Shabu Shabu Ya

Oh no! Sad to hear that they closed their doors :(
My boss took me here for lunch back when I worked for Tokyopop about a block away. I was tempted to order sushi but he snatched that part of the menu away and told me his Japanese words of wisdom — never order sushi at a restaurant that serves hot food. So I opted for the plain ol’ shabu, and the broth comes in an awesome split metal bowl/​pot that sits over the hot plate. The small beef is plenty for me. The plate also comes with a variety of vegetables but I don’t like them much because they take so long to cook (hunks of carrot? Really?) I throw them into the pot for flavor but tend to forget about them. My favs are the mushrooms, tofu, and udon.
This used to be my go-​to place if my friends were in the mood for hot pot and I was feeling too lazy to make it myself. Looks like I’ll have to search elsewhere. :(

This location has had a couple menu changes. It started off as a Shabu-​Shabu restaurant then a Korean/​Chinese restaurant (I’m not sure, only ate here once when that happened) and now it’s Shabu Shabu again.
There are only three different types of meat for you to cook which is kind of disappointing. Two cuts of beef and chicken. Chicken… hmm, not into that. I wish there were more choices (there are plenty of veggie options) hence the 4 stars and not 5.
The tuna sashimi salad you get with the combo is DELICIOUS. I could eat a huge bowl of that. The dressing is so simple and tasty. Also love the dipping sauces you get with your shabu shabu.
There are three pots of fresh green onion, onion, and garlic to add to your broth as well as red pepper powder and soy sauce. Again, not a lot of choices, but it keeps your broth from getting too overly complicated with flavors which is actually quite nice.
The combos (comes with 1 tuna salad and 1 rice) is pretty decently priced depending on the quantity (by the ounce) of meat you get. However, when you start adding extras your bill can quickly add up!
It’s usually not too crowded, every time I’ve gone there are about 2 or 3 other parties. They sometimes play sport events on the TV, so sometimes it can get a little noisy but never loud enough where I have to shout at the person across the table.

I’m going to make this quick:
Simple,
Fresh.
Quality Service.
Get the Green Tea Ice Cream.

There’s not enough Shabu Shabu places in LA, especially west of Korea Town… so i’m giving this 4 stars. Giving it any less would be like telling an endangered animal like the Alligator Snapping Turtle that it’s coloration is off by a little when in all likeliness you should just be happy that you saw one and it hasn’t gone the way of the dodo yet.
Either way, the meat is fresh, it’s tasty, they have good service, and it’s not too expensive.

My husband and I’ve been going to Shabu Shabu Ya for a while now. We went before it changed to the wine bar then back to shabu shabu restaurant. I guess the nice japanese man who used to own it sold it then it became a wine bar then the new owner changed it back to shabu shabu restaurant and hired the nice japanese man as the chef. So the sauces still taste the same (which is my favorite part) with better décor.
The only negative thing about this place is that there is no parking. You can park on the street after 7pm but until then, it’s hard to find parking anywhere since it’s permit only parking around that neighborhood. The owner told us to park at Bank of America next time after 6pm. We’ll try that.
In my opinion, you really can’t find better sauces than this place!!! And yes, you get free refills on sprouts and napa cabbage!

Good neighborhood Shabu Shabu place, not over priced, good, healthy, and clean food.
We went there towards end of the night, they were out of Chicken and clear/​glass noodles, so I didn’t get to try those. My friend and I got a 7 oz plate of Rib eye slices, and a side of 7 oz more Rib eye slices for 11 dollars more. so for 33 dollars, it fed 2 of us and more. I was soooo stuffed by the time I walked outta there, it was almost painful.
The shabu shabu came with napa cabbage, and bean sprouts (free refill on those 2), 1 shitaki mushroom, 2 pieces of tofus, 1 piece of Japanese squash, some greens and udon noodles. The sides are not too impressive, but you can always order more for just $ 2 a piece.
The tuna salad starter is most delicious! as well as the free bottle of hot sake they gave us. Especially it was really cold tonight, so it was a great day to have shabu shabu with some hot sake.
Only thing negative I have to say is that the menu is very limited, you have the choices of Rib Eye, Kobe Beef (prem rib eye), chicken and vegetarian. They were out of chicken, so that left me with Rib eye or more rib eye… LOL it would be nice if they had different cuts of beef or some sea food in addition.
I also noticed that this is now a wine bar? so maybe shabu shabu is no longer their main attraction? not sure how it works… but the restaurant was pretty empty tonight, no one was really drinking.
Over all, the food was good and I don’t feel jipped after dinner. It’s a pretty healthy meal if you don’t over eat like I did. Was glad that we came here instead of a burger joint.

This place was a bit disappointing. I want to give it 4 stars but I just can’t.
Atmosphere:
This place is really cute & clean. I loved the atmosphere. The décor was cute to look at & it was just made me happy to be there because everything looked so nice.
Service:
Pretty good. They’re really friendly.
Taste:
I was so disappointed that they don’t offer ANY seafood. I’m a seafood person so when I didn’t see any salmon, scallops, or shrimp on their menu, it made me automatically think, «I’m so giving this place 3 stars just for their lack of seafood menu. COME ON.» My boyfriend & I ordered the Kobe beef which honestly the most delicious Kobe beef I’ve ever had in my life but here’s where they kick themselves: when I asked them for a bowl, they gave me this weird look as if it were odd to put my udon in a bowl. I figured they didn’t have soup base as well. When my boyfriend asked for soup base, they looked at him very funnily to which I had to tell him, «they don’t have it, just ask for a bowl» to which he asked me, «wait, how did you know they didn’t have it before I asked?». It was obvious when they gave me the ??? face when I asked them for a bowl so I just assumed.
That also made me feel comfortable with giving them 3 stars because they didn’t even have friggin soup base. For those of you who don’t know what soup base is, it’s basically a type of sauce that is a cousin of soy sauce to enhance the flavor of your soup. You put your noodles in the bowl with the soup base & pour in the boiling water along with your beef. They didn’t have that soup base so it made it hard for me to fully enjoy my udon.
They had a nice selection of vegetables & they had really great peanut sauce. I have this sauce in my fridge & I still have no idea what it’s called but it’s really good. The fact that the shabu shabu came with tuna salad was a huge bonus. It was really really good but it doesn’t make up for their lack of seafood items!
Price:
Pretty steep prices for shabu shabu but I think you’d understand why after you’ve tried how delicious their kobe beef is.
Location:
It’s not bad but parking is terrible. Would be better if you actually lived in the area behind the restaurant so you could just walk there. It seems like a pretty safe neighborhood though because my boyfriend accidentally left my window rolled down completely & nothing got stolen!

4Oz pot gets you a lot!
Must get the shabu shabu with Sukiyaki broth.
Tuna salad was delicious.
I wish they gave more udon noodles.
Will be returning soon.

With high end alternatives such as Kagaya, and lower priced standouts such as ShabuShabu house, ShabuShabu ya is in the uncomfortable position of being somewhere in between.
The food quality is decent — the base cut of meat I found good, but not outstanding. The quality of the wagyu is certainly better, which is reflected in the price.
Sake selection is also in between. Whenever I have Wagyu in a shabu shabu style, I have an irresistible craving for Daiginjyo Sakes.
Definitely reasonable to go back, but I’d rather hit Kagaya for special occasions.

I decided to start the new year off with a bang. After realizing that every girl’s number in my phonebook was disconnected, I opted for restitution in the form of something edible. The problem was…
I took a sabbatical from dining out. I took on some bad habits, started dining from the frozen food sections at my local grocery stores, and found the convenience of drive-​thru dining options comforting. Consequently, leftovers always sounded like a reliable resort. During this stretch, when I wanted to splurge or feel «adventurous,» I would gussy up the evening with a trip to Whole Foods. (Food bar being $ 5.99/lb on Wednesdays and all.)
I mean, you know you’re hungry when you start interpreting lyrics to a famous 2 Live Crew song as «Me so hungry.» Even though that miiiight just be me, sometimes my stomach acts like it hasn’t seen food in days. My stomach been known and documented by the scientific research wing of South Hampton’s Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T.) to drum up the kind of starvation that people from days of yore may have experienced during a dry harvest. When I decided to emerge from this cocoon, I flew in with the grace of a butterfly through the doors of Shabu Shabu Ya.
My friend Nick owed me a dinner, which perhaps precipitated my emergence back into sit-​down dining establishments. When I pondered over thoughts of what could be the exact opposite of, say, dining on left-​over Chinese food from the restaurant with the decrepit exterior across from work, shabu shabu seemed to hit the spot for me.
I have never had shabu shabu in my life.
While I’ve never had shabu shabu before, I was made aware of the type of dining it was. Much like Korean barbecue, you cook the food yourself, right in front of you. As such, it’s best to go with company. You’ll be relying on good conversation to fill in the void between bites. Now, I may be preaching to the choir here, because I’m pretty sure this type of food hasn’t gone lost on almost everyone, but there are certain factors that play in to what makes a great shabu shabu meal. The menus presented to us displayed prices dependent on meat portion options, and the individual vegetables that you could add to your meal. Nick pointed out that the meat presented to us at Shabu Shabu Ya wasn’t frozen. Score 1 for Shabu Shabu Ya.
We ordered extra shitaki mushrooms, aside from the few they provide us as part of the meal. The shrooms were ridiculously, and appreciatively, large. I had hoped they didn’t inject some kind of mushroom hormone in them, but then again, if they tasted that good, I’m not sure I’d ultimately care. Score another point for Shabu Shabu Ya. Butternut squash, tofu, and udon noodles also made their way from our plates to the sizzling hot water pot and into our mouths. And I can say for a fact that for a fast eater such as myself, I like this portion-​paced dining experience. I can’t eat faster than it takes for the food, individually, to cook in front of me. And once it’s deemed boiled enough, another true experience comes in the form of how the sauces that are provided to us taste. Channeling the spirit of the Jimmy Walker, I would say they’re pretty darn dynamite-​ish.
I’m all outta points.
What I like about shabu shabu is that it’s healthier and lighter compared to a lot of other dining options, but without sacrificing good taste. And here’s where the sauces come in. They provide two different types of sauces — one white and one brown — for you to dip your meat and vegetables in after you’ve simmered them into the pot. I can’t really tell you what the names of the sauces are, but one of them is a soy-​ponzu like concoction, while the white one is peanut-​based. Although preferring the latter a bit more, they’re both sauces I could write a dissertation — much like most of my reviews — about. Once all that food has been simmering in the pot, the hot water that only had a slab of seaweed floating in it when it was first brought, has re-​invented itself as a nice broth. Problem is, once you’re done with your plate, you have no room for it.
The wait staff, consisting of one guy, was great. We even commented about the music that was playing. (It sounded like a mix CD I would make and listen to. Turns out that was a CD he made.) When we mentioned the free sake promotion through Unilocal,he quickly acknowledged it and brought a bottle of warm sake to our table.
I measure a restaurant by a few determining factors — the food (first and foremost), the service, and the décor. All of these factors at Shabu Shabu Ya are leaps and bounds better than what is represented at my house, including how I serve myself food. The $ 30 plate of thinly-​sliced beef was enough for two, and all the vegetables — especially (and surprisingly) the butternut squash — made for a meal worthy of coming back to. I would come back here in a heartbeat.
At the end of the night, there was nothing left for me to gripe about… except for the empty fridge at home.

Parking = non existent. It’s equivalent to a Hollywood club without valet. I parked 2 – 3 blocks away on a street close to Wilshire. Be sure you read the signs thoroughly. The residential area requires a permit. If you park there without a permit, you might come back to an empty space where your car once existed.
Compared to other shabu shabu houses that I normally frequent, this place is a bit pricier. It’s understandable though because I believe the location plays a huge factor. If you’re strapped on cash then you may reconsider.
Now I usually opt for the «swish, swish» aka shabu shabu but I felt like being a deviant and went with the sukiyaki instead. I ordered the normal USDA meat, medium sized which I think was 7 oz. It was almost $ 25. I didn’t think this was going to be enough but by the end of the meal, I was stuffed. Good thing I didn’t get greedy.
Everything you expect at any other shabu shabu joint was present here. The only noticeable difference is that you’re not sitting in an «U» shaped seating arrangement. You can actually get your own table here which comes with their own fancy burners. You still cook your food in your own pot or if there’s two of you then you might end up splitting a pot in half but not to worry, there’s no infiltration from your partner’s side of the pot.
The amount of food given was just about right. The meat was pretty fresh and red. The sauces are good. The service was good but not great.
For the same quality and style, I may choose other places only because it’s cheaper. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my meal and it was a good experience.

We had dinner here last nite and this has now become my favorite shabu shabu place. The restaurant is a bit small. Its located on 8^th and La Brea right on the corner. Unfortunately, there’s only street parking and you can get tickets parking in the surrounding neighborhoods. We started off with Sapporo beer followed by sake. I’m not really a beer drinker but the beer tasted pretty good.
They start out by giving you boiling pots with a divider in the middle for you to have your own to share with the person in front of you. This is for you to season to your own taste. Then they give you green onion, radish, and garlic to season your ponzu dipping sauce or hot pot. Then you get your vegetables (napa cabbage, bean sprouts, broccoli, tofu, udon noodles, mushroom) and you get the Angus certified beef last.
We ordered 6 sets of 10 oz Angus Certified beef which comes with either a seaweed salad or tuna sashimi on this yummy salad It also comes with a bowl of rice. The meat was good. They were nice enough to separate into 9 individual plates for us. The dipping sauce is really good. Even though I was full from the previous 2 meals, I still had room for this great meal.
Service was excellent. They were very attentive and were willing to go the extra mile to accommodate you. I would definitely go back. $ 250 for a party of 9 including tip is a pretty good deal for the amount we ate and drink.

I love the Chinese version of shabu… hot pot. we call it. So, I read the reviews and got really excited to go. Plus, there is free hot sake. And boy, they heat that sucker up high.
So even numbers is really the magic number when going for shabu. It’s because you share a pot… plus, there is this magic package where you can share between two people. You can pick between three types of meat (kobe, ribeye, etc.) and get a whole bunch of stuff. so no ordering a la carte. Comes with a sashimi salad, specialty roll, veggies, udon, spicy tuna on crispy wontons, and dessert.
I personally don’t think the portions are that large. but if you get the Chinese version in San Gabriel, there are a lot of places that are all you can eat. But of course. we walked out the door. only paying about $ 26 with tip each. That’s a pretty good deal. with the salad and dessert, etc. The quality of meat is pretty high though. so, I think this restaurant is pretty good.

My bf and I love shabu shabu. Our favorite place is California Shabu Shabu in Orange County (on par with the shabu shabu house in little Tokyo that always has an enormous line). So we were trying to find a place closer to home with a shorter line and we stumbled upon shabu shabu ya.
The place was empty when we went. We had the sashimi salad (with poor grade sashimi) and some shabu shabu. It was ok. The meat wasn’t the best quality and I found the ponzu sauce too tart.
Thanks but no thanks shabu shabu ya. I’ll keep it in my pants til I can get out to Orange County. Nice try though.

No crazy lines. Air conditioned! Easy meter and street parking. Clean interior, good service. Only downside would be that you don’t get your own shabu pot, but if you don’t mind sharing, this place is awesome. Get the split pot and try both the regular water and the sukiyaki broth. The tuna sashimi salad was really simple but good. Decent assortment of sushi rolls.
But the sauce still tastes better at Shabu Shabu House in Little Tokyo.

We were in Ktown meeting up with a couple of friends of mine for dinner and didn’t know what we were going to get. The friends turned to me and asked–
«Do you want to go to that sushi place we went to before or do you want to go somewhere new so you can Unilocal about it?»
Gdit my friends know me too well…
But what the hell do I know about Ktown besides bars & the school? In all honesty, very little.
We wanted something a bit healthier than the slabs o’ beef we’d get at the Korean bbq, so we looked for a shabu shabu place on Unilocal & this seemed like a good idea.
Sure enough, we got there (found parking right in front without a problem) and there was a sign on the door « Unilocalers love us!» My friends and the boy looked at me and I blushed.
You go in and there’s a hot plate in the middle.
«Do you two sit next to each other or across?» my friend asked me and the boy.
«You will want to sit across from each other if you’re splitting a pot.» the waitress told us.
(They also serve sushi and noodles though, so if that’s your bag, no need to have that convo… but who goes to a shabu shabu place and doesn’t get shabu shabu? The table next to us… so it might be pretty good. For this review though, we only had the shabu shabu.)
Now in all fairness It had been FOREVER since I’d had shabu shabu. We must have seemed like the most indecisive people on the planet. We didn’t know exactly we were going to get or what to get in the first place. They were very patient and friendly and when we mentioned that we didn’t know about the portioning, they were happy to explain it.
They told us that they would also section off the pots if one person was a vegetarianism and the other wasn’t. Really helpful for those that need it.
They have some specials going on that are good for people that are sharing. You can either get a 7oz or 10 oz piece of beef, salad, and soup. When split 2 ways, the pricing isn’t bad at all.
We (me and the boy) decided to get a 10oz of beef single order (came with a salad) and I got some miso soup. Friends got the vegetarian special.
I took a bite of the salad– it had pieces of ahi in it and I didn’t care for it. There was a bit too much dressing on it for my tastes, but I’m generally not one for salad and the boy is a human garbage disposal for the most part and didn’t say anything about it being horrible so I’d gather it was at least not bad.
Why did I order soup? We were unsure of how much food we were going to get. and when they brought it… holy hell.
They started bringing it all out– daikon and a couple of other seasonings to put in the pot or on the food by itself (we asked exactly what is done with everything because the boy has a habit of just diving into that stuff and asking questions later), 2 dishes of sauces– a teriyaki soy sauce and a bean curd sauce (very tasty).
They gave us some small sampling of veggies and noodles. Our plate with the beef was huge. So quick to cook and before we knew it… it was gone. The noodles were more for the advanced shabu person. I felt so «white» with my struggle to get it out of the pot without slipping.
They had some Australian ginger ale there my friend says is difficult to find.
Our bill wasn’t too shabby at all for the 4 of us being stuffed– 25 for my friends and 15 for ours before tip. Not a bad for a little double date last minute.
Go with a group or on a date. It’s interactive and cost efficient (or not if you want– there is Kobe there as well) and it’s bound to hit the spot weather you’re really hungry waking in or not.

I had shabu shabu for the first time EVER here and boy, am I hooked! The bf and I shared a regular order of beef, with the tuna tartare salad and a shrimp tempura roll on the side. The sauces were so good and the veggies that accompanied the beef were flavorful. It was all so perfect — we were full and satisfied without needing to run around the block afterwards.
The prices are more than reasonable and the service is excellent — very friendly and attentive. Shabu Shabu Ya, I am proud to have made you my first — I will definitely be coming back for more! Rowr!

I busted my Shabu Shabu cherry tonight and baby, I’m smiling. OK it’s fricking freezing outside, Mr Bigglesworth, so redirecting my sushi urge helped get me in the door to this local establishment. And, OK, I did notice they had a little Unilocaly promotion going on — which sealed the deal to at least TRY this place.
So glad. The server was cool but approachable and helpful. We ended up with the Beef Shabu Shabu since it was our first time and as Little Robert Anthony might say, «That’s a real fine place to start.» Fresh, Angus Beef (like the picture on Unilocal). Veggies and voila — go to town.
Loved the interior, too, like an East Village hangout. high ceiling, chill music covering old jazz and contemporary stuff I can’t name. Really nice. And the price? Another nice surprise. Definitely going back.

This place is really good. I was mighty surprised, since its in a mostly non-​asian area. Their shabu sauces are bomb and thats what really makes shabu good, plus fresh meat. The sashimi tuna salad that comes with the meal is really delicious too.
it was funny seeing so many non-​asians come in and then realize they don’t know what shabu is and leave because they are afraid to try new things. Sorry, japanese food is not all spicy tuna salad or rainbow roll.
The waitress was really nice and service was quick. I love me a good shabu joint. Especially when its so close to where I live. The bill was about 32 bucks for two, 2 orders, one beef and 1 chicken.

Thumbs Up!
I vouch for the small Beef Shabu Shabu and the green salad.