Shabuway Japanese Style Hot Pot

The worse hot pot I ever ate in my life… and the service was horrible!!! Never eat at this place. I’d rather starve… The Shabu in Dublin is WAYYY better. Go there people.

We used to come here all the time and we loved it. In fact I’ve been going to the branch across the bridge for so long I was invited to the opening of the Union city branch. Then it started closing random days and times so we stopped coming by because we couldn’t count on the posted schedule. When we moved we didn’t have the opportunity to stop by at all so we decided this weekend to come dinner since we are headed to the movies. We (husband, two kids and myself) came in and had to wait for a table which is a good sign for a small place. The only waitress comes by and gives the four of us two menus to look over. Our wait was like 10 min and we were sat as soon as a table was cleared. They have three broths (it used to be only two) and I opted to try the new broth chicken ginger. I started to order and the waitress says «I’m so sorry we’re out of that broth». That is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, esp if you only serve three styles of broth, please tell me as soon as I sit down what you are out of. So I ask her to please let us know what else they are out of before we go on. She said «Anything fried». We asked about the Gyoza and she said they had some. We order Gyoza and edamame as a starter and then rest of our meal. Our edamame, veggies, meat and broth came quickly. The veggie platter was sad and small. The meat slices were so wide we had to break them up with our chop sticks and there were huge pieces of fat that needed to be removed by hand. We had to repeatedly ask for the udon and water we ordered. The Gyoza was promised over and over and over again. Finally when we had finished our meal we cancelled the Gyoza and she offered to bring it to us for free. It came out burnt on the outside and luke warm on the inside. The water in our pans got so low without the offer of a refill that my son was literally frying his meat, not boiling it. We were never offered refills on our drinks. Finally when three out of the four of us were done and my sons pan was smoking while he cooked the last of his meat the waitress ran over to our table with cold water to pour in our pots.
The cherry on top was when we asked for an order of their new green tea crème brûlée she said… sorry we’re out of that. Needless to say the quality, quantity and service has declined so severely that it felt like a different restaurant. We’ll never return.

Went for lunch today and while the food was OK I have to agree with the others that the setup sucks. I have been to places like this before but we where a little lost. The waiter was nice but really provided no help. We keep asking questions but really could not get solid answers. We did not understand how things where ordered like was it a plate each or family style? Then that 6.95 fee for the second person if sharing is b.s. I was unable to use the Unilocal discount because it was only limited to one choice which was a bummer as those details are not printed anywhere.
The Kobe beef was fantastic and since we where going to pay that fee just decided to go with a second plate. The seaweed broth was tasteless but the spicy miso was decent. We tried both Vegi plates and I would suggest the $ 1 upgrade as it had more flavor. The pumpkin was very tasty
The whole no bowls/​plates to eat from and no utensils for pulling objects from the broth is just dumb. Not sure what they are trying to save here but it hurts the experience and enjoyment.
Lastly I will not be going back here and would not send anyone I like.

I got the Kobe beef and spicy miso broth which were both delicious, but we are not given enough veggies compared to other Shabu places. The miso dipping sauce complements the the beef very well.
Okay, now about the service. My coworkers and I got there right when they opened for lunch on a weekday. We ordered our meat from the waitress but it took a very long time for the meat to come out even though we got there right when they opened and not many people were there yet. Shouldn’t the chefs do some preparation before the restaurants open? The restaurant filled as more time passed and there was still only one waitress. She was doing her best, but management should really look into hiring more than one during a lunch hour. We thought maybe someone called in sick but we returned a couple of weeks later and she was still there by herself during a lunch shift.
I might come back again, but if the service remains the same, I would go somewhere else.

Feeling like a no carb day? Than put some meat in your mouth the Shauway!
This is connected to our fav local ramen place Men Oh Tokushima Ramen… we’ve been to both and love them both equally.

I’m not a patient person when it comes to food which is probably why I’m not a fan of cooking but for some reason I love hot pot… where I pay to cook my food. The idea seems a bit weird if I think about it but I love hot pot too much to care.
You sit down, you order, the raw meat/​veggies come to you, you cook it, then you eat it. Can I do this at home? Yes, but the time it takes to go out and buy all the stuff and prepare everything is sometimes too much and thank god for places like Shabuway! I really like how they slice their meat in large, thin slices. They have lunch and dinner prices, and it’s cheaper for lunch but you get the same amount of meat for both. I always get the spicy miso broth because I think it has more flavor.
It’s pretty straightforward and you can’t really go wrong with any of the meat choices but I always get the american kobe beef regular (large if I feel super hungry). This location though can have pretty bad service. Their service is spotty at times but I don’t really need that much help if I have to do everything myself anyway.

Absolutely love this place! Kobe beef in spicy broth cooked to your liking wth veggies and unknown sauce can never be wrong and never feel guilty for eating! I consider myself a regular here, I moved about 4 cities down and still manage to make my merry way back. 5 stars

I have eaten at a few Japanese Hot Pot style restaurants and this is BY FAR the best one I’ve been to. Great for lunch, they have good portions, good quality and a Unilocal special offer when you check in! I love the flavor of the broth, and their veggies are plentiful and fresh. The wait staff is hit or miss, but mostly miss — I think I’ve had a different waitress/​waiter almost every time. I was a waitress for many years at one point in my life, as well as a floor manager of a very busy restaurant and I’ve noticed they tend to hire more submissive, not very outgoing, possibly due to lack of experience therefor not confident type of wait staff. If Shabuway wanted to bump up their customers dining experience hire more out going, positive, people that like to work with the public.

Came here for dinner on a Tuesday night. It’s relatively quiet with not too many people here. The past consecutive nights we’ve been eating at Shabu House but we didn’t want to drive far so my expectation isn’t very high of this place.
Before I go on ranting, this place is a complete miss! Service is ridiculous and food just sucks big time.
First off I noticed their broth option is pretty much a rip off of Shabu House, except it’s nothing like it. They have Ginger chicken and spicy miso and another traditional seaweed but it’s nothing like what it’s supposed to be. Dipping sauce also is completely off and not tasty.
As the meat and veggies were served, immediately I noticed the portion was ridiculously not generous. They also don’t serve udon, rather rice stick clear noodles.
They also don’t give you an extra bowl for you to mix food in. Only a rice bowl to capture all your meat.
I didn’t like the fact that they charge additional $ 6.50 for sharing a broth.
We ordered Gyoza and to describe it, any teenager can do better by going to Ranch 99 and follow instructions on the package. The plate of gyoza we got was soggy.
As for the meat, the quality is just average.
Service: there’s an employee in the back table watching videos on his Mac book air, and the Caucasian guy that walks around serving everyone seems to be in his work out shorts and shoes. Not very professional. This whole place just seems very whack.
Definitely will not come back nor recommend to others. We spent $ 40 between 2 people and we felt like we get more quality and portion at Shabu House than here. And no free ice cream!

I come here almost every week after accidentally discovering their branch in San Mateo. I rave so much about this place that I bring friends who are unfamiliar to hot pot almost every visit — all had a great time! I am a big fan of hot pot and in love their simple and straightforward menu. Go for their Spicy Miso broth and sesame dipping sauce I had the chance to try different meat selections (AYCE option) and my favorite is their Kobe beef which is a must try!
I would definitely come back to this place!

I’ve been coming here for several years. This is not so much of a review but a response to many of the ignorant comments.
Shabu Way is simple and authentic as described below:
1) Traditional broth is water and kombu (kelp). Spicy miso is added for Americanized tastes. (I personally think it’s sacrilegious)
2) Traditional Japanese shabu does not offer broth for the noodles at the end of the meal.
3) Shabu House in the City is not Japanese owned and operated. They don’t serve traditional Shabu, so please don’t compare. If you like it there better, then go there.
4) The dipping sauce is sesame, not peanut. This isn’t a Thai restaurant.
5) Ponzu is soy sauce and yuzu, not lemon. Is it supposed to be understated.
Having said all that, I highly recommend Shabu Way as the most traditional budget Shabu Shabu house in the Bay Area. I’m Japanese and I grew up eating this way in Japan. Please go to an Americanized fusion Shabu house if it’s not «flavorful» enough for the Dragon-​spider/​roll-​tons of creamy sauce-​broccoli-​in-​your-​udon-​sushi-​buffet loving folks.
Pure, clean, unadulterated AND inexpensive Japanese food is hard enough to find these days. Leave it alone and let the purists enjoy.
P. S. The service never sucks no matter how crowded they are. For those who voted down the service, has it ever occurred that they don’t like your attitude?

Came here on Saturday night around 8pm and was seated with no wait. The lighting in this restaurant isn’t very good. They must use a day light type of LED lights in their fixture, very white light. Hope they will change it because it’s somewhat unpleasant.
We ordered Angus beef, kobe beef, kurobuta pork, lamb and side of veggies with 2 kinds of broth — traditional and spicy miso. I’m not a fan of non-​traditional broth but my husband likes that stuff. The pot came out with cold broth, it took about 5 – 10 min to come to the boil. Our waitress forgot to turn the heat on so we had turn it on ourselves. It’s an induction heating, so just by looking at it you can’t really tell if it’s on or off.
The two types of broth have different boiling points, so the spicy miso came to a boil first, and it took another few min for the plain broth. The spicy broth was always at a boil while traditional was barely at simmer the entire time. The veggie went in first since they take a bit of time for it to cook. The traditional veggie plate had nappa cabbage, carrots, spinach, shitake and enoki, tofu, wakame seaweed with some thick clear noodles. Then we swished the meat in simmering water, dipped in their sauces (sesami based and ponzu based) and ate it with their rice. The texture of the rice was a bit mushy with some grains mushed together. The meat was good. Really liked the kurobuta pork and kobe beef. It definitely pays to get kobe over Angus here unless you like your meat leaner. Lamb was just ok.
Service was not very good. We had to order beer 2 times in order to get one, and took them a long time to bring it out. They forgot to turn on the heat for the pot. I also had to ask for the skimmer in order to skim off the scum on the surface, etc. We had a hard time getting our check, and we also had to wait for our check to be brought back longer than we should have. They are understaffed.
Overall food was somewhere between 3 – 4 stars. The lighting and the service knocks down the star to 3 stars.

I turned 33 a couple of weeks ago and was catching up with a girlfriend of mine who insisted on treating me to dinner here. After some deliberation I decided that letting someone else pay for my food was enough to override my previous experience (below) and so I came with an open mind (and I’m not gonna lie, crackers in my handbag just in case).
Glad I did, because this time Shabuway definitely delivered! I swear I’m not just saying that cuz I didn’t pay for it (THANKS JESS I LOVE YOU!) but maybe coming right when they open for dinner makes all the difference.
The meat was perfectly tender, service was on point and they kept the food coming. I managed about three plates of AYCE before tapping out.
As long as I’m early for dinner I will gladly return. Thanks Shabuway for redeeming yourself! Mmmmm, meat.

Pretty much similar to other Shabuways. Although I felt like the sesame sauce here was a bit more watery. I had to drench my meat into it. The beef was good as usual. I really didn’t like the service here. There weren’t that many tables but for some reason I couldn’t find my server the few times I needed them. After bringing our meat and veggies, they didn’t bring us rice for a while. How am I supposed to eat anything without a bowl and rice?! I also had to ask for waters… omg.
The seating is also very odd because they have large tables and had couples sitting side by side. I thought that was weird, I would want to face someone I walked in with rather than face a stranger and have to talk to my friend to my side.
Service

I went here last night with my boyfriend. We were seated immediately. The restaurant wasn’t too filled up so I don’t understand why they sat us next to another table of 2 instead of a little further because the tables were so close, it was like all of us were sitting at the same damn table.
After we were seated, the waitress got us our waters and gave us our dipping sauces already. I was telling my bf I was surprised they gave us dipping sauces before giving us menus. It’s like how the hell are we suppose to order if we don’t even know whats on the menu? The other waiter must have heard me because he gave us menus right after that.
We opted in for the AYCE option b for $ 21.99 for AYCE angus beef and traditional veggies. We also got half spicy miso and half seaweed broth. The angus beef dipped in the ponzu sauce was so good. However, both broths didn’t taste like much. It was very bland. The seaweed broth tasted like just water and the spicy miso had a little flavor but was also very bland.
The service was horrible. The restaurant was not even busy but there wasn’t a waitress or waiter anywhere to be seen. We sat in the front and so there was a wall between us and the back which is why they couldn’t see us but they rarely came to the front to check up on us. I mean I understand if it was busy but it wasn’t. I think the meat cutter waited on our table more than the waiters did!
This place is alright… if you want shabu somewhere close by. But if you’re willing to drive for some good shabu, I’d recommend going elsewhere.

Before I start my review, let me enlighten you readers that 3 stars are given solely on the service at this place.
Unlike the San Mateo location, there is no one in the front and no greeting as you walk in the door. All the staff do not have smiles on their faces. We get everything except the ponzu and sesame sauce until I had to remind the waitress. I had to ask to refill the sauce and they never checked up on our table. The lady even took a plate that we weren’t finished with yet!!!
The veggie platter is slim pickins compared to what they offer in San Mateo. Although I liked the variety of veggies: noodles, spinach, seaweed, and cabbage.
The set up needs some changing. They have a community table in the middle of the restaurant. You can tell it would be better if it was a bar with TVs, and I’m not even an architect! The floor under the tables were garbage. In all, the staff seem to not really care about their job or the place.
Honestly I would rather drive to the San Mateo location for a better experience.

During winter, I literally crave hot pot EVERYDAY, and to be honest, for someone who loves hot pot as much as me, it is EXTREMELY hard to be disappointed. Actually… it is nearly impossible to be disappointed by hot pot because the customers literally cook their own food! However, this restaurant is by far the worst hot pot restaurant I’ve ever been to.
My boyfriend and I chose to go to Shabuway because we were in the area and I insisted on hot pot, but did not want to spend a lot of money going to Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. Because of that, we chose to go to Shabuway instead, thinking that it would be a cheaper alternative. Looking at the menu, it was approximately $ 14.99+tax for each person, and they charged an extra $ 6 for sharing, which seemed pretty reasonable. However, after we ordered, the portions of the vegetables plate were super small compared to the other places I’ve been to.
Nevertheless, I shrugged it off until the meat plates came in. There were approximately 7 – 10 really thin slices of meat, but they were super super big slices, which made it extremely hard to dip into the hot pot and eat. I ended up cutting the slices of meat myself.
My boyfriend and I ordered the half and half spicy miso soup base and seaweed soup base. Both broths had no taste at all and were extremely watered down. The seaweed soup was literally a piece of seaweed in water and the spicy miso soup tasted like it had no miso at all.
Overall, the food was extremely bland to the point that my boyfriend and I had to dump ¼ bottle of chili powder and sesame oil to actually get a taste of the hot pot, which is saying A LOT because everyone knows I love my bland food.
The service was extremely bad, not because of the server, but because of the management. I don’t know why, but there is only one server for the whole restaurant, which is a problem, since dinner during the winter is the optimal time for hot pot. With the restaurant occupancy at 48, there is no way that one server can handle everything, especially with the restaurant at full capacity. The guy had so much things to do that we felt bad for him. Also, the people in charge of Shabuway also own the ramen place next door, so it makes no sense that they didn’t send servers from the ramen shop to help him.
Overall, I was disappointed by this restaurant, as both the food and service was awful. Basically, the total for two was approximately $ 32 without tip, and it was not worth it.

I love shabu shabu and I’ve been on a hot pot/​shabu binge. My usual place for shabu is One Pot in Cupertino, but I decided to try Shabuway. To compare the two I probably like the broth at One Pot better (house special), but I love everything else at Shabuway. They provide a good amount of veggies and their medium plate of meat is a bit more than the servings at One Pot. It’s not sliced too thin and everything is delicious.
I ordered a medium plate of lamb and my date had the lean kobe beef (medium). We were somewhat full but ordered another medium plate of pork. All were very delicious! We both had the spicy miso broth, but we should’ve tried different ones. Their ginger chicken broth looks good. I would suggest getting the brown rice; their white rice was sort of too soft in some bites and somewhat hard in other bites.
I can tell they get really busy. It also becomes really, really hot inside the restaurant. It was kind of hard to get the waitress’s attention and it took forever to get the check. I loved the food though so I definitely will be back!

I have never been a huge fan of eating hotpot outside of home untiI tried Shabuway. Maybe the food tasted better because I was with good friends but this place is good!
Ordered the lamb plate ($ 16) which came with a side of vegetables and opted for the brown rice (50 cents more) instead of white rice. We ordered the half and half broth and I usually don’t use the spicy broth too often but it was really good and not overpowering last night.
I mixed the garlic paste, kimchi paste and hot oil into the sesame paste and could have just eaten that. Disgusting? Absolutely but it was good.
The meat is sliced when you order it so it is fresher and tender, side of vegetables could be nicer but what really made it good for me was the dipping sauces.
Would visit again if I was in the mood for shabu shabu and was in Union City.

When to Shabuway for Lunch today and they are still serving the $ 19.95 AYCE Angus Beef, so we ordered that. The special comes with three appetizers edumae, fried tofu, and chicken karage. The Angus beef and vegetables are AYCE.
The Chicken Karage is terrible, way over fried.
The fired tofu was good.
The edumae were over cooked. They should have put them in ice water as they were finished cooking to make them crisp.
The AYCE is the way to go. If you order 1 order of meat and 1 refill it would be the the AYCE price. The meat and veggies were good.
Service was adequate. The only thing that came automatically was the bill. At least the waiters were pleasant, courteous and did not forget to bring the the items requested.
This Shabuway only has two broths not like San Mateo. But this one has the AYCE.