Joon Shabu Shabu

Pricey, but definitely a novelty dining experience! It’s really cool that you get to essentially create your own broth. They provide 2 types of soup flavorings that you can mix and match with. I also really loved the soyo sauce that they have and thought it was fun to «taste test» dipping sauces to pick from.
The beef was also tender and there was a good amount of vegetables. It’s also nice that you get your own pot! Overall, solid hot pot shop that I’d be down to return to.

I went to this place way before my friend Tammy wrote her post, I showed it first to Anna then to Apl. And now everyone trying to eat there. I have to admit I probably eat there at least once a week, sometimes twice.
It’s the biz

Great for a cold day! Or when you’re just feeling the shabu shabu crave. I’ve come here a few times for lunch and dinner and always leave satisfied. You get a choice of two types of beef or other protein options. I always get the joon beef which is a step below their angus beef quality option says the menu. But you get more meat than if you get angus. And let’s face it if you’re going to throw it in broth to boil anyways I would rather have more meat. $ 15 for lunch or $ 20 for dinner. You get a plate of veggies, choice of ramen or udon and purple rice. Be sure to flavor your water with their two diff types of sauces. They give you a sampler of dipping sauces if it’s your first time. Ponzu and goma are my go to. Also if you like spice be sure to ask for the habanero drops.
Parking is in the garage in the alley behind the restaurant. Only about five spots so if you can’t find any just park on the street.
Service is always good.
Great convenient shabu place that’s not pretentious.

My usual go to spot for Shabu with my friend… this used to be 5 stars because it was affordable (which is still is, but they raised prices by at least $ 2 – 3) and the portions were big (specifically with the veggies), but they changed things almost a month ago d/​t increased popularity and expenses.
They’ve controlled the amount of dipping sauce to give to you… you have to wait until your dipping sauces are completely done before getting a refill and when you order a regular size Joon Beef; your veggies and noodles are given on a smaller plate which wasn’t like that before.
Service is still great, but I hope they won’t make anymore changes for the new year…

Hands down, the best shabu joint in the area. I’m a big fan of sukiyaki broth but they don’t have that here. But large selection of sauces allows you to customize the flavor of your meal and definitely makes up for it. My favorites are the ninniku and soyo.
And like many before me have mentioned, their restroom is fully stocked with everything you need. Much appreciated!

Hella good. I got the sukiyaki, and it was super delicious. I went with my friend, who got the vegetarian, and my mom who got the chicken with the vegetto soup base. Our server (his name is Marcelo btw) was super friendly and very accommodating. Good food. Good vibes.
PS: ICE CREAM MOCHI IS DELISH.

Worst place ever! I will never step foot in here and I’ll make sure everyone I know never steps foot into this place! Food and customer service sucks. The girl helping us who apparently was the owners daughter was rushing for us to leave so other customers could sit in our seat. When we were leaving the owner came outside and started yelling at us and asking us why we asked for the waitress’s name. I’ve never felt so disrespected in my life and no one has yelled at me like that before. It was the worst experience ever. The owner was yelling so close to my face. It was very upsetting. I don’t know how someone like that can «own» a restaurant when they have no respect for their customers. Worst place ever. Worst owner ever. Worst customer service ever.
Ps if you’re going to have your daughter work for you, maybe you should teach her some respect

This place won me over with their soyu sauce LOL its like a sweet and sour sauce and i couldnt get enough of it. We got a sampler of the other sauces too and i got ponzu as my second sauce because i was too scared of not liking the white pastey one with my meat. Kind of regret not getting it though LOL
I got the joon beef but i tried the angus beef too and i would suggest the angus over the joon because angus is more tender even if joon is leaner. They give a good amount of meat and veggies and i was pretty full by the end of the meal.
The staff were all really nice and patient. They explained the menu and each item to us since it was our first time and they occasionally come over to check on how we are doing. I suggest coming for their lunch because its cheaper and more worth it!
The only thing i would say that i didn’t like was that the hot pot was a little far from my arms reach and i had to stretch my arm out more to get sauces and cook my food but that isnt stopping me from coming back a second time (:

FOOD: This place is one of my favorite places to get shabu shabu. The sauce selection is really what makes this place unique. You get to pick from 6 different sauces, which is really hard because they are all really delicious! They give you a great variety of fresh veggies as well. You get to also create your own broth using the spices and sauces provided which is really awesome.
AMBIANCE: This place is very modern and I love the fact that most if not all of the seating is counter style. This does make things a bit interesting when you go with a big party, however, as you will be seated a bit spread out.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: I’ve never had to wait very long to be seated. Their servers are always very attentive and accommodating.

Came here for dinner with a friend around 7PM and was seated immediately with zero wait time. I forget the exact name of the dish, i think it was beef seppai or something like that, but you get a ½ lb of beef along with a plate of onions, brocolli, bok choi, cabbage, mushrooms, tofu, carrots, and ramen noodles (you can choose between ramen and udon noodles). There are some sauces, japanese seasoning, radish purée, garlic, and chives on the table that you can add to the broth (which already had a piece of kelp in it). After that, it’s season and add veggies until you like the taste of the broth and then start cooking the meat.
What really set this place a part from other places and what gives it the 5^th star is the sauces. I got the Soyo and the Ninniku. The Soyo was sweet and went well with the meat, but the Ninniku was delicious. It looks really weird at first because it comes out as a white paste and doesn’t look that appetizing, but it is SO GOOD with the beef! I couldn’t stop eating it. I dipped my lettuce into the soyo, and put the Ninniku on the beef and ate it together, and it was to die for. Afterwards, I added the ramen noodles, transferred to my rice bowl, and added the broth. What i discovered was that if you add the remainder of the sauces to the ramen broth, it tastes even better!
Overall, I went in not expecting much because shabu shabu is never that spectacular, but this place blew my socks off and shattered all my expectations! Bravo!
A+

I came here for lunch with a friend and it was awfully busy for a Wednesday (1:30PM). We waited about ten minutes before getting seated — it’s bar style seating so this isn’t so great for parties of three or more. Even three is cutting it in my opinion, but hey whatever ya like!
My friend and I both ordered the Joon Ribeye Special (Reg $ 10.99, Large $ 14.99) which comes with an array of vegetables (bok choy, broccoli, carrots, enoki mushrooms, etc,) and ramen/​udon noodles. The meat quality was relatively good and that deal was so good that I’ll have to come back again. Too bad it’s only a lunch special! We also had a side of edamame that came with a dash of salt which gave it some nice flavor.
The sauces that they allow you to try are so unique; it was my first time experiencing something beyond ponzu and goma (?) sauce for shabu shabu. There are about five sauces that range in sweetness and texture. You’re allowed to choose two.
The only downside I have is that they seemed rather understaffed for the amount of customers they had (nearly every seat was filled!). They were very polite and friendly and apologized every now and then for the wait and it was greatly appreciated.
I also ordered a glass of Kirin, but they had just run out and were only able to fill it up ¾ of the way, so my server let me know that she’d give me another glass of my choice on the house after finishing the Kirin. Super appreciated this!
I will definitely be back as I am more than satisfied with my experience here.

Joon Shabu has officially won me over! 5 stars! Some important details and highlights of my meal were:
Parking: Across the street or in the alley way. Across the street will cost you $ 0.75 an hour (takes coins or card) but the alley has very limited spots.
Crowd/​ambiance: Can get very busy especially on the weekends or dinner time. We came right before the dinner rush today and were seated in 10 minutes. There are two U shaped table arrangements so no individual seating. If you don’t like being close to randoms while eating, this is not your spot. You’ll definitely rub elbows with your neighbor so get comfortable.
Food: Very fresh and I left feeling very full/​nostalgic. I ordered the Ippai ribeye (Ippai meaning plentiful) which is $ 20 all day and night. Our server mentioned it weighing a little less than ½ a pound of meat so be ready to chow down. What set this shabu place apart from the rest were the sauce options. If it’s your first time visiting, your server will let you try out 5 of their sauces: Umami, Goma, Soyo, Ninnku and Ponzu. My recommendations are the Soyo and Ponzu because they complimented my beef so well. Another cool factor is that you can choose between ramen or udon noodles.
Service: On point. The manager even told our party that a server is stuck in traffic so it’ll be a bit slow. Although everyone was running around with their heads cut off, the service was still friendly and genuine. Yes, the service was slow but I was appreciative that I was informed ahead of time rather than after the fact.
And for the ladies: There is floss, tampons, pads, hairspray, body lotion and makeup remover in the women’s restroom. This is especially helpful when on a date :)
I only wish I lived closer to Joon. I drove 30 minutes to try this spot out and I wasn’t disappointed. Definitely coming back the next time I’m in Glendale!

Loved this place! Food was fun and delicious.
Several options for sauces, ask for a sample if you’re unsure which two you want. Bathroom was generously stocked with mouth wash, floss, pads, tampons, lotion, make up wipes, and hairspray. Only thing missing are Bobby pins and maybe a lid for the floss (when you flush bacteria flies everywhere). Will come back and recommend to friends. Unilocal deal for $ 1 Mochi, flavors available were strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, and mango.
Shout out to Ruben for being such a cool server!

To be honest, I was skeptical trying out this place because I don’t know if it would compare to my fav spot in lil tokyo. It was complicated at first but the servers broke it down for us. To my dismay, it was really good.
The quality of meats and veggies were on point and fresh. We ordered the Angus beef shabu shabu and it was absolutely mouthwatering. They have a variety of sauces. You must choose 2 for your shabu shabu. My favorite so far is the ponzu sauce and the goma.
Overall, I’m a fan and will definitely come back here.

It’s all about the sawsss (sauce)
I came here during Joon’s grand opening a long time ago. At the time, I thought it was decent, but the servers jumbled in explaining everything with the different the sauces that all kinda tasted similar. And I thought it was expensive for what it was so, MEH!
I haven’t been back since.
Fast forward to two days ago, I decided to catch up with a girlfriend with some warm shabu nearby. Coming back after a couple of years, I came to find the service was way more efficient and sauces were yummy (get the garlic emulsion white sauce, ughhh it’s like Zankou graced us with the garlic sauce at an Asian restaurant).
$ 16 for 16 slices of «Joon’s» cut of rib eye. You also get your equipment (ladle, tongs, chopsticks), a tray of veggies, and you can choose 2 sauces (they give you a sampler to try in the beginning).
Ladies, they have mouth wash, tampons, hairspray in the bathroom. Yep, dey gotchU.
The only thing my friend mentioned was that the distance between where you sit verses your stove top, equipment, etc was a bit far for reach. So if you have shorter arms, you are (kinda) SOL.
After trying the sauce pairings, I liked SOYO (garlic soy sauce) and NINNIKU (white garlic sauce) the best with my rib eye.
All about dat sawss.

Delicious Shabu Shabu. My wife and I were in the mood for Shabu, and thought that we would try a new place. We were not in the mood for a place like Tokyo Shabu Shabu (with flavored broth), and just wanted good quality, traditional, and casual. Joon Shabu Shabu met that criteria.
The portions were perfect, and the service was excellent. I am very much looking forward to a return in the near future. I’m very glad that I found this place.
Regarding what to order, you really can’t go wrong. Get a beef of some sort and you will be happy. I don’t really know why anyone would order the chicken…

There are 2 separate eating areas at Joon. The servers mix the sauce and tend to all the customers inside the rectangular seating stations.
First, you choose the protein– I went with the Seafood minus shrimp (due to allergies). It was $ 20 for healthy servings of salmon, scallops, and mixed fish cakes and balls.
Then you choose your sauces, I went with ponzu (my fave– citrus soy sauce) and soyo (savory, oniony, slightly sweet, mildly spicy). I got a 3^rd sauce– the caviar (creamy roe sauce) that only comes with seafood. They were nice enough to let us try all the sauces on a long sampling tray before we chose the 2 we wanted.
Your server will bring you rice, veggies, ramen, protein and give you directions on what sauces and toppings to put in the soup. They’ll even help you put your meat and veggie if you want.
The only thing that took some getting used to was reaching over all the plates of food get to the hot pot soup. Also, 1 soup base was beef based, and the other 1 was spicy. I wish there was a pescaterian/​vegetarian soup base as things can be bland with just the spicy base.
Overall the food came really fast, arrived quickly, and all the servers were attentive.
This was the perfect cold weather meal.

Gallivanting the streets of Glendale, torn between Shabu or Kabobs, when I discover, husband has never had Shabu. WHAT!!! I was fixing this STAT.
Stepped into Joon and was immediately greeted by friendly staff. Awesome. There were only a few patrons there on a Saturday night past 9pm. They sat us right down with our own little burners/​pot in front of each seat.
Décor was bright: Lime green counters, Shiny chrome pots. There were tvs showing the UCLA game. The music was different and refreshing. 1950’s-Franki Valli, Ben E King, etc. Shabu w/50’s diner music. Cool vibe. Patrons were singing along (yes, including me).
Drinks:
Hubby Sapporo
Me: Nigori Sake, of course
Food: VERY GOOD
I ordered the Sukiyaki, which comes with 1 sauce, ponzu. My husband got to have several sauces, so I got to try all 5; yep, Ponzu is my favorite.
Thin slices of Angus Beef, veggies, tofu and noodles (I opted for Ramen versus Udon) all cooked in a broth. Server cooked all the food for me and it was delicious. I loved the egg added to the pot. The black rice was different & a healthy twist, but I prefer my Jasmine rice.
Side note: Service was FANTASTIC! She was attentive and friendly. Perfect.
So is hubby a fan of Shabu? Yep. SOLD.

We didn’t know where to park so we parked at $ 3 valet across the street. This place is really nice, clean, and pretty big. Although they don’t have actual tables where you can sit at, so coming with a big party isn’t a good idea. They only have bar seating which I usually don’t like unless I’m going with a party of 2.
Joon shabu is a very healthy alternative compared to other shabu places. They give you purple rice, which actually doesn’t taste that bad. I usually hate the healthy rice, especially brown rice, but this one isn’t so bad. It has a less cardboard texture and doesn’t taste as bland. Their broth is water based (yuck!), but luckily they have two containers of soup base already out for you to add to your soup. One is the dashi flavor, and the other is the spicy one. I put a lot of each in my soup because I hate bland things. It gave it a lot more flavor, but it wasnt the best tasting soup I’ve had.
They give you a sample of 5 sauces, and you get to choose 2 out of the 5. I obviously like the ponzu and the goma. The other 3 just tasted weird to me. I totally thought ninniku was cream cheese but it’s actually garlic paste lol.
As for the lunch entrée, I got the vegetarian plate ($ 14) and my boyfriend got the beef ($ 14). My vegetarian plate came with a big variety of veggies which is good, too bad I don’t like eating half of them. It comes with Napa, bok Choy, napeas, carrots, eggplant, squash, asparagus, broccoli, corn, tofu, 2 kinds of mushrooms, peppers, pumpkin, enoki mushroom, lettuce and choice of udon or ramen. They literally had every vegetable I could possibly imagine, but I don’t like carrots, eggplant, squash, peppers or pumpkin lol. Everything else was really good lol
My boyfriend said their meat quality isn’t as good as other places which is why I gave this place 4 stars instead of 5. I would give them 3.5 stars since their soup isn’t that good, but I like the variety they give you in the veggie plate, so I’ll cut them some slack.

I have to stop giving out 5 stars
I feel like Oprah,“You get 5 stars! You get 5 stars! Everyone gets 5 stars!” Got to slow it down or else you guys will think I’m easy, but hold it right there mister… I’m not that easy, you have to buy me dinner first. Or maybe I’m just picking the right places to eat! Didn’t think about that did you?
5 Reasons for 5 Stars
1) 5 Sauces for dipping — Choose from umami, goma, soyo, ninniku, and ponzu. Dip your little hearts away!
2) Flavor your both — Joondashi & Tokyo Spicy to flavor your broth, for all you flavor freaks who love their broth thick and saucy like Chinese hot pot.
3) Angus Beef Upgrade — Feast your eyes on amazing marbling in high quality cow
4) Service — Constant homey service will make you feel right at home
5) Free parking — I’m from Downtown LA, I love it when there’s free parking. Actually… I love it when there’s free anything.