Shabu-Zen

This place is one of the more popular hot pot restaurants in the Boston area. There is a small parking lot off the side street if you are lucky. The restaurant is huge with bar seating having individual pots and tables with shared pots. Service was attentive and quick. The house broth is included and any flavor is an extra charge. I got the A5 beef regular combo and it came with a choice of noodles and assorted vegetables. The udon noodles and beef were fresh and not frozen. It did give an impression of higher quality than other places. The flavor broth is really good and the portion for the regular meat combo was a good size for one person. You should get a regular combo for each person.

I loved this place! We came without reservations relatively late (8:30 ish). While we did have to wait a bit to be seated bc they were short handed and looked like a couple larger parties. Our food came relatively quickly. They were able to accommodate a party comprised of a vegetarian + a meat eater. The pots are divided nicely to support this. They also were happy to make a few broths vegetarian. The veggie plate was amazing and the meat was far more than one person could eat. The vegetarian in our party complimented the vegetarian fish included on the veggie plate. The broths were delicious, the meat was high quality, and veggies were fresh. Our server was friendly and checked on us frequently.

Delicious hot pot! We got the pork and veggie broth, both were delicious. The pork was a bit more rich and the veggie was light and tasty. We also got some sashimi which was very good and high quality. Definitely recommend checking this place out.

This shabu shabu place in Boston tops the list with its wide broth choices, fresh and tasty meats, and great service. It's a great spot perfect for any meal, making it a must-try for everyone.

Went to Shabu Zen for hot pot as a delayed Chinese New Year celebration. On a Saturday night unless you come really early like at 5pm, be prepared for a wait of 30-40 minutes. The service is a little slow and the chatter from patrons can be loud and fills the room. On the positive side, once the food arrives, things move fast. We ordered 3 of the meat combo dishes. The beef, lamb, pork and chicken were of high quality and there were lots of vegetables with each order. They have a good selection of sake and beer and the coconut sorbet was a great way to top off the meal. Parking was hard to find and the small restaurant parking lot fills up fast. All in all it was a very good experience.

Fresh, high-quality ingredients with some delicious soup broths - we got Mongolian spicy and tomato veggie. The lamb and salmon were our favorites. Lots of vegetarian options as well.

Excellent! My first time there was awesome! I will back again!

The broths were really good, especially the Tom Yum and Szechuan. The meat is nicely cut, good thickness but I'd prefer a bit more on the portions. We ordered the combo and it came with veggies platter and noodles. Drinks are cute, most of them are really sweet so if you have a sweet tooth, this is for you.

It's been 5 months since I had hotpot... Shabu Zen definitely satisfied my cravings! As much as we complain about their pricing, we're confident that it will never disappoint us. Please bring back $2-$3 broths! LOL

Came here from California and was craving Hot Pot. Tried this place twice and was definitely not impressed. The meat quality was "aiiiight", but forsure it was overpriced for what it was. Also, they dont have a sauce bar and their house dipping sauce sucks. As for the service, it was ok. When I walked in, the place looked pretty clean, that was until i got to my table. We were seated in the private room with the TVs. The table were sticky, and the seats had leftover food on it. yuck. Didnt have that great of an experience and probably will not be back unless I get forced to go.

Spent $40+ on a meat combo and was still hungry after. For that price, I'd expect either a large quantity or good meat quality. The meat wasn't bad, but didn't stand out. There's no sauce bar so you're stuck with the house sauce which is ok, but I'd rather just make my own sauce. The soup was kind of bland so I had to rely on the dipping sauce a lot. There are much better hot pot places in the area. Go to Liu Yi Shou or Happy Lamb instead.

This place is one of the more popular hot pot restaurants in the Boston area. There is a small parking lot off the side street if you are lucky. The restaurant is huge with bar seating having individual pots and tables with shared pots. Service was attentive and quick. The house broth is included and any flavor is an extra charge. I got the A5 beef regular combo and it came with a choice of noodles and assorted vegetables. The udon noodles and beef were fresh and not frozen. It did give an impression of higher quality than other places. The flavor broth is really good and the portion for the regular meat combo was a good size for one person. You should get a regular combo for each person.

Shabu-Zen is a well known Japanese hotpot restaurant in Allston with another location in Chinatown. I have only been once before and typically go to other places because I usually prefer Sichuan/Chongqing hotpot, and the last time I went it was pricey. I decided to get some lighter hotpot and chose Shabu-zen. We got miso and mongolian broth which were both very good, and the mongolian broth is very very mildly spicy. I don't love how they don't have a sauce bar but that is something that is expected when coming here (just the few ingredients given). We got prime beef combo with ramen, tofu puff, udon, pork dumplings, and fried tofu. The ramen is not worth the extra money as it is already pretty overcooked so putting it in the broth makes it too mushy. I will say the meat here is the best quality meat I have ever had at hotpot but it is extremely pricey for a small amount. Vegetables were fresh as well as the other ingredients. I really like it here as a way to switch it up from Chinese hotpot and because of the quality of the ingredients, but the prices here are very steep compared to every other hotpot place I have been to in Boston. After tip it was about $100 for two people and we did not feel like we ate that much, especially when it came to meat. I would come back but I have other places that I prefer more.

My favorite hot pot spot in Boston for over 15year+. We always get the kimchi broth and don katsu broth and they are both great. We end up going back because their sauces are what makes it different/special from other shabu spots. I love love love their peanut sauce (so good that i ask them for extra all the time) but their soy sauce mixed w different herbs and chili oil is amazing. If you choose a meat a plate of vegetable (napa cabbage, mushroom,corn, buckchoy, carrot and tomato comes as a default on the side) if you want extra veggies you must order it a la carte. Also included is a choice of carbs (rice, vermicelli,udon) Highly recommend their fried tofu skin and fresh tofu skin and their in house made fish paste! This place is very spacious making it great for families large and small and the staff is on point . We love that this location has parking in the back which is a plus for allston location since parking can be tough. Definitely give this place a try if you're in the area.

Amazing hotpot- the Mongolian is my favorite. Try the vegan fish and the fish paste and the quail eggs! Parking lot behind though it fills up pretty quick Be prepared to wait on weekends but worth it!

We have been going here for years but since the prices hike a few yrs ago we haven't gone here as much until tonight . I was surprised at how empty it was given a Sunday's night Father's Day. But it wasn't surprising when I saw the prices had gone up even more in the last year since we been there. $9-10 for broth outside of house broth which is included. The vegetarian delight priced at $26 which is high when other meat combo like seafood platter or single pork/chicken is either the same price or cheaper at $23. WTF???? It's the same standard vegetable selection and the same amount as before when it used to cost a lot less. Given there are so many more hotpot choices in the neighborhood with happy lamb literally a block down I understand why the prices would keep their regulars away. Flavor wise and quality still decent but cost doesn't justify it given its the same quality as before but nearly 1/3-1/2 additional price hike seems exorbitant and unjustifiable For how empty it was the service tonight was unusually lacking. We had to keep flagging staff down for broth refill, napkins and such. At least it was just as tasty as we remembered it but for that price unfortunately we will not frequent it as we used to in the past. We will continue to go to Happy lamb, Qiao Lin and spring Shabu. We will save Shabuzen for the occasional nostalgic trip which is too bad for them given how frequently we go to hotpot restaurant, once every 2-3 wks.

All time favorite hot pot spot! Parking can be tricky. Love the watermelon smoothie!!

We visited on a Friday night and the food was alright but the service was bad. The pricing was also not very clear. It seems that this place could be a good deal if you knew what things to get and what things to avoid, but we were rushed to order so we selected two broths and a couple meats. What we didn't realize is that each non-house broth costs almost $10 each even if splitting a pot, while the normal broth is free. It felt like we were scammed out of $20. The service, in addition to hurrying us at the beginning, was inattentive for the rest of our visit. The interior of the restaurant was surprisingly large, though most sections were empty. I'd suggest looking elsewhere for a good hotpot experience.

Our meal was okay, but the waiter walked out after us and demanded a higher tip! And then he hit my friend on the way out of the door AFTER I raised his tip! Completely unacceptable! Never have I been treated like this. Take your business elsewhere.

The shabu shabu dinner is always quite an experience. You get a plate of beautifully sliced cold meats, and a plate of vegetables. You also get a broth, sometimes two different flavored broths, and you dip your meat and vegetables into the broth to cook. you also have several dipping sauces to dip your food in.

My favorite hot pot hot restaurant in the Boston area. I've eaten here 3 times and always great service in a comfortable dining area. Broth is quite delicious, I prefer the house broth, although the spicy is also great. All meat, seafood and veggies are very fresh, makes for a great family meal every time.

I've tried many hot pot places and this will always be the best. Food portion and quality has never disappointed here. Fun and delicious experience. Service was good, nothing that particularly stood out.

Interesting Hotpot experience! I came here for a birthday and had a lot of fun to be your food into the different soups. Decent drink menu. Overall, the food wasn't super flavorful, but I think this may be typical of hot pot.

Hot pot is one of my favorite dining experiences. What could be better than being out with friends, cooking your own food to top chart music, drinking hot soju on a cold Boston day? I think I must've dined here at least 50 times. And Shabu-Zen never misses. An added star for free parking, making this place always easy access. Broth options are always solid, flavors are all amazing. My personal favorite combo - 1/2 kimchi & 1/2 miso. Ingredients are always fresh and cost is decent. Definitely a go-to. Adding another star for proper ventilation - you won't leave drenched in the aroma of spices and meat.

This used to be my family's go to spot for dinner, but not anymore. Tonight, they DOUBLE CHARGED our tips. We were a party of 9, so we know there would be a gratuity. However, they charged our card with an extra tip on top of the 18% gratuity already- doubling their tip. It wasn't even the waiter who charged it- it was the manager. We walked up to tell them that they overcharged us. They tried to convince us it was only $10 extra. They almost only gave back $10 until more people from the party came up to complain about it. This entire ordeal felt scammy and they did not seem that apologetic about it. Do they think their customers are dumb?

We were told that it would be a one hour and 45 minute wait for Spring Shabu Shabu and decided to come to Shabu Zen instead. Shabu Zen was my husband's favorite date night spot, so it brought back memories for us, now dining with my daughter and niece. I was quoted 20 to 30 minutes for a party of four, but the wait was really only about 10 minutes. We were seated along the bar and each diner got their own hot pot stove which the children preferred. Our waitress Jenna was very pleasant and patient. Midway through dinner, when I told her that we hadn't received our fish paste, she was quick to check on that and returned ready to serve it to us. It was the highlight of our meal and tasted like freshly made fish balls. This is a must order here! Next time, we'll order the shrimp paste too! In addition to the fish paste, we ordered the jumbo prime beef platter, seafood supreme platter, enoki mushrooms, and sauteed beef tongue. It was all very good and tasted fresh. The kids also really liked the strawberry smoothie with boba and the ice cream offerings! We look forward to returning!

Worst place in Boston. Scalp you for every item, places like this should have at least unlimited rice and noodles. 1 person will spend at least $35 just for a single meal. Quality isn't that great. Go to spring shabu shabu or happy lamb instead.

It was a cold Wednesday evening 10/5 we arrived about 730. As soon as you walk in the doors, the flavors Smack Ya Ass in the face...Whoa!! I've been to other Hot Pot restaurants but you didn't smell the aroma like Shabu! Dinner for two so we preferred a table for privacy. Went with the Surf & Turf and ordered extra Mushrooms . The other patrons recommended Mongolian Spicy so we went with that and Miso for traditional. Food & experience was excellent, the staff is attentive and can tell they work together. they have a bar, beer & wine. I'm a sucker for Martini and saw they had Lemon Drop hmmm idk what it was mixed with, That was Not It!! Clearly the wrong drink with food pairing so we both stuck to Sapporo rest of the night

Hot pot had high quality meat and pretty good number of side dishes. Surprisingly had no issue at all getting a table and the set up of the restaurant is pretty solid and traditionally styled. The meat was fresh and the vegetable quantity portion sizes were huge. They gave so many vegetables. You're likely to be extremely full getting your own, mostly from the broth. I recommend the Tom yum soup base which tasted quite accurate and wasn't too spicy or watered down. They come back to refill quite frequently. The music was kind of strange playing in the restaurant. Also, the service seemed to lack here and there when it came to being attentive on asking for the bill/check and a bit on wait time. But they were also quite busy. I think if you wanted to share one, you definitely could since you're likely to feel quite full quite quickly. The broth fills you up fast!

They have a huge dining area but there's always a fairly long wait to get seated, which is puzzling. Shabu-zen has long been a staple hotpot joint of Allston and serves up a good selection of items. They even have unique single-pot counter spaces, so if you want to eat alone, it's a good spot. However, Shabu-Zen has a TON of strong and new competition in the neighborhood: Spring Shabu, Happy Lamb, Shabu Shabu Toki. All of these places have huge hype and may cut into Shabu-Zen's throne as the Allston hotpot king. An issue is the price point, and $33 bucks for several slices of raw sliced beef doesn't seem to be worth it. Those are luxury steakhouse dining prices. Perhaps better sauces (like Happy Lamb) or more vegetables (like Spring Shabu) could help.

First hot pot experience did not disappoint! We got surf and turf. Everything was super fresh. Service was fast and good. Ask for the sesame sauce on the side! So good. We did udon noodles, which were thinner than other Udon noodles that I've had. We stuck with the house broth, which was actually really good. It comes with all the sauces and veggies. Overall, this was plenty of food for the two of us, coming to a total of $30 for 2 people. Good value and quality meat and fish for price.

Ok so if you want to try out a fun place to eat here it is, You order your food and your broth and you cook it yourself at you table. My son ordered beef and my wife and I ordered surf and turf and shared it, you pick your noodles and the fun begins , you get a couple plates of veggies and your meat is raw,It cooks really fast so you eat at your own pace and can enjoy the time with your friends and family.

I will DEFINITELY be returning to Shabu-Zen. Where do I start? Our waiter, Ze, was funny, helpful, and very attentive to my gluten allergy. He checked the menu to make sure everything we ordered was gluten free. He gave us delicious suggestions. We had the Tom Yum and Kimchi broths, which were so tasty! Unfortunately, the Sichuan broth had gluten in it, so that we couldn't have that, but I'm delighted with the two flavors we got. We also ordered a new flavor of Soju that was yogurt flavored. It was the perfect pairing with the food! Now that it's getting colder, Shabu-Zen is the perfect place to visit.

The food here judging based on taste was not bad judging based on price was not worth it. I ordered A10 which was the combo meat plate and there was a grand total of 10 pieces of meat. The jumbo plates of a singular type of meat seems to be a more worth it option. The "udon" noodles that accompanied it were not udon, they were precooked regular noodles that had been refrigerated. The texture of the noodles were melt your mouth in a bad way, because they were overcooked and mushy. I dipped them into my soup for five seconds in an effort to prevent it getting any more mushy but that was a failed effort. The primary reason why I've rated them as two stars is due to the poor service we received. I'm not sure if our server was new, having an off day, or just plain bad at her job. She didn't offer water, she brought out the wrong item multiple times for us, she checked on us infrequently (we weren't offered soup), and she messed up the orders of the parties around us as well. It was honestly just a hot mess and spoiled the dining experience.

The best place for those who like cooking soups. They have a great selection of food. You can choose two broths. Then you have the option to choose from combos that include vegetables, noodles, or rice. As well as, you can choose each product by itself without vegetables and noodles. If you like wine, I highly recommend plum wine. It is sweet but tastes amazing. You have the full experience of cooking your own meal. They have parking behind the building.

First time I went was a disaster. I asked for recommendations from the waiter and he FAILED miserable but service was good. The good was gross. 2 weeks later I went back with people who frequent and it was heaven on earth. Soooo soooo good. The trick is in the broth and knowing how to make the dipping sauce. Mongolian broth for the win. I can not wait to go back! It's filling but you do not disgustingly full. The service was not that great but I think the waiter was just not for it. #HotPotForTheWin

If you are craving hot pot this is the place to go!! It's great every time I go! Service is helpful & very attentive. Options for hot pot include plenty of meats, seafood & tons of veggie options! Tons of different broths to choice from, everything from mild to extra spicy.

My friend and I came on a weekday evening for dinner. It was pretty crowded, so we had to wait 10 minutes to be seated. We ordered the meat combo and takoyaki. The meat combo came with various vegetables, which was great! Both meats were very flavorful and delicious!! I really liked the enoki mushrooms with the house broth. The takoyaki was a lot chewier than I was used to and it wasn't as flavorful as I had hoped. It almost seemed that the outer dough wasn't fully cooked. The waiter wasn't very attentive. We ended up waiving down another waiter to order the takoyaki after we finished our meat combo, and to get us the check. Overall, we had a good time would come back again for dinner.

Shabu-Zen was a great choice for hot pot! We were seated immediately and served quickly. This restaurant gets very busy so they try their best to get you in and out. The food was delicious and if it weren't for the messy center in the room, I would give them 5 stars. I love that they have the air conditioner on because it does get hot inside. I ordered the Surf and Turf with beef and Tom Yum broth. The broth was very spicy but so good. My fiancé had the Szechuan broth which was phenomenal but also very spicy. The service was so fast! Another thing, they had Ikezo sake which is my favorite jelly sake drink (it's so hard to find)! I was very pleased with my visit.

I have a friend who eats out more than I do If such a thing is even possible. I told him to surprise me, and surprise me he did! I admit that this is my first time experiencing Hot Pot, still despite the price I was a blow away not only by the food but also by the service. Though I had the chance to try a sample of the mushroom broth, I went with the Chinese Spicy (Mongolian style). Nothing wrong with the mushroom, but the pleasant heat of the Mongolian just hit the right spot. The broth was extremely pleasant and perfect for cooking and bringing everything together. Setting aside their many other options absolutely would get again. With the condiments, by themselves, they were fairly unremarkable, but mixing them all together (as is recommended) made an amazing and flavorful dipping sauce. A little sweet, a little heat, some saltiness, and of course savoriness! For meat, I got the short rib. It cooked extremely quickly in the boiling broth. The combination of sauce with meaty and fatty parts when cooked to a medium-rare made an incredible combination. I also got the Udon Noodles as the starchy element. the way it's meant to be is for the noodles to be warmed up on the broth, and then added back to the bowl with the broth, making a sort of soup. The spicy broth made a wonderful contrast to the udon, and with meat and veggies, it was even better. My only regret is slurping them down too soon! Other veggies are nothing to write home about, although I would have liked a little more tofu, as after some cooking in the broth it was divine! Yes, I realize it's on the expensive side, and you all know how much I care about value. Still, it was our server, Mark who made a great experience amazing. Mark explained the menu very well and starting off allowed me the opportunity to try a little mushroom broth. Throughout the dinner, he guiding and helping with the experience with how best to enjoy everything, including sauces, short rib, and noodles! The location was very spacious and clean!

One of our favorite hot pot spots that we take family to as well. Always consistent service and food. Definitely get the Tom yum broth and spicy sichuan broth. They are our favorites.

Excellent! Nice dining room and bar. Great hot pot experience. Menu is a bit overwhelming but Ze our waiter was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. A bit different than the typical ala cart experience. Definitely would return. Crowd is mix of families, students and office types.

This was my first hot pot experience and it was delicious!! Friendly and informative staff, clean atmosphere, and reasonable prices. I don't know how much other hot pot places typically charge, but I wasn't surprised by their prices.. it was pretty much what I expected. Pretty good!! Will go again!

Have no fear, Shabu-Zen is here! What a great spot (located in the heart of Allston), surrounded by so many great boba, and Asian dessert places to go after your meal here. Shabu Zen is a staple in the Allston area for anyone who is craving hot pot. The moment you step into the restaurant, you will smell a beautifully symphony of aromas around you - it smells AMAZING, you gotta trust me on this. There are different sets that you can get (ie. Different cuts of beef or pork belly, seafood, etc) which each comes with a platter of vegetables, uncooked noodles, and sauces. I thought portion sizes were a wee bit small for what you get. I really hate how you have to pay for the broth too... it's around $4 for the broth itself and feel like this should just come with the meat sets... since you're at a hotpot place - only makes sense. And would rather much prefer that the hot pots were individualized rather than the shared ones, especially during Covid times. However, I understand that they can't make massive changes to their grills without dropping a ton of extra money. After dining in some of the other shabu places in the area, Shabu-Zen is on the pricier side and it's definitely a lot easier to fill yourself up quicker at one of the other AYCE shabu establishments around. But I think Shabu-Zen is a solid choice for larger groups (especially during Covid) and it's a good place that always has space since they have a HUGE dining area. The food here is solid and you can't go wrong with shabu-zen in terms of food quality and service (seriously... there's nothing wrong with this place aside from the semi-high prices for shabu). But after seeing what else is around and seeing how there are so many other affordable and cheaper Shabu options, don't think I will go out of my way to dine here again.

Our favorite hotpot place in Boston area. Expensive but absolutely worth it. We go here regularly.

You have to wait awhile on weekend nights for this place. Pretty crowded and parking can be difficult even though they do have a lot behind the restaurant it gets filled up fast. Prices are reasonable but it definitely will not be a cheap meal. Good quality food, prices are up there with meat portion size a little small for what they charge. There are a lot of soup flavor options here compared to some others I've been to. I would go here if you're looking for a restaurant big enough for big groups/dates and good hot pot if you don't mind the wait/the prices compared to some other hotpot restaurants.

The food isn't fresh, and pretty expensive. The restaurant force us to pay 18% tips, even the waiter literally did nothing, we have to cook the food by ourselves.

We went to spring shabu shabu first and was told to wait for 2 hours. So we searched on yelp and opted to this place. We waited for 45 minutes to be seated. Everything was okay, not very authentic though. No sauce station, only soy sauce. Meat was cut too thick, not tender enough after cooking. Portion was small. 4 pieces of taro for $4? 3.5 okra for $4? Service was slow. Our waitress believed we didn't order enough so we ordered more and ended up with too much food. Overall an okay place. Won't revisit though.

Food wasn't something to write home about but the service was the WORST !!! Ask her questions about the menu she was annoyed, after we ordered n food came out didn't see our waitress again, had to flag someone down to order more food n more water...after we were done eating we had to flag someone down again for more water and had to ask for our bill cuz our waitress was sitting at the bar talking n laughing with her co-worker...didn't have a very good experience at all n for it being our first time I'm sure to say that was our LAST time also...pricey food for poor service NO THANKS...

What a fantastic experience! Tbh, we initially went to Spring Shabu Shabu and because they were at capacity, we came here. And I'm very glad that we did. We were promptly seated at a table. Our server kindly explained all their combos, how the process works and our food was ready in minutes. She also offered us green tea which is complimentary. We ordered two broths (Thai Tom Yum, spicy Chinese Mongolian) and the vegetarian delight platter. All this was for $22 for two and we still had leftovers. Coming back to the food, there was so much variety in that platter - taro, pumpkin, greens, bok choy, yam noodles, mushrooms, etc. Both broths were spiced well, hot and tasty. You also get a choice of noodles or rice. We got the udon and it was cooked well. The food comes with a side of sauces - peanut sauce, Thai chili sauce and soy sauce that you can adjust to your liking with garlic, scallions, shrimp paste, etc. Everything was amazing. It was great to see that each food item had a distinct flavor profile. Everytime you dipped your veggie in a different sauce, you would end up with a different result but all delicious. Since we couldn't finish our food, we packed up the leftovers in our containers and ordered some dessert to counter the hot broths. We got a Hana sake (lychee) and a small scoop of ice cream. They were kind enough to split it between two flavors, green tea and red bean. Both were great. However, they served it with plastic spoons which really doesn't fit in with the restaurant. I hope they switch over to something reusable! All in all, we had a great experience. We could sit back and enjoy our meal, we never felt rushed. I would be back in a heart beat!

I love hot pot and forgot to take photos of everything because I was too busy grubbing! When you sit down you will see them pour the soy sauce into a dish for you; then you can add fresh garlic, scallions, fresh chili peppers, and B.B.Q. paste they provide. Delicious, but not everyone will like the sauce. We had a big party there sat night for my nephews birthday. We've been to this location plenty of time and ordering food was not difficult. We had lots of apps, gyoza, spicy edamame, sashimi, baby clams, beef tongue, and seaweed salad. All were good and would recommend for anyone! Broth we had regular and Tom yum broth. We ordered a1 jumbo, bone marrow, beef tripe, beef balls, salmon, veggies, udon noodles, rice, and ramen. Overall, this place never lets me down. There's a variety of things to choose from to cater to anyone from vegetarian to carnivores. Drinks here are delicious, I forgot to mention the watermelon smoothie w Bobo is good. I ordered there lychee martini and it was a missed that night. It's ok, because food was still good there. Shoutout to our waitress the Thai lady we always talk in Thai/Laotian and she always remembers us. She's so nice and sweet.

Favorite hotpot place! Favorite broth is Malaysian spicy. But honestly all their broth are good. Meat is very fresh. Their udon noodles are nice and thin. Love their a1, short rib, fish paste, ton toro pork and stuffed balls ! They do have a parking lot in the back.

Shabu-Zen will satisfy all of your shabu cravings. Located in Allston's Asian restaurant corridor, it is the ideal location to explore new and unique flavors. My girlfriend and I picked Shabu-Zen because it had amazing yelp reviews, and we were in the mood for something warm on a rainy, cold day in Boston. The restaurant itself is stunning; there are multiple dining sections with huge capacity, so this is a destination for group outings. The menu itself is ala-carte, so you pick everything from broths to meats to veggies. We opted for the meat combo with beef and pork slices with the addition of a few healthy portions of extra veggies. We also got spam, quail eggs, and ramen noodles. We both ordered the Tom yum broth for something warming but also not too spicy. The raw food was brought out within five minutes, and we got to start cooking and eating rather quickly! I am very happy with the quality meats and veggies at this Shabu restaurant and would highly recommend it to anyone in the area! Come check them out!

This place has great service. The waiters were very friendly and they refilled our waters frequently. There were many different options available, but I tried the seafood platter with beef, vermicelli and chicken broth. The chicken broth was extremely flavorful and overall the food was amazing. Would highly recommend this hot pot location.

Go to the one in Chinatown, Boston instead. This location used the be one of my go to hot pot place in Boston but after the last two visits, I will not be coming back. The food quality has gone down the hill. The sautéed beef tongue was chewy and over cooked. The baby clam came in a thick cold sauce which too much corn starch or tapioca starch was used. Both of these appetizers, which used to be good, were just poorly executed during our last two visits. I thought we had an off night but two in a row sealed the deal. Both the broths we selected were watered down, the Chinese herbal ($4) and the spicy Mongolian ($6). Broth alone costed $10.00 mind you we haven't even ordered the meat and seafood sets yet. If the broth is not made well, it doesn't matter how good the vegetables and meat or seafood was. Highly disappointed. The service was slow and we had to remind our waitress of basics like water and utensils. This placed used to be good. I am not sure what happened. I will be going to their location in Chinatown instead. Or Kaze In Chinatown or Happy Lamb Hot Pot in Cambridge instead.

It has a neat dining room yet the food is really average. I came here thinking that maybe I could get a special broth or lamb meat. I wind up with an average lunch. You could literally have the same meal even better than this if you purchase some hotpot base online...

Loved my dining experience at shabu-zen! Would definitely recommend. Note that this is a la carte and not all you can eat. The food: What really made this meal were the broths. We got the Chinese mala spicy broth, and Chinese herbs for a mix of spicy and non spicy. The broths came in one big pot with a divider. The flavors absolutely will not mix in the pot. The meal also came with some dipping sauces, garlic, scallions, etc. Between four people, we got jumbo portions of beef (I believe ribeye), lamb, seafood platter, and tofu appetizer. Each of the main meats came with a full plate of assorted vegetables and choice of noodles between vermicelli, rice, and udon. My favorite was the vermicelli because it really soaks in the flavor of the broth. The beef and lamb were delicious, cooked in seconds. The seafood platter was not worth it, personally, considering the cost relative to the amount of food. Hotpot is best shared with friends, so be sure to go in a big group! The space: Very spacious restaurant, moderate amount of noise. Obviously casual. Clean and a good experience. Service: Pretty prompt and nice. Standard, no complaints. The wait: Not bad for Friday dinner, maybe 15 min. We had to wait for everyone to be present in order to be seated. All in all, a great experience. If you like hotpot, give it a try.

Open late. Great spot for Hot Pot. PROS: The parking lot in back, although small, is clutch if you come here on Thurs, Fri or Saturday nights. Street parking in the area is a nightmare on busy nights. The hot pot is good. Did veggies, beef, pork, and seafood combo. Would have liked shrimp and more scallops. Most stuff on the seafood combo wasn't to my liking. I did enjoy the meats and the Tom Yum broth. Staff is attentive. The overall experience was great. I ordered a beer, which I was happy with. The waitress steered us away from the "Hello Kitty" martini drink, which we thought we'd get just for the kitschy factor... like how hipsters drink PBR. Thankfully she suggested a better drink, citing that thing was not very good at all. ha. CONS: If that parking lot is full, good luck hunting for a spot. Our meal felt a bit on the expensive side, given you cook it all yourself.