Very clean and the staff were extremely helpful. The music was too loud. Food was okay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kobe Set
Tung Luong
I came here yesterday with husband and 2 little ones. No wait time since I reserved table online and they were not full.Staffs deserve 5 stars, very friendly and attentive. They replace the grill and clean up table before we ask them. They also provide little pastic cups for kids to prevent spilling. It would be nice to have plastic forks for kids because the metal forks are too long.Its kidda smokey inside the restaurant, maybe you need stronger venting system.We ordered Kobe set (not AYCE), the meats are very tender but they did not come with veggies, just a few slides of onion/carrot/pumkin. I suggest you provide lettuce in the Set/combo instead of the rice cake/shredded cabbage. The mini side dishes are not impressive, kimchi is very sour, I suggest you to improve quality of your side dishes. The set comes with stir fried noodle or fried rice. Noodles do not taste good. Meat is chewy but fatty, not very good quality. I feel i have korean bbq more than japanese bbq. Dipping sauces are plain, the sour one is too sour and the remaining sauce is too salty, they do not blend well with meats. I will not come back since im not impressed with the food quality.You have the best staffs.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
B Y
Get silver package for $35. Kids 4-7 are 25% of adult price and kids 8-10 are 50% of adult price. Get again Marinated bone in short rib, waygu chuckeye, marinated boneless short rib,garlic butter pork cheek, Pickled cucumber, radish paper
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carolyn Katter
I cannot say enough good things about the food and service here. The service is exceptional in every way, the food is wonderful. We had the best time here and i am looking forward to going again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kobe Set
Jonathan A.
Had high hopes based on reviews and photos. The ambiance was nice. not super fancy. The service was actually outstanding. a big plus for this restaurant. But the food was a let down. first they didn’t have many options. they have a few sorta “all you can eat” style choices, which wasn’t good for my wife who has a severe dietary restriction. but the bigger problem was the quality of the food. the meat was just low quality IMO. super fatty and not very tasty. i’ve been to other korean/japanese BBQ restaurants in the area that i was happier with. these guys aren’t terrible but i will go somewhere else next time.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Eurydice Turk
Experiential dining. Servers were nice. We didn't know how to cook the chicken to make sure it was done.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Carolyn Easley
Had the best time here - the food is good, the experience was fun and the staff is exceptional, so nice and professional. Really made for a great night out - Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
chito rodriguez
The food, the service, and the atmosphere at this restaurant met and, in some cases, exceeded my expectations. I appreciate the service from the whole crew in helping out. The food was subpar, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
ELIZABETH M YANO
First timer and was very pleased with the quality and diversity of the meats and side offerings. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed an unusually long and well respected 3 hour meal with family members we haven't seen in quite a while. Never felt rushed to exit and service was exceptional -- have been in very high end restaurants where server timing was not as good. At Shinobu, service seemed spot on, always available but not intrusive and we never felt rushed even with the 90 minute AYCE reality. Very much plan to come back even though we live an hour away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Pork Buns, Salad, Crispy Beef Gyoza, Vanilla or Green Tea Ice Cream
John N.
I love coming here. Quality of meat and dishes are always on point and service is always attentive and friendly . Restaurant is clean and modern and they always have sports on, plus for me. Prices are a little higher, they do have different menu options for ayce but you're paying for quality meats and a wide variety of menu items. Can get busy on some weekdays and definitely weekends so expect a little bit of wait. Highly Recommend Yelp Check-In as well.
This review been long overdue for an update, Shinobu Japanese bbq is now one of my favorite bbq in the OC. When they first open, it wasn't Ayce, now it is AYCE. All the meat are tender and delicious. It has all your traditional kbbq items and way more. The menu and huge, I always get the platinum, I think that the best. The platinum has the Kobe trio which is a must order. It comes with 3 piece of kobe boneless short rib, which in my opinion is the best cut there, kobe skirt and kobe zabuton. The brisket, beef tongue and thinly slice pork belly are my go to order. You must order the truffle charsu soup, Overall everything is good, the best part is you get ice cream at the end, I recommend getting the berry and cream. Shinobu jap bbq is my go to spot now for bbq. The staff are friendly, lots of tables, and can accommodate large group as well.
Huy P.
This place is incredible. Great food, great service, and an assortment of AYCE menus at every price so each person can decide their level of engagement. I always come back year after year. Place is always clean, and not too crowded like some AYCE joints. It's rare that the meats AND sides are of good quality, and coupled with the stellar service, this place is near unbeatable and has earned a spot as a consistent hidden gem. I have my favorites, but you can't really go wrong with anything on the menu.However, recently they made some changes to the default banchan that were brought out before ordering (you have to request some of them now). The waitress said this was to follow authenticity- critics were harsh and said it resembled KBBQ too much, and not JBBQ. This irks me because they were previously doing everything right- please don't chase authenticity while sacrificing quality.
E. R. Painting Solutions E. R. Painting Solutions
First time coming this Japanese BBQ and won’t be best the last. Great selection of high quality of beef and Pork, the side were great too. Customer services was also really good. I highly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bacon Fried Rice or Garlic Beef Yakisoba, Kobe Set
Tammy T.
My bf and I got the Kobe Set for this last visit, and it was so good. For 2 people, it's way more worth it than the AYCE gold which we got previously. The set was enough to feed both of us without feeling overly stuffed. It would be a reach to say that it would feed a third person, but maybe it's because we were hungry that night lol The meats in this set are very easily "melt in your mouth" kind of meats. However, the Kobe boneless short rib and Kobe outside skirt were our favorites! One of the staff members also came by to let us know which meats are which, in which order he prefers to eat them, and HOW to cook each one. The cooking instructions were great because the meats didn't come out overdone. 15-25 seconds max on both sides for the Kobe meats. Great staff, great food!
Kirsten S.
My mom loves this place and took our family out. We made reservations on a Monday night for 6:30pm but we really didn't need to as there were plenty of tables available at that time. The service was exceptional. We had thee servers rotating making sure we had enough meat, our skillet was constantly changed, waters were filled, sides were ordered. We never had to find our server. Plenty of tvs in the restaurant with direct tv. Clean on the inside. We ordered the Gold option for AYCE. The big difference between here and Korean BBQ is the quality of the meats and the sides. All of the meats we got were PHENOMENAL!!! Don't sleep on the sides, Tonkatsu, pork buns, Brussels sprouts, bacon fried rice were some of our favorites. And the dessert option is included. We got green tea ice cream and it was a legit taste. Will be coming back!!
Very clean and the staff were extremely helpful. The music was too loud. Food was okay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kobe Set
I came here yesterday with husband and 2 little ones. No wait time since I reserved table online and they were not full.Staffs deserve 5 stars, very friendly and attentive. They replace the grill and clean up table before we ask them. They also provide little pastic cups for kids to prevent spilling. It would be nice to have plastic forks for kids because the metal forks are too long.Its kidda smokey inside the restaurant, maybe you need stronger venting system.We ordered Kobe set (not AYCE), the meats are very tender but they did not come with veggies, just a few slides of onion/carrot/pumkin. I suggest you provide lettuce in the Set/combo instead of the rice cake/shredded cabbage. The mini side dishes are not impressive, kimchi is very sour, I suggest you to improve quality of your side dishes. The set comes with stir fried noodle or fried rice. Noodles do not taste good. Meat is chewy but fatty, not very good quality. I feel i have korean bbq more than japanese bbq. Dipping sauces are plain, the sour one is too sour and the remaining sauce is too salty, they do not blend well with meats. I will not come back since im not impressed with the food quality.You have the best staffs.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Get silver package for $35. Kids 4-7 are 25% of adult price and kids 8-10 are 50% of adult price. Get again Marinated bone in short rib, waygu chuckeye, marinated boneless short rib,garlic butter pork cheek, Pickled cucumber, radish paper
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I cannot say enough good things about the food and service here. The service is exceptional in every way, the food is wonderful. We had the best time here and i am looking forward to going again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kobe Set
Had high hopes based on reviews and photos. The ambiance was nice. not super fancy. The service was actually outstanding. a big plus for this restaurant. But the food was a let down. first they didn’t have many options. they have a few sorta “all you can eat” style choices, which wasn’t good for my wife who has a severe dietary restriction. but the bigger problem was the quality of the food. the meat was just low quality IMO. super fatty and not very tasty. i’ve been to other korean/japanese BBQ restaurants in the area that i was happier with. these guys aren’t terrible but i will go somewhere else next time.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Experiential dining. Servers were nice. We didn't know how to cook the chicken to make sure it was done.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Had the best time here - the food is good, the experience was fun and the staff is exceptional, so nice and professional. Really made for a great night out - Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food, the service, and the atmosphere at this restaurant met and, in some cases, exceeded my expectations. I appreciate the service from the whole crew in helping out. The food was subpar, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First timer and was very pleased with the quality and diversity of the meats and side offerings. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed an unusually long and well respected 3 hour meal with family members we haven't seen in quite a while. Never felt rushed to exit and service was exceptional -- have been in very high end restaurants where server timing was not as good. At Shinobu, service seemed spot on, always available but not intrusive and we never felt rushed even with the 90 minute AYCE reality. Very much plan to come back even though we live an hour away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Pork Buns, Salad, Crispy Beef Gyoza, Vanilla or Green Tea Ice Cream
I love coming here. Quality of meat and dishes are always on point and service is always attentive and friendly . Restaurant is clean and modern and they always have sports on, plus for me. Prices are a little higher, they do have different menu options for ayce but you're paying for quality meats and a wide variety of menu items. Can get busy on some weekdays and definitely weekends so expect a little bit of wait. Highly Recommend Yelp Check-In as well.
Restaurantji Recommends
This review been long overdue for an update, Shinobu Japanese bbq is now one of my favorite bbq in the OC. When they first open, it wasn't Ayce, now it is AYCE. All the meat are tender and delicious. It has all your traditional kbbq items and way more. The menu and huge, I always get the platinum, I think that the best. The platinum has the Kobe trio which is a must order. It comes with 3 piece of kobe boneless short rib, which in my opinion is the best cut there, kobe skirt and kobe zabuton. The brisket, beef tongue and thinly slice pork belly are my go to order. You must order the truffle charsu soup, Overall everything is good, the best part is you get ice cream at the end, I recommend getting the berry and cream. Shinobu jap bbq is my go to spot now for bbq. The staff are friendly, lots of tables, and can accommodate large group as well.
This place is incredible. Great food, great service, and an assortment of AYCE menus at every price so each person can decide their level of engagement. I always come back year after year. Place is always clean, and not too crowded like some AYCE joints. It's rare that the meats AND sides are of good quality, and coupled with the stellar service, this place is near unbeatable and has earned a spot as a consistent hidden gem. I have my favorites, but you can't really go wrong with anything on the menu.However, recently they made some changes to the default banchan that were brought out before ordering (you have to request some of them now). The waitress said this was to follow authenticity- critics were harsh and said it resembled KBBQ too much, and not JBBQ. This irks me because they were previously doing everything right- please don't chase authenticity while sacrificing quality.
First time coming this Japanese BBQ and won’t be best the last. Great selection of high quality of beef and Pork, the side were great too. Customer services was also really good. I highly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bacon Fried Rice or Garlic Beef Yakisoba, Kobe Set
My bf and I got the Kobe Set for this last visit, and it was so good. For 2 people, it's way more worth it than the AYCE gold which we got previously. The set was enough to feed both of us without feeling overly stuffed. It would be a reach to say that it would feed a third person, but maybe it's because we were hungry that night lol The meats in this set are very easily "melt in your mouth" kind of meats. However, the Kobe boneless short rib and Kobe outside skirt were our favorites! One of the staff members also came by to let us know which meats are which, in which order he prefers to eat them, and HOW to cook each one. The cooking instructions were great because the meats didn't come out overdone. 15-25 seconds max on both sides for the Kobe meats. Great staff, great food!
My mom loves this place and took our family out. We made reservations on a Monday night for 6:30pm but we really didn't need to as there were plenty of tables available at that time. The service was exceptional. We had thee servers rotating making sure we had enough meat, our skillet was constantly changed, waters were filled, sides were ordered. We never had to find our server. Plenty of tvs in the restaurant with direct tv. Clean on the inside. We ordered the Gold option for AYCE. The big difference between here and Korean BBQ is the quality of the meats and the sides. All of the meats we got were PHENOMENAL!!! Don't sleep on the sides, Tonkatsu, pork buns, Brussels sprouts, bacon fried rice were some of our favorites. And the dessert option is included. We got green tea ice cream and it was a legit taste. Will be coming back!!