Muan Jai Thai Kitchen

Personal hotpot for around 35 dollars. Rotary items on the conveyor bell were good as well. They didn't have corn on the cob but had baby corn instead. Got the Thai Tom Yum broth with pork and was okay. I'd probably recommend a different broth instead but it was still pleasant. There is a "create your own dipping sauce" station which had a variety of sauces. Dessert ice cream is included in the price as well.

The broth was delicious. Worth the experience if you come with a big appetite but little pricy for a normal eater who doesn't eat much. They only give you 90 minutes.

My first time in Chicago and the first authentic Thai restaurant I tried. It was a GREAT decision. Poom, the manager was very professional and attentive to my husband and I. The service from the entire staff was excellent. Food was fantastic. I will definitely be coming back here. Highly recommend.

Muan Jai Thai Kitchen has some tasty dishes, but the overall experience was a bit mixed. The food was flavorful but not quite well. Would recommend if you’re craving Thai food and have a bit of time to spare.

Really liked the free shrimp crisps. Kao pad rod fai and kaprao were good. Great service, but the menu is a bit limited. Huge portion sizes for a good price.

Authentic flavors and friendly servers will guide you through their favorites. Spicy if you like it. Just as good if not better day 2!

Probably one of the best hot pots in Downtown Chicago, outside of Chinatown. Thick slices of protein and various unique options from the broths, to items on the rotary belt, including different types of noodles, especially packs of Buldak ramen. Different sauces at their sauce bar area as well as two house sauces. Would visit again.

Excellent spot for Thai food. Very authentic flavours. Try the crab papaya salad, pad thai, and grilled squid! Mango sticky rice is a must.

My daughter and I were walking by late one night when this place caught our eyes. We stood in front of the window watching all the food go by on the conveyer belts for awhile, entranced. When we were looking for lunch the next day, we returned to try it out. This was a new experience for me, and it was a lot of fun. I went with the vegetable broth and my daughter tried the soy-based broth - while both were good, we both preferred the soy-based so I'd go with that one next time. We both got chicken, and our server brought large plates of it, but I nearly forgot about it in my excitement over all of the options going by on the conveyer belt. I did eventually add it to my hotpot, and it was fine, but I could honestly skip it next time. We both really enjoyed the chicken dumplings. I loved the variety of mushrooms, but would have really appreciated a single plate with a little of each variety since getting a whole plate of each kind of mushroom so I could try them all meant I had a lot of mushrooms. The variety of vegetables was all great, and they were all fresh and looked appealing. I especially enjoyed both kinds of corn and of course broccoli, carrots, and green and white onions, though I learned that I much prefer daikon raw than cooked. I kept watching for the sweet potato but never saw that go by - not sure if I missed it or they just didn't have it on the day we were there. My daughter wasn't fond of the noodles, but I liked them - they were the one ingredient that I liked better prepared in the vegetable broth rather than the soy-based broth. We both had fun trying all of the different sauces on the sauce bar, and all of them were fine though none of them stood out as outstanding. When we arrived we were the only customers in the place, though by the time we left it was filling up. Our server didn't hover, but returned just often enough to keep our water refilled and was very helpful answering questions when we couldn't identify an item or remember how long to cook it. While it was a bit more expensive than I typically spend on lunch, it was worth it for a special experience and I'm glad we tried it.

Friends Station was a little disorganized. I made a reservation on Open Table, though there was plenty of seating available without one. We had a party of five but their hotpot tables only have seating for four, so we were a little confused when they tried to seat the five of us at a table for four. Parties larger than four will have to sit at the bar in a line if everyone wants their own hotpot station. After getting seated, it took a while for a waiter to bring us menus to outline the protein plans (Select - $28, Premium - $35, or Ultimate - $48). After you pick your soup base (limited options - veggie broth or shoyu broth), you also order your proteins. I'm used to AYCE hotpot places where you order the proteins for the whole party. At Friends Station, everyone orders their proteins individually and they are brought out in small individual servings. Requests for more protein must be done with the waiter. He didn't come around very often, but he came around enough to say that he came around. The rotary items (veggies, noodles, dumplings, etc.) are grab and go on the belt. They have little menu cards to label the items and indicate the cooking time as they run along the belt. It's nice that each item was covered with a cloche to minimize contamination. One of our favorite hotpot items is taro, but unfortunately they were out of this item on a Sunday evening (we even checked with the waiter). The hotpot bowls are very shallow. With only two broth choices, it's less about the soup and more a vehicle for cooking your food. There is a sauce station, which is what you must rely on for flavor. They also have fruit pieces at the sauce station to grab for dessert. Other dessert options included mochi and regular ice cream and tiramisu. I'm not sure where the disconnect was, but several proteins and items that we requested from the waiter never came. The ordering and bringing out of sides and proteins came at a slow pace, so you really don't get to eat your fill for an AYCE place. There is a 90-minute time limit. We would've appreciated more orientation at the start of the meal. As we began pulling items off the rotary, it's unclear where to stack the empty plates, so things start to pile up and your eating station gets crowded. They did not come around to clear empty plates. Aside from the minimal ordering of the proteins at the beginning, there is limited interaction with staff. They rely on signs posted around the rotary to communicate messages, such as not putting items back on the rotary, notifying you that gratuity is added automatically to the bill, and warning you to eat what you take or you'll get charged for excess waste. However, the signs are spaced out along the tables, so depending on where you sit, you won't get to read them all. We went with the premium (mid-tier) dining option, which was a fair price point. But overall, the experience was a bit lacking and service is kind but not super attentive, as they primarily rely on the rotary for service.

Absolutely loved this experience! Me and my boyfriend decided to have a Friday date night here. You pick your meat and broth, they deliver it to your table and you cook the food yourself. The rotary line contains many fresh veggies, noodles, etc. It is a beautiful restaurant and the service was excellent from the host to the waitress. It is worth every penny spent. $40 unlimited hot pot, can't beat that.

I am hotpot obsessed. I would go daily if given the option. So when I was downtown and walked by this place, I knew it would be love before I even went in. You grab a table and the rotary ingredients find you. There are three price points with extras like beef and dessert for the more expensive choices. I went basic because my favorite for hotpot is fish and that's on the basic price point. There are some things that they don't have here that they usually have at other hotpot places like woodear mushrooms and quail eggs. I missed those and would love them as additions to the rotary. Also, I'll be honest and say their three broth selections aren't my favorite. I have done the shoyu broth both times that I have been in and it's fine but not my favorite option. I tried the vegetable and Tom yum last time as samples and I'll stick to the shoyu. Also, the sauce bar is super basic with just like 8 options on there. Overall a great and fun experience! I would definitely do this one again!

After doing the Lakefront speedboat ride, my friend and I came here for a late dinner since it was 9 minutes away from my hotel. It was nice eating something hot after riding on the boat. It was our first time eating a rotary hot pot, usually sushi. The service was slow... the first server forgot about us after asking, and we waited another 15 minutes for another server to take over. For the price, the selection can be more, especially the vegetable selection from the rotary. It was very limited.

Have been to rotary restaurants before, and this place falls a bit short. Really wish they would have more variety on the rotary, and for what they have on it, provide a larger portion. One leaf of cabbage for 1 plate just leads to me getting 3 plates of the same thing. Meat you also have to track down a host to get more for; what is on the menu you have to ask for. Our waitress we saw only twice the whole time, ended up having to have the bus boy serve us most of the night. Nice atmosphere inside, really wish the plates process would improve.

I came through a Yelp event when Friends Station first open, and just finally made it back this weekend! Same great experience with some improvements! They now offer 3 broth types - all vegetarian. I got the soy broth, but we sampled the truffle which was also great. On slow days, they don't put the meat on the rotation belt, but they were very attentive in making sure everyone had as much meat as they wanted. They also offered us other items that weren't on the belt but were included in the AYCE, like a delicious green tea ice cream. They had more types of noodles too, like gluten free glass noodles and rice noodles! And more sauces like an insaneeee sesame garlic sauce. I was super happy with my second experience. I crave hot pot all the time, so I know I'll be back.

I have been to many restaurants with the conveyer belt food delivery system, but they were all sushi restaurants. This is the first one I experienced that delivered hotpot ingredients. For an all you can eat restaurant in the heart of Chicago, the price is super reasonable. I had the lowest price point option and it was lovely. The servers cleaned up used plates super fast and was very friendly. Will recommend.

This place isn't large so make a reservation if you can. It is set up very well. You have your own little individual hot pot. There is a conveyor belt running beside all the tables with vegetables, noodles etc and you just take off what you want. Depending on the package you choose, the proteins are brought out to you but this is an all you can eat place so you can get as much as you want. I loved the experience as even on the conveyor belt there was so much to choose from. I counted at least 5 different types of noodles and the vegetable selection was good too. There is a sauce station where you can make up your own dipping sauces which is always fun. Staff are sweet and very attentive and always willing to help. In terms of seating, if you are going with more than 4 people, they are going to put you at the bar which means you can't talk to everyone at your table. But it's still a great experience and I definitely recommend this place!

I was skeptical coming here considering a few of the reviews, and while I still think some of the complaints here on Yelp definitely have merit, I was pleasantly surprised -- ate more than enough and enjoyed it all! We went around 6:30 and there weren't many people, so we had no issue getting a variety of ingredients from the conveyor belt. Everything was stocked up and we filled our pots quickly -- as the evening went on I noticed the belt was pretty bare by the time it got to us so I could see how lack of food/variety would be a problem if you came late. The veggies were all great, but the meats were a little low quality. However, if you play it right and get a little lucky, you can definitely get your moneys worth. Plus free rice and green tea ice cream! I wanted to give the sukiyaki broth a special shout-out. I make sukiyaki at home and I think a lot of restaurants make the mistake of making their sukiyaki broths way too salty. They balanced the broth out nicely with some sweetness and plenty to umami to cut through the saltiness of the soy sauce. Just really well done. A+

This is one of the best hot pot places in the city! My partner have come here at least 10 times and already can't wait for the next time. We've been coming for here awhile and it gets better every time. The staff is so helpful and will help you to get the hang of it your first time. When you visit it starts by choosing your broth! They have 3 different kinds I believe. I always choose veggie because it feels like a blank canvas to me. After this you order your meat and I love the steak! It is all thin sliced and cooks very quickly once you put it in the boiling soup! And then all around you like a train system are the mix in. My personal favorites are the chili oil, corn, bok choy, and broccoli. They also have 4 different sauces available to you and I absolutely adore the sesame sauce. It has a hint of garlic that is so tasty! The ambience is also very nice! You can sit counter side or at a high top table seating 4! I've sat at both and the experience is good with either one. I also book a reservation online because sometimes they are busy and it helps you to choose your seating arrangement. I've gone with groups as big as 6 and we all had a lovely time sitting side by side at the counter. All in all this is my favorite gem in Chicago. I've shown so many friends this place and everyone loves it as much as I do. If you're new to using chopsticks like I was or was on the edge about coming because you've never been to hot pot definitely come in! The staff is so friendly and welcoming. It is all you can eat and save room for dessert because it's included in the price!!

this is an all-you-can-eat, rotary-style shabu shabu spot - pretty hard to find this type of place in River North, so i was excited to try it! the meat is honestly not the best quality, but it's still pretty decent for AYCE. i loved the sauces though! only con was that there was zero seafood on the conveyer belt even though the menu says they have seafood :( - broth: sukiyaki (i recommend this one! warm and so tasty) - favorite meats: lamb shoulder, pork belly, sliced beef

Okay so I am really on the border of 4 to 5 stars, mainly because I felt like the options were limited, just a few vegetables and tofu and then two kinds of meat to choose from for my shabu shabu but the format itself makes me push it to 5. This is a GREAT solo dining option bc you get your own little pot which is also great for groups if you don't want another person throwing off the flavor of your shabu shabu. The ambiance is quiet and pleasant and I love self service off of the belt hehe it's so relaxing to sit and watch it bring you vegetables hehe I love vegetables

I love friends station so much! There are so many food options, the pricing is incredible, the staff are amazing. I recommend this place to all my friends and family. I have eaten here over 5 times in the past 2 months and I love it so much. I love getting the Wagyu, dumplings, and buldak noodles, This was such a unique dining experience also, there is a rotary that you can pick unlimited ingredients from. I forgot to mention that my favorite drink there is the lychee martini. So unique, and a hidden gem! and don't forget to try the MATCHA TIRAMISU for dessert!

For an all you can eat hot pot spot, it was pretty good! My favorite part about hot pot in general is the broth. This place they give you plain broth either vegetable (which my husband got and hated) and a soybean one. You really need to flavor the broth with the sauces they give, I did mine with the green sauce and chili oil to make it a bit spicy. They were out of the chili fresnos which I love in my dipping sauce so I was a bit sad about that. But the meats and seafood were good. I definitely ate enough for an all you can eat place.

Another follow up: I still come here because it's so fun, but the quality has definitely declined a tiny bit each time. It probably depends on who is working that night, but the conveyor was relatively empty and we had to ask for things we wanted that had been standard on all previous visits. The conveyor did not provide a lot of variety tonight and the meats were sloppily plated and hanging over the plate onto the conveyor. We also were not offered refills on broth. The host came around and turned our burners off at exactly 60 minutes and dropped off the check. I'd prefer we got our full 80 minutes given the prices. He came back immediately to collect the check. It was early and the restaurant was empty so not entirely sure what that was about.

Great hot pot Now personally I love and hate the idea. I love how cool it is but once you do get past how cool the idea of a rotary is, it can sort of get annoying. Like you have to wait for the meat you want to come by to you, and that may not happen for some time. Other than that, the broth is great and so is all the food!

Great, friendly staff. Good food options. The pork belly and kurubota were my favorite. Really appreciate the sauce station to add more flavor. The most a table can seat is 4 people so larger parties may have to consider being split but I did see a bar type area facing the conveyor belt so that could be an option too.

I went in for the all you can eat hot pot dinner for $30. I think you definitely get more than your money's worth. I'd say that the quality of the meat, especially the marinated beef and pork were the best part of the meal. I wish they had more broth options, but the one they give you is definitely fine. There are also many different food options if you want a break from meat as well. Seafood options include fish balls, shrimp, and mussels, which I thought were all great quality. They had plenty of vegetable options, noodles, and fruit as well. My one complaint was that we weren't seated for about 45 minutes. The place was pretty packed when we went and they are not too strict about the time limit. However, to make up for it, we did get a free dessert. The cake was decent, but a little frozen. All in all, I think the quality of the food is great, especially for the price. Plenty of options and a super fun environment as well!

Came by a few times since they opened. Friends Station is the new outpost of the growing Friends empire. This one is a Japanese shabu shabu concept. The interior is a lot more updated than the other two Friends restaurants on the same block. The entire restaurant is pretty small with a cozy vibe. They have a conveyor belt running through the entire length of the restaurant and individual hot pots for each person on the table. The experience was fun and high tech - they have a pretty continuous stream of food coming out and despite the restaurant being half full I never felt like we were running out of food. There's appetizers included in the AYCE which were a tasty addition. Staff were attentive and nice. You get large bottles of their three sauces at the tables. Shabu shabu on conveyor belt was very fun esp just grabbing anything whenever I wanted. The flavor profile and broth is a lot more mild than Chinese hot pot. I definitely prefer Chinese hot pot over Japanese shabu shabu but if you are looking into something milder this is a great option!

We really enjoyed our AYCE Hot Pot meal at Friends Station Such a treat to be one of the first people to experience a shabu shabu dinner at the first and only rotary hot pot restaurant in Chicago. It was such an awesome experience that we are already talking about when we can dine there again. You can eat as much as you want or as little as you want. But trust me, be prepared to overeat. Once you are there you will be tempted with a lot of choices and it's a great time to try eating something new. Let me start with saying make sure you get extra napkins, it will get messy. Keep a plate or two so that you have a place to put any shells or peels on the side. We started off with garlic fried rice and kimchi appetizers. Both were delicious and It was fun to watch them being delivered to our table by the robot. There are a lot of choices, so I would suggest that you pace yourself.  Grab some of the dishes off the conveyor belts and put them on the side of the table so you can plan your meal. You should start with cooking your vegetables first, as they take the longest. Then add noodles,  egg, chicken,  seafood and meats. We tried a little bit of everything but my favorites were the baby bok choy, King oyster mushroom, marinated chicken, sliced beef ribeye, mussells, and Squid. You will have plenty of time to have a second helping of your favorites, so relax and enjoy! The staff is very nice and accommodating, broth was refilled constantly and dishes were cleared immediately.  The broth is actually a little bland, but if you add a dash of soy sauce or their Hua Lampong Sauce (sweet and spicy garlic sesame, our favorite) the flavors will compliment the food. We had an awesome and delicious dining experience and can't wait to bring friends here for the experience.

I came here for the Yelp elite event. This place is casual yet high-tech! Your eyes are instantly drawn to the conveyer belt full of tasty, single-serve portions of vegetables, meat, fish, tofu, tempura, and even fruit to cleanse your palate and cool you down. My family and I had a blast! We did the all-you-can eat rotary hot pot. We went to town creating fun broths full of our favorite ingredients. What I liked about it was the continuous stream of ingredients, the temperature controller for the broth, and all the sauces available for dipping and drizzling. My favorite was the red sauce--I could bathe in that stuff. They did not have mushrooms left which was kinda sad though. The waiter took time to explain the concept. The only downside was that they did not have rice or gyoza when I went... they began handing it out when we were finishing up. Also they are a bit understaffed, which is not surprising for a new place.

Was excited to try a rotary hotpot place, especially one in River North closer to downtown. Unfortunately the service and food left a lot to be desire. We made a reservation for Saturday night and had to wait 40 minutes to get seated. Service seemed to be slow for everyone and once we were seated, we didn't receive water or our soup pots/utensils for another 15 min. It honestly seemed like our waitress forgot about us and served customers who had been seated after us first. The food is alright - veggies and seafood were good but they only have one broth which is vegetarian and on the bland side. The sauces were a bit out of place as they were all too sweet. I appreciated the variety of meat but the beef and lamb in particular were slices a bit thick for hotpot and on the lean side. Typically for hotpot you get fattier and thinner cuts for the beef to cook quicker and stay more tender. Other reviews mention having ready-to-eat apps available such as gyoza and tempera but we didn't get them for our visit. As they're still new, I imagine a lot is in flux in terms of what you'll get so keep that in mind. Lastly I do want to praise the staff for being very attentive after we started eating and once we were ready for our check, they brought out a complimentary matcha cake for our wait. Really appreciated it but have to say the cake itself was icy and seemed to be freezer burned. The cream had turned to ice cream and the cake layers were poorly frozen and then half thawed. Again really appreciated this gesture and not sure if this cake is on the menu for dessert but definitely would not order separately. I heard they're testing out more soup bases and might be expanding their sauces in which case I would give it another try but unfortunately I really wanted to love this concept but just couldn't.

Exciting rotary hot pot location at the heart of downtown - ambience is unassuming, and the concept is extremely interactive and fun. Food: decent - they are still working out the kinks, but you need to be patient throughout the experience. Sometimes you're not going to see proteins for awhile, and sometimes you're going to get 8 consecutive pork plates. Service: a bit scattered, but it's an extremely labor intensive job - every single plate needs to be cleared out, broth needs to be poured, and drinks / anything else need to be accounted for. Flavors were alright, nothing crazy, but $28.88 all you can eat is a good deal. Come check them out - next door are their sister places (sushi and ramen).

This is definitely an experience. To start off, the staff were extremely nice. I showed up without a reservation and they seated me right away. I had also never been in before and they explained all the steps and what to do. You have many choices on protein, veggies, sides, etc. I chose the soy broth and it didn't have much flavor. The dipping sauce saved the day. It is a very chill place with some fun music and is very casual. Overall, I would visit again especially with how fast it is.

Meat and veggie options, at least the ones we've tried were good! No complaints. They still only have veggie broth, which is flavorful but people would like a few more broth options I think. I'd like to see more mushroom, noodles, and seafood options (I loved that they added fish fillet!). Service was good but it's a small interior space so you can't bring many people. If you bring more than 4, you'll have the split up and/or all sit at the bar. Ayce price, after tax and tip is about $40. There are cheaper options in Chinatown but rotary hot pot is a fun experience where you're in more control of cooking and how much you eat. I would definitely come back again.

To save you some money and time, this hotpot provides food that you can very easily make at home. It's literally just Buldak noodles with your choice of protein and vegetables. Very pricey.... Also would like to add that they charge you for a service fee and hospitality fee on TOP of your bill. Our bill went from $60 to $90 from all the tax and anonymous fees this place charges. Very disappointed & do not recommend.

Great place for shabu shabu if your in River north area. For $29 you get a lots of food and it comes with apps and fried rice. Get a reservation though cause this spot is tiny. I like the broth and the sauces they give you for the meat and veggies..This is good for people on keto diet too!

I was invited out through the Yelp Elite event to try out this 2 weeks old rotary Shaun Shaun restaurant, and I honestly can't wait to go back! In the heart of River North, it's the perfect date night spot (especially if you're really hungry :) ) Ambiance: when walking in, you're welcomed immediately and checked in. There is a ton of different seats scattered to the side of the restaurant, and the most eye candy item is definitely the food rotating on the belts! The hostess was quick to welcome us and get us seated. Keep in mind, this is connected to their sister restaurant, so if you have to go to the bathroom, you'll have to go through it (however, the ambiance in that place is amazing as well and I can't wait to give it a try next)! Food: Once seated, we were brought some water, our own personal pot with broth and the menus for the night. Per person, it's 28.88 for 80 minutes, which is a steal for how much you can eat. There are no restrictions on what you can pull from the belt, just make sure you eat it all because it's amazing! We also ordered a few drinks (the old fashion and Singapore Sling) and while they were good, they seemed to have gone very very light on the alcohol, so if you want some drinks, just be mindful of that. However, besides the drinks, everything else was amazing! All of the different meats/veggies/ ect were all freshly made and timely put out on the belt. We were worried we wouldn't get some things due to us being near the end, but we got to try just about everything. With that being said, once again, it was all so so amazing, especially the broth that it came with! Service: this is the only thing that made the night shaky for me, however, it was a very busy Saturday night. Once we were sat, we immediately got our brother and water, however, it was so hard to get a hold of a single server after that. It seemed they didn't have them split into sections and there were only two of them. I can say, as a previous waitress, I would've been stressed to the max about the number of people in there. Once we were able to get the servers attention regarding drinks/broth/ect, they were very quick to address it. I know staffing shortages are a huge thing right now, but I will say that was the only downfall for the night, but I won't knock them for that (especially with them being al new)!

Ended up going here last because our plans to visit Happy Lamb were foiled by long wait times. (Do make sure you go to Happy Lamb!) Was actually so glad I got to try Friends Station. It was shabu shabu vs hot pot, so the broth was much lighter, which honestly fit where I was at last night. The ingredients were on a rotating belt that circulated the restaurant and were fresh. The service was excellent and the music was good. I would definitely go back when I'm looking for a less intensive soup experience.

Hotpot rotary. can request your proteins. Many of them aren't on the rotary bar. If you have to stay in this neighborhood, then this is it for hot pot rotary, but it is very expensive and much more limited in selections and sauce bar then hot pot, rotaries uptown a bit. The staff is super nice, and there are three levels of ordering, mostly based on what meats you want. There used to be a separate price for lunch, but that seems to be gone. It's all you can eat Rotary hot pot, but there are also many appetizers and other things cocktails etc. that you can order for extra fees off the menu. Plenty of vegetables, and a few tofu options for vegans. For gluten free folks the menu says that both broths have wheat. The hot pot side of the restaurant is pretty small. There is also a sushi side and it looks like they're adding other styles of food to the spaces as well..

I had been wanting to try Friends Station and I was so excited about it. However, after visiting once, I don't think I will be going back for : food and slow service. 1. Good- based on the menu in their website, I anticipated there to be a robust option of meat, seafood and veggies. However given that it is a conveyor, you cannot control when and what food comes. They all come in bulk and when you have a big group before you, you will not have chance to eat much of what you want. As a result, customers have to wait for the food to come thus making the turnover terrible. The portions for each plate are incredibly small too (see pic) so more people will empty plates quicker and the servers will have to empty more plates more often, and the kitchen staff will have to wash more dishes. May have been good for cost cutting but so bad for throughput. 2. Slow service- the restaurant is decently sized and the employees are very hard working. However , when we went , which was on a weekend evening, there were only 2 servers working in the hall. They were in charge of seating people, taking orders, serving drinks, empty the plates and clean up the mess people were making. There were spills and mess everywhere because they have very small space per person in the bar area and as a result, people will drop things and spill drinks. they definitely need to upstaff. The restaurant was near empty when we went and even though we had a reservation and got there on time, we had to wait over 20 min to get seated. And everyone was just so busy. It was crazy how a place with a conveyor that brings food can be so busy. It felt like they have a lot to work on.

This was one of my favorite meal experiences ever! I'm a big fan of hot pot/ramen/Phó etc so I went into this place with high expectations. They delivered perfectly in every aspect. The service was amazing and the staff was very friendly and enthusiastic. We were promptly greeted and seated along the conveyer belt. That's where the magic began! The broth was delicious! Perfectly seasoned and once cooked, the perfect combination of flavors. All of the ingredients that we selected off of the belt were fresh and in decent variety. Plenty of vegetables and meats to choose from and make the pot your own. The sauce was the shining cherry on top. It was absolutely amazing! It was the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and umami. Part of me considered taking a container of it home... Overall, this is a GREAT place with a solid product. In tandem with amazing staff, desirable location, and a laid back atmosphere, it's a perfect combination.

I love a good hot pot so you bet I was super excited when I saw Friends Station is AYCE! We made a 6:30pm reservation for a table for 2 people. The space itself is small and since there were only 2 of us, they asked if we would be okay sitting at the bar instead so they could accommodate larger parties - no problem! Definitely make a reservation if possible. There is only one type of vegetable broth given and it's delicious! The food items on the conveyor belt are of average quality, but that's to be expected with an AYCE spot. I appreciated that the menu lists the cook times of all the items. My favorite meats were the beef and lamb! There is definitely room for improvement since this is a new spot. We had to ask for water after being seated for about 10 minutes. I also ordered a side of garlic fried rice that I never received. Overall, everyone who worked there was incredibly nice and the food was delicious.

This was a great experience! I wasn't sure how well an AYCE rotary hot pot would work, but it was impressive. Service always great and quick, and the itself was clean and nicely decorated. The background music was calm and at a good volume. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a place has music so loud you can't hear who you're with; that wasn't the case here. Each person gets their own pot of veggie broth, and you get gyoza and tempura as you wait for it heat up. The different options are on different covered plates on the conveyor belt. I had shrimp, squid, mussels, fish balls, chicken, beef, lamb, Napa cabbage, spinach, broccoli, tofu, and an egg. My friend also got mushrooms and finished the broth with noodles. You get different sauces to dip everything in. There's also orange slices to snack on going around the conveyor belt, and we got fried rice while we ate. They have an extensive drink menu with cocktails, sake, wine, and beer. I had the ginger lemonade high ball, which was delicious, and my friend and I split a sake. Overall great experience and would definitely go back! I hope too that they get more broth options as the restaurant grows.

While I think the concept of a rotary hot pot is great and a lot of fun, I will probably not be returning to this location. The most concerning thing that really started off our night on the wrong foot was that, we had made an advanced reservation for 8 pm, but were not seated until 9 pm. There is no point in booking a reservation if after you arrive to the restaurant, you still have to wait in line after all of the people who are already there. The other issue that we encountered is that depending on where you sit, many of the meats and popular dishes might be completely gone by the time the conveyor belt reaches your seat. We were seated in the seats by the window by the door, and none of the meats/ramen noodles/etc were reaching our end of the conveyor belt, even after hoping and waiting through multiple cycles. Overall, great concept, but there are issues with the execution of this restaurant that need to be improved.

It's fun to eat here and price is fair. Wish there could be more options to choose from, including food on the menu, dipping sauce and soup base.

‍Totally not worth $35+tax+tips, plz go Qiaolin with more delicious options, or at least happy lamb to reach a basic hot pot experience, crying... My friend highly recommended and invite me to. ‼Unfortunately, it is the worst hot pot experience I ever had --Soup base: only vegetable and soy sauce flavor. don't try the vegetable one, it's disgusting ...... --Dipping sauce: they forgot to offer us any dipping sauce after 10-15min long, finally I have to go ask for myself. Many options but more like tai style flavor if you like sth sweet and spicy. --Vegetables: Some vegetables are kinda dry, and some are not shown for the whole 80min. --Meat: too much fat --Seafood: cheap seafood options --Noodles: instant noodle taste spoiled, dumplings are ok, bread shrimp are not crispy at all, fried chicken too salty. --Dessert: haven't see the dessert whole time --Fruit: watermelon is the best among everything including all other categories, 1min before we left, the dry orange finally offered. --Drinks: no beer which make my birthday girl so sad, so switch to cocktail for $13, and I don't hear my friend say any "tasty" words ‍--Service: the main server looks super tired, the Asian "chef" try to help us with the dipping sauce was readily nice. ‍--Overall, if you are Asian with other hotpot experience before, you won't like it.

I visited this restaurant when I was visiting Chicago with some friends. This is actually the first conveyor belt hot pot I've been to. It was overall a fun experience, it is AYCE and the food comes down on the conveyor belt in tiny plates. If you are visiting Chicago, I would recommend placing a reservation on their website to secure a table. Although the experience was fun and I enjoyed it thoroughly, I wouldn't come back again. In the beginning, I was grabbing as many plates as I can to try everything, but I feel like the food was just okay. After trying everything once, I found myself just waiting for the food I like to come out. For instance, in the 1.5 hours we were there, kimchi only came out once. I kept waiting and waiting, but kimchi never came back out again. Sometimes I saw certain ingredients come out more often than others, but if there is something specific you like, you just have to wait for it- and it might not even come back out again until after you leave. Another thing I was not satisfied with was how few sauces there were. In traditional hot pot restaurants, there is usually a sauce station where you can choose and mix your own sauces. However, here there are not a lot of sauces and I only used soy sauce. That really changes the taste of the food and how unique you can make it. Overall, this is one of the places I would only go to once- for the experience. I wouldn't come back here again because I feel like the food was mediocre and it lacks a lot of things I look for in a traditional hot pot restaurant. The experience was fun, but I wouldn't come back for the food.

Go somewhere else if you are craving shabu. We were seated quickly, but with no instructions on where to find the menu, how it worked, and very little communication. We didn't get service for 15 minutes and needed to call over a worker in order to be served. Their selection is pretty limited and what they have on the menu isn't the same as the actual conveyor belt (definitely missing items on the belt). The male worker rolled his eyes at us multiple times, and when he finally gave us the check back, he didn't give me anytime to pick up the pen and write a tip before he started cleaning up my dishes. I was seated at the bar so it was a pretty uncomfortable position to have a worker continually reaching over my shoulder to clean up while I was thinking about how much to tip. It was clearly purposeful and unprofessional. Will not come back.

Once you have dined at "Friends Station," you would make friends with strangers next to you because the space inside was quite small. Anyway, that didn't stop me from coming because my partner and I were to make friends with food! We were there for their $55 Chicago Restaurant Week special: AYCE shabu shabu plus the luxury seafood items: scallops, lobster, mussels, and wagyu beef. The regular items on the conveyor belt were unlimited, yet the add-ons that came with the restaurant week special only limited to one (1) round. We were told that there was an eighty (80) minutes time limit on dining, so we had to get to work quickly. Overall, the quality of everything I saw was decent. The portion per plate was adequate since the point of having shabu shabu was to try all varieties of food that were given. I would say the best strategy was to start fetching veggies and aromatics to the pot as soon as you were seated because the clock started ticking, whether you cared or not! The items they offered were pretty diverse: proteins (beef, lamb, chicken, pork), seafood, cooked appetizers, veggies, cooked white rice (my partner got like 3 bowls total- rice fanatic), ramen noodle, and fruit (only seeing orange slices...did I miss anything else...). In addition, it was crucial to make some space on table and to create some organization to enhance your dining experience. Overall, we had great fun. The staff was friendly and workers did come around, taking plates, refilling broth, and performing general labor. There were beverage options that would cost extra. We simply just came here for the AYCE, and that alone was a workout. By the way, the AYCE for dinner would have been $35 for dinner and $29 for lunch on a regular basis. I would say come here with a cheerful mood and sample items you may not have bad before in the past. The location is as prime as it can be: literally outside of the Chicago Red Line station! Parking isn't going to be cheap and street parking is far from plenty, on the weekends specially.

Recently made my first visit to Friends Station for some hot pot! I love the all you can eat deal and the addition of pulling items off of the conveyor belt adds some extra fun. I will say it can be annoying if what you're looking for doesn't come around for a while, but I believe you can ask the staff to bring you whatever you might be looking for. Also wish they had a larger selection of sauces to choose from. That's definitely the best part of hot pot meals! The broth choices were also pretty bland, but I was able to flavor them a bit with the veggies and seafood items. Would likely visit again if I'm craving hot pot and don't want to trek to Chinatown, but Chinatown definitely has the superior hot pot places!

This is a great idea using rotary station for hot pot. We love it so much! Thank you so much!

Not going to lie, I'm a little disappointed at this place. The previous reviews made this place seem super promising so I was pretty excited to give it a try especially given the good reputation "friends" restaurants have. Appetizers: No gyoza, no tempura, no edamame. We had to ask the waiter for the garlic fried rice which was okay- just some white rice stir fried with garlic. Meats: meh, the ribeye is really thick and got tough if i didnt eat it right away. the other meats were okay, nothing too outstanding and memorable. Veggies: Not much in variety. I mostly just had napa cabbage and bokchoy in my pot. the mushrooms only came around like once, and there was a lot of carrot circling the belt that no one seemed to want. Overall: the conveyer belt idea is interesting, but I think for hot pot where you need a lot of ingredients in your broth, its a bit stressful trying to get everything off the belt. Also, if you are seated in the seat closer to the belt, you kind of have to pass the food to the person sitting next to you because the belt is kind of out of their reach. The dishes also contain a very small amt of food so they pile up on your table really fast which was annoying because it took up space. No fish balls, no variety in the types of noodles offered, the sauces were also a tad odd.... the green sauce tasted a bit mexican and the brown sauce was very ginger-y. The dessert was a flourless chocolate cake but there was only one slice that came around the belt. We had to ask the waiter for two more so that everyone on our table could get a slice but he seemed a bit annoyed that we asked. Overall a very awkward exchange but we wanted our cake so whatever. Overall, I definitely recommend going to happy lamb for ayce hot pot over this place. From ordering/receiving your food to the variety of items you can get for your hot pot, Happy Lamb definitely is superior to this place. I will say though, the broth is a lot less salty here so it does seem a bit healthier than happy lamb in terms of sodium content? but for the more expensive price ($28.99 vs $24.99) I would say this place isn't worth it.

This place was a lot of fun! What you get is great for the price - less than $30 for all you can eat, with a nice selection of meats (lamb, chicken, beef, pork), seafood, veggies, others (tofu, noodles), and apps. The place was very clean and the meat was fresh. The service was also very friendly! And the conveyor belt aspect makes it fun and interactive - engages the feeling of hunting for the tastiest things to our in your broth. I would give them a 4.5 but round up for these good qualities. In terms of some room for improvement - some of the options here are a little simple - for example, it would be nice to have broth options beyond just konbu. The sauces are also more south-east Asian than Japanese, with two spicy sauces and one more traditional one. It would be nice to have other sauce options (like sesame!). They also had some dishes on the belt that weren't on the menu (like they sent around some sliced melon at one point), and some items on the menu that weren't on the belt (like mushrooms). Other noodle options beyond ramen would also be easy for them and tasty. But at their price point, I really shouldn't complain. I'd suggest customers to be cautious with some items like seafood - they were less popular while we were there and stayed on the belt the whole time, so may have not been fresh. But given their concept, low price, and great location, I'd say they're doing a wonderful job. Look forward to going again sometime!

I really wish I could give this place a no stars. My boyfriend and I came here cause I heard of this place from Tik tok. First, we waited over 30 mins for our drinks and appetizers. I asked the waiter what was in the garlic fried rice, the waiter was stunned by my question then said rice...Then we ordered gyoza, orange juice and ice green tea. While waiting 30 mins, we grabbed one gyoza from the rotisserie, there was a dead fly in it. The waitress would come over so often to grab the empty plates, until I asked for the waiter I told him how long we've been waiting for our drinks, fly on the gyoza, told the chef, and finally gave us our drinks after 30 mins. The ice green tea was so watered down, tasted so gross, and I asked for a different drink. We were given another set by frozen gyoza. My boyfriend and I just wanted to leave because the server barely paid attention their customers, too busy on their personal phones, walking back and forth with empty trash bin. My boyfriend called today to speak to a manager/supervisor, kept getting hung up, then eventually the server said "there is so no manager or supervisor till the weekend & we are too busy to help you" hangs up. Horrible horrible experience do not recommend, you're pretty much doing everything yourself. We are still waiting to speak to a manager because we found a fly in our food. Do not come here

We had a wonderful meal here and left very satisfied. The shabu shabu conveyor concept is a great combo and works really well so you can pace things out comfortably. The staff were very attentive and immediately scooped up any plates or spills and the vibe was very chill.

Was so excited to try rotary hotpot and had no idea how the concept would be in reality. Love Friends Sushi and this AYCE place did not disappoint! Amazing variety and fresh ingredients with your own little very easy to use hot pot. You have a variety of protein (lamb, various types of beef and pork, chicken, delicious cooked salmon head, tofu, egg, fish cakes, etc), lots of fresh and yummy veggies (spinach, bok choy, carrot, etc), yummy noodles and very delicious vegetable broth to pull it all together. There's so many different options to fill you up including other yummy apps (def get the gyozas or tempura) and drinks (lychee martini was bomb!). The conveyor belt part was super fun and very well executed!! The service and staff was fantastic - everyone was super friendly, helpful and prompt! I definitely recommend and can't wait to try all the various ingredients to make a different combination next time!

So glad I was able to try Friend's new addition! The rotary and the staff made it a fun experience. The staff was super friendly and helpful and it was extremely busy for a weeknight. There is only one flavor of broth but after adding more vegetables and meat to the broth, it gets a lot more flavorful. There were so many options to grab off of the rotary belt, all of the red meat, onions, egg, and noodles were my favorite. They also have 4 appetizers that come with the AYCE meal and they tend to walk around with batches of them asking if you want them. The gyoza was my favorite appetizer. I definitely recommend making a reservation since it was pretty busy for a Thursday night! I look forward to coming back here.