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Mums Home of Shabu Shabu
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
Hotel Tomo1800 Sutter St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Neighborhoods: Japantown, Lower Pac Heights, Pacific Heights
(415) 931-6986
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
568 reviews for Mums Home of Shabu Shabu
Review Highlights
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"The green tea ice cream is better than Polly Ann." In 29 reviews -
"All you can drink sake and beer." In 22 reviews -
"If dinner is a madhouse, lunch is a hot-pot oasis of calm." In 51 reviews
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568 reviews in English
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Review from Sammy C.
5/7/2012
I used to come here very often with my friends when I lived in the city; now that I live so far away I missed it every so often.
There are not that many good Shabu Shabu restaurants in the bay area, some are good but they don't serve all you can eat style. Mums provide good quality of food and they don't limit how many plates you're getting as long as you can finish them. They do also give you veggies and they were always served fresh.
They don't have their own restrooms, we had to go outside the restaurant and to use the hotel lobby's restrooms; or they might share the same restrooms since Mums is part of the hotel? I don't know.
For service though, sometimes it can be slow because they are always super busy; however, if they can improve their service and to have a better organization plans, I'll give them a five stars. -
Review from Verdina P.
South San Francisco, CA
5/5/2012
I go back here every now and then. Mostly when i'm in crazy crave for shabu"! Their meat is great. Love the peanut butter sauce! Hmm talking about it makes me want to go there NOW! Anyway, it's a great shabu house!
Oh, but tough to find parking! -
Review from Katy L.
San Francisco, CA
4/6/2012
This is the place to go to, to stuff yourself with assorted veggies and beef.
This is the place to go to, to not hear anything afterwards except for "sake-bomb" reverberating in your head.
This is the place to go to, to feel like you are packed into a human sardine can of a space per se, but that you are not in a club. -
Review from John W.
Redwood City, CA
5/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Not a bad place for an ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT shabu. Meat is good but can be better.
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Review from Maggie Y.
Fremont, CA
4/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
I would say that this place is not bad. Probably not the best shabu I've ever had, but they have an all you can eat and drink option, they are able to accommodate large groups if you give them advance notice, the have a good variety of shabu items and the staff is fairly attentive.
Great place if you want to have fun with a group of friends. There were a couple tables of rowdy diners, but everyone was drunk and had a great time. If you're not drunk, you may find the atmosphere to be obnoxious.
They're fast and friendly when it comes to getting more food.
Probably not the best quality of meat and sauces, but for the price and atmosphere, I think it's worth it! -
Review from carlie c.
3/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
Mums is not the business.
I love Shabu, but I did not love Mums. The service was lackluster and they made our party wait even though we had a reservation. We had to ask for water at least 3 times, and I think we tried to order a diet coke and had to order it 3 times before it got there. The broth was mediocre and the vegetable selection was not up to par. Do yourself a favor and drive down a little further to Shabu House. -
Review from Rebecca L.
Burlingame, CA
3/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love Shabu....even though i don't really eat meat.
however, the meat at mums is fantastic. It's so fresh that you can actually eat them raw with your ponzu sauce. I always do all you can eat and drink so i usually leave this place in a fantastic mood.
Service is great - the young waiters and waitresses here are quick on their feet and replenish your food fairly quick. The place is fairly small so it can get quite loud and stuffy. but the front door is only a few steps away if you need some fresh air!
Probably one of the best shabu places in the bay -
Review from Jennifer W.
Berkeley, CA
4/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Friends came in from out of town and we wanted to get some shabu shabu. Made reservations on the day of and was able to score a reservation for a party of 5! When we got in, we had to wait about 20-30 mins for our reservation which sucked since we were there later in the night and had somewhere to get to right after. Food was good as always but my one wish for this place was that they have more variety in the soup bases and maybe to have other meats for their all you can eat option. Also, LOVED the sauces... they provide a bunch of toppings and it was delicious with the shabu. The service was somewhat spotty and sometimes you had to ask a couple of times for refills or what not. Overall, good shabu (not the BEST but good) and decent service.
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Review from Stephanie L.
San Francisco, CA
3/9/2012
Came here for dinner with a few friends. The service was pretty good even though they were super busy. The food was pretty fresh. The place does get pretty stuffy though when the place gets packed. Luckily we were siting by the door so it wasn't as stuffy for us.
Their restroom is downstairs in the hotel's lobby. -
Review from Sophia C.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2012
Dear Mr. Cow,
I am sorry I ate so many of your friends tonight. But I was a hungry hungry hippo. And my friend he's Chinese so you know he likes to eat too and you know he's got to get his money's worth and then some. I promise to eat veggies for the rest of the week.
Love,
Omnivore's dilemma -
Review from Jackie M.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here for my co-workers going away party. There was about 15 of us and when we arrived to Mums they were all ready for us! I think all of us got the all you can eat and drink for $40. What a steal! I think by mid-dinner we were all drinking much much more than we were eating. Haha. I must admit the service at Mums is very attentive. Every time there was an empty bottle of booze or empty plate of meat a server would appear out of thin air ready to refill our orders! It was pretty awesome.
By 11 or so, our whole party was drunk and I'm pretty sure, incredibly loud, but that didn't phase the people working or the other people dining there. So that's definitely another plus!
Def. will venture here again in the future. Great for pre-gaming. -
Review from Zoey S.
2/8/2012
I seemed to have forgotten that, while sushi is Japanese food, Japanese food is not necessarily sushi. That's okay though! The fish wasn't fantastic, but it was still decent. The real shiners seemed to be the ramen and tempura items... shiny from grease but also from yum factor :)
The place was really fun to get to! I liked that it's sort of hidden away... had to work a little to get there. The atmosphere was so spunky, cheerful, and loud! (Ironic considering the center it's housed in). I went on a Friday night so the whole restaurant was packed and by 8:30pm there was sake-bombing, clapping, and entire tables standing for ovation.
I would recommend making a reservation if you're going on a weekend night, but if you don't mind sitting at the bar a reservation isn't completely necessary. Enjoy! -
Review from Lisa I.
San Francisco, CA
So, I don't care what people say about the wait, the "questionable" meat, or whatever, this place is downright AWESOME. My boyfriend and I visited Mums last week, and made a reservation ahead of time for a table. When we walked in, there were empty tables....but I'm willing to bet that they would have said they were reserved if we walked in off the street. Not a big deal to me, just seems a little odd. Anyway, after checking in, they set up place settings, the hot pot, and laid out EVERYTHING for us. This included a full plate of beef, all the standard vegetables that you would expect to come with shabu shabu, green onion/garlic/japaleno/hot sauce dishes, miso/ponzu sauce bowls, and a small serving of rice. Normally people would probably get upset about skimping on the rice, but trust me, those are carbs/stomach space that should be reserved for BEEF. We sat down, looked around, and thought "OK........now what?" Based on the fact that no one came by to stop us, we started eating furiously. And by furiously, I mean, we went through 2.5 plates of beef in an hour. This included 2 tall Sapporos, almost all the vegetables, and two servings of udon. We both passed on the ice cream option afterwards and felt like I needed to be rolled out of my chair and down the street. The service here was good, I found them to be very attentive, especially when we were running low on meat. They gave us our own ponzu sauce bottle too, which I always appreciate. Overall, this has to be one of the most reasonable shabu shabu places I've been to, even from when I was living in LA. For $25 with the all-you-can-eat option, this is seriously worth the money. I would LOVE to come back here again soon!!
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Review from Magda M.
1/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
So, I didn't feel too great the next morning, but darn, I had a great time the night I went to Mums. We made a reservation a week in advance and there were 5 of us who went together for girls night. Lot's of sake bombs... lot's of food... and lot's of fun! This place just has an atmosphere that is F U N. Yes, it's small and hot and loud but come with this expectation and come ready to have a good time.
The servers are so nice and tolerant of the chaos that goes on here. I had a blast and can't wait to come back many more times. -
Review from S. M.
San Francisco, CA
2/16/2012
Had lunch with a bunch of my co-workers here a few weeks ago.
I cant believe how much we ate!!! The Shabu was delicious but
came with a pricey check at the end for 9 people.
All you can eat for $24.95 per person. ($42.95 with unlimited drink)
But hey, service was excellent and the meat and veggie's kept
commin'!! We could have fed the whole restaurant with the amount
of food we cooked in our 3 Shabu Pots. It was a lot of fun!
Service was very attentive and staff were kind. -
Review from Hannah A.
12/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very cute.
Very tasty.
Affordable.
Tip Included.
A + for service
A++ for the Spicy Miso & Peanut Sauce. -
Review from Jennifer S.
San Francisco, CA
4/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Place is not great for groups more then 6, really small and tight area. Only choose from beef, pork and chicken. Service people are nice and friendly. Meat is fresh. Green tea ice cream is GROSS, it was like chewing on a tea bag.
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Review from Albert L.
My favorite Shabu Shabu spot keeps getting better!
Along with the all-you-can-eat endless amount of thinly sliced beef you can devour for $25, they now serve pork and chicken too! (upon request)
They offer a new SPICY miso base for your shabu shabu if your not diggin' the original seaweed broth.
The complimentary ice cream at the end of your meal comes from Polly Ann's.
AND STILL friendly and family-owned serving great shabu for over a decade!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/5/2011
Mums.. Home of my favorite Shabu spot.
Yup, this is my favorite place to Shabu. Or just to grab a… Read more »
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Review from Ernest Y.
Rowland Heights, CA
12/28/2011
It's all you can eat shabu shabu for $25. This place is okay. If you get the all you can eat shabu shabu you only get the unlimited beef and vegetables. There isn't anything special about it but there isn't anything wrong with the place. It's just simple.
They are really friendly with how much they give you for meat. There are many places where they give you small portion of meat even though it's all you can eat and so we have to flag down waiter/waitress to get us more. This place they give you tons of meat and veggies so we only had to call the waiter/waitress 3-4 times at most and the service was kind. The quality of meat was pretty good. It wasn't the best but it kept a consistent condition from first plate of meat to the 2nd or 3rd as other all you can eat places tend to have GREAT quality of meat to UGHHH quality of meat.
I would actually consider to come back to this place as I find myself in a state of food coma after leaving the place. I felt like a big ball that can just roll around after eating so much meat/veggies. :p -
Review from Samantha R.
San Diego, CA
2/2/2012
Had so much fun here last weekend for a birthday!
I mean it is kind of a fun place where you get to make your own food and stuff, all you can eat and drink (beer and sake) for 45 dollars about. I mean it was fun and the food was good, nothing too spectacular. Perfect place for a birthday!
However they did run out of zucchini and broccoli which kind of sucked, and they seemed under staffed that night we were there. The poor waiters were seriously running from table to table. Poor guys!
but the amazing owner/manager came out and gave our entire table shots of "fire water" since we had 2 birthdays in the group!
I LOVE a place that an owner and manager appreciates the business
Thanks for a great night Shabu Shabu -
Review from Kortni S.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011
Mmmm shabu shabu is so so good. I can't help but order the all you can eat all you can drink everytime I come here. A steal at 42/person.
Mums is great for groups.
The service is friendly and they keep the food/drinks coming out regularly! -
Review from Vivian C.
12/1/2011
I came here for dinner this past Sunday night around 8:15pm with a friend from out of town. It was a chilly night, and shabu shabu was the perfect answer to the cold.
The place was pretty empty on a Sunday night, but I kinda liked it that way. There's something pretty perfect about cooking your food in a giant cauldron of boiling water on a cold night. I think hot pot is super fun in big groups, but it's also pretty ideal for quieter, more intimate dinners. I was certainly pretty happy catching up with my friend over a bubbling cauldron.
And as for the foods, it was all pretty tasty. The beef tasted pretty good, there was a good variety of veggies and noodles. They give you udon, clear noodles, napa, spinach, enoki, button, and shitake mushroom, tofu, and some other stuff I can't remember. You get two different kinds of dipping sauces, I think one was ponzu and the other was that peanuty/sesame-ish brown one. And in addition, they give you a bunch of green onion, daikon, etc. as toppings for your sauce. Yummy indeed. Oh, and tip: feel free to bring your own sauces if you have a personal favorite kind of dipping sauce.
Everything tasted good, and for $24.99 for all-you-can-eat, it's a pretty good deal.
The only things I think they could improve on are the variety of meats and the closing time. I've been to other hot pot places that serve chicken, lamb, etc. in addition to beef. But maybe it's because this is a Japanese-style shabu place, which in my experience only seems to serve beef, whereas Chinese hotpot places generally do a lot more meats (and generally have more side veggies too...have more sauces....and are cheaper = BETTER!).
This place also closes at 10pm, which I think is ABSURDLY early. I think shabu is best eaten on cold nights. NIGHTS. Luckily, we were both pretty full and done by the time closing time arrived, but what if we had decided to eat at 9pm (which isn't THAT late...) and were taking our sweet time because this IS an AYCE place. I wonder if we would've been hurried or shoo-ed out? But yeah, it would be better if they stayed open later.
Otherwise, the food is pretty good, the price is decent, and the service is super quick. Pretty good overall, in my book! -
Review from Mei C.
San Francisco, CA
11/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Five years of traipsing around San Francisco neighborhoods and I've never dined here? What?!
This place is amazing. The lovely smells of soup hit you right away as you walked in through the door. The service is quick but no quality in food is sacrificed. Is this place real?
The green tea ice cream is better than Polly Ann. The meat is nicely marbled and tastes great. You have your rice, your tofu, your udon, some greens and two types of mushrooms. You also have your sauces. Lastly you have your strong garlic, if thats how you like it. Yum yum. Nice mix of patrons in terms of age and ethnicity. AND there's a full bar! :D
How can such a place like this be? I don't know but I love it. -
Review from margaret s.
Daly City, CA
Updated - 12/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Still a pretty delicious joint. The cuts of meat are so thin! Great veggie selection! It's the best...but
We were only a table of two and were charged a mandatory gratuity fee. We couldn't quite understand her accent when she was speaking so we have no idea why. Girl behind the bar served us. It's ridiculous that they need to explain why they are charging gratuity in the first place. It should be written on the menu as courtesy!
They did not seem to do this when we were there for lunch a couple months ago when we did a single order of shabu..? :( meh, can anyone confirm if they do this with just dinner shabu?
We also did not receive a receipt.Listed in: Shabu Shabu babydoll
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/5/2010
So I popped my shabu shabu cherry here :) my darling friends brought me here when I was picking the… Read more »
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Review from Tiffany K.
Chicago, IL
12/13/2011
My friends and I were really looking forward to hotpot but decided on shabu shabu instead. Although my mind was set on hotpot all day, I'm surprised this place won me over.
So we walked in, a party of four, waitress told us to wait... and we waited... and waited.. we scoped out the restaurant and saw there were extra tables that had enough room for four but we still were waiting.
Then! We get seated by a wall that wasn't visible to us when we were standing in line. The whole time we were waiting, they set up the table for unlimited shabu shabu. How they knew we were here for shabu shabu? I don't know. And I didn't even bother looking at the menu because the food looked so yummy and fresh. We just dug right in.
The table was set up with a plate of veggies, two types of noodles, thinly sliced beef and a pot of soup base boiling in the middle. It was all you can eat for $25. We ordered two pitchers of beer with dinner. I thought that was the worst idea ever because we couldn't eat as much as we normally would have!
Anyway, overall, food was fresh, they just kept comin to refill the beef, spicy miso sauce and our beer mugs! Service was awesome. We stayed til closing and was not rushed at all! The servers were lovely and patient with us.
I was craving something sweet and the waitress told us that we get complimentary ice cream when we are through. PERFECT ENDING!
Oh, beware that the next day, your breath will be stankin' like garlic even if you put a teaspoon of garlic into your dipping sauce. ;) -
Review from Amy S.
Klamath Falls, OR
2/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
This was the first time I have eaten Shabu Shabu, it was really fun. Went here for valentines evening and the atmosphere was fun. The decor is so out dated its almost in style again. Orange table tops! The meat seemed to be pretty good quality and the veggies were fresh. Overall I was satisfied. I also had breakfast here while I was staying in the hotel and unless you are really desperate I would pass on the breakfast fare here it was mediocre.
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Review from Jennifer K.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2012
I have a confession to make: I'm a bad Asian. Okay, I also buy into stereotypes. Whew, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I have one more confession to make: Until last week, I had never had shabu shabu. In fact, I had never even heard of it. When a friend first suggested it for dinner, I thought he was talking about some sort of creepy-weird creature-based children's television show, similar to Teletubbies or Boobahs (don't ask me how I know about the latter).
After a panicked Google search, I found out that shabu shabu is brilliant. (Okay, confession #4: I've never had any sort of hot pot - Chinese or Japanese. I swear, while I am not a "foodie," and find the term irritating even if I were one, I am not completely ignorant of gastronomical knowledge). Meat and veggies that I get to cook at my table, then dip into sauces I create on my own? The control freak inside of me rubbed her hands together maniacally.
My friend's friend had suggested Mums in Japantown, so we headed there. It was a Tuesday night, around 7:30 or 8 p.m. My friend, who has the most amazing "car"ma, found a parking spot right across the street from the restaurant, which was tucked away a little bit, so was somewhat difficult to spot. I could see, however, during evenings that the neighborhood is bustling that parking could be a major pain. Then again, where isn't it, in San Francisco?
Our server was super-friendly, and my friend and I only had to wait long enough at the bar to order our drink before our table was set up. We didn't have a reservation, but since it was a Tuesday right after the holidays, I can't attest to whether a rezzie is a good idea.
I was surprised that we already had a huge platter of thinly sliced, raw ribeye, a steaming pot of water, a bowl of spinach, mushrooms and other veggies, plus different types of sauce for mixing and small bowls of a suspiciously white mushy substance. Luckily my friend knew what he was doing and taught me that it's pretty much like fondue, which I suppose, in essence, it kind of is.
You could purchase an all-you-could eat deal, and ribeye wasn't the only meat they offered. They also had chicken and pork, but we stuck with the red meat, and I ate. And ate. And ate. They bring all the meat and veggies you can cram down your craw if you order the all-you-can-eat deal, or you can purchase the extras separately if you don't want to do the deal. I can't tell you exactly the price we paid for the entire meal, since my friend is a gentleman and paid the bill, and since I have no basis of comparison, having just learned that shabu shabu is not a bug-eyed British children's toy, I can't tell you if it is over- or under-priced.
Upsides: Besides the heaps and heaps of delicious meat? Our server was very friendly, and even though there was a huge, raucous birthday party going on behind us, she was attentive and talkative. My friend had brought a bottle of a delicious Cabernet with him, and she opened it without charging a corkage fee because "it's the holidays."
Downsides: A little "cozy" and could be a little more romantic with dimmer lighting, though I guess there might be some sort of OSHA laws governing dipping foodstuffs into boiling liquids in the dark. Also, their wine list was disappointing, which is to say, they had about three wines. When we asked for red, it was one type of Cabernet or one type of Zinfandel. Ordered a bottle of the Zin, and when it arrived at the table, it was a White Zin. D'oh! -
Review from Peter D.
8/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Perhaps it's because $42.95 isn't the best deal for an AYCE/D shabu shabu evening, or SF isn't much of a drinking town, or maybe Mums just isn't that popular...but the Wednesday evening we went, we were the only table where certain people (the ladies, obviously) broke glass near babies, loudly discussed inappropriate sexual positions within earshot of a woman who could have been my grandmother, and generally got sloppy.
The food is solid enough. I enjoy a bit of swishing now and again, but this is a bit pricey when you consider that all they had to do was slice some meat thin, and turn on a burner under a pot of water.
The one thing I was pleasantly surprised about was the sake. Normally at sake bomb type establishments, I have to dump the ricewine into a beer and chug it if I hope to get it down. This wasn't great, but it was actually drinkable.
The service was nice and attentive; we never wanted for sake or beer or food. They didn't appear to be grateful for our patronage, but I suppose we can just be thankful they didn't kick us out.Listed in: san francisco eats.
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Review from Olivia L.
11/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
There are plenty of pros and cons with this place, but like any establishment, it's really the people you are with that makes the difference. Luckily, I've had a great time here every time I've ever been here.
Be sure to wear layers when you go here. While it can be so cold outside, the ventilation inside just isn't the best. It can get so hot... sitting next to the window could be pretty gross because all the steam condenses against the window.
It can also get pretty loud in here. The obnoxious group of sake bomb revelers may have a table next to you. Seriously, banging on a table to get the little sake cup into a glass of beer is annoying when no other tables are doing the same. And this isn't Miyakes, so when someone says sake, I'm not going to say bomb.
The food is ok. It's probably not the reason most people come here. But the fact that it's all-you-can-eat, cooking around your friends, and unlimited drinks (if you so choose), make this an awesome place. Plus, they bring everything to you, you don't have to get up to get food. And I'm a huge fan of not overdressing food to actually appreciate the quality of meat and veggies. So cooking with just water is cool in my book. Lastly, I've always liked the vinegar soy sauce mixture with a huge spoonful of daikon and green onions. YUM!
TIPS:
1) you can ask for sriracha sauce;
2) shabu shabu meats include a selection of beef, pork or chicken; you can ask for more marbelized meats;
3) birthday cake? they will store the cake in the fridge, provide small plates, forks, and knife, but we didn't get the ice cream...
4) save your arteries and remove the fat that accumulates in the pot. use the mesh thing and remove the layer of fat throughout the meal. unless you are into eating all that fat
5) wear layers (see reason above) -
Review from Caroline N.
Davis, CA
2/13/2012
I don't like giving negative reviews but I figured this place had enough positive reviews to make up for it. Honestly, we thought this place was overpriced and overrated. I'd blame it on my being vegetarian but my friends eat meat and they weren't super excited either. It was just kind of unexciting and not too flavorful. There was also an extraordinarily loud table full of bros sitting directly behind us. Not sure if they were frat brothers or MBA students but they were unpleasant either way.
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Review from Yue Z.
Mountain View, CA
8/3/2011
Edit: Downgrading this place by a star as the quality of their beer has deteriorated. I went this past weekend and it definitely was not as good as it used to be. =( The sake was not as good as before either: tasted watered down a bit.
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Love love LOVE this place for shabu shabu. It's an extremely popular birthday place or just place for loud groups in general. Doesn't expect peace and quiet here!
Their beef and veggies are the freshest of most shabu places I've been. Somehow, combined in their fast cooking stove (this is super important if you're hungry), makes one of the best tasting soups I've had. They have the usual choices for sake, beer, meat, veggies, and condiments. The staff will also give you just the veggies you ask for (which in my case is a lot of mushrooms and spinach).
Make your reservations early here as it gets crowded quick!
Tip: If you reserve, they lay out the table for you when you come and all the food sits out. Don't be too late! -
Review from Amanda T.
San Francisco, CA
8/26/2011
we were here for shabu shabu. But cause tw price and extra charge, we end up ordered a combination and udon.
Food: 0 start.
We ordered a lunch combination(chicken teriyaki and katsu) for $8.95 and yaki udon for $8.95. Pretty bad. I ordered very basic jp food, but they cant even make it edible. I don't cook that much, but pretty sure I can cook better food than they do. Never saw anyone put chicken and teriyaki sauce separately.
Price: 0 star.
They charge $2 extra if you share with someone. Lunch set ($15.95/per person )is a set for 2 people, so you have to order two lunch sets if two people go together.
Never ever come here. I would give negative starts if theres such option. -
Review from Shawn S.
San Francisco, CA
The service was fantastic. - Each time you'd think of asking for something, someone is already there by your side offering services. - WOW!!!
All you can eat meat? - We feasted like kings and queens. - woohoo!!!!
*I should come here on all you can drink nights. - I've heard nothing but good things and all you can drink beer & sake??? GOOD THINGS!!!!
If you pass this place up then you're just crazy.
You should park in the J-town parking lot or else you can end up driving around the block. -
Review from RandyCP U.
Palo Alto, CA
7/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Shabby Shabby
Not the highest quality shabu place in the city, but it was the only place we could get into on a busy Friday night. The portable table top burners they use required a technique to master and frequently ran out of fuel.
The meat was cut OK but not of great quality. But I really enjoyed the veggies. The Enoki and Shitake mushrooms were the best part of the meal.
The worst thing were the sauces. You must have good sauces if you want to make boiled beef taste good . They have soy, Hoisen and a bland peanut sauce. Not good.
I was happy when this meal was over. Happy to leave but too full to move.
We found out too late that the restaurant validates 1 hour at the Japantown lot down the street.
Be careful about parking in the Safeway down the street. They were towing away the car next to us when we got back to the car. We would have been next. -
Review from Steven B.
Mums Home of Shabu Shabu is located in Hotel Tomo. It's kind of a small restaurant that fits only 30ish people. The size of an average classroom so if you're planning on bringing a classroom size party or even 2 people, reserve ahead. They have an all you can eat option, which is 24.95.
Veggie dish is filled with mushrooms, a bit of tofu, and lots of lettuce. They have only meat they have is beef and also there's only one kind of broth so not much of a choice there. The beef's consistency varies hugely. Sometimes you get a good dish that's has a little fat on the edge or you may get one polka dotted fatty meat. The gripe about the polka dotted fatty meat is they melt like butter inside the pot so it falls apart. The beef are frozen, but is left outside to thaw. One of the beef dishes that came was still had some frozen beef in the center. It literally went from awesome to ugly and then uglier for the beef.
Service is a bit slow even though this place is small. It takes a while for the servers to set up tables so their attention is divided else where.
If the beef's consistency was as great as the first dish, this would be a great place. One other small annoying thing is they pre-charge your tip as a service fee on the bill even with only two people. -
Review from Aasim K.
7/12/2011
Pros: All you can eat and drink.
Cons: Quality of food, Noise, Confusion
Last friday was my first time going to 'Shabu Shabu' and I was pretty excited. We walked in and were immediately thrown into the fire. The servers really didnt prepare us on how to cook the food and were a little rude when we asked for clarification or additions. On top of that you could tell the cuts of meat were cheap.
In one sense - you get a ton of food and drink for $40 - but given that you have to cook it yourself (with mixed results) and have to constantly mind the stove, it seemed like a very overpriced meal. I wont be coming back. -
Review from Noah C.
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
From what I remember of my dinner here (and granted, it's not much at all), I had a perfectly good meal accompanied by a lot of sake and beer. And by a lot of sake and beer, I mean enough sake and beer that I almost don't even remember what anything tasted like after about 20 minutes into the meal.
The service here was prompt and efficient. Whenever we threw the last chunk of meat into the broth, another appeared right on cue. We were able to eat, almost continuously, for the entire 2 hours granted to us. However, I'll say that (again, from what I remember) the quality of meat was just ok - still frozen, poor fat distribution, etc. Unlike other all-you-can eat shabu shabu places out there, you only get beef - no pork or chicken, which is kind of a bummer. The veggies weren't anything spectacular, either.
But in the end, you come out a winner. Paying that flat fee for all you can drink is worth the price of entry alone. Just don't plan on recounting whatever happened during dinner to anyone else later on - you might not remember it. -
Review from raquel t.
11/30/2011
part 2 of 3 for my friends bday surprises..
it was pretty easy to make a reservation for a group of 12 for a sat. i told my friend we were going to dinner so have a drink or two or three before the cab arrived.. i wanted our dinner location to be secret so i ran to cab and told our driver the location.. as we arrived some of the group were waiting outside, when i clearly wanted them to wait inside so it would make a bigger impact.. nonetheless, my friend was surprised i gathered up a group of the closest friends when my friend was under the impression it was just going to be the two of us.. surprise dinner party success!! =)
i believe it was my first time doing shabu so i was pretty excited for the ayce of meat and veggies.. fyi, you're able to get the ayce or ayce AND drink deal.. i was the only one that didn't get the drink deal so it made for one interesting night watching a group of drunkies stuff their faces.. like my friend challenging another bday boy to chug a pitcher of beer.. my friend won..
i had a great time and wouldn't mind going back here again.. -
Review from Ben T.
San Francisco, CA
I've always thought the food here was mediocre. I've been eating here since i was a little kid, and the only thing i can truly recommend is the tarako spaghetti. it's fantastic. outside of that, you might be totally SOL.
i had an omurice with katsu curry today. the omelette was hard (i prefer soft), the fried rice inside was average, the curry was bland, and the tonkatsu was tough and falling apart.
i rank it around a denny's as far as japanese fare goes. -
Review from Elisha G.
5/21/2011
All you can eat Shabu Shabu = How much can you shove in your face! :)
Ok don't get me wrong, this place has a bunch of negatives. Long wait times, service a little bad, it smells like meat, kinda cramped, decent quality meat but not the best...
BUT... ALL YOU CAN EAT SHABU SHABU!!! Between just me and my girl friend, we ate 5 ENTIRE large plates of meat AND veggies. They have both green tea and vanilla ice cream, and we ate about 4 scoops of ice cream (each), before we were CUT OFF. "Sorry miss, the ice cream isn't all you can eat" hahahaha.
YESSSS
