Shabusen Restaurant

I really loved this place
While covid was starting, we couldn't visit for a moment
I heard that when the temp closed, that made me sad

I hope the restaurant is re-open on Oct 31, 2021, as yelp showed to us

Shabusen Restaurant has been around for a while! Having a shabu shabu place in the city is a must! My family and I always enjoyed Japanese hot pot which is way different from Chinese hot pot because the broth for Shabu Shabu is much lighter and the ambience is slightly different. They have a menu for order only or AYCE which is about $35/pp and I think that is a deal if you are really hungry and can eat up to 2 or more plates of meat. I have not yet done their AYCE since I am always good with their regular combo which is a plate of meat that comes with a side plate of vegetables and steamed rice. The portions that they offer is pretty fair to what they charge and the meat quality is always good. The vegetables are also washed very clean which I really like that.

They have counter seats or table seats. On weekends- they do get packed at night so be sure to come a little earlier if you have a big group and don't want to wait. Come try out Shabusen if you enjoy hot pot! :)

Long over due good Yelp..on this restaurant...

To start their located in Japan Town...View from the outside is inviting as its a wall to wall window made us want to try it...since its a shabu shabu restaurant...I might be nice to cook your own meal with a great window view of the outside...

Got the Meat Shabu Shabu and its great.... Server came back to refill our drinks and made us welcome...

Id Suggest this restaurant for some authentic Japanese experience right in Japan Town in San Francisco...

Took couple of photos to prove it tooo...

Domo Arigato

A cute gem in Japantown! I came here for their Shabu-Shabu which is Japanese hot pot. It's a bit different than Chinese hot pot mainly in that the broth is lighter and the dipping sauces are ponzu / sesame.

My group couldn't decide between getting dishes (about $25/plate) or all you can eat ($35/person) so our server suggested that we first order plates of food, then we could decide to switch to the AYCE meal if we were still hungry.

I'm pretty glad we didn't start off with AYCE because each plate of food was definitely a good sized portion. For $25 you get a plate of meat, a plate of veggies/pasta, and a bowl of rice. That was more than enough to fill me up!

The meat and veggies themselves were fairly average quality. I liked the assortment on the veggie plate - there were mushrooms, udon, glass noodles, tofu, carrots, cabbage, and spinach.

I came on a Monday night so service was quick and attentive.

Came for sukiyaki and left satisfied, only change I would make is to get the meat on the side as it overcooks if you leave it in the pot.

Wasn't too crazy hungry so shared the 2 meats entree getting beef, pork, and extra bowl of rice.

No wait at 9pm on a Friday night and I really enjoyed their sesame sauce (not all sesame sauce is created equal).

It's been a while since I've been here! It was nice to come back because I have had Chinese hot Pot many times in the past few years but it's been a while since I went to a Japanese Shabu place!

Shabusen offers a very nice vegetarian plate and they offer a variety of broths for the soup base. I chose the spicy miso and as you might know the Japanese are not into super spicy, unless you're talking about Pikaichi Ramen in Medford Massachusetts. Their spicy miso is a little spicy, but for the most part- for most Japanese places I have visited, "spicy" has not been too spicy for me.

The vegetarian plate offers a nice selection of mushrooms, vegetables, tofu and noodles. The vegetarian plate is priced a bit lower than the meat variety plates. I often find it weird when I go to a restaurant and a vegetarian option is as expensive or more expensive than the non-vegetarian option especially when a vegetarian option is often the same dish without the meat.

The Decor of the restaurant was classic, the service was very good and it was a comfortable lunchtime. There are a few new restaurants in Japan town especially the Ramen place across the street that are attracting a lot of attention. But Shabu sen is a classic option and a very good one.

Therefore that means you can easily get into this place for lunch especially on a weekend. The bar is very nice although I did not get a chance to sit there and eat. The manager, the waitress, and other staff are all friendly and I hope to get back there soon. Of course with any hot pot of restaurant, if you have your own hot pot, you can buy food for three or four people for what you paid for one person - at least from a vegetarian standpoint - at these restaurants. But the experience is nice and it's always nice to go out to eat.

Affordable hot-pot without a wait. I stopped by on a Wednesday around 7pm for dinner and was immediately seated. For about $20 or so, you can order an individual hot-pot that comes with a generous plate of veggies and your choice of meat. Meat is fresh and cut nice and thin, but selection is limited, so don't expect to have all the different cuts of meat you might find at Little Sheep (now Happy Sheep). Not having a massive line out the door means the (limited) wait/serving staff is able to do their job well and be attentive to each table, and you feel absolutely no pressure at all hanging out and enjoying a slow dinner over a pitcher of beer. Would highly recommend if you're looking for a chill meal, or if your plans at a ramen place nearby falls through.

This is exactly as described. It is a shabu shabu restaurant. It is reliable. We, my wife and I, have been there three times. We last went with a Japanese couple (not Japanese American, but from Japan). They praised it. I am not someone who infers that Asians at an Asian restaurant (or their absence) means this or that. I offer the data point. It is "authentic" to the extent that means anything.

Also, it has good service, it's clean, the ingredients are fresh, and it has a friendly, laid-back feeling. So if you're looking for shabu shabu, this is the place.

Japantown does not have the best parking, other than in the paid garage. It's worth circling once, and then we just go to the garage.

I decided to have Shabu Shabu because I was starving and this place was across the street from my hotel. I ordered the American Kobe beef small and the cost was $27.00.

When the waitress brought out the spicy miso broth, I asked for hot drops. She said, " What is that? Do you want Sriracha?" She brought it out and I said, "No, I want this. "I showed her a picture of the hot drops and she said, The restaurant does not carry hot drops". My reaction was WHAT!!! No hot drops. I was disappointed so I took a shot of sake to cool down.

When the meat came out, I cooked it the in the broth and dipped it in the sesame sauce. It was very salty. Ugh.. I finished half and left.

Decent shabu, priced okay, and always crowded for dinner on the weekend. Convenient location, which is why we come here often.

I like the shabu shabu more than the sukiyaki in general so have not tried the sukiyaki yet.

Shabusen recently introduced AYCE (to compete with Mum's?). For $35, you can spend 90 mins eating all the meat & veggies you want. They only have beef & pork (my fav is lamb!!)

I always opt for the spicy miso broth + regular order of beef. The boyfriend tho, convinces me to get a large so he can eat more meat.

The veggie dish is standard, comes with napa cabbage, spinach, udon noodles, clear vermicelli, carrot, tofu, and mushroom.

Recently I tried Shabusen's takoyaki - quite good, but small portion.