Shinobu Shabu

I’ve never been to a place like this and I was pleased with my experience here. The food was delicious! The service could use a little more work, however. Refills happened but not as swiftly and as often as I would have appreciated. The sides of steamed white rice were only refilled when requested. All in all, great place to take with friends or family. I recommend the miso broth and steak with your soup. They also offer a variety of vegetables, too.

Their menu is very limited. I got the spicy miso soup broth. Very flavorful. I was very satisfied with how everything tastes.

This my first time at this location. My initial thought was it seemed really small location. We arrived at 630 right before the rush and we were seated quickly.
The waitress was very patient with me. I couldn’t decide between meats. I eventually settled on the choice ribeye.
We were served quickly and I was a little disappointed with the amount of veggies. I would have liked more broccoli and spinach.
Our server came back and offered us more rice and asked if we wanted to add spice.
The service here was great.
The soup really hit the spot. I will be visiting again.

I came here for lunch with my mom today. We both ordered the spicy miso broth (it’s a $ 1 more but I believe the broth was worth it), with the prime choice beef. On the side, there were garnishes and spices you could add to your broth. Also, two dipping sauces. It tasted like a ponzu and sesame sauce. Both were delicious! It comes with veggies, udon noodles, and choice of white or brown rice.
Our waitress was very attentive and quick. I appreciated the service there. The restaurant itself was small but the vibe was nice. There’s plenty of parking, and they also have a restroom inside.
If you check into Unilocal,you can get a small sake or something :) So don’t forget!

First time coming here with a few coworkers for dinner. Very nice and clean environment to have lunch/​dinner with friends or family.
I order the spicy miso broth with (Regular size) USDA choice angus ribeyes. The broth was so tasty and the meat just melt in your mouth after you dip it in the miso broth. The price was on the moderate but it could be pricy for someone wanted to get a full stomach. It was my first time and this place «WOW» me!!! The server were really helpful and he explained everything for us and one of our really novice friends that had never ever had shabu before.

This is the best place for Shabu Shabu. I went to this location because the other Shabu Shabu restaurant I like was closed. Not knowing what to expect I decided to give this a try. The staff was friendly the moment we walked in and the waitress kept refilling my water without being asked (amazing!). Their gyoza is good here. They have the peanut sesame sauce which is delicious. Along with the tangy sauce. I had the spicy miso soup with chicken and shrimp. They also have unlimited brown or white rice, which is always good. I enjoyed the spicy soup, chicken and shrimp with the dipping sauces. My favorite part is always the soup and I throw in any extra dipping sauces in it as well. The soup was delicious, very flavorful. Their fresh Thai tea is also good, it’s light but good. I was so caught up with eating my food, I did t take a picture.

I’ve been craving Shabu Shabu for quite a long time and luckily my friend was down to eat some and recommended Shinobu. Parking was not bad at all when we came around 7pm. The restaurant is pretty small (although they did expand from what I’ve seen), but it only took about 5 minutes of waiting before getting seated.
Now, I am honestly not a shabu connoisseur, so I’m not well versed in what’s good and what’s not, so take my review with a grain of salt if you must. The menu is pretty simple. You choose the type of meat that you want and the type of broth. For beef, there are like 4 different types, but I went with the USDA choice rib (cheapest one). You can select the amount you want and I settled for the 20 piece (around 26 $). For the broth, you can do the basic miso or make it spicy. Of course I added that extra 1 $ to make it a spicy broth.
Everything came on sequentially. First, they’ll hand you the vegetables. Second, they’ll give you the broth to boil. Then, they’ll hand you the meat. Overall, there was a decent portion of veggies. I do wish that they gave more noodles (glass or udon), but that’s fine. I think extra plate is about $ 6 and extra item itself on the veggie plate is $ 3.
The broth was very flavorful. Make sure to add in the drops of spiciness (2 maximum according to the waiter). It’s not that spicy so I’m sure most people with tolerance can add more if they could. The meat was very trendy and kind of melted in your mouth. The best part about this meal is that broth and rice are unlimited. You can get as much as you want to your heart’s content.
Overall, I’d say that the shabu here is really great from my limited experience. For around $ 30, I thought the price was a little steep, especially since its not AYCE. However, the unlimited broth and rice, in addition to the really great service that we got, definitely makes this place deserve 5 stars.
Eat well and prosper,
–ß

I knocked off a star because they wouldn’t seat us even though my friend was literally next door. But good thing they were cleaning 2 tables so we didn’t have to wait too long for the next table to be cleaned.
**So make sure EVERYONE is present when waiting, since they won’t seat you unless ALL is present.
However! They estimated the wait correctly and we just waited for about 20 mins for a table of 4.
I got the Spicy Miso with the Wagyu Pork Belly (which isn’t on the menu yet, BUT SOOO GOOD! $ 19) They recommend max 6 seconds for cooking the Wagyu Pork Belly. YUM YUM YUMMMMMMMMM
The meats did take a while to come out. My friend ate almost her bowl of rice and half of her veggies while waiting for the meat. Could be a bit faster on bringing it out or just wait until meat is almost ready to bring out the veggies.
They also refill your soup if you’re running low, rice and sauces for no extra charge!
They only allow 2 hot drops in the pot due to the spicy vapors. But as many as you want in your sauces.
All the condiments were good and filled and the oil was actually a bit spicy! I like it!
If you do a check in, you get a free small sake!
Great service! Server was super help and funny!

Yeah, this place rocks. Shabu done professionally, easy for beginners to get into it, and deliciously. We got the salmon and the shrimp and split them. It was a little pricey at $ 17.50 for each (comes with 9 pieces), but that’s Shabu I guess.
My fiancé was feeling sick, and wanted some warm broth to help her feel better. Shabu was perfect for this, and the steam from the bowls also made her feel better.
All the veggies that came with our meal were perfect and helped fill out the meal. The dipping sauces were awesome and some of the best I’ve ever had. I wish the boiling water had had a little more flavor, but heck, maybe I don’t! The rest of the meal was so flavorful, it may have detracted from it to have the broth be so flavorful.
Our server was very attentive and walked us through the process. I’d highly recommend coming here if you’re looking for a tasty meal out, in a somewhat casual spot, and have some money to spare.

For the overall price and location this place gets a five star review. The quality of the food and the ambiance is not something you always expect right next to a community college but this place knows how to treat and feed their clients. Large portions, fresh ingredients and an overall inviting atmosphere makes me keep thinking about my dining experience which isn’t always the case these days. There are many shabu options in the area but this is my new favorite.

Shinobu has definitely grown to be my favorite go to spot. I’ve been here so many times and I have no complaints! They recently expanded a little too so theres 3 bigger tables on the right side.

This is probably one of the top 3 best Shabu Shabu spots that I have been to, particularly for the quality of meat, flavorful broth, great service, and the udon funnel cake dessert with ice cream, which I could go here for just for that. The meat in particular, spicy miso broth with hot drops and dipping sauces, were what set this place apart from other Shabu Shabu spots. Marbled prime rib and tender brisket, with tasty ingredients complimenting it were the perfect combination. Again, don’t forget to end everything off with an udon funnel cake dessert with ice cream. It’s a memorable dish that will make you want to come back for more asap.

I came here bc my sister wanted to try a shabu joint that neither of us tried before. It had 4.5 stars on Unilocal so it looked promising. Had a choice of spicy miso as a broth too. Looked good to me. I was wrong
Came here at 7 and beat the dinner rush. We got a table right away. Nice. I noticed that there were 4 seats and 2 burners… That means 2 people per pot. They have split pots… But this means that you have less space for cooking your meal and the broth evaporates twice as fast… And boy, did it evaporate…
I got the choice beef regular with brown rice. Kathy was our server. She’s a sweetheart. She gave us the whole menu verbally, gave suggestions and was very attentive. She’s the reason I gave this place 3 stars. Service was great.
The food, however, was lack luster. The veggie plate was so small. 3 leafs of bok choi, 8 spinach, 10 cabbage (split in half and most was the white stem), a corn, 2 carrots slices, 4 small clusters of broccoli, a stem of enoki and some glass/​udon noodles (a very small handful). All of the other shabu places I’ve been to offer twice as much of everything on the veggie plate… And the brown rice was super super dry. I had to soak it in my broth to make it feel less like eating grains
The meat was sliced super thin… After cooking, it crumbles in my sauce.
Also, my sister and I agreed that the sauces weren’t good either: the ponzu was too sour and the goma had too much of a peanut butter taste (and yes I know it’s a peanut sauce.)
I don’t think I’d recommend this place to anyone I know for shabu. I’d opt for California shabu shabu or Tabu shabu. The price is about the same or maybe every cheaper…

Shabu: 3 stars
Service: Easily 5+ stars
First, big props to the entire staff. It’s a well-​oiled machine with the friendliest, fastest, and most helpful people.
The actual food was A-​OK. everything very standard. Two choices of broth: regular and spicy miso, which is an extra dollar.
NOTE: their regular broth (which has another name) was described to us as water with seaweed. what this means is its a bowl of tap water with one small piece of seawood! i couldnt help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it — it was as advertised though lol. so definitely splurge and get the spicy miso unless you like cooking with plain boiling water.
The regular beef combo plate can be yours for the hefty price of $ 17. Standard veggies. white or brown rice. 2 different types of dipping sauces. and they have some pure capsaicin drops they can add to your stuff which adds a nice kick. I’d say i have an above average spicy tolerance and 3 drops was a good, spicy amount for me.
Waited about 10 minutes to be seated on a sunday night. place isnt the biggest, expect to wait.

Was craving a soupy dish to soothe my tummy and this wasn’t a bad choice.
Place is located in a shopping plaza, so plenty of parking available. Came here on a Sunday evening to a full house, but only about a 15-​minute wait.
For appetizers, we did the shrimp tempura, which was a little too breaded for our taste and garlic edamame, which was delish. We did the regular prime rib and short rib plates with the spicy miso (get some of this before it cooks away) and honestly, it was too much food for us. Originally, we wanted to get the combo and split it, but there’s a $ 4 charge, which pretty much defeated the savings we wanted. We forced ourselves to finish it all so as not to be wasteful, but would’ve preferred to be satisfied instead of stuffed to the brim. The dish also came with a decent variety of vegetables and other sides (cabbage, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, shallots, corn, tofu, glass noodles, udon noodles, fish cake).
Other positives include attentive service and hooks under the tables for my purse!

3.5 stars, but solid service & clean restaurant.
A decent shabu joint. Service is solid and the restaurant is clean. I got the regular beef combo plate ($ 17). It comes w/​about 12 or so slices of meat; I wish they gave more but it does the job. Veggies are standard shabu items — spinach, lettuce, corn, broccoli, and other stuff. You can opt for white/​brown rice (no extra charge). You can pick 2 types of broth, regular & spicy miso. The spicy miso is solid. Also comes w/​2 types of dipping sauces.
I enjoyed the broth and the service is solid. The prices are decent. Like I said above, I wish it came w/​more meat but it does the job.
TIPS:
–Located in the same shopping plaza as Jon’s super market
–Broth is pre-​made.

I had the Spicy Miso version of the broth here, and I felt that was a bit salty, though I guess that’s expected cause it’s spicy miso. Still, I felt overall the place was just another shabu shabu place, without anything that really makes it stand out from the competition.
I had salmon and short rib, and they tasted great. The ponzu and sesame dressing were delicious too, but again, the place doesn’t really stand out that much for me. It felt like something I could just make and set up at home. The environment also felt a bit more sit-​down than at some of the other shabu places that are just a giant round table.

There’s a lot of shabu spots in OC and this is no different then any other spots. I am just glad the meat and vegetables is fresh.
Only disapoinment is what happened to the drops? Did something change because it’s not spicy anymore.
This place is not huge but it’s not as pack as other shabu spots so it’s not bad of a size. I would come back and eat here again.
One thing I love is the décor, especially the frame I posted on here.

Definitely one of the better shabu places in OC. Service is consistently good. Not a bad place to go to eat and watch the game as they do have 3 medium flat screen televisions along the bar. Prices are reasonable. And of course the food is pretty good too.
Meat quality is above average and in line with what you pay for. I honestly can’t tell if its frozen or not, but the pieces don’t fall apart on the water when cooking which is the most important thing. The standard choice ribeye gets the job done, but the angus short rib for just a dollar more is worth the upgrade. Can’t comment on prime ribeye. I feel like it’s not needed since the goma sauce sort of balances it all out in the end anyway. Their goma sauce is good and I like adding a generous amount of ground up sesame to it. Their ponzu could benefit from more citrus.
The veggie plate is pretty standard. Napa cabbage, spinach, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, tofu, enoki mushroom, corn, fish cake, glass noodles and udon noodles. Choice of white or brown rice. Save the noodles for the end because they do make soup with it if you want which is always a nice touch.

Another bomb place for me to go shabu here in the oc! Came here on recommendation of a friend of mine and it was a great decision. To start off, I love shabu but I don’t love the pricing for the most part for what I get. Shinobu changed my outlook on that a little bit because they have a free small sake with each person that checks in and redeems the deal! This already puts them ahead of some of their competitors and in addition to that, their goma and soy based sauce were pretty good as well as the spicy miso soup base. Our waitress was fun and generous with the rice haha. Another plus to Shinobu is their happy hour which is quite decent.
As for the down sides, I must say that the wait tends to be quite long and that there is an additional $ 1 fee for the spicy miso soup base.
Overall I would ask those shabu lovers out there to swing by and try this joint out especially during the happy hour even though it’s a short time frame.
Reasoning behind the 4 stars is:
+4 meat quality and service
+1 for sake check in offer
–1 for the pricing and extra charge for the spicy miso