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Loved the AYCE! We just did the shabu shabu boiling pot, but I definitely like the concept of having a grill, too (perhaps next time...)! The service was top notch, and the food was great. The mango shaved ice was unique, and I liked my veggies, sides (edamame, etc) and udon. Btw, kids under 5ft are half off, which wasn't advertised on the menu...so yay!
I am a regular and visit Halves at least once a week for the past couple of years. The servers are very attentive and very nice. They no longer give me a menu anymore, because they know what my order is. I always ordere Halves (shabu & grill) with spicy tonkatsu broth, creekstone short ribs for both shabu and grill, condiments, and 3x hot drops, The meat quality has never disappointed me. The rice is always cooked perfectly. The sauces are always on point. The dining area is always clean. I have no complaints about this place whatsoever. Actually I do! My complaint is they are closing on 04/30/26. I am sad that there will be no more Halves. I hope they reconsider opening another location. But if they don't thank you for always providing great service and great food. I will truly miss this place and I will continue to go until the doors are officially closed.
Experience - 06.23.25 around 7-8:30 pm I'm updating my review based on my experience tonight. I've been going to halves for awhile now and has been our go to for friends & family visiting from out of town. Came tonight with my cousin's last night. It was between Halves or dpot but we decided to go here. When we sat down, my cousin's last night noticed their new limited time AYCE offer! We were both excited UNTIL the waitress asked how tall my toddler was. I looked at her confused and asked why he's under 3? She said he will get the discounted $20 I was curious to hear that when I know my 2 year old would not eat $20 worth!! I agreed to get his height checked thinking the fee would get waived. Walking back to our table I felt the energy of the waitress giving an eye contact to the other waiter making me feel that I was being a difficult customer. The energy for me changed. I felt like we were being watched just to see how much my 2 year old was eating. My appetite was lost, I felt so turned off and confused. We got our receipt and I see the $20 charge. Basically my AYCE meal went from $36 to $56 because of my 2 year old!! I have never been charged at an AYCE shabu shabu or KBBQ spot, nor a buffet at Disneyland because my child is under 3!! I paid $20 for my 2 year old eating a bit of my rice (with us combined, we only ate half of the rice - if that!) their two tiny tofu slices, and some udon noodles! He didn't even eat a whole strip of meat!! Not worth $20 at all!! We could've gone to an AYCE for less than $56 and my 2 year old would've been free! This experience made me leave very disappointed, annoyed & aggravated.
I have been eating here for years. It is my favorite restaurant to go to for A5 Shabu Shabu. The soup flavor and meat is tasty and good. Service: attentive but nothing outstanding. i feel like they are understaffed. Ambiance: bar like decoration. Modern but nothing particularly awesome.
Didn't think i'd get this kind of restaurant experience in the States, let alone at a smaller restaurant without steep wait times. Don't let that fool you - it blew me away i'll go again every time i'm in the area. (Food - 9.5/10) - While the price may seem unreasonable, the quality backs it without question. 2 orders of the halves menu, beef toro/ american wagyu and the mix meat grill option with savory broths were outstanding with flavor, presentation, quality, everything to ask for. We also gambled with a Beef Carpaccio, which usually in the US loses the coin toss but this one impressed despite being simply plated. (Service- 9/10) - Went on a random Tuesday with only 2 servers on the floor but they absolutely were quick, informative, and on top of everything we needed. (Ambiance- 9/10) - Dimly lit but perfectly spacious small restaurant with great table setups. Really liked the split grill/pot and overall decorative aspects of the eating space.
I really enjoyed Halves the last few times I had it! The portion size is decent for the price, and they have everything you'd want from a shabu restaurant. My only complaint would be that the service is pretty slow because it seems like they're a bit understaffed. Our waiter was running around the whole restaurant serving every table :/ We had also waited a bit over an hour due to our 7 person party size. Overall, the food and broth is great! Shabu restaurants in South OC are few and far between (Halves might be the only one actually lol), so we will keep coming back :)
Amazing service here and an overall great experience when you can't decide on hot pot or bbq you get the best of both worlds here! Their meats were great and when you mix their sauces it's good too. We got to try the following soup broths: Tonkatsu 9/10 recommend Spicy tokatsu 8/10 Mongolian spicy 7/10 They were all decent soups but I liked the tonkatsu the most it was refreshing but still hearty.
Not a terrible location. Expensive food but portions are small. The service was ok but we came in as the only customers in the restaurant, later it filled up. Novel idea, but the pan was so tiny (half shabu, half bbq.) The worst part is that they had no condiments for the bbq meat they served. You serve japanese wagyu, and when I ask for some salt, this is what he gave me. Is this the kind of salt you expect for $100 portion of meat??? come on man do better.
Interesting experience with halves pot, with half a hot pot and half grill. We order the broth flavor, meat for pot and meat for grill. The sauces that came with the food were great and the meat quality is good. They also have A5 wagyu as a hot pot option and it is very tender and soft and fatty. Even though the people sitting across the table seems far, we can still talk at a normal volume even with music in the background. The korean music was pleasant. Service was decent. It was a good 1st time experience.
Coming from San Francisco I am picky when it comes to Asian food and I am usually unimpressed by Orange County's Asian restaurants. Service was good. Seats were VERY uncomfortable. The bench against the wall is way too far from the table and it can't be moved forward. I was sitting on the ledge and my back was uncomfortable the entire time. The food was OK but it's not my favorite, for me it was quite bland tasting and way overpriced for what it is. I had the ribeye split (grilled and broth pot) and it was $50+. It took forever for my veggies to soften and get grill marks, my friends were done with their food (they only got the broth) by the time my veggies were cooked properly but by then I had to pack my food to go since we were scheduled for another activity.
I love the concept of having a split grill and hot pot. I think it's great to have the best of both worlds: bbq and shabu shabu. You do get a good portion of meats and vegetables/noodles. The sauces are customizable and delicious. The times I went were early dinner so it was never packed and the staff was attentive because of it.
Half hot pot, half bbq grill, one full belly! Absolutely delicious, especially that Mongolian broth. A bit pricey sure, but well worth it for good quality meat. We went on a Sunday evening and it wasn't too busy, one waiter behind the bar and one waitress working the floor, both were very friendly and helpful. A lot of the negative reviews mentioned poor service, I can see that if the restaurant was packed, 2 servers may be overwhelmed, but this is a cook your own food restaurant, serve yoself! lol, we experienced excellent service all around.
3 months ago
I absolutely love coming here! It's the only shabu hotpot spot in the area, but it's not just about convenience -- the quality is amazing. The A5 Wagyu is incredible and melts in your mouth like butter, and the broth is packed with rich, unforgettable flavor. The service is always great, and the modern, hip decor makes the experience even better. I can't wait for it to reopen. This is easily one of my favorite spots, and I come here at least three times a week for my Wagyu shabu fix! read more
Not very many options for asian food in our area. Halves is a great choice for this little strip mall. Japanese hotpot & yakiniku. I love the option of being able to grill your meats while also doing hotpot. They offer Japanese appetizers like takoyaki. You can opt to just do the hotpot or the grill or do halves. Note that this isn't AYCE. You basically pick a broth, choose your shabu meat then your grill meat, and any add-ons. Rice, udon, mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli, squash, and tofu are included in the set. Dipping sauce options as well. Good quality meats. Although on the pricier end, we enjoyed our meal here. Flavors hit the spot, service was great. read more
It's the best of both worlds when you can combine shabu shabu and teppan grill! Halves is located in a plaza at the intersection of Auto Center Drive and Towne Center Drive in Foothill Ranch. There is plenty of parking except during peak hours. Our servers were attentive but also a bit too introverted. Halves offers a decent beverage menu, whether you like your drink leaded or not. Besides sake and wine, they also carry craft beers so of course I had to try one on my recent visit. For dinner, it's a no-brainer to go with their best seller which they coincidentally named the "Halves". Enjoy two tender meat selections of your choice (I opted to boil the American Wagyu and grill the Angus Short Rib), fresh vegetables, and noodles in a savory broth of your choosing while grilling premium ingredients on their smokeless bbq grill. I always appreciate when you can customize what you're eating. I enjoyed the bbq dipping sauce for items off the grill and the sesame dipping sauce for the shabu, but the ponzu sauce was disappointing and too sour. If you enjoy DIY dining, shabu shabu, Yakiniku or both, then you def I recommend paying a visit to Halves! read more
Loved the AYCE! We just did the shabu shabu boiling pot, but I definitely like the concept of having a grill, too (perhaps next time...)! The service was top notch, and the food was great. The mango shaved ice was unique, and I liked my veggies, sides (edamame, etc) and udon. Btw, kids under 5ft are half off, which wasn't advertised on the menu...so yay! read more
6 months ago
I am a regular and visit Halves at least once a week for the past couple of years. The servers are very attentive and very nice. They no longer give me a menu anymore, because they know what my order is. I always ordere Halves (shabu & grill) with spicy tonkatsu broth, creekstone short ribs for both shabu and grill, condiments, and 3x hot drops, The meat quality has never disappointed me. The rice is always cooked perfectly. The sauces are always on point. The dining area is always clean. I have no complaints about this place whatsoever. Actually I do! My complaint is they are closing on 04/30/26. I am sad that there will be no more Halves. I hope they reconsider opening another location. But if they don't thank you for always providing great service and great food. I will truly miss this place and I will continue to go until the doors are officially closed. read more
Experience - 06.23.25 around 7-8:30 pm I'm updating my review based on my experience tonight. I've been going to halves for awhile now and has been our go to for friends & family visiting from out of town. Came tonight with my cousin's last night. It was between Halves or dpot but we decided to go here. When we sat down, my cousin's last night noticed their new limited time AYCE offer! We were both excited UNTIL the waitress asked how tall my toddler was. I looked at her confused and asked why he's under 3? She said he will get the discounted $20 I was curious to hear that when I know my 2 year old would not eat $20 worth!! I agreed to get his height checked thinking the fee would get waived. Walking back to our table I felt the energy of the waitress giving an eye contact to the other waiter making me feel that I was being a difficult customer. The energy for me changed. I felt like we were being watched just to see how much my 2 year old was eating. My appetite was lost, I felt so turned off and confused. We got our receipt and I see the $20 charge. Basically my AYCE meal went from $36 to $56 because of my 2 year old!! I have never been charged at an AYCE shabu shabu or KBBQ spot, nor a buffet at Disneyland because my child is under 3!! I paid $20 for my 2 year old eating a bit of my rice (with us combined, we only ate half of the rice - if that!) their two tiny tofu slices, and some udon noodles! He didn't even eat a whole strip of meat!! Not worth $20 at all!! We could've gone to an AYCE for less than $56 and my 2 year old would've been free! This experience made me leave very disappointed, annoyed & aggravated. read more
4 months ago
1 year ago
I have been eating here for years. It is my favorite restaurant to go to for A5 Shabu Shabu. The soup flavor and meat is tasty and good. Service: attentive but nothing outstanding. i feel like they are understaffed. Ambiance: bar like decoration. Modern but nothing particularly awesome. read more
Didn't think i'd get this kind of restaurant experience in the States, let alone at a smaller restaurant without steep wait times. Don't let that fool you - it blew me away i'll go again every time i'm in the area. (Food - 9.5/10) - While the price may seem unreasonable, the quality backs it without question. 2 orders of the halves menu, beef toro/ american wagyu and the mix meat grill option with savory broths were outstanding with flavor, presentation, quality, everything to ask for. We also gambled with a Beef Carpaccio, which usually in the US loses the coin toss but this one impressed despite being simply plated. (Service- 9/10) - Went on a random Tuesday with only 2 servers on the floor but they absolutely were quick, informative, and on top of everything we needed. (Ambiance- 9/10) - Dimly lit but perfectly spacious small restaurant with great table setups. Really liked the split grill/pot and overall decorative aspects of the eating space. read more
I really enjoyed Halves the last few times I had it! The portion size is decent for the price, and they have everything you'd want from a shabu restaurant. My only complaint would be that the service is pretty slow because it seems like they're a bit understaffed. Our waiter was running around the whole restaurant serving every table :/ We had also waited a bit over an hour due to our 7 person party size. Overall, the food and broth is great! Shabu restaurants in South OC are few and far between (Halves might be the only one actually lol), so we will keep coming back :) read more
Amazing service here and an overall great experience when you can't decide on hot pot or bbq you get the best of both worlds here! Their meats were great and when you mix their sauces it's good too. We got to try the following soup broths: Tonkatsu 9/10 recommend Spicy tokatsu 8/10 Mongolian spicy 7/10 They were all decent soups but I liked the tonkatsu the most it was refreshing but still hearty. read more
8 months ago
Not a terrible location. Expensive food but portions are small. The service was ok but we came in as the only customers in the restaurant, later it filled up. Novel idea, but the pan was so tiny (half shabu, half bbq.) The worst part is that they had no condiments for the bbq meat they served. You serve japanese wagyu, and when I ask for some salt, this is what he gave me. Is this the kind of salt you expect for $100 portion of meat??? come on man do better. read more
8 months ago
Interesting experience with halves pot, with half a hot pot and half grill. We order the broth flavor, meat for pot and meat for grill. The sauces that came with the food were great and the meat quality is good. They also have A5 wagyu as a hot pot option and it is very tender and soft and fatty. Even though the people sitting across the table seems far, we can still talk at a normal volume even with music in the background. The korean music was pleasant. Service was decent. It was a good 1st time experience. read more
4 months ago
8 months ago
4 months ago
Coming from San Francisco I am picky when it comes to Asian food and I am usually unimpressed by Orange County's Asian restaurants. Service was good. Seats were VERY uncomfortable. The bench against the wall is way too far from the table and it can't be moved forward. I was sitting on the ledge and my back was uncomfortable the entire time. The food was OK but it's not my favorite, for me it was quite bland tasting and way overpriced for what it is. I had the ribeye split (grilled and broth pot) and it was $50+. It took forever for my veggies to soften and get grill marks, my friends were done with their food (they only got the broth) by the time my veggies were cooked properly but by then I had to pack my food to go since we were scheduled for another activity. read more
1 year ago
I love the concept of having a split grill and hot pot. I think it's great to have the best of both worlds: bbq and shabu shabu. You do get a good portion of meats and vegetables/noodles. The sauces are customizable and delicious. The times I went were early dinner so it was never packed and the staff was attentive because of it. read more
1 year ago
Great service! Love the food! Shrimp is very fresh! Highly recommended! Not crowded at 6 pm. Will definitely return. read more
11 months ago
2 years ago
Half hot pot, half bbq grill, one full belly! Absolutely delicious, especially that Mongolian broth. A bit pricey sure, but well worth it for good quality meat. We went on a Sunday evening and it wasn't too busy, one waiter behind the bar and one waitress working the floor, both were very friendly and helpful. A lot of the negative reviews mentioned poor service, I can see that if the restaurant was packed, 2 servers may be overwhelmed, but this is a cook your own food restaurant, serve yoself! lol, we experienced excellent service all around. read more
A little out of the way if you live around Irvine like me, but the food quality was worth the drive. We went around 8pm on a Saturday evening, was not crowded and we got seated immediately. Went with an order of halves (beef toro + 3-meat-combo), satisfied with the meat quality as well as portion. Only slight complaint was that my friend found a fly in her soup after she's thrown in all her meat, likely from one of the veggies. When she told the server about this, they were quite stingy about replacing the whole meat plate... Overall positive experience, recommend. read more
1 year ago
Best meat in town! This place is a gem with amazing food. Its totally underrated for their quality of food read more
4 years ago
I love love eating here. They have the option of grilling your meat or dipping shabu style. Hence the name, Halves. The quality of meat is very good. Their Waygu is delicious. The portion size is generous as well. Service is great and very attentive. The restaurant is not that big so either come early or you're gonna have to wait but the wait is definitely worth it. Shout out to Alan for accommodating my party of 7. We always have a great meal here. read more
2 years ago
Had a happy experience there. First time try this half boiling pot and half grill thing. My son and i liked this a lot. The also offer greens tofu udon noodles mushrooms, rice with the combo, a very balanced meal. The servers were also nice and friendly. Will totally visit again. read more
2 years ago
Everything is great taste wise, was a bit slow when we were there, feels like they might need more weekday staff on a cold winter night. But I really enjoyed the food read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
3 years ago
I come here as an indulgence with my husband or my cousins. The A5 wagyu is a must. The options are good while maintaining quality good. The servers are always so accommodating. This can get packed so be prepared to get yourself in line. It can also get hot inside. Food is just so good and we always leave feeling full and satisfied! read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Alan!!! We loved you, thank you for making our first experience at Halves incredible. Such a great experience and so fun to cook all of your own food! The wagyu was so tender and the short ribs on the grill were the best! We will definitely be back to enjoy another dinner here!! read more
3 years ago
Definitely spend the extra $8 or whatever and get the Prime Ribeye. SO much better. Soft, delicious. One issue (delivery again) they gave me like 6oz of chopped garlic instead of daikon... clearly a mistake, won't hold it against them. I'm not a fan of the tiny cabbage pieces but it's their thing I guess, not a big issue. Ingredients are all fresh. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
The best thing about this restaurant is the fact that they offer a half grill, half hot pot. It makes them unique but also their meats have quality. You could opt to do all hot pot or all grill. Seating is indoors, or at least for us it was. We came during dinner time and it wasn't as packed just yet. First, you choose your broth and then your meats for the hotpot then the meats for the grill. Since my husband and I shared one order of a half and half, we ordered extra meat to add on the side. For the two of us, this was enough food for us. You also get a side of veggies and noodles for your hot pot. We also added the appetizer wagyu fries. We opted to grill all of our meats instead of cooking it in the broth. Our favorite meat was probably the American wagyu. For our hot pot broth, we chose the curry. They offer ponzu and sesame as side dipping sauces. read more
Some friends had been dying to try Halves so I joined in on the experience last night. It's a smaller restaurant tucked away in a little strip mall, so wait times can take a bit. Our group of 5 fortunately didn't have to wait very long, but we got separated in a weird way and the table of 4 was far from the table of 2 that we split our group of 5 with, so it was kind of strange. If you go as an odd numbered party you will be slightly separated. I ordered the shabu only, with tonkotsu broth, and the 1855 angus beef. The broth was really good, the beef was good quality, but the rice seemed a little over cooked, and the vegetables you get with your meal were a little underwhelming. I ordered the small so there weren't that many pieces and I left still hungry. For the price paid, I definitely would rather just go to an AYCE KBBQ or Hot Pot. It just doesn't seem worth it to me. I know the experience is to do the Halves and our friends did, but it's just too overpriced for what it was for me. Happy to have tried it though, and can say that service was great and the food quality was great, just not my cup of tea! read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
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More info about Halves Boiling Pot + Grill
45 Auto Center Dr
Ste 116
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
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(949) 215-7788
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Ask the Community - Halves Boiling Pot + Grill
Are there vegan options?
Not really an option for true Vegan or Vegetarian option at Halves. After all, their main promotion is Wagyu beef. You can order just the vegetable for boiling pots but don't think there is a lot of option fro the BBQ grill
Do they serve halal meat?
Is there a gluten-free broth?
Is outdoor dining still open?
They finally answered and no they don't. Unfortunate. Anyone know of a shabu place that still does outdoor?
Is this Buffet?
No. You can sit at a table or bar but it's either grill your own meat or boil your food in a broth of choice, or both
Is this place good for vegans or vegetarians ? What are the options?
They have a soy base broth and veggies.
Does the restaurant have lunch specials on weekdays?
Hi Gloria, Yes, we do have beef toro & pork belly hotpot for lunch special Monday to Friday.…
Is this a 'll you can eat place and what's the price range?
No, you order the meats you want and you get a plate with a set amount. Prices are on their menu: https://www.halvesusa.com/menu-menyu
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63 reviews that are not currently recommended
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