Shabu House

Absolutely me and my wife’s favorite Shabu spot in the bay for AYCE Shabu Shabu. We’ve been coming here since prepandemic and the server Teresa would always take care of us and offer friendly service. It’s easy to make a reservation through Yelp. The interior feels cozy and has stuff animals on the bench seating with pictures and details of the broths they offer on the right wall. The numerous broths they offer are all flavorful and unique which you can’t find at most shabu/hot pot places. Our personal favorites are: 1) Szechuan spicy pickled cabbage which is peppery and sour with a bit of a kick. 2) Sukiyaki broth which is savory and sweet that compliments and enhances the sweetness of the nicely marbled wagyu beef they offer. This is the broth we miss from Japan that this place satisfies our craving for. 3) Spicy miso which is common amongst shabu restaurants but they add more miso in theirs which taste more flavorful and is actually spicy. We always order the wagyu beef which they slice thinly and the meat is well marbled so it melts in your mouth, our second favorite is the New Zealand lamb which always taste fresh and not gamey at all. Here are our favorites from the menu that’s included in the AYCE: Vegetable platter - Can’t decide? It comes with a variety of their veggies Tsumire Bamboo Rolls - minced wagyu beef w/ negi(green onion) or corn Chicken Kara-age - nice and crispy to get the appetite going. Takoyaki fries- comes with the sweet and slightly tangy Takoyaki sauce topped w/ bonito flakes. Cilantro Wagyu dumplings - flavorful dumpling to go with their broth and not overpowered by cilantro. House sake- check-in and you get a bottle for 50 cents Lastly they offer you a complimentary dessert at the end of your meal which is a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a brown sugar syrup and kinako powder and it is SO addictive and delicious.

Awesome hot pot place with lots of cat pillows and cat themed stuff (which is a major selling point for me). The service is excellent. Would recommend the spicy garlic miso broth and the fresh watermelon juice for a drink. Also if you wanna try something little unique, the soy milk miso was really good and interesting. I'd put leafy stuff like cabbage and black fungus in it.

I sincerely don't understand how this place could have less than five stars average rating, unless people deduct half a star for the fact that it's noisy and the tables are close together, but... The menu selection is incredible, the quality of the meat is phenomenal, the broths are freaking exquisite and they have TONS of options, and the wait staff were literally one of the nicest and most helpful I've ever experienced. The price is also more than fair for AYCE. I can't wait to eat here again. Maybe with a party of four instead of two in order to get a more spacious corner table.

If this place was near where I lived, I'd go here at least once every week. This place was able to satisfy the shabu-cravings I've had since I moved to SF. It's a shame that I didn't take more photos (because I was busy eating). The food was great and the price was reasonable. There are about 8-10 tables inside, but it wasn't super busy or packed on a Friday night. You could reserve your seats in advance, which I always appreciate.