Shabu Shabu Bar

I really hate to do this. I had high expectations from Yelp reviews, but I wasn't overly satisfied unfortunately. I'm from Sacramento & we have an AMAZING shabu place (Heat Shabu Baru) and I was expecting this place to be similar, but it wasn't.

Let me start with the service was really good. Our waiter was super friendly & he told us that if we checked in on Yelp, we could get free Sake (BTW, you have to pay gratuity if you do this, so it about evens out). I still appreciated it & took advantage.

I ordered chicken & my boyfriend got the upscale ribeye. We also shared a side of shrimp. We didn't eat all the meat, we only did both because if you get a combo plate then you have to pay a $10 split fee (which is a little ridiculous, I think). Each person has their own boiling water and veggie plates. Let me tell you that the Shabu place I go to in Sac has actual broths to cook your meat in (Tonkatsu, Miso, Shoyu, etc) which makes the meat & veggies so much more flavorful than merely boiling water. The garlic & radish & onions & oil they offer here doesn't really help in flavoring it up much either.

This place was a little pricy given the environment. You cook the food yourself- they bring out everything raw for you to throw in your boiling water. IDK why it should be expensive, and I really don't know why they charge for splitting a combo plate. The shabu place in Sac also gives complementary green tea ice cream w/ mochi at the end of your meal, which they didn't do here, even though I paid a grip more. I paid probably about twice the amount I pay at my usual shabu place, and shabu places are rare in Sac. It just didn't make sense.

One other thing I did like was that after you finished, they make the leftovers into a little bowl of soup for you. Kinda cool, good idea. Probably enjoyed this part the best.

Had my first visit there yesterday with two girlfriends and my boyfriend. This place really stands out for its service, especially from Davina and Sarah. My friends and I had shabu shabu many times before, and this dipping sauce is good but we have had better somewhere else. It was, however, the first shabu shabu experience for my boyfriend and he thought it was better than expected. (I told him usually shabu shabu is plain broth and the shukiyaki broth this place has gave it flavor...so he likes it). The plus about this place is the Yelp check-in offer...free sake! This really added to our experience. We'll be back again, since the people who work there really make the visit worth while!

This is definitely one of my favorite shabu places in Orange County!

Shabu Shabu Bar has a great menu and the food tastes delicious. I've been here for both lunch and dinner--lunch hardly ever has a wait, but for dinner, expect to wait 15-20 minutes to be seated. Shouldn't be a problem though--they have TVs, great music, and a friendly staff who will bring you drinks while you wait!

After you finish your delicious shabu, the staff will help you make a soup out of your leftover ingredients to top off your meal. I was waited on by Phil and he was super friendly and made great conversation with my party and me! I was even treated to some birthday sake on the house :)

If you have never tried shabu shabu before, I highly recommend coming to Shabu Shabu Bar for your first experience. You'll be helped along the way while making your food and pay a price that matches the quality of your meal!

They also have some fun Yelp promotions every once in a while, so don't forget to check this page before you go--you might be able to save some $$$!