My usual Tokyo Shabu Shabu spot in Monterey Park had closed permanently just two months prior, but luckily there was still a branch in Pasadena! Since I was doing a pick-up, I just parked right outside for less than 10 minutes as I waited outside for my food to be ready (they needed some additional time to finish packing up my order).I ordered the certified Angus beef lean cut in medium ($17.99) and large ($20.99) over the phone for an evening dinner pick-up. Prices have gone up, which was misleading since the menu on their website has different prices, which are now old and outdated. Everything is the same for the to-go order compared to dine-in, except that no broth is included if you don't order the flavored broth (which is an upcharge item), so make sure you boil some water when you get home to enjoy your shabu shabu. You still get the meat, veggies, rice or noodle, and sauces. For some reason, the mixed raw veggie platter seemed to have less ingredients, like it was missing some veggies. The lettuce was not clean, as I found dirt and small bugs on some of it. I didn't realize I had to wash the lettuce before throwing a good chunk of it into my pot at home. I found the take-home experience okay, but prefer dine-in, of course. Now that Monterey Park is gone, I'll come by Pasadena for the occasional shabu craving.
Leslie M.
Love this place. The owner is fantastic and the food always hits the spot. :D My boyfriend and I love to get the all you can eat. We tend to always leave incredibly full and happy. Coming here is such a treat.
B Buckley
This spot provides extraordinary service as well as enjoyable menu. The best place around here. The drinks and food served fast and the prices are reasonable. I recommend this place.
Michele Boon
I always love eating here and the owner is always smiling and helping out
Kevin T.
Awesome spot - the food is high quality, amazing portions of meat, and the owner gave us a personal rundown of how shabu shabu works. I'd been to Chinese hot pot places before, so having a detailed explanation and demonstration of the eating style was most welcome. Definitely recommend this place.
Erica Northam
Staff was very attentive and helpful as it was our first time trying shabu shabu. Food was very reasonably priced for the quality and quantity. Definitely something fun and interactive. Good way to get people off their phones.
Rachel B.
Would 100% recommend. It was an excellent dining experience overall! Food: excellent. We got the Pork miso broth and the Kimchi broth. The pork miso broth was way better. Food portions were perfect, and they have a special "combo for two" that was cost-effective. Service: I like that the owner takes pride in his restaurant and was very friendly and attentive upon arrival. He has signs for customer feedback with a phone number to text. He enthusiastically showed us how to shabu shabu because we were new at that kind of cuisine and how to properly cook and eat the meal. Atmosphere: clean, organized, friendly environment
Julienne L.
I really used to love this place, but my last visit using the yelp check-in app wasn't the best experience. I still overall recommend coming to this place, but my husband and I were just a little annoyed during our last visit. When we arrived, there weren't any open tables, however, we did check-in with an employee there. Another couple checks in via the yelp app after us, and a woman working there decided to seat the other couple before us. WTF. My husband's hanger kicked in. HAHA. Luckily another employee, a blonde woman, took our orders immediately while we were waiting for a table. We were thankful for remedying her colleague's mistake. Parking here is easy as there is a parking structure (shared with Trader Joe's). There is a happy hour but we aren't able to make it too often. I usually order the lean cut with either the curry broth, tom yum, or even french onion broth. I guess an option would be to share a broth, but we haven't ever done this! They recently changed their menu and the sauces they bring along with it. I tried the fish paste which was a lot like "bagoong" if ya nasty.
Tina F.
My favorite place for Japanese Shabu. Food is amazing and the service is always so friendly. It's our family favorite to dine out. Healthy, filling and just plane delicious! We always order the rib eye cut and I love my miso broth and Goma dipping sauce! It's my happy place.
All you can eat option seems best when you have time to sit and eat. Lunch hour during work definitely worse time if you are on a time limit. The place offers a lunch special.
Monica G.
The food was great but the service was horrible ! We had no idea who our waiter was , not one person checked on us for drink refills or just checked on us in general I had to wave someone down to get a refill of water. Horrible
Bella Gacoscos
Tokyo Shabu Shabu was good as it can be. We miss eating at this place because they closed out the one that we go to, Rowland Heights. Service was excellent and the staff was always checking on you if everything is okay.
Nate Cervantes
Food is good. Price is reasonable. Service was horrendous. They were seriously understaffed when we went on a Saturday. Maybe because it was between lunch and dinner, I think we were there at 5ish. Everything took a long time to come out.
Benny C.
Parking: There is limited street parking in the front along with a parking structure on the side that is shared with other businesses nearby. Plenty of parking in the structure as there as multiple floors. Parking is free and no validation necessary to park in structure. Inside: There is a seating area at the bar area that fills approximately 10 customers with a front row seat to their TV that usually shows the current sports going on. I'm addition to that, there are 6 family style tables that seat about 4 customers per table. If you are looking to wash up before or after your meal, this place has a convenient restroom. The only thing about this restroom is that only 1 person can use it at a time. Customer Service: The service here was beyond excellent. We had the pleasure of being served by Donald. He was very knowledgeable on the menu and the foods offered. We were a bit in decisive on what to order and he provided us with helpful suggestions. Every 5-10 minutes Donald would make his way back around to inquire about our needs or to see if we needed refills on our drinks. Food: I ended up going with the large rib eye with curry soup base. Best decision made as it did not disappoint at all. Having had other Shabu places before, I can tell by the taste of their meat that they take provide in serving high quality meats. Overall: My experience here is 10/10 and definitely would repeat. I would recommend this place to anyone who is in the mood for shabu.
My usual Tokyo Shabu Shabu spot in Monterey Park had closed permanently just two months prior, but luckily there was still a branch in Pasadena! Since I was doing a pick-up, I just parked right outside for less than 10 minutes as I waited outside for my food to be ready (they needed some additional time to finish packing up my order).I ordered the certified Angus beef lean cut in medium ($17.99) and large ($20.99) over the phone for an evening dinner pick-up. Prices have gone up, which was misleading since the menu on their website has different prices, which are now old and outdated. Everything is the same for the to-go order compared to dine-in, except that no broth is included if you don't order the flavored broth (which is an upcharge item), so make sure you boil some water when you get home to enjoy your shabu shabu. You still get the meat, veggies, rice or noodle, and sauces. For some reason, the mixed raw veggie platter seemed to have less ingredients, like it was missing some veggies. The lettuce was not clean, as I found dirt and small bugs on some of it. I didn't realize I had to wash the lettuce before throwing a good chunk of it into my pot at home. I found the take-home experience okay, but prefer dine-in, of course. Now that Monterey Park is gone, I'll come by Pasadena for the occasional shabu craving.
Love this place. The owner is fantastic and the food always hits the spot. :D My boyfriend and I love to get the all you can eat. We tend to always leave incredibly full and happy. Coming here is such a treat.
This spot provides extraordinary service as well as enjoyable menu. The best place around here. The drinks and food served fast and the prices are reasonable. I recommend this place.
I always love eating here and the owner is always smiling and helping out
Awesome spot - the food is high quality, amazing portions of meat, and the owner gave us a personal rundown of how shabu shabu works. I'd been to Chinese hot pot places before, so having a detailed explanation and demonstration of the eating style was most welcome. Definitely recommend this place.
Staff was very attentive and helpful as it was our first time trying shabu shabu. Food was very reasonably priced for the quality and quantity. Definitely something fun and interactive. Good way to get people off their phones.
Would 100% recommend. It was an excellent dining experience overall! Food: excellent. We got the Pork miso broth and the Kimchi broth. The pork miso broth was way better. Food portions were perfect, and they have a special "combo for two" that was cost-effective. Service: I like that the owner takes pride in his restaurant and was very friendly and attentive upon arrival. He has signs for customer feedback with a phone number to text. He enthusiastically showed us how to shabu shabu because we were new at that kind of cuisine and how to properly cook and eat the meal. Atmosphere: clean, organized, friendly environment
I really used to love this place, but my last visit using the yelp check-in app wasn't the best experience. I still overall recommend coming to this place, but my husband and I were just a little annoyed during our last visit. When we arrived, there weren't any open tables, however, we did check-in with an employee there. Another couple checks in via the yelp app after us, and a woman working there decided to seat the other couple before us. WTF. My husband's hanger kicked in. HAHA. Luckily another employee, a blonde woman, took our orders immediately while we were waiting for a table. We were thankful for remedying her colleague's mistake. Parking here is easy as there is a parking structure (shared with Trader Joe's). There is a happy hour but we aren't able to make it too often. I usually order the lean cut with either the curry broth, tom yum, or even french onion broth. I guess an option would be to share a broth, but we haven't ever done this! They recently changed their menu and the sauces they bring along with it. I tried the fish paste which was a lot like "bagoong" if ya nasty.
My favorite place for Japanese Shabu. Food is amazing and the service is always so friendly. It's our family favorite to dine out. Healthy, filling and just plane delicious! We always order the rib eye cut and I love my miso broth and Goma dipping sauce! It's my happy place.
Favorite dish:
Restaurantji Recommends
All you can eat option seems best when you have time to sit and eat. Lunch hour during work definitely worse time if you are on a time limit. The place offers a lunch special.
The food was great but the service was horrible ! We had no idea who our waiter was , not one person checked on us for drink refills or just checked on us in general I had to wave someone down to get a refill of water. Horrible
Tokyo Shabu Shabu was good as it can be. We miss eating at this place because they closed out the one that we go to, Rowland Heights. Service was excellent and the staff was always checking on you if everything is okay.
Food is good. Price is reasonable. Service was horrendous. They were seriously understaffed when we went on a Saturday. Maybe because it was between lunch and dinner, I think we were there at 5ish. Everything took a long time to come out.
Parking: There is limited street parking in the front along with a parking structure on the side that is shared with other businesses nearby. Plenty of parking in the structure as there as multiple floors. Parking is free and no validation necessary to park in structure. Inside: There is a seating area at the bar area that fills approximately 10 customers with a front row seat to their TV that usually shows the current sports going on. I'm addition to that, there are 6 family style tables that seat about 4 customers per table. If you are looking to wash up before or after your meal, this place has a convenient restroom. The only thing about this restroom is that only 1 person can use it at a time. Customer Service: The service here was beyond excellent. We had the pleasure of being served by Donald. He was very knowledgeable on the menu and the foods offered. We were a bit in decisive on what to order and he provided us with helpful suggestions. Every 5-10 minutes Donald would make his way back around to inquire about our needs or to see if we needed refills on our drinks. Food: I ended up going with the large rib eye with curry soup base. Best decision made as it did not disappoint at all. Having had other Shabu places before, I can tell by the taste of their meat that they take provide in serving high quality meats. Overall: My experience here is 10/10 and definitely would repeat. I would recommend this place to anyone who is in the mood for shabu.