Hello. Thanks to King Shabu Shabu we have left our meal very full, very happy, and a little drunk. The food was out of this world, especially the soup at the end(Thanks Sonny!). We had some of the best service we have ever experienced and now we are hooked. We will definitely be back very soon. 11⁄10 would recommend to a friend. Peace n blessings.
Bill F.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
This place is pretty good. I really enjoy the way food is served and always find myself ordering more than i can eat. A great place for a meal with friends. I will almost definitely be making this a regular place i come to when i want to go out to eat.
Marisa R.
Place rating: 4 El Segundo, CA
I tried this place out during lunch with a client. It was good, but I am not sure how often I will crave and go to Shabu shabu in general. Great ambiance here and would be fun at night! Fun, lively, music playing.
Niks O.
Place rating: 3 Los Angeles, CA
Nothing super special. Yes it has a nice interior and it’s near the beach but I’ve had better shabu. Repeat: it was not bad, I’ve just had better. Service was good– they were attentive and worked as a team. Food also came out fast. BF got the Lg Choice Beef which he said was a little fatty but they do offer Lean Beef as well so that’s his fault haha. I got the Lg Salmon which was a nice portion but too much for me haha. So I’ve been to the Torrance location a looong time ago and remember getting the salmon and I didn’t like it. I’ve had salmon shabu at other spots(Yojie) and loved it so I wasn’t sure why I didn’t like this one. Recently I’ve been to IShabu(nearby) and omg their salmon was so delicious! but we wanted to try King and I gave the salmon another shot– still no. I’m not sure if it’s the quality or what but it’s just not that good. And I love fish! I did really like the set up inside– plenty of space and even an actually bar area that only serves drinks!(Beer, wine, sake, sochu) I believe they have Happy Hour and definitely drink specials during the week. Free parking too.
Jake M.
Place rating: 5 El Segundo, CA
Best service I have ever had. Food was great as well, really cool experience. Definitely a new weekly spot. Although I did have to Über home as there were many unexpected drinks coming our way.
John D.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
Amazing service along with great food. The staff is always very attentive and quality is outstanding. We will be back soon!
Dean Y.
Place rating: 1 Los Angeles, CA
Quality has really gone down. Meats are fatty content with a thicker grainier feel. Sad but used to be a great place for shabu but AB shabu is now the winner in LA area.
Jeff K.
Place rating: 4 Redondo Beach, CA
We used to eat at the Torrance every couple of months and loved it, but now that they opened a shop in Redondo Beach, it’s that much sweeter! Shabu-Shabu is a dish that I love from my travels to Tokyo, so it’s great that I get to enjoy it here at home too! They have several meat options. Our most common picks are either the Large Prime or the Large American Wagyu(Kobe style). The latter is fattier and tastier to me, although the Prime is delicious! Sometimes, if I’m really hungry, I’ll also order a side of the Kurobuta Pork, which is also yummy! Prices for the meat are very, very reasonable, almost surprisingly so. With your meat you’ll get a big bowl of veggies and noodles and all of the brown or white rice that you want to go with it. Go during their happy hour and can get $ 2 Kirin pints to wash it all down! Service is usually good to fantastic. We’ve eaten most often as a couple at the counter but now our son is starting to love it too so we’re sitting at tables. We’ve also brought a party of 12. I’m not sure that would go any larger than that, although I guess you could split up into multiple tables. It’s a new space, clean, and has a modern interior. The only reason why I give it four instead of five stars… 1) service is variable, the people that came from the original store are far more attentive and fun, and 2) the veggies seem rather set. I’d like to get more mushrooms and less stalks. Sometimes the waitstaff help me out but it would be better if the veggie bowl was just a bit better. But really this is probaby closer to a 4.5 stars for me.
Christine L.
Place rating: 1 Torrance, CA
Really wanted to try this place but they wouldn’t allow us to sit at a table, and that was after specifically asking for one. Our hostess proceeded to try and seat is where all the action was and because of back issues we asked again and she said no. Sooooo we left. Monday night, wasn’t busy so we don’t know what the deal was and why it was an issue. They claimed the tables were for 3 or more people but I’m guessing that was a made up last minute rule because the hostess didn’t even seem to have known that as she tried to accommodate us. What a disappointment, place appeared to be clean but not busy at all.
Tracy Y.
Place rating: 5 Westwood, Los Angeles, CA
If you are looking for a nice, simple shabu shabu with high quality meat, I definitely recommend this place. Food: Note, this place only has kombu broth, and the menu is very straight forward. I definitely recommend getting the American Premium Wagyu Beef. Angus Rib Eye Choice is the leaner option of the Angus Rib Eye Prime. If you are looking for a mixture of the two, go for Wagyu Beef. I order the regular size, and I felt completely full at the end. Also, there is refill on your rice, if one bowl is not enough. Price tends to be a bit higher than some Shabu shabu places, starting around $ 19-$ 22 for Regular and $ 27 for Large on Beef and Seafood. Waiting Time: Isn’t too long, but sometimes it takes them a while to seat people even if there are open tables. Maybe they need more waiters. If you are a party larger than 4, there are only two large tables, so the wait will be a lot longer.
Lisa H.
Place rating: 4 Redondo Beach, CA
I can see why people love this place, and trust me, Shabu Shabu in general is wonderful, and King Shabu Shabu is a great place for it. Except, we do this at home, with more sauces and more meat options, so this was not that impressive to us. The staff, though, is super friendly and the place is spotless clean. If you looooove shabu, I do suggest that you go to an Asian market and buy a shabu pot(~$ 25), a camp grill(~$ 25), and do this at home with your friends. It’s more fun and way cheaper that way.
Julie M.
Place rating: 5 Redondo Beach, CA
Very friendly staff. Surprisingly busy for a Monday night at 8 pm. Offered us free dessert for the wait. Very clean and modern design. Menu straight forward and easy to understand. We had never been there before so although it was fun and interesting we weren’t exactly sure what to do. They explained it to us and we kind of winged it. Everything came out ok and I’m sure on our next visit we will be better at it. They said the beer was happy hour price and I was shocked it was only $ 2 for a draft Kirin. My son ordered beef and shrimp and I ordered scallops. The dinner came with white or brown rice and a large bowl of veggies and udon noodles. Some Spices and sauces for dipping as well. Food was great! They offered me a free saki bomb which was fun! The staff seemed happy and excited to help and talk to everyone. So friendly. I highly recommend this place. Go with an open mind, have fun and don’t get stressed that you aren’t doing it right… It seems there is no right or wrong and it’s a lot of fun and you’ll leave full!!!
Patrick C.
Place rating: 5 Sacramento, CA
PRESENTATION — very clean inside, everything looks new like they just painted the wall, installed cooking pots and layed tile. Design layout was great. …set up for groups large, small or just sit at the bar style table and have the staff treat you like family and socialize. CUSTOMERSERVICE — the minute we walked in the manager Sonny… greeted us even though he had 2 other groups he was helping. He kindly suggested having a drink at the bar and he’d let us know when our table was ready. Our bartender… Mr. William suggested the perfect sake and chatted us up while we waited. Will was great! Will is a prior service Army Infantry Soldier going to film school. He and Sonny both are amazing. They both went out of their way to make sure we were taken care of. They even got us a drink! It felt like we knew them for years. Will came to our table and explained how everything worked and gave perfect suggestions for what to order. It was an honor to see one of our nations greatest come out of the service and be working on such great things. I SAYGOVISTSONNY [MANAGER] and WILLIAM [bartender ] support this great dinner place and SUPPORT Will as he gets ready to head off to film school in another country. QUALITY — quality at every level was great. Good place Good people Good food
Frank V.
Place rating: 5 Hermosa Beach, CA
High quality meats. Great service. GREAT value for what you get — especially compared to other Shabu restaurants. You will leave full! One employee accidentally threw away our pots while the other was prepping our soups at the end of the meal. They were sincerely apologetic about it and offered us free ice cream, served us free sake, and free beer to make up for it. They definitely did. Highly recommend this place. We’ll be back. Tip: if you like some spice ask for it! They have this intense spice by the drop to add to your sauces or broth.
Noelle F.
Place rating: 3 San Diego, CA
I am underwhelmed. This was my first experience and I thought once our server heard that he would be helpful in explaining the process, but he seemed distracted and didn’t offer any direction other then reiterating what you can read on the menu. We received a bowl of veggies and I basically just watched what other people were doing around the restaurant to figure out how to proceed-would have been nice if he could have said what the sauces we were given were or what the sauces on the counter area are. I like that they give you garlic and onion to mix with your sauces though, great way to add some flavor! I ordered a large prime choice plate and my friend a regular wagyu but her portion was significantly larger than mine-we confirmed the meats and they said it was right. Just didn’t make sense that I am paying $ 27 for approximately 8 thin pieces of meat and some vegetables. I had to ask for our rice 3 times before someone finally brought some(was over halfway done with dinner by this point) and never had my soda or water refilled until I finally asked after it had been empty for 10 minutes. The people next to us were offered the habanero drops-sounded spicy but I could have used some more flavor! Overall I will try this one more time since it is only a couple blocks from my house and will try it during lunch time where I can hopefully get better service. Considering you do all the cooking yourself I will have to explore more with all the sauces they have.
Marc H.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
Been here a couple times, and have been fairly impressed each time! I definitely consider this one of the better shabu shabu spots on the westside. Parking is easy, as they have a lot right behind the restaurant. The other businesses in the corner lot do not seem to be as busy, so the parking lot has had spaces available(at dinner time). The interior is very modern/clean looking. They have a fair amount of seating(I think one of our waiter’s said it seats 70+). For the times that I went, it seemed to be pretty busy, so at times it was a little hard to get service. Also, most recently, some of our food was brought out pretty late compared to the rest of our group. The servers apologized, and brought us some extra food and even drinks on the house! That was a great gesture on their part! The food was good. Shabu shabu places can be hard to rate since you cook the food yourself, so the taste is largely controlled by you. The portions were decently large, and the meat cooked really well. If you ask some of the waiters for recommendations on how best to eat the food, just ask, as they make really good recommendations. The hot/spicy oil or sauce that they offer to put a drop of in your sauce is very spicy, so be aware of that. They warn you too when they ask you, so don’t worry about it otherwise. Overall, good food, great service. Definitely one of the better shabu shabu spots on the west side. They have a couple other locations, which are apparently a lot smaller. I highly recommend checking this place out!
Andrea V.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
This place is so awesome. I went to King Shabu Shabu on a date. My date had been there before and wanted to check it out again. They have a range of protein to select from: beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. I tried the Prime Marble Beef and the Pork Loin. My date tried their newest item on the menu, the Japanese Wagyu Beef and the shrimp. They serve your meal with a good variety of veggies as well as udon noodles and glass noodles. In the end they make a soup for you with the ingredients. If you’ve already been then you’re on your own. You should have paid attention the first time! ;) What I loved most about this place were the servers. Everyone was so friendly. We did a couple of sake bombs with them and the rest of the restaurant. The sake here is really good. Linda and Melody were the two servers that came by the most. They both had so much spunk and gave the vibe that they really enjoyed working there. I wish servers at other restaurants could do the same! I will definitely be back to this place — I loved it.
Carren Marie S.
Place rating: 4 Anaheim, CA
Yes! I am a fan! This place is so much fun! and the quality of the proteins are high up there. They actually offer Wagyu beef or Lamb as an option! *Oh Wagyu… Swoon* And everything is soooo clean and modern. The entire place is almost covered in stainless steel down to the beaded curtain leading to the restroom, that I felt pretty darn sterilized by the end of our meal. My only downside was that it was a little hard to get a hold of our waiter. At the end of the night, another waitress let us know that anyone can help our table for future reference… well, had we known :| King Shabu Shabu, that wagyu is what saved you, this review around.
Chloe L.
Place rating: 4 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
It was first time trying out this place on Fri lunch. We sat at the bar, as soon as we grab the seats, they set up sauces stuff. putting pot on the electric range makes sense, but after then he went to pump two sauces before showing menus. It took kinda long and we had to wait for them to finish it to get menu piece. Why don’t they give menu first, so we can pick while they’re setting up. I was excited for trying this location cuz I had only been to the torrance one(on PCH). The employees were nice and one of the employee asked to make a soup(udon) for me. I thought there would be a special recipe or something but not at all lol. He cooked noodle too long, so my noodles were all swollen up :/just do make udon by your own lol +get white rice. I got brown rice and it was so dry(go with something popular, so I guess it’s fresher)
Wilson A.
Place rating: 4 San Diego, CA
First and foremost, this place is beautiful. Came here before this location was even officially on Unilocal.So of course they had absolutely no trouble seating us. FOOD: It was fine. No issues. Glad with what I had. PRICES: Reasonable. Not cheap nor expensive. SERVICE: Very nice. We had a big group at the time. Tough to see how they would fare in a packed restaurant, but we were taken care of. PARKING: Easy. They had their own lot for this plaza. However, once other businesses start opening up, we’ll see how it all works out. Initially good reviews from me. I’ll return someday to see how they have developed.
Harmonie T.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
I’ve been here twice now and both visits have been absolutely stellar! Our first visit involved a party of 8 adults and 2 kids. We were celebrating my parents Golden Anniversary(50 years together yo!) and King Shabu Shabu’s menu offered options for my mostly-meateater family, one vegetarian, and vegan me. Our party arrived way early for our reservation, roughly more than 5 minutes before they opened. However, the front door was unlocked so we wandered in. They greeted us and practically said«Come on in! We’ll open a little early for you!» I mean, talk about feeling special! I also gotta give props to the super sweet waitress who went above and beyond at entertaining my 6-year old twin nephews :) Our second visit was less than two months later. My dad had such a great experience for his anniversary that he requested that we take him back for Father’s Day. This time it was for just 6 adults and the service continued to be top notch! There’s this one guy who took care of our table on both visits. He truly rocked at always making sure we had enough brown rice, sauces, and water while constantly checking the temperature of our hot pots. I think he might be a manager. I just know that he was awesome! Let’s talk food. I love the Vegetarian Entrée! Like, it’s pretty legit! It’s a huge plate containing napa cabbage, spinach, three varieties of mushrooms, broccoli, kabocha squash, tofu, carrots, wakame, green onion, rice noodles, and udon noodles. And if that wasn’t enough, my bro in law and I discovered on our second visit they added tomatoes. Somehow I was able to finish everything on that first visit but I think my stomach shrank by my second visit because I ended up taking a good portion home. Such a big plate full of veggie goodness! The goma(sesame seed) sauce gets a lot of credit for the yumminess!(Entrées come with ponzu sauce too for those of you who are not vegetarian). Also, if you like it spicy, ask for a few drops of their chili oil in your goma. Two tiny drops is like«WOO!» for me :) Clean, modern, and bright atmosphere with great food and excellent service! 5 stars all the way!!! Already thinking about my third visit :)
Raquel A.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
Sometimes I have the rare occasion of lunching alone during the work week. And when I do, I’d try to hit up my fav foods. What I love… Location. Easy drive from work. Hard to find Shabu Shabu places around El Segundo. It’s situated in a new strip mall, so not all of the units are yet filled, however, I don’t mind that at all since that means that parking won’t be a pain. I imagine this won’t be the case once those units fills up. I ordered their 2 combo(prime ribeye and shrimp) and it came with the usual veggie and sauce accompaniments(goma, ponzu, green onions, garlic & daikon). I like a little heat to my shabu shabu, so I usually add some chili oil and togarashi. Well imagine my happy surprise when they offered to put drops of Habanero oil extracts in my sauces. Just one drop on the ponzu and a couple drops on the Goma. Perfect heat and doesn’t destroy your tastebud. Everyone was friendly and efficient and décor clean and modern. There were a few diners trying Shabu Shabu for the first time and the staff happily showed them on how to eat it. I was too full to try any of their dessert, nor the soup base. Next time!
Phuong T.
Place rating: 5 Redondo Beach, CA
Wow, there is potential for this lot off of Catalina in Redondo Beach. Fresh ingredients, I love the presentation of the veggies in the salad bowl, twas so pretty I didn’t want to mess it up! The meat was super fresh and tasted so delightful. I wish they had a Sukiyaki option. :) Service was great, everyone was attentive and kept checking in to make sure that we had enough condiments. A waiter came by to show us how to make«udon» soup [leftover broth] from our soup base. Super cool. Interior is great for dates & definitely for big parties *make sure you make a reservation for those big parties. Love it!
Scott A.
Not bad Shabu Shabu Good selection of meats(beef(prime, American Waygu, A5 Waygu), chicken, snake valley pork, shrimp, salmon, veggies. Not cheap. Light healthy meal.