Shabu Shabuyo

I really hate to give them one star but tonight I made reservations for six of us. We walked in and the place was empty with not even one person besides us in there. We then were seated but they wanted to give us only two pots to cook on. I then explained we have six people here and we would like to use the pot right next to us so that two people can share a pot instead of three. They said no! I explained that we were the only ones in the place but they still said no. We just left, it was very disappointing as we had to find another place to eat. I’m a regular here and come about once a month. I don’t think I will be back. Sorry everyone, I don’t like to write negative comments but this was not good.

This place is one of our favorites! Especially, when we’re starving and need to eat ASAP! They’re never too too packed so I like that it’s quiet. They also have great service and is family owned. Why not support them if they provide all the right necessities for great date dining night! I’ll be back nxt wk! Lol!

The shabu was good here. The meat was tasty and the veggies were not only plentiful but tasted very fresh. It would have gotten another star except for the fact that it’s not a well thought out shabu place. The tables were extremely small and could barely fit our water, beer, veggies and meat dishes. It was a little painful to share a pot when I’m used to having my own. In our party of 6, it was one pot per 3 people. So you can imagine how full our table was and how little space we had to cook and eat. I would probably not visit this spot again unless we received a larger table and this is not a place for a big group. Definitely more of a date night spot. It was average in expenditure for shabu in the LA area making it hard to return knowing there are places where I have space to cook and eat.

Yes, I am a shabu shabu lover, and yes, this place deserves 5 stars. Decided to come here because shabu shabu house had a ridiculous wait (as always) but this time it was really just out of control. I figured, why not just give it a chance since we drove all the way here anyway. Honestly, I was very satisfied. The portions are large sizes and worth the value you pay. I got the large beef which was $ 23 but really filled me up. It is really important for me when I go to any shabu place for them to not be stingy with their vegetables, after all is cost them almost nothing. They were super friendly with the amount of vegetables they gave. The peanut sauce is a little spicy but taste great. One down side is that they charge you extra if you want more rice and the shabu places I’m use to have unlimited rice refills.
The service is decent– needed a few things here and there and had to get the waiters attention until they finally came to our table so I can let them know what I needed. Overall, I enjoyed this place a lot and think that they are really good and what they do and how they run their restaurant.

Thought this was a fun time :) the restaurant is small but compared to other restaurants in Little Tokyo it’s pretty spacious! It was decorated cute and was pretty busy when we got there but we were able to be seated right away at the bar. The prices are a little high, but we did get a lot of food. We born got the beef plate which came with vegetables and there were little hot plates in the table with bowls of hot broth on top to cook the food. This was our first time with this type of cuisine, so we asked the waitress how we should go about it. She wasn’t super helpful, could have just been a language barrier? She didn’t seem to understand that we didn’t understand how to do it haha
In general the servers weren’t very attentive but with this type of food they didn’t really need to be.
The quality of the food we had was good, but because of other factors I feel like we would try other places in Little Tokyo before returning here.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY AT THIS JOKE OF A SHABU SHABU RESTAURANT First of all let me tell you that the owners of this establishment need to HIRE a host that isn’t a complete dumbass! I walk in with my daughter who’s 8 years old. Give her my name and then she says we have to wait outside! Are you kidding me its 49 degrees outside. Wtf!!! This place has been a joke since they opened super over priced for some half ass shabu shabu… Shabu shabu house and Yojies are the places to go!

Every time I go to review a shabu shabu restaurants I always see less than 4 stars because of people who give low reviews based on the broth or lack of one. Please people, understand that this isn’t Chinese or Korean hot pot. This is Japanese shabu. This is exactly what it’s supposed to be. Water! Stop with this ignorance.
Yea I admit I came here because shabu shabu house had 95 people on the waiting list. 2 plus hours wait and I still debated waiting. We decided to walk around while we waited like losers until we saw here and we still stood outside for a while debating if we wait for shabu shabu house or we sit inside here and eat right away. Finally we gave in and after eating I felt very stupid to have even contemplated waiting. This place delivered.
The plate of vegetables has 2 kinds of mushrooms, baby Bok choy, and onions on top of the other items you would get at shabu shabu house. The vegetables are double in size and the noodles they give are a full serving. The peanut sauce is seasoned and zesty and they give you big bowls of sauces and rice and condiments so you don’t have to ask a million times. This place made me realize that shabu shabu house is very stingy. The meat at shabu shabu house is best in LA hands down, so although he has the edge, that doesn’t mean the meat here is bad, it’s very good and high quality. Here you also sit down at a table and can have private and social interaction. You are served properly and that’s also a big plus. Price wise it is the same. My biggest recommendation to the owner here is for them to offer beer and sake for happy hour prices kind of like gyu kaku. That would win me over 100% and there would be a long wait here if they did that and they would see much more success.

Seaweed based soup with no other options. Therefore, the soup in itself is bland, even with ponzu and peanut sauces (not the best sauces I’ve had). Beef slices are thicker than what I’m used to. Since they slice from a frozen slab of meat, they spray the slices down with a solution (water?) to make the plate of meat more presentable.
Service was just ok. Meh. Definitely won’t be back.

Shabu shabuyo deserves more stars than it is rated right now. This place serves food that is reasonably priced and the quality of meat is pretty good too. Besides their peanut sauce is the bomb!!! The portion is good too! I think this place is overpowered by so many Japanese restaurants that are around here.
I especially love the service here! A server girl named Kanna at the counter was really warm, smiley at all time and was very attentive!!! I’m definitely coming back here. Only downside is that it’s kinda hard to find parking. But that is to be expected when you dine in little Tokyo…

The waitress was very rude. The veggies were unwashed properly had dirt and small bugs in it. So
I asked the waitress to exchange it and she told me «It’s nature that comes out from the Vegetable? What in the earth she is talking about? I picked up the dirt with my fingers and told her
OH NOW THE NAPA LEAVES GIVE BIRTH DIRT???
AFTER that she had bad atittud and tossing things around. They didnt have enough employee. She was the only server and she was taking her anger to the clients. Worst restaurant ever. They are new owner who has bad managing.
Before I used go often but I’m not anymore.

Ok, maybe I don’t know something other Los Angelians know… but I loved the Shabu Shabu here. Being from San Diego our Shabu options are limited so I may not be as savvy as others who have reviewed this place. But from my experience here I was very impressed. We came here by chance after finding that Shabu Shabu House was closed across the street. Luckily, the food was great. I ordered the large beef and it was perfect for me. The quality of meat wasn’t the best I’ve ever had but was still very good. It was traditional Japanese style Shabu. Veggies, ponzu sauce, sesame sauce, and rice in addition to the meat. Admittedly, when the veggies came I thought it wasn’t going to be enough, but I was wrong. The entire meal was super filling! Our server was really on top of it and we never had to call her over. She was always checking on us! Lastly, the price was super reasonable. It’s a much better deal than what we get in San Diego. Next time I’m in the area I’ll definitely stop in again!

3.5 stars
This place is designed similarly to Shabu Shabu House across the street, it’s basically a less crowded version. You pick your meat and size, get a plate of veggies, rice, 2 sauces (ponzu and peanut), and a pot of boiling water.
Medium size beef was more than enough for me. I especially like the meat here, you can really taste the quality of the beef and what you’re paying for. We also ordered a coke and they gave us a dirty cup (as seen in the picture) and the service wasn’t all that great, contrary to what others posted on Unilocal.Maybe I came during an off time at 3pm but that shouldn’t be an excuse.

Now that am back in DTLA to work. I am super excited with all the new lunch choices that I have in walking distance.
Shabu Shabu is one of my favorite meals, so I am glad that I am able to come here for a quick lunch during the week day. Can’t beat not waiting in line. :)
I mostly get the medium beef lunch special. No luck if you’re looking for a combo meat or any other cut of beef. But this is okay. For lunch, I am not to overdo it. But having choices sometimes makes a difference.
All shabu shabu meals comes with an assortment of vegetables. 2 types of mushrooms, cabbages, carrots, onions, broccoli. Along with udon noodles and tofu.
The garlic is not offered as the usual condiments they give you. However they do have it available for those who asks.
Service here had always been fast, efficient and friendly.

We sat at the bar cause it seemed more fun.
The place is not too loud and the management is pretty good — being managed by a woman I assume :)
The meat and the vegetable were fresh! The vegetable dish is a little bit too much for one person. it would have been nice to share it than having most of it goes to waist. hope they don’t over use it on someone else’s order, lol. just kidding.
I wouldn’t probably go back cause there are plenty of other places to explore in that area.
And my friend didn’t like the rice!

Came here today for lunch for the first time and was pleasantly surprised based on the reviews. I give this place a 4.5 because I cannot rate it the same as my go to place King Shabu Shabu… but I rated with a 5 because I think they deserve more than what they have because it’s clean, staff is friendly, and the food is great!
There are a handful of reasons I like King Shabu Shabu better, but then I have to say, if you are in the area, this is the Shabu Shabu place for you!
So, this review is more for the VEGheads because I didn’t eat the meat. I LOVE when Shabu Shabu places offer a veggie only option! Which is, of course, what I got. Cabbage, Bok Choy, Mushrooms, Enoki Mushrooms, Carrots, Broccoli, Udon Noodles, and a hefty serving of Tofu! They also give hefty portions of sauce, which is nice, because they charge extra for more! The other thing I really like, is they have eggs you can crack into the water! I’ve never seen this at a Shabu Shabu place! It was the perfect compliment to poach and eat with my rice!
Here are the few reasons I like King Shabu Shabu better:
Brown Rice
Hot Drops
Soup Base
And here are the reasons I like this place better:
Egg
FRESH Garlic (You have to ask for it!)
But going forward, this is my weekday lunch spot!!!

If you can’t wait for Shabu Shabu House then this may be a good alternative since it’s never overly packed.
BEEF (medium — 10pc) — meat quality has definitely gone up in the last few years, imo. Nice large slices, they aren’t dinky! I haven’t tried any of the other protein…
VEGGIES — selection is good and fresh, and definitely PLENTY of it. Napa, bok choy, enoki mushrooms, 2 slices of tofu, carrots, and a good portion of udon!
PONZU — nice and tart and they give plenty of it. Don’t forget to add the daikon and green onions.
SESAME/​PEANUT SAUCE — ehhh this was too thick for my liking. It tasted a bit burnt the last time I went…
SERVICE — the ladies here are really nice and checked on my table frequently to make sure everything was ok.
Only downer I think was that it was pretty pricey for what it is. dinner for a medium set came out to be around +$ 21 after tax. I guess this is about the same if you went to Shabu Shabu House. but just not sure if it’s worth it…

I’ve come to this place a couple times and previously always found it pretty average, but the last time I was here the beef quality was actually amazingly good, especially when you dip the beef in the ponzu right after cooking it for a little bit. So good! If you come, I’d recommend you get the beef for sure.
Price can be a little steep for a couple pieces of thinly sliced beef and veggies, but I do appreciate the variety of veggies.
We also ordered the salmon, which I kind of feel like was a mistake. The pieces came out partially frozen, so that wasn’t necessarily ideal. Also the large beef order was enough food for two, so if you’re looking to do this economically I’d say have one person order the large beef order, and have the other order the vegetarian order and just share!

First time trying shabu shabu and I like it.
We each got the lunch portion which came with beef, udon, rice, and vegetables including cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, tofu and onions. $ 15
We got our own boiling water pot but f you come with four people, you may have to share pots. So if your a germaphobe, don’t dine here with a large group.
The liquid you cook your meat and vegetables in is not flavored water. You get two sauces, ponzu and sesame peanut and some sides like scallions to mix in. I thought both dipping sauces were good and gave good flavor to the cooked meat and veggies. They also give you a mini pot and tool to skim the top of your broth when a film of fat develops.
Overall I had an enjoyable first shabu shabu experience. Located in Little Tokyo across from the main plaza. Parking is $ 5 in the lot next door. Service was descent.

Came here with some friends a while ago. It was cold and shabu shabu was a great choice. The restaurant was full but within a few minutes, we were seated.
It’s traditional here with just boiling water, fresh veggies, udon and rib eye. The sauces here aren’t bad and the service isn’t either.
The only thing I didn’t care for is sharing pots with another. Kind of weird in my opinion. Good place to go if the other shabu spot in Little Tokyo Plaza is full.

I was super-​impressed with this place, especially after seeing so many «middling» reviews here at Unilocal.I can’t help but wonder if maybe I haven’t tried enough Shabu-​Shabu places, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here at Shabuyo.
We were greeted moments after entering by a chorus of «helloooo» coming from the hostess, a waitress, and then some lady over by the bar. Adorable. We were told it’d be about a 10 minute wait, and my wife and I decided to quickly wash our hands while we waited. Within 3 minutes after a hand wash, we were seated at a table (for 4, actually), with 2 hot pots for our personal use.
We ordered a dinner size plate of beef (15 slices) and a salmon plate (10 pieces), and each ran $ 23 and included a ridiculous extra plate of veggies and noodles.
The one complaint no one could possibly ever have about this place is the portion size. The salmon was pretty thick cut, which was nice, and the pieces of beef were sizeable, as well. The veggie plate included broccoli, bok choy, onions, lettuce, carrots, big mushrooms, skinny mushrooms, tofu, and thick noodles. And steamed rice came on the side with ponzu and sesame peanut sauce.
The waitresses were attentive, and we actually were helped throughout the meal by 2 – 3 different attendants that kept adjusting the temperatures on our hot plates, refilling water, bringing the check nice and early so we could pay/​leave on our time, and not theirs.
Excellent shabu experience.