Zabu Zabu

Reviews 8

TI

Tina Chan Ling

** Edit: We came back here for dinner a second time and Im boosting my rating up to 5 stars because our server Iris was awesome! She was spot-on with all our orders and didnt forget a single thing we requested (and we had a lot of different requests coming from both ends of the table!). Ive never experienced such great service at any other AYCE Shabu or hot pot place because service typically goes downhill after the first two rounds! Empty dishes were magically disappearing in front of me and our water cups were constantly being filled up. The food was just as good as I remembered and I hope they continue to keep it up! ** We came here for my boyfriends birthday dinner and everyone had the AYCE (All You Can Eat) Shabu Shabu + Small Dishes -- everyone at the table must order the same AYCE set. Great modern decor, nice proper ventilation and it was not smokey/stuffy at all. They also made sure to put in my request of having our two tables as close as possible. For our table, it was one (large) pot for every two people. +great attentive service +food came out relatively quick +fresh thinly cut slices of meat +good variety of meats; beef,pork,tongue, lamb +decent menu of small dishes; some highlights were the fried chicken wings, adegashi tofu, spinach, cold udon, seared beef wrapped veggies (all in all, everything we ordered was good and flavorful) +provided candles for our birthday cake The only downside was they charged $6 a pot if you want different soup bases (set comes with "traditional" base which is plain water , seriously??) Overall I enjoyed the food and service here - I would come back again!

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RE

Reanne Matic

Ive heard so much hype about this hot pot location in San Mateo, but I found many flaws compared to the other reviewers. First of all, street parking is difficult especially during the daytime and nighttime. If anything, make it easier on yourself and go to the parking structure nearby. Second, this place doesnt have that many employees to serve large groups of people. Some were polite, while others were rude. Third, the meat selection here was very limited compared to other hot pot places in San Jose or San Francisco. Fourth, there is a language barrier with some employees and you might feel frustrated while ordering. Fifth, while the food tastes good, the soup bases werent that tasty. You really need to customize it to your taste. Finally, its quite pricy here. Expect to pay more than $30-$40/person. Some pros about this location, however, were the ability to host large groups of people and reserve ahead of time. Also, each table gets two to three bowls of vegetable to cook in your hot pot. The restroom was also clean and didnt have a foul order.

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ZM

ZmanIsTheMan

For those who have never been, Shabu Shabu, or Japanese Hot Pot is a cuisine where you have a big boiling pot of broth in front of you, and very thinly sliced raw meat, that you put in the broth and cook (takes about 5 seconds), then season with sesame or soy sauce, or whatever else you want. Let me preface this by saying we didnt eat all day (intentionally). Their all you can eat option is definitely worth it. $33pp, or $30 during happy hour (5-7pm, just have to be seated before 7); there is a possible 2 hour limit, depending on the amount you eat. You can choose whatever kind of meat you want; wagyu beef is the classic good one. We also tried beef tongue and pork which were just ok so we went back to beef. Beers are around $4. We ate a lot and they brought us the check after 1 hour and 50 minutes without us asking ("2-hour limit", but we understood as we certainly got our moneys worth. Definitely a good place for dates or group outings. I wouldnt recommend going alone. No reservations for less than 6; evenings get crowded by 5:45pm.

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ZH

Zhang Kungang

If you are here, expect to experience electricity blackout in the middle of buffet. We were told three times the power gonna come back, but never come true. And the waiters has really bad attitude. Waiters calculate tips herself and doesnt care about the customers experience at all. We just began our dinner, but they charge us 60% percent without any negotiation ground, and they said in a very arrogant way, like they have not fault at all, even though they said 50% percent. We are all well-educated and reasonable persons. We just ask for fair treatment, but these waiters and managers seems to doesnt have a common sense about treating people in as civil citizens. To avoid to much and ugly argument, we just pay what they ask and leave. We are never gonna come back for sure. And if you come here, be prepared for such experience. Food are just ok probably 3 star. Electricity blackout, bad attitude, lying about discount and power down. 1 star is the most I can give.

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KR

Kristin C.

Zabu-Zabu offers several different all-you-can-eat options and you can select one or multiple options with varying pricing. Ive been here twice, once for a friends birthday and once with my sister. 1) shabu 2) small plates 3) sushi I would definitely ONLY get the shabu. The sushi we had was mediocre and we were pretty sure the tuna was on the no-so-fresh side. For the shabu, you can get one or two broths -- I liked the spicy miso and spicy Szechuan (note they charge you $6 for broths even if you get the all you can eat option). The shabu meat was tasty and you can select from beef, lamb, pork, or beef tongue. Vegetarian selection is a bit sparse (enoki mushrooms, spinach, tofu, carrots, napa). Make sure your napa cabbage is clean before you put it in the pot. I would probably come back again but before the 6pm happy hour special ends.

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RE

Rebecca Lee

A waiter knocked my friends phone into the hotpot. The manager, Pierre said he would take care of it. However, we went a few times and we called. They are simply ignoring this happened now. We have the paperwork that insurance would charge a deductible of $200 and asked him to pay it. He responded that.. Oh we already comped your meal. Various merry go around. Is this how a business is run? Is this how you treat a customer when YOUR team drops a phone to the pot? Hes been super rude and disrespectful everytime we went... Making us wait and full of excuses. Please, respect my time. Pay the $200 so we can move on with our lives. We all have better things to do.

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JE

Jennifer Lu Gilbert

We came here on a Saturday evening and had the all-you-can eat. There was a "before 7:30pm" special so I believe the price was $23 a person for the traditional broth. If you want other flavors for your broth, its $6 more. The service was great and the meat was high quality. We enjoyed the beef and the tongue the most. Zabu Zabu definitely gives you as much refills as you can eat and do not nickel and dime you as a lot of all-you-can-eat joints would after a few servings. You also get vegetables (tofu, carrot, greens), and rice or udon noodles with your meal. Also, make sure to save some room for the ice cream dessert that is also complimentary!

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TI

Tina Llora

Been coming here since they opened and tonight they tried to seat 3 of us us at a table with only one hot pot working. The manager (thru the waitress, the coward) told us we had to sit at the table with the broken pot because we had a child... Who eats more than me by the way... The restaurant was half empty. We walked out... They just lost over $100 tonight and loyal customers for as long as theyve been open... Extremely poor management... Will not be back.

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