A foodie’s take on Shabuya, an all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu restaurant

Passing up this restaurant is like being torn away from a foodie heaven. Shabuya, a restaurant based off the traditional Japanese dish shabu-shabu, attracts all crowds with a taste for creativity and an eye for exceptional meats and soups.

Shabuya allows diners to choose from a wide variety of food to make their own meals. It is also an all-you-can-eat restaurant including a mixture of meat selections, fresh seafood and a salad bar. A lunch meal costs $17.99 per person, while dinner costs $25.99.

Shabuya is very popular, crowded even at 8 p.m. The outside boasts a clean, pleasant facade while the inside incorporates well-designed brick and wood aesthetics. The spacious interior allows customers to sit in a comfortable environment with roomy seating.

Hungry customers can also pile on extra items to mix with their shabu shabu, including sides such as vegetables, udon and rice cake. (Photo courtesy of Noah Somphone)

The menu consists of four steps. Customers first select their soup base, choosing from either original, miso, pork, Chinese hot pot or sukiyaki (thinly sliced beef-based soup). Then, they choose from eight different meats ranging from wagyu (Japanese beef cattle) chuck tender to lamb leg.

After placing their meat orders, diners proceed to two buffet tables, open for them to pile their plates with ingredients such as rice cake, udon noodles, vegetables and seafood. The station also has a section of sauces where customers can dip their cooked meats in.

After they gather their add-ons, people at each table use their own respective pots to make their meal. Heat levels ranging from 0-9 indicate how much the soup and its condiments will be boiled.

Shabuya’s meat menu. (Photo courtesy of Noah Somphone)

Although a small issue, the far distance from the seats to the hot pot may discomfort customers on the table. However, Shabuya provides large plates to minimize this problem.

Because the restaurant is so considerably large, it is occasionally hard to get a server’s attention. Diners are not provided bells to summon employees when they need help, adding to the hassle of ordering.

However, the collective quality of the meat and other add-ons far outweighs any negative aspects of Shabuya. The clean, fun environment is not ideal for studying, but it is definitely a good place to eat with friends. Although a single meal can be costly, the all-you-can-eat aspect makes it worth the expense. Because customers can choose to customize their meals with the ingredients they love, Shabuya truly stands out from other restaurants. Eat up.