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- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
19 reviews for Shabashabu
My hopes weren't too high, based on the desolate strip-mall exterior. It was late on a Tues. night though and I didn't exactly expect the joint to be jumping.
The interior was surprisingly swanky, hip and HUGE! The place is split into areas including a lounge/bar, a sushi bar, a hotplate bar, a tatami room and 2 dining areas. Sheesh!
We sat down and he ordered a Kirin and I got a Saketini which were brought promptly - and in cool glassware - by our sweet, attentive server.
Lovers of both Thai and sushi, my boyfriend and I decided to stick to sushi for the night. We got 4 rolls:
Spicy Tuna - I'm used to these being spiced with spicy mayo, not salsa. It grew on me, but I'm not sure I'd order it again.
Geisha Roll - A tasty treat indeed, but the amount of cream cheese was a little overkill
Hamachi Roll - Fresh and simple
Fusion Roll - This sweet and crunchy fried veggie tempura roll was actually my favorite of the bunch
All in all it was a really nice experience and I'd love to get a group together to party down in that tatami room! This place is going to get a lot of business once the Trader Joe's opens across the way. They better get ready!
Liked the decor but the service was sub-par and the sushi was okay.
To be fair, coming from the San Francisco area, rating sushi or thai food in Raleigh is tough.
I've been in the Research Triangle Park several times for work so I'll definitely give Shabashabu another shot.
Until then, two stars.
A very average place food wise. Some veggies with us were very keen on going here, which already told me it was not likely to be great for meat-eaters, as most sushi or Vietnamese places which cater to vegetarians are very average at best.
The thai food was decent - I'd recommend the tom yum goong soup and the sam pow thong appetizer. There is a vegetarian sushi roll - cyber roll - which the veggies at our table were raving about. But all the other sushi was very below par.
Nice ambiance, and decent service. But don't go here for the sushi, unless you're a vegetarian.
I went here on a Friday night with some friends visiting from up North. The 4 of us had no problem getting a table at 8:30 with a 1 hour call ahead. The whole restaurant has a very hip feeling to it. When we arrived, it was not crowded at all, thus not so tightly packed like sushi restaurants in NYC.
We decided to go with various different appetizers and dishes to share vs individual entrees. To start we got some Edamame, the Phat Roll, Shrimp Tempura, and TomYong Cocount Soup (which is awesome!) We figured order a little here, chow down, then order more later. This way, you don't get so full so fast. The ladies got some fancy fruity martinis, while the guys split some cold unfiltered sake.
The night wouldn't have been half as good if we didn't have Nate as our server. Not only is he cool and fun, but he knows the menu inside out. We were looking for suggestions on what to order, and Nate had at least 3 ideas that would go well together each time. We felt so comfortable with his decisions, that when it came time for my next drink, i had no clue what to get - so he suggested that Matt the bartender just mix up something fun. Knowing what we were like as a table, he came back with this Sake-tini, which i never would have ordered on my own - but i was surprised to find it was actually pretty good. Nice work!
Once we hit the 2nd course, we ordered some Beef Thai Basil, and a sushi combo plate with California rolls and a chefs selection of sushis. We ate about half of everything, and took the rest home for the night.
All in all, we had a blast at ShabaShabu, and will definitely return again. A combination of excellent food, great service, fun atmosphere, and hip tunes - our bill for 4 people, with drinks came to about $120, which was well worth it. If you decide to dine here - make sure to get sat in Nate's section.
Kind of a hidden surprise in an outdated (but now being remodeled) and unassuming strip mall.
Service here is frequently lacking, but the food and atmosphere helps make up for it.
I prefer the sushi over the other thai menu items, but that said it's not the world's best sushi, but probably top 3 or 4 in Raleigh. The better rolls seem to follow the prices, but they get a bit expensive vs. quality ($12). They also do have some very well priced (and tasty) vegetarian rolls though (avocado and shitake are two of my favs).
My experience with take out has been 'odd' at Shaba. For whatever reason they don't seem to be very prepared to handle it there system-wise (blank stares) and what they pack you to go (soy sauce, utensils, etc..) is random pretty much every time... so make sure to check.
Atmosphere makes it a good place for a business lunch. Decent variety so that everyone can find something.
Shabashabu is a pretty high-concept ( for Raleigh) establishment with some interesting things on the menu. Still a little shaky on the rolls, but the fish has been very fresh on both occasions, so I can just stick with sashimi or nigiri and be perfectly happy. Bear in mind, I have unbearably lofty expectations in the roll department.
They have solid bartending skills here and I highly recommend the bar for a fun start to the evening, even if you have other plans in mind for dinner.
I hellov miss this place. After a long night of waiting tables I would come here to unwind. I would go directly to the bar, the bartender at the time was a vegan and was able to guide me and my dude on what to order.
Sometimes a dj would be there.
Awesome place, have yet to find its replacement in my heart here in Cali
I went their with my family - each of us are critics in our own right. To convince and satiate all four is a pretty big deal and very few restaurants have accomplished that task. Shaba Shabu definitely won us over. The food was simply delectable. On the Japanese front we had sushi rolls (best I've had in the Triangle!) and fried fish on rice. The Thai menu consisted of Red curry, mixed vegetable and pad thai.
The service was exceptional and for the price an absolute bargain!
I agree with Brandon's review. This place is hip and has a great amount of selection of interesting Japanese and Thai food. My husband and I tried mostly sushi selections, including their interesting take on dynamite (a non-spicy version with tasty smoky freshly grilled fish). I had a great time trying to photograph my husband as he ate the wasabi roll, which is incredibly spicy with wasabi. He loved it but it was pretty intense. :) We ordered a traditional homemade dessert - small sweet potato balls in a warmed sweetened coconut milk with freshly shaved coconut on top. Not very sweet but very interesting!
I also enjoyed my drink, a purple haze martini in a pretty glass. It looks like the lounge in the section next to the dining room would be a fun place to meet friends for drinks. Service was great also. I can't wait to go back here and try some of the cooked dishes.
I went here tonight and it was good. The Thai food and their sushi were both solid. The service was ok although they seemed to be understaffed for the late night rush. The menu at Shabashabu seemed a bit boring to me. The sushi wasn't as fresh as I expected as the rice was a bit dry. The Thai curry we ordered was good but it could have used some more veggies. The major appeal of this place is the ambiance. They have a lounge area which is cool and two rooms with some cool decor. Overall, I think it's overrated but maybe that's me.
This was OK. Went on a Monday, way to many staff that were board and not foccued on taking care of guests. Thai was great sushi was OK. I ordered some Toro that was not good. Sashimi Slices were small. But the food all and all was ok, def not as good in quality as Sushi Thai
I've been here twice. Both times in big groups. I think the menu is a little overwhelming. You've got your Thai, you've got your Japanese, you've got your sushi. If you like Asian food the way I do, having all of these faves at your fingertips can be a little much. You can have edamame and dumplings and Pad Thai and sushi all at once. It is overload. The sushi is okay. The Thai food is okay. The atmosphere is pretty "hipster lounge" and they have a DJ on weekends which takes the lounge feel up a notch. If you're looking to feel hip, go to Shabashabu. The drinks are good and you will invariably find others seeking the cool life. However if you're looking for good sushi go to Waraji and good Thai- head to Sawasdee or Champa.
I have eaten lunch here, and I've mostly stuck with the Thai menu, mainly because I really love Thai food. I'd probably rate this place three and a half stars as a Thai restaurant, but I'm feeling generous today, so I'll bump them up half a star. The atmosphere is very stylish and modern, though the walls could do with some repainting (this is probably less noticeable at night, but with the sun streaming in the big front windows ...). I do wish they'd turn the music down a bit, though, it has been a little too loud some of the times I've been here. The presentation of the food on the plates is the best I've seen of any of the Thai places I've been to here in the Triangle. Even at lunch, the plates are decorated nicely, and the meals are very attractive.
The food is good, but not great. The green curry is only slightly hot, and it's spices are not very complex. I'd also like more of the Thai basil or maybe some cilantro. Their curry is a bit thicker and creamier than most Thai curries I've had. It's almost like a thin gravy. The pad thai is decent, but at lunch, only the shrimp pad thai is offered, and there isn't very much shrimp on it (only four today). I think for what you are served, the lunches here are a little pricey. Not outrageous, just a couple of dollars more than some of the other Thia places in the area. I wouldn't mind if the food was significantly better, but this isn't.
Someday, I'll get around to trying the Japanese items. I suspect that is the stronger side of the menu.
Asian cuisine, a cool eclectic ambiance, the lights are dimmed fairly low, which makes for a romantic setting. The service is great, with courteous, knowledgeable staff working with you. It's decorated with a contemporary Asian theme, a great place to unwind after work or on the weekends. They have sushi and excellent Asian fusion meals, it's a great place for friends who can appreciate this type of faire and have a great time together.
Fiance and I ordered 3 sushi rolls, a Mai Tai (me) and hot sake (him). The alcohol was great and the sushi tasted good. HOWEVER, it was not rolled tightly enough and when picked up it started to unravel. I didn't alert the waiter and maybe I should have, but we managed to finish and head home. I was pleased with how everything tasted but an important thing with sushi is it being tightly wrapped and since it wasn't, I'm rating it lower.
ShabuShabu means massive menu trying to accomplish too much. Only been here once but I bet everything is decent to good. The place is in the middle of renovations so stay away if that kind of thing will bug you. It will look very high end once finished. The Bar area has a projector putting the game on a white washed wall. I got the feeling on certain nights they could play anime/hentai movies up on the walls, blare out trance music and compete with any nightclub lounge in NYC of SF, but i didn't seen a hello kitty gear among customers. Has 2 full menus one for Japanese and another one for Thai. The service is spotty but she did have expensive tattoo's and did enunciate the Thai dishes correctly. Food is good and that is all that generally matters to me. I forgot what the call it bu the rice paper shrimp and pork rolls are good (maybe Summer Rolls on Thai Menu Apps Section). The peanut suace had a big dollop of spicy stuff in the middle which i liked but unfortunately my girlfriend got most of by accident and didn't like. I loved the Tiger Tear salad often called Num Tok on Thai menus. Basically a grilled steak sliced in bit size pieces with a good spice rub on it with lemon juice. The sushi rolls come with more cuts/pieces than you would expect. We had the Wasabi roll that lived up to its name. Pleasantly in the middle had cuts of fish instead of the standard spicy tuna minced up mixture. I saw a 2 Lychee Martini that I've never seen before and looked bad ass. I will order next time. We split the Kee Mao Gai basically noodles, vegetables and chicken is a sauce. Was above average for any Thai restaurant in the country. Problem arrived when I asked for the spiciest they had the #3 and it wasn't that spicy at all. I added dry Thai spice to my plate (orange powder in most Thai spice trays). Generally I lose it at the top spicy level at a Thai restaurant. I mean sweaty, nose runny, bonding with the water boy/girl, just a completely terrible scene. Its like a sick game of torture I play on myself and only play when I with people I know well. This place didn't make me break a sweat. The #3 was a joke, I can only hope the Waitress got my order wrong. For desert we had the award winning coconut cake which girlfriend said was the best she ever had. I don't particularly like cake. but it was good and had a lot of whip cream and coconut shreds. Thai dishes are big enough to share so I suggests going family style. We thought everything seemed pricey but once we saw portion sizes I think it was a reasonable price point. We did not order the namesake ShabuShabu which is a Japanese Soup. I'm sure its good but I wanted something really spicy and went to the Thai menu.
Trendy sushi restaurant...good for a weekend night.
hands-down my favorite place for Sushi or Thai cuisine. YUMMMM!
Shabashabu has always been consistently good. It is a great setting for a date or you could always just pop into the bar, enjoy some good music and try one of their signature drinks.
