fire trucks and ambulances, which is inconvenient when you're trying to cook your own dinner. The dining room is set up as a bar top with all the hot plates/chairs in a large U. There are two spots at the end that are regular table height, which is where we sat, given the aforementioned small child. You get a view of the kitchen and can watch them prepping veggies and slicing the meat. My husband and I ordered the grass fed ribeye and salmon. I love that they offer a grass fed beef option! The salmon is Loch Duarte, which is farmed, but supposedly in a sustainable way...it's purported to have been served at the French Laundry, so it's good enough for me...ha. Their shrimp and scallops are wild, chicken is Jidori, etc. Good stuff. We both opted for the spicy miso broth ("spicy" is a bit of a misnomer--more like "flavorful," but you can use the chile oil and togarashi to rectify that if you prefer spicy). Other options are kombu seaweed dashi, tonkatsu (pork ramen broth), and sukiyaki (sweeter broth, similar to teriyaki). You also choose between white and brown rice, and udon, shirataki (calorie and carb free), or kale ramen noodles. The large plate of veggies that comes with each meal is also customizable--you can have all the options or sub out the ones you don't like. Everything was delicious, but my favorite part of the meal, hands down, was the porridge you can opt for them to make you with your leftover broth (+$5). It's enough food for a second meal and so tasty! Only downside is Tabu Shabu is it's a bit pricey, but at least you're getting great quality. The owners are really sweet, and all the staff who helped us were great. Now I just have to sit around and wait for an Ethiopian restaurant to open in Thousand Oaks... read more

Being an OC native, I was praying a shabu place would open up soon! I guess if you just put the energy out there, dreams do come true. I've had tabu shabu in Costa Mesa so I was familiar with their broth and sauces but it had been quite some time. If you haven't been to shabu before, it requires patience or you risk burning your taste buds! I was not disappointed here! Yelp check in was accurate and our drink order was already taken before we even sat down. The hard kombucha was great and arrived promptly. Service was quick even though it was a packed house. Yina, the owner, was extremely friendly and all staff were attentive. Food was great, I got the tonkotsu and seasoned it up to my liking. Also a plus that they have hot drops (I'll take 8 please! ) Came back a second time within a week during lunch cause the cravings were real. No wait, consistent food and service. read more

This was my 2nd time going to Tabu Shabu and it was phenomenal! The first time we went we weren't really sure what we were supposed to do and our waiter had good intentions but he didn't give us the best breakdown. We watched other people and realized we were doing it wrong all along and had to give it another shot. This time we had a better idea but we had a friend in our group who was completely new to this and our waiter Adam was amazing. He was funny, attentive, and gave us awesome tips on how to enjoy our meal. Jordan was also great! They played off each other a lot and it created a really fun atmosphere. Pro tip 1: Get the pasteurized egg and dip your meat into it after it's cooked. Pro tip 2: Get the porridge with your leftover broth. You will not regret it. It's basically a Japanese risotto. Both those tips are from Adam! Enjoy! read more

Amazing place! Shelby was a sweet and attentive server. We loved the food. I will definitely go again. I saved the leftover soup and was able to have two leftover meals with it. Exceptional flavor. read more

Love the shabu shabu experience -- it's fun to cook your own meal to your liking at your own cooktop, the ingredients and sauces here are fresh and delicious, and the service is pretty good if they aren't too full. But I DREAD coming here whenever someone suggests it because the chairs are excruciatingly uncomfortable. It's the trendy metal industrial chairs everyone has these days but in a very high narrow barstool version with a short back. If you are short or small your legs just dangle and you can't reach the cooktop; if you are tall or wide the foot rails are too high to reach and the chairs are too narrow. You can't move once you're seated because the spaces between cooktops are so close together and the chairs are heavy to move. They have a few wooden barstools hanging around but with no back they are just as bad. read more

Husband and I stopped here for dinner the other night and we both really enjoyed our shabu shabu. We've had shabu shabu in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Tskuba Japan and Takematsu Japan. It's easily my favorite meal experience. What I like about Tabu Shabu is the different broths you can choose from - I got the regular plain broth and hubby got the tonkotsu broth. We both loved our choice. Next, we both loved the quality of meat. I asked for a recommendation from our AMAZING server Rachel and she helped me find the meat that would be most lean for me. Husband got the kurobuto, which he was super pleased with even though it's not imported from Japan, it's merely from Idaho. What mattered was it was super tender and succulent. Finally, this restaurant has the best ponzu sauce I've ever had. Amazing bold flavor. I almost never even bother with the ponzu but I relied on it heavily here. Which isn't to say the goma sauce is bad, I was in that so much I had to get a second bowl of it. As others have said, if there is something you don't want on their standard veggie plate you can sub out for something else. When I asked for no shitake mushrooms on my plate and Rachel asked if there was something else I wanted more of I said carrots. When my plate arrived it had exactly three tiny slices of carrots. I burst out laughing and she asked if something was wrong. I explained that I had expected more than 3 little carrot pieces as my "extra" veggie and she agreed it should have been more. She returned with a side-bowl full of carrots. Really more than I needed but I do appreciate her going above and beyond to correct a mistake. We had arrived early for dinner and by the time we were leaving there was a long wait. Very popular spot. Happy to hear they have lunch hours too. Small-ish location but it allowed the servers to really give you a lot of attention and not make you feel rushed. Only downsides I'd say were that although I'm a very tall person with a tall torso I had trouble seeing into my soup bowl and had a bit of a hard time getting my food out. I'd imagine someone shorter would not have it easier. As others have said, there is no real reason to have a bowl with a chimney in it. A regular bowl would be easier to use and maybe could have shorter sides to make it easier to see and interact with too. Drinks come in bottles, so no refills. We will definitely return for the kurobuto. I enjoyed it even better than my grass fed angus beef, which was also really delicious and relatively lean. read more

Meat quality was good! I liked that I can pick my veggies. Services were excellent! The stool chair was a challenge to move.

My dinner at Tabu Shabu far exceeded my expectations. The food itself was a pretty traditional shabu shabu meal, but what set these guys apart was the outstanding service. Everyone was so friendly and explained everything on the menu thoroughly, which was helpful for my shabu virgin boyfriend. Since Ventura County is rolling back to the purple tier soon, I would highly recommend this place for your next outdoor meal. Expect heat lamps, properly distanced tables, masked staff, and delicious food. We'll be back very soon! read more

Tabu Shabu - Spicy miso and tonkotsu broths, lots of veggies, good quality proteins - Japanese Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

A- spot here: great food, large portion, very cozy and friendly ambiance. The only reason why it's 4 stars is the broth - watery and flavorless (got the Tonkotsu). This sentiment was shared by our neighboring dinners who recommend to put in a lot of garlic to give it some flavor. I get that it's Thousand Oaks and a lot of people might not be used to Shabu, but shooting for the middle of the bell curve to please the crowd made for a bland end result. Loved that T.O. has shabu and I'd give it a second shot, but if the broth is as flavorless the next time I'd probably not return. read more

This place is an experience. I highly recommend the grass fed rib eye and the crunchy garlic sauce. Jordan and team are always so friendly and kind and always down for good conversation. Good quality food and options for portion sizes! If you are looking for a best food experience and have a great family time Tabu Shabu is a place to visit. read more

Check prices before going cuz I won't lie it's not the cheapest meal you can have today, but you get what you pay for and in this case it's the extra bit of care that comes in the form of really fresh ingredients, house-made ponzu sauce, and really delicious options especially if you're on a specialized diet (keto, GF, etc). Very enjoyable experience and helpful staff, really pleasing interior design. Pro tip: there are four or so soup bases available but there's a secret option 5: mix 2 different bases together!! The tonkotsu + miso was really good!! read more

There's always a wait, but it's always worth it! Staff are super friendly and helpful. I prefer the inside seating, since it's more comfortable (and less windy). Every time I go I get the sukiyaki base and it's delicious. I'd super recommend going with a combo for your meat just to get more variety! read more

My coworker and I decided to try this place out since it was close by. When we arrived, it took a few minutes for us to be acknowledged by the servers. We were a bit confused, and then we found that we had to sign in. It was a few minutes wait, can't complain. We ordered spicy miso broth and we got to choose our vegetables and meat. Same ordeal as many other Shabu Shabu restaurants, can't complain with that. However, I didn't like how the entire restaurant was so clustered together. The seats weren't that comfortable at all. You could easily bump into the person sitting to you while eating. I didn't like how the burner and hot pot were so far away from you, you can't see what's in your pot at all! When the plates out, one of the servers stacked the person sitting next to me's plate on top of my plate! That makes no sense to me at all! The sauces weren't that great, the goma ( sesame sauce) wasn't flavorful at all. Broth wasn't that flavorful at all, I didn't really taste the miso. When they scooped the rice, it looked so unappealing! I was too full to eat the porridge so I asked for it to go. The porridge wasn't that great either. I don't think I'll be coming back after this visit.... read more

Tabu Shabu - Spicy miso with ribeye - Japanese Near Me - Thousand Oaks, California

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Great Food Great Staff! Fun way to eat dinner, be sure to check it out! All the veggies are super fresh and great variety of broths

Everyone and I mean everyone was friendly and helpful. We were lucky to get there on a Friday night right as a spot opened. The bar seatinginside is a bit high and the pots are set back a little if you're short. Our servers were very attentive but not overly and we're able to walk is through the process. The spicy miso base was good and the prime and waygu(ish) we're good. The shrimp was a little shrimpy. 4 shrimps could have been a bit more or larger. The veggie mix was nice, would have liked more tofu or be able to substitute. It was an overall good experience read more

My husband and I come here regularly. The wagyu short rib is amazing and they have enoki! They always ask if you have any allergies and the customer service is great. Tuesday nights are the best, two for one bottles. 11/10 read more