Shabumi

This place was fun! They did have a wait but it was Saturday night. They had a great selection at the salad bar including seafood! The broth is bland, at least the chicken one. But there are tons of sauces and kimchi to add. And if you mix the broth with soy it’s less bland. Everything at the salad bar was very fresh. There was seafood, veggies, sushi rolls, several types of noodles and mushrooms. See pictures. However, the mochi was frostbit and expired 🙁 It’s pricey, $30 for lunch and $40 for dinner but it’s all you can eat meat and salad bar! They will bring you more broth too if needed. And they serve the meat with rice. Plus they had half off alcoholic drinks from 8 pm to close. I would eat there again 😋

I had the hot pot soup and it was delicious, and all you can eat. Only problem is it gets smokey with the grill right in front of you and the smoke from the tables around you. Other than that, it's really good

First time here and no disappointment. The food is amazing!. I wasn't expecting to have to cook my own food, but definitely, a great experience. The service is great! The staff moves fast for sure. On the high end of prices but definitely worth it.

Absolutely overpriced and very bad service. Our table was seperated when we reserved a table for 8 after waiting an extra 30 minutes. The food was small portions and mediocre at best!! Don’t even get me started on the waitresses who were extremely disrespectful and did not help us at all. TERRIBLE! My friend had precisely one bite of rice and they charged her 40$!!! When I asked him how he knew that he said that he recorded our table??!!! Like what!???? Absolutely unacceptable.

Expensive. Slow and inattentive service. Meat was not fresh nor tasty. If you like the hotpot here then you haven’t really had a good hotpot. You are missing out. You really need to know to how mix the soup with other spices unlike other hotpot restaurants where the soup is already mixed with flavorful spices. I think my wife liked it but me and the kids didn’t and we had KBB before that was much better.

This is an experience I've been searching for! Emotions aside. I was seated quickly, I was served my beverage quickly, I was checked on often. Menu chosen for visit: Salad bar only Many vegetables to pick from 3 different types of Mushrooms - Wood ear, trumpet, and king 6 different types of noodles 2 different broths(miso / tomato) Tofu! Plenty of tofu! A bunch of side pairings and sauces Taste of the miso was missing some umph, but can be amazing with some radish, chilies, pepper sauce and garlic 😤so darn good. Had ate way too much for 30 bucks. Will be back.

I am all about the service and the cleanliness of the restaurant which they do a good job of here! Each table has a button by it on the wall, the staff always comes within 1 minute of me pressing the button, they are really polite and helpful, they always make sure that we are doing alright! They have a good selection of vegetables, meat and sauces! They also have some pre-cooked food but most of it has been sitting there for a while, the noodles are all stuck together. The quality of meat is great! They have a meat slicing machine, you can see how they cut your meat and it is fresh! You can see their good service from the last picture, there was an elderly couple outside waiting for their seat, the staff brought out a heat lamp to keep them warm while they were waiting, it was really sweet of them! However I still think this place is a little too pricey that’s why I gave them 4 stars instead of 5.

It was a very pricey meal just for someone to bring out food and wash the dishes. I was hoping for quality hotpot food, but it was very disappointing. Meats were thinly sliced with great presentation. 7 beef selections, half of them were edible and half way decent, but the rest were awful. The beef brisket tasted rotten!! Please don't pick the brisket. I tried both beef bone and the original broths, and they were BLAND and lack of salt. If you want soy sauce, you have to go get it. There was an area where they put different sauces for you to "make your own delicious broth." That area was so dirty you could only wish you brought your own soy sauce. It was a rainy day, and they put buckets throughout the restaurant to catch the water. The floor was slippery and so if you bring your 90 year old grandmother here, be sure that she wears her non-slip shoes. My recommendations for this store are as follows: improve the quality of meat, maintain a clean bathroom, deep clean the floor and remove grease, defrost the meat/fishballs/clams at the salad bar beforehand, provide individual/unique sauces at each table... Otherwise, great service.

First time trying hot pot and I am IN LOVE. The food was fantastic!!!! so flavorful so good, you can change your level of spiciness. You can add more seasonings if you want to. There is so many options. It's buffet style so you grab your food and you bring it back to your table. The only thing they bring you is your drinks and your meats. You're allowed to order three meats at a time. The service was excellent. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. The ambience was cute. It had like a Korean barbecue feel which you can also have Korean barbecue if you want to or hot pot. I really like that concept because sometimes family members don't want to have hot pot but some want to have Korean barbecue and everyone has their own grill. I love the whole concept. Just keep in mind. The price is higher on weekends and on holidays. It is a set rate because it's all you can eat. Come hungry!! I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

I love the fact that you can either choose to do bbq or hotpot. But I am disappointed that you can't do both. You have to chose one vs the other. For an AYCE place, I'm not sure what benefit the restaurant has for not offering both at the same time. The food quality is good. The meat and accompaniments were all fresh. The hot food bar is surprisingly delicious. Usually with these types of places, the hot food is just a filler until you cook the food so restaurants aren't motivated to make it good. It is however, a bit pricier than other AYCE in the area. But if you have people in the party who want bbq and others who wants hot pot, this is the place for you. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is that the ventilation system isn't great. The black smoke from next table kept wafting into our faces instead of being sucked into a vent like other KBBQ places. I really hope they invest in a better vent system.

Weekends tend to be busier but weekdays, you can get seats right away. It's great when you can't decide if you want kbbq or hotpot so what do you do? Come here for the best of both worlds. The staff is very attentive. You don't feel rush. They will come by and ask to change your grills. There's a button if you need to ask them for something. Great selection of proteins for both. There's also a bar full of veggies, seafood, meat skewers, and noodles. There's also a hot bar and sauce bar. Great for a group outing. Located in a shopping center, there's never any problem with parking. Also, they offer a discount on their alcohol all day. There's also lunch menu and happy hour menu.

Love the idea of AYCE Shabu Shabu and AYCE Korean BBQ in the same place. The selection of meat is decent but the sides are limited for the KBBQ not like the other spots. The Shabu option is ok, you get 1 broth and it costs extra to change. I got the sukiyaki and it was really sweet so be aware! The meats from the Shabu were nice and thin sliced and cooked quick! The Shabu toppings bar was stocked pretty well. The price is a little above average $42, I like the fact you can share with someone that gets KBBQ if you get the shabu. Nothing I tried really wowed me. Plenty of seating not good for bigger groups of 5-6 ppl. I give it 3.5 stars in honesty.

Ohhh EmmmmGeee. How did I not know about this place sooner!! The best of both worlds. Korean BBQ and Hot pot. Did I mention AYCE!! We ordered both and shared. The items on the hot pot bar were delicious and such a great variety. They also have all the ban chan and seafood options. I think my mom ate about 10lbs worth of clams

My friends and I went here this afternoon for the second time and I forgot how good it was! We went as soon as they opened to prevent there being any wait time for seating or getting our orders. Everything in the restaurant was clean and the tables were already prepared upon arrival. We quickly ordered our drinks and food before heading over to the sides & sauce bar. Having AYCE meat, sauce, and sides is great value for the price despite the prices raising a few dollars in the last few months.

This place is amazing! If you're dining with someone else you don't have to pick hot pot or kbbq. You can have one of each! We got the hot pot and I loved all the sides and sauces that were available. Sadly, the bone/pork broth is pretty flavorless. The service is definitely more than 5 stars! Our server helped explain some items on the menu and the staff was very attentive on refills/cleaning our table. My other favorite thing about this place is you can order 3 meats per person instead of the whole table.

This is my 2nd time here. The 1st time was a whole different experience since it was during Covid. So I'm basing it off this experience which was pretty good. The waiter was really nice and attentive. They have an all day HH for drinks 50% off which is pretty cool. They have the option of either hot pot or kbbq for $40/person for dinner which I think is pretty steep compared to OC or other nearby spots. I say pretty steep because the flavorings/options could be better for that price. My party of 3 did a combination of hot pot and kbbq. There was a small selection of meats for kbbq and an even smaller selection of meats for hot pot that you had to order with a waiter. Everything else such as seafood, vegetables, noodles, or condiments were out in an open self serve bar. I got the house special broth and it was pretty plain but no worries I just used condiments from the bar to spruce it up and it tasted just fine. We only did 1 round of meats and getting up for the bar before getting full. Pretty fun concept to have the best of both worlds.

We love coming here because at 1 table we can have either the All you can eat Korean BBQ or the All You Can Eat Hot pot Style . They have a great selection for your Broth to choose from for your Hot Pot , and a good quality meats for your Korean bbq to grill . My wife and I always choose their Hot Pot while my Son chooses the BBQ grill. This is all you can eat Buffet. You order your meat all you-can eat from your server and they also have a section where you can stand up and get your veggies, some meat, noodles, Seafood, your sides and condiments. This place is Fun, you cook your own Hot Pot or Grill your BBQ. Great spot for Family and Friends to enjoy a Hotpot or Korean BBQ and hang out together.

The girlfriend was craving hot pot so we made the hour drive to San Diego because this place has great reviews. I am not a hot pot person so it's a good thing they had the option for AYCE bbq. They have a self serve bar, so you can get pork belly, or different sides and rice, etc. Service was very nice but be careful of dinner prices lol. Other than that, YUMMMM!

Can't decide between AYCE hotpot or Yakiniku? Hit this place up! One person can get hotpot and the other person can get yakiniku and share. PRICES for BBQ & Hotpot Lunch $29.99 (Monday to Friday, 12-3 PM) Children 5-12 years old - shared with adult $12 child's own $16 Dinner $39.99 Children 5-12 years old - shared with adult $17 child's own $21 If your child doesn't eat that much sharing is fine. But if they eat a decent amount the few extra dollars is worth it. They get their own pot or grill. My kids like the miso soup and I like the beef bone soup. You order the raw meat from the server. If you order BBQ you get unlimited rice, spicy tofu soup, beef pain soup, and steamed egg. **If you only want BBQ I would go somewhere else that just focuses on Yakiniku BBQ. There are cheaper Yakiniku BBQ places. If someone in your party wants hotpot and bbq this is a great place! Another perk of getting BBQ is you have your own grill. It may be small but you can be your own cook which the kids love :) There are different seafood, vegetables, noodles and appetizers available for you to grab on your own. PARKING Free, own lot and good amount of parking. SERVICE Courteous and attentive. There's a button to call the server over. My whole family enjoys coming here. It's usually me that wants hot pot and yakiniku. It's the only place I know that offers both of the options.

I was pretty skeptical at first, especially because when seated, there was a bug in my salt/sauce tin for my KBBQ. I do understand this can happen anywhere and is more frequent but just initial impression, it rubbed my appetite the wrong way (hence the -1 star). HOWEVER, I did like that this place can provide you with KBBQ/HotPot all in one. When I came with my boyfriend, he actually wanted hotpot where I was craving KBBQ. I think this place does a great job at handling both types of foods - the warmers are pretty small but it's fitting for each person at the table. Meats were pretty okay, I only wish there were more options for KBBQ lovers like myself - only steamed egg, a tofu option and rice. Versus a whole selection for the hotpot lovers. Staff were pretty attentive, especially when it comes to changing grills if you're eating KBBQ! Wouldn't mind coming again... hopefully there isn't a bug next time.

What do you do when you want KBBQ but your wife wants hot pot shabu shabu? You come to Shabumi where each member of your party gets to choose between bbq or hot pot. This was our 2nd time here and my wife loves getting to have affordable hotpot while I get to eat bbq. The bbq meats are definitely cut thicker than the shabu shabu. The only downside is if you keep ordering the same meat over and over again, the quality of it worsens. So the first couple orders are tender and great quality, over time more tough and chewy. My wife loves the recommended kombu broth and adds hot sesame chili oil and green onion from the bar to it. The self serve protein seafood veggies sides bar is pretty extensive. Parking can get a little tight at times in the crowded lot but never had any problems.

Maybe I came at the wrong time (towards the end of the day), but this place was just okay to me. The sauce bar was sticky -- the bottles, the serving spoons, everything. The veggie/AYCE bar didn't look very appealing. The veggies were fine, but the other offerings didn't look very fresh and seemed like they've been sitting out since opening. I got the hot pot, and the chicken broth wasn't as flavorful as I hoped. The meat that they offer is also just okay. Maybe my standards are really high because I typically go to hot pot spots that aren't AYCE so the quality is better.

What makes Shabumi stand out from other hot pot spots is that they offer AYCE KBBQ AND AYCE hot pot. My husband opted for hot pot, I got KBBQ. The options are endless here. Large variety of protein and vegetable options. The servers were very attentive and made sure we had a great experience. The restaurant is very clean and spacious. I love the sauce bar. Favorite go to proteins are beef belly and brisket. I love how the portions aren't huge. Helps with food waste and give customers the chance to try other options.

Definitely got our money's worth! My husband and I came here for our April date day/my birthday celebration. We absolutely love the food, service and ambiance. The servers were very friendly. The food was delicious. And there is just so much food. I love the fact that each dinner can choose their own experience-hot pot or BBQ. Did I mention how much food you get?! Definitely going to be our go-to spot.

I had the lunch ayce Korean bbq instead of hot pot. Service was awesome! However, limited selections of meat... I had a favorite kbbq restaurant before but they closed shop when Zion relocated. I still can't help but comparing Shabumi to the other place.

Parking- lots of free parking in the lot Ambience- great for groups of 4-6 folks, we walked in on a Friday night and were seated immediately. Food- it's all you can eat Korean bbq OR hot pot! One or the other so it super cool of you come here with at least a partner so you guys can share or split. Otherwise , the whole party gets to choose whatever they like and they get their own personal pot/cooker. Such a fun and good tasty experience. Service is also super attentive and they constantly come around with water refills and changing your pot or grills. 10/10 would highly recommend!

We came here yesterday after searching on Yelp for some shabu eats because bf's dad was craving shabu and we were down in SD for Father's Day. At first we thought this was both shabu and kbbq, but turns out it is only your choice of one or the other. No worries! We were so hungry, and it was really hard to choose! But all 3 of us went with the shabu option because we wanted to be able to eat lots of veggies too. Okay, onto the service. We arrived close to 2pm - maybe it was after the lunch rush, but we were seated right away. Service was always very quick - they have a call button and the servers were always fast to cater to our needs. They would remember our orders and bring our meats to us very quickly. Each person is allowed 3 meats each time. And of course, veggies and condiments are self serve - weekend menu came with seafood and japchae items as well. All were very delish. I wish I took more photos of the food and the self serve stations but we were seriously way too hungry and well, we had other priorities. AKA filling our tummies full of AYCE food haha. I do want to come back and try their kbbq option as the meat from the grill from other tables smelled really good as well. Definitely a good find on my boyfriend's part - and a huge thank you to the staff for an amazing first experience for us. Can't wait for our next visit back here!

Considering this was my first hot pot experience, I may just not be doing it right. I was unsure what to order and I think I may just not be a fan of the sukiyaki broth that I selected to cook my food. The menu said it's a soy sauce based broth and considering that I'm someone who loves dousing my Asian food in soy sauce, I thought it would be a good choice. It ended up being too sweet though and I think I would have done better with the beef bone or chicken soup base. I asked the waiter for recommendations on the type of meat I should try as I don't like fatty meats and ended up liking the eye of round the most. It was fun picking out different noodle types from the salad bar to complete my meal. While they do offer just the salad/noodle bar and a couple vegetarian soup bases, my vegetarian boyfriend wasn't super impressed.

This place was meh, pretty disappointed in it. First time trying and our party of 3 did a mixture of kbbq and hotpot. Both hotpot broths were ok. The original had a bit more flavor, the beef bone soup base could best be described as hot water. Service was attentive at the table and we were constantly being asked if we wanted to order more meats. The salad bar had limited items and stuff that I wanted was constantly unfilled and not available. Small tables that were so close to each other the backs of our chairs were touching the next tables.

We had our Thanksgiving Dinner here, our daughter chose this place. Service was top notch, there is even a button to call the wait staff. Food was good...Hubby and I chose Shabu Shabu and at least we didn't enjoy it because the food was so hot and the broth had no flavor but we made do. The K BBQ was a much better choice, our daughter had this. Her meats were super tender and flavorful. The floor is typical of a K BBQ joint...slippery, so be careful when walking. We'll probably skip this place when we return to SD

Such great service and yummy hot pot. We never have had to wait very long. They are always prompt in bringing more meat.

5 stars for AYCE 5 stars for easy parking 5 stars for service There were 4 of us that came for an early Saturday dinner. We placed our name on the waitlist table out front and we were called back within 5 mins. We sat at a table near the front door which is next to windows that had the blazing sun coming in and also the cold breeze when the doors opened/closed. The menu was pretty extensive and for $40 AYCE you can get a good amount of food! You can choose KBBQ or hot pot. If you have 2 or more ppl, I recommend someone in your party to get at least 1 of each so you can try each others food There is a salad bar area with meats for hot pot. Sauce area and sides. The employees came around like clockwork. Kudos to this team for coming around often to check on our party. We ordered the one per person meats first (NY, Ribeye, and Short Rib). What we didn't know is how huge there were. There are straight up whole meats from Vons or local grocery store. They were almost as big as your grill. You need to season them well and there wasn't enough salt or pepper on the table. These 3 meats filled you up so suggest ordering the smaller meats first. The cuts were also too thick. The scissors provided were super dull and my fingers were hurting trying to cut the meats. There were no knives so we stuck with our chop sticks and scissors. After the 3 steaks I was pretty full and tired from cooking and cutting my meats. We did try other meats like bulgogi, galbi, pork belly, and others. All the meats started tasting the same after a while so get different sauces. The concept is amazing and the amount of food you get is a great deal. But cooking my own food with dull utensils... pass. Thus the 3 stars... PS - 2 hour limit for dining.

My friend and I have been to this place twice. She always wants KBBQ, I always want hotpot. In theory, this would be the best place for us to go. The pros: The meat selection and veggies are great. I'm happy with the choices you have for both the BBQ side and hotpot side. The cons: For the KBBQ, there are not as many options for sides as there are at primarily KBBQ restaurants. It'd be great to have more KBBQ style sides to choose from. For the hotpot, the broths are extremely lackluster, flavorless, and it's very difficult to get them seasoned appropriately. I've tried the sukiyaki, tomato, and chicken broth. The sukiyaki is way too sweet. The tomato "broth" is essentially unseasoned boiled tomato and blended in water then thrown in a pot. The chicken broth was the best option, however it was still very watery. Imagine a gallon of water and one and a half spoons of chicken bullion- if that. Everything in the restaurant tastes diluted, especially the sauces used for the hotpot. Ex; the ponzu and vinegar seems like they're cut with water to make it go farther. It takes twice the amount of everything to even remotely taste seasoned. My only saving grace for flavor the second time around was the spicy soup sauce, however I don't prefer my hotpot spicy. But, I'd rather have my broth seasoned than to be watered down. I've been to quite a few hotpot places and if you're looking for just hotpot- don't come here. Kanpai BBQ & Shabu and Liuyishou have MUCH more flavorful broths, non-diluted sauce bars, a better dining experience, and actually worth $40 a person. It's nice to have the option of soup or KBBQ, but the broth is the most important part of hotpot. So it's really a bummer this place is not very tasty.

Came for dinner earlier this evening (Saturday). There were 6 parties ahead of us but the wait wasn't long. I think it could also be that some parties had put their name on the waiting list but decided to leave. The meats here aren't quality, but I like the concept of the restaurant. You can dine with others in your party and choose shabu while someone else chooses to have bbq, or vice versa. I can't think of any other restaurant in SD that offers this concept. Meats and drinks are ordered with the server; everything else is self-served: veggies, seafood, noodles, hot food items, sauce bar, etc.. the quality of the meats aren't the best, but weren't horrible. The hubby got the BBQMi and I got the Shabumi and we both got to try both, so that was pretty cool. Idk if I would return. I'm indifferent.

Came here for dinner with my family. Called in and they said the wait was going to be about 45 min-1 hr, but when we got there we ended up only waiting probably less than 15 minutes. It was the perfect place to go to since we were on the fence about getting hot pot or kbbq. Service was great. The workers were very accommodating for our party which I appreciated. I like that they have the individual pots/grills for you and I also like the sauce bar that they have. Beef belly was really good. They don't have too much of the typical banchan that kbbq usually has, but they do have fish cakes and japchae.

Food was good but the service was much better. Our first time at hot pot. It was busy for a Saturday evening (around 7 pm) but still got seated within 30 minutes. Inside was busy and a bit noisy and generally clean for kbbq. Food details- meat was good quality; fish balls for hot pot was average (there were 6 different types but they all tasted the same); japchae was average and lacked sweet / salty flavor. Definitely recommend because you have your own cooking grill.

Our server Mimi is absolutely amazing! She's incredibly attentive, super courteous, and made our dining experience even better. We love coming here because it's the best of both worlds--KBBQ and hotpot in one spot! This place is always our top choice when my friends and I are craving both. Highly recommend!

This place gets busy. It has a typical Korean BBQ semi modern feel. It's a combo all you can eat Korean bbq and hot pot place. Call buttons at each table, and the staff is prompt and makes sure you get any meats you need quickly. Meat quality is better than your average AYCE place, sauces are good, and the choices to add to hot pot plentiful. A better value for lunch at $30 a person, but I felt satisfied at the $40 dinner price. If you go with someone, consider having one person get the hot pot and the other the bbq so you get to try everything. Bottom line: solid, but not blow you away.

I've seen more and more shabu & kbbq places open up, but what makes Shabumi different is that every person has their own personal burner in front of their seat! If you're eating with someone else, one person can order kbbq and the other can order shabu aka y'all get the best of the both worlds! Also, each person can order up to 3 different types of meat at a time. Selection of meat was great, sides are like a buffet style including the sauces, and only a few items you would ask the waiter for (e.g., rice, steamed egg, soup). Highly recommend this place!

Such a cool spot to eat at with friends and family, and what's even more cool is that you can choose to eat either hot pot or Korean bbq. Each person gets their own stove top so you cook your own food :) I chose hot pot and was very happy with the selection of meats, veggies, seafood, noodles, and sauces to choose from. My soup was extra tasty after adding a variety of different sauces into it. Prices are pretty standard and cost more on the weekends. I went on a Saturday around lunchtime and the wait was a little under 5 minutes. Located in a shopping center so there is plenty of parking. I will be coming back again soon :)

The hot pot is great here. Everything is brought to your table quickly. There is a buffet table with fresh vegetables to add to your soup. It is all you can eat. Very reasonable. This is in a strip mall. There is ample parking. The staff is professional. We were seated quickly, a party of 11 so we made a reservation. Worth the drive to Clairmont.

We came for dinner last night (3 people) and really enjoyed our experience! We were seated after a 15-20 minute wait, when we walked in around 6:30pm on a Thursday evening. There were about 5 parties before us. I love that you have the choice to do either Korean bbq (grill) or hot pot (soup) and they both cost the same ($40). I find this setup to be more hygienic and less wasteful. Gone are the days you're dipping your chopsticks into the same communal soup or sharing a messy grill with others. You customize for the exact meal you want. Also because this is all you can eat, you can choose to get extra of the stuff you love and none of the stuff you don't. Of course it's ideal to come when you have a ravenous appetite so you can try more for ya moneyyy Staff was attentive and for a self-serve business the restaurant was very clean! There were so many options in terms of sauces to mix, Korean cold dishes to enjoy (jap chae, fish cake, kimchi were all pretty good) and a frozen section where you can grab everything from raw seafood to dumplings to fresh vegetables to cook at the table. It's the small things - i appreciated that the bok choi and the cabbage leaves were really tender, not wilted, and the seafood was clean and tasty. Highly recommend plenty of parking in a shared lot. Boba nearby in case your wait is long.

I really loved all the options they had here. The portions are great so you can try a lot of different cuts. The staff was very attentive and everything tasted great. I would definitely come back here. I like how everyone can hand their choice of bbq or shabu shabu.

I would give this place 5 stars if it wasn't for the service miscommunication. Also the tofu soup didn't taste good. Not worth the wait that I experienced it would've complimented the main dish. This place was recommended to have a family meal for our visit and our experience was good everyone left with happy faces. Can't go wrong with ayce and choose either shabu shabu or bbq. Would I try this place again? YES!

Yummy yummy in my tummy! Combine Koran bbq and shabu shabu and you get Shabumi! This is Korean bbq meets shabu shabu Shabu shabu and Korean bbq baby Korean bbq/shabu shabu hybrid Ok you get the point. Glad we came to this place, I loved the set up. Kinda like Korean bbq but buffet style, shabu shabu buffet style! There's a 2 part menu. One for shabu shabu and one for Korean bbq. If you pick the shabu shabu you pick your soup base, you pick your meats and then slide to the buffet section for all your veggies and other goodies. If you pick Korean bbq same deal, but you get a grill to cook your meats on. The buffet section is WELL well stocked with veggies, additional meats and sea food. All the Korean bbq little sides and plenty of plates in different sizes! Off to the side there is a bar with every imaginable sauce you can think of for dipping or adding to your soup base for additional flavor. It is all you can eat though they still have a fee for left overs to discourage people from ordering too much. If it's so great why 4 starts? Well my friends... there was quite the wait. I will give some thumbs up to the restaurant because on a very cold evening they placed outdoor heaters for people waiting on a table. A+ for that. As for the wait though, we were a party of 6, and peaked inside the door and there were plenty of tables to sit 6 people at. There was also another party of 6 ahead of us but only 2 people present, the employees kept calling on this group for about half an hour, they could've just called us instead as a first come first serve basis, no? I think so, at least we weren't starving. We arrived at 5:50 and didn't get seated until 6:25, thank you GPS and the clock starting for our 2 hr time limit. Once inside it did take some time for our server to come and take our initial order for broths and meats and drinks. After that it was smooth sailing-ish ish. Our table backed up to another table which is WAY too tight. We had to be scoot it all the way into the table and to get out (I was on the inside) our other 2 people had to get out of the table in order for me to get out, aaaaand I'm not large in volume. We did have another party come in closer to us leaving and the lady was very voluminous, her choice to stay seated but even with the chairs pushed all the way in and her cutting her mid section into her table I was still bumping into her. Kind of uncomfortable but we laughed it off. Thank goodness for people with humor as we all could tell the tables are WAY too close together. I imagine this could be a safety code issue, in case of an emergency evacuation with the flames from the tables and little space to move out of I can see some extra damage happening to guests. The meat cuts were super extremely thin though, I've been to other hot pot places and this has got to be the thinnest slices of meet received. But other than that the sukiyaki broth is so good, doesn't need anything added onto it, the miso was kind of bland so one of the lady's mixed sukiyaki to it to make it more flavorful. Everything else is very fresh and tasty! Threw in some dumplings and also some shrimp shumai! Yumm! Totally recommend for the experience! It's a good mix if you want one or the other, shabumi or Korean bbq. Come with a super large appetite to make it worth it for sure!

My husband and I along with another couple went to this restaurant last weekend (Saturday evening). The place was not packed so we were quickly seated. However, the tables are quite close to each other so it is difficult to get in and out if you were seating in the inside. Our waiter was super friendly and helpful. For ayce, it is $40 but luckily you get to share and eat the best of both worlds. The beef bone broth was somewhat bland so I had to add chili oil to make it more flavorful. All of the meats were delicious particularly in regard to Korean bbq. Pork jowl aka pork cheek was the table's favorite. The hot foods is just ok, nothing special. No quail eggs for hot pot but there are regular eggs. Too bad they don't have corn cheese but parking is plentiful.

You have a choice of hotpot or kbbq or just the salad bar and you get a broth with the salad bar. If you came with someone, you are not limited to just eating what you chose. You can share with the person you came with. If you order hotpot and the other person ordered kbbq, you can eat some of their order as well. There are plenty of staff that walks around checking on each tables to see if you need to order more meat. The place isn't as big as other kbbq places but service is good. They have a dedicated condiment section for your preferred concoction for dipping your meats. I always asks for side of ssamjang whenever I come here. I always order pork belly and pork jowl.

Great food great customer service. I would definitely come back. I liked they have different options for hot pot or cream barbecue. Our server was nice and attentive. They kept changing our grill, which was great. We didn't have to ask.

Has always been one of our fave hot pot places, with the plethora of high quality meat, broth, and self serve options including sauces + veggies. Recently went for a friend's birthday to try out their bbq. Was epic! Includes large cuts of quality meats in addition to all the thinly sliced cuts you expect. Service was generally attentive and friendly. Lively atmosphere! Will return

Good spot if you're going with a group. You can either do BBQ or hot pot. Service was on point. Servers checked in frequently on our table. And it's ok to share too! BbqMi and shabumi all in one table. Minus half a star, steamed egg came out burnt unfortunately. Not sure if this is normal but definitely not the only place that's serves their steamed egg like this.

Came here with my family. It was pretty mid, food quality wasn't the best and items weren't fresh. The only good thing was that they open all day and don't close mid day like most places do. We must've came at a bad time because service wasn't great either. There was only one older lady working. Pretty average place for me.

We came as a group of 5 at around 5pm on a Saturday and waited around 30 mins to be seated. This place offers both hot pot and kbbq so it caters to everyone! I chose hot pot and the sukiyaki soup base. I really liked that everyone had their own personal pot! The self service bar offers a huge variety of veggies, seafood, noodles and sauce options. The meats were good quality but the seafood options were average and the sukiyaki soup base was a bit too sweet for me. Service was quick and friendly and the interior was clean and spacious. Overall, it's great place to hang with friends and family and I would definitely come back!

Second time coming here. Last time, I had Shabu, the recommended broth was not good. Gave it another shot for the BBQ, it's just okay. The flavors were either too salty or too sweet. The cooked sides, not very good. The fish cakes were awful, too salty and the sides were cold. Went around 6 pm. Grill took a while to get changed even though we pressed the button 5x. I was inhaling burnt food on the grill for at least 10 mins and gave me a headache. Will not be back unless invited.

Was not the best experience and not many options available as sides unless you walk up to the self serve section. The meat wasn't too fresh or flavorful. The steamed egg had excess water. Enjoyed that they have a large selection of sauces that you can serve yourself. Service was great and they have plenty of seating and you get your own burner. Wouldn't be my go to spot but I recommend coming for your own opinion.

I was so excited to see that Shabumi started to offer a kbbq option alongside their hot pot option. We really enjoyed hotpot here for the individual bowls, especially when our friend with a shellfish allergy would come with us. I had to come back to see how the kbbq option worked out too. 2 of us ordered hot pot, one ordered kbbq. Everyone was able to try a little bit of each which fed everyone's food cravings for the evening. Plenty of side options to go with our meal. Service was quick to keep our pots filled and meat cut orders coming. Self serve bars are super convenient to pick and choose the amount of veggies and soup add ons you could want.

I was so looking forward to our early date night with my better half, my sister-in-law, and my brother-in-law. I hadn't eaten one thing prior to our 4pm meet up because I knew that we were eating at a restaurant that had AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat) Korean BBQ and Korean Hot Pot. If you're in the mood for meat and soup, then Shabumi is your Huckleberry. 4.5 stars for a quality dining experience, but an expensive one. This was our first time chowing down at Shabumi. It's located on the west end of Balboa Avenue within a shopping center called Balboa Mesa where you can find Kohl's, Von's, and CVS. The restaurant is next to The Alley, Crumbl, and is across the street from Target and Ranch 99 Market. As you enter Shabumi, you immediately notice the four seat granite top tables with individual circular grills, the stainless steel exhaust hoods, and distressed wood laminate flooring. It's spacious and there are multiple televisions to keep you entertained. Our waitress and the other staff who assisted provided friendly and attentive customer service. They checked on us at a good pace to see if we wanted to order more food and they changed our grill tops often. Shabumi like other KBBQ places is experiential dining, but instead of just meat, you also get to enjoy hot pot aka soup. What I really enjoyed about Shabumi was their serve yourself Korean banchan aka sides, ingredients for your hot pot, side proteins to grill, and their variety of sauces. The dinner prices are $39.99 per person and that price is for either KBBQ or Hot Pot. The wifey chose Hot Pot and I selected KBBQ. They allow sharing, so you can have the best of both culinary worlds. You also get to choose side orders, which I chose steamed egg and multiple bowls of rice. They have a quality selection of meats and I chose the following to stuff my face: Beef Brisket, Beef Belly, Prime Top Blade (Certified Premium Beef), Jumulleok Beef (Marinated Boneless Short Rib), Beef Bulgogi, Pork Jowl, and Pork Belly. My faves were the brisket, beef belly, bulgogi, Prime Top Blade, and the Jumulleok Beef. For the Hot Pot, my wife chose the chicken soup base with the following meats: Prime Chuck Eye, Angus Brisket Point, and Prime Top Blade. My wife chose noodles, vegetables, gyoza, and other proteins from the salad bar to place in our soup and that was tasty. I was so hungry that I forgot to take food pics, but our meal was so memorable that I had to share our fun experience at Shabumi. If you're in the mood for Korean, but can't decide between KBBQ or Hot Pot, I suggest you dine here because you'll satisfy both of your cravings.

$39.99 for dinner for ayce. Choose bbq or shabu shabu and you get an amazing buffet of choices on top of meat choices they bring to you. We chose shabu shabu original. We got to season it up to each of our liking. I would change just a couple of things - provide a bigger spoon or ladle, the pots/flames are hot (I know, duh) but it also makes the tables themselves a little toasty...wish there was somehow to reduce that. If there are only 2 people at a 4 top, provide something to cover the empty spaces so we can utilize the entire table surface Service was IMPECCABLE. So much team work