don't even know where to start. This place completely blew me away…read more First, the service. Irene made this entire experience unforgettable. She was so warm, friendly, and genuinely helpful. It honestly felt like we were ordering with a friend who just happens to know the entire menu inside and out. She gave amazing recommendations and even told us she makes the hot sauce from scratch (which... you can taste the difference). That level of care really set the tone for the whole night. Now the food... not a single miss. Seriously, not one thing we didn't like. We went with the Ultra menu ($108), which includes lobster, and it was 100% worth it. For broths, we chose the Tom Yum and Tonkotsu. Both were rich, flavorful, and perfect in completely different ways. The meat selection was incredible, especially the wagyu options, they literally melt in your mouth. You can tell the quality is top tier. The flame-torched wagyu nigiri was absolutely out of this world--perfectly balanced and paired with a wasabi powder that elevated every bite. We also had the hamachi cloud, which was so fresh, flavorful, and had the perfect crunch--such a standout dish. And the spicy clams? Easily one of our favorites. Super fresh, super tasty, and packed with flavor. Beyond the food, the entire staff made us feel genuinely welcomed, which made the experience even better. The location is perfect. It's right in the center of Japantown. Inside they have a bar where you can sit and talk with the servers face-to-face. And it's a great spot to people watch while you eat. I truly cannot recommend this place enough. Between the incredible quality, the variety, and the next-level service. This is a spot I'll be coming back to again and again (and yes, I'll absolutely be asking for Irene).

Expensive for what it is. Basic option for AYCE is going to be 70-80 per person with taxes and…read moretip. The meat is ehh. Appetizers are really bland. Service is very slow and the staff is so overwhelmed but friendly. Management needs to get more help or better training. I'd make a drive further for better options honestly. Many AYCE places around $30-40 per person with better meat offering.

Great experience! Food was fresh and service was great. We would order from the iPad and a minute…read morelater the food was delivered. The team refilled the broth when needed and it was a really great experience. Prices were very reasonable, a table of 10 with a few drinks was $55/person. Hard to beat that for AYCE!

I found this place when looking up AYCE options near Palace of Fine Arts and it's really good!…read more We were a group of five so we were seated in the back dining area. It's a little on the smaller size restaurant and doesn't really have any decor. We went slightly before dinner hours on a Saturday so that was probably why there was no wait and it wasn't that full. This also might be the first hotpot/kbbq place I've been to that wasn't blasting music of some kind. All the ordering is done through a wall tablet and service is extremely quick! You can select up to 4 soup bases. We did double tom-yum, house spicy, and sukiyaki and all of them were delicious. The meat/veggie options weren't the largest I've ever seen and the sauce bar was limited as well, but everything was still good enough. Definitely recommend this place if you want a quick hot pot meal!

Casual shabu spot on Filmore with variety of meats. 4.75 stars…read more Food: 5. Service: 5 Atmosphere: 4 Cost to worth it rating: 3 Opentableable: no Return worthiness: yes Highlights: - Multiple quality versions of beef. 4 diff wagyus and others as well. - Wagyu sampler for 2: plenty of meat with 4 diff versions. Some had more fat and meat flavors that others but all were great and thin slices. - All you can eat version with variety of different meats outside of the Wagyu - Liked the soy based sauce and adding the chopped fresh garlic - Can add seafood like large prawns or fish - Each person can get their own burner - Lots of different broth options from the simple seaweed to a spicy miso. - Sake options are great - Veggie platter comes with bok choy, napa cabbage, 2 types of mushrooms, tofu, and noodles (glass and udon-like). - Atmosphere: simple no frills with few individual tables and others with paper dividers available to segment areas along with bar height like area towards the front - Nice owner who is the passionate about what she does Lowlights: - Need to call to reserve and I'm an online reserver - Wanted more but the over ordered but was so good got super full

Cute little place just a block from Japantown…read more They have AYCE or a la carte. We opted for the a la carte and ordered the All About Wagyu for 2 which was perfect. Service was excellent. Looks like its a small mom and pop place and they were very nice and accommodating. Would definitely go back. Reservations recommended. Street parking only.

Solid hotpot spot in Chinatown that offers AYCE. I came here after a show on a Sunday close to them…read moreclosing so there wasn't a wait at all! There are 2 tiers to the AYCE and we just stuck with the cheaper option since we weren't that hungry. They have a variety of meat and veggie options so you don't really need to order the more expensive tier and you'll be satisfied. As for the veggies, you can grab them yourself in a nearby fridge. Overall, although nothing stood out I thought the atmosphere and quick service was great and I would come back here if I was in the area!

We are visiting from LA and after a long day of walking, we were starving and wanted some delicious…read moreall you can eat. Unfortunately, this place was a huge disappointment. Food: 4/5 We got the all you can for $39.99 that includes the soup base, unlimited meats, some appetizers, veggie bar, and sauce bar. The meat selections were really limited and everything that came out was just the same cut of lamb and beef in different plates. Many of their items were on the menu but not offered on their ordering iPad. The quality of meats was pretty good and I did like their hotpot flavors. The wheel of meat was gimmicky, but good for pictures. Service: 4/5 This place was pretty slow in their service. It took us about 15 minutes before our soups came out and another twenty for the meats to come. Our server explained that they were short staffed so we gave them some grace for their slow service. Ambiance: 2/5 The reason why I ranked this place so poorly was because of their health code violations. There were multiple dogs in the restaurants. They were leashed and clearly not service animals. One of the dogs was long haired and I was afraid they would be shedding everywhere. Overall, I would not recommend this place. As someone who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, it is not easy to mess up hotpot, but I am afraid because of the dogs on this premise with the open veggie and sauce bar that I will never be back here.

Ordered the Tempura Zaru Udon and had a pleasant time. All staff were attentive, especially Jeff…read more The overall atmosphere was lively and with the staff made for a wonderfully pleasant lunch.

The mentai sauce udon here is one of my favorite udons! The service is always really great as well…read more We were served by Jane today and she was very attentive and fast!

We thankfully didn't have to wait that long on a Friday evening -- I think our table was ready in…read moreabout 15-20 minutes at most which was surprising. Beware, they do close off the waitlist signup and will also completely close off the front entrance when they think they have enough guests to be done for the night. You can sign up via Yelp Waitlist online although this is not always guaranteed (we found that sometimes the system glitches and doesn't let you sign up because it doesn't believe that there is enough current wait?) The soups are super high quality and I think I will be coming back on the regular for the tendon seolleongtang in the future. As someone who is super involved in athletic pursuits, I gotta get my collagen fix in to prevent injuries and keep those tendons strong, and this is probably one of the best spots to do it. My GF had the spicy kalbi soup and also really liked it.

Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup has a few locations in the Bay Area and we opted to get on the Yelp…read moreWaitlist for the Japantown location. (Definitely get on the waitlist early because it'll be a good 1-2 hour wait anyway, and they will shut down the waitlist should you attempt to do a walk in.) The estimated wait time was definitely off, as it took about 30 minutes more. After a good long wait, our table of five were seated at the table at the very front by the window. We were never given menus, but did spend our two hour wait perusing the menu already so we had an idea of what we planned on ordering. We had to get up and get our own physical menu. It did take awhile for someone to come and take our order, and eventually the hostess did. They automatically serve water, but do have hot boricha upon request. They only served three different banchans - but I loved the kelp noodles one as it's rare I see it offered. Our dishes: * A2. Kalbi Japchae $14 - The Japchae isn't something I would typically order as a dish, but I did like their version. It was freshly cooked, so it was hot and very tasty. Usually I have it served as a banchan and it's room temp. I also like the noodles they used as it's different than other typical japchaes. * A3. Kalbi Tteokbokki $14 - This Tteokbokki was pretty good too, and the Kalbi was tender and enjoyable. I liked that this dish wasn't spicy as most tteokbokki dishes seem to be. I could easily order this dish on its own and be satisfied with that. * B2. Back Rib Jiim (Braised Back Rib, Special Center Cut) $75 + Mozzarella Cheese $6 * B1. Daeho Kalbijjim (Braised Short Rib) $86 + Mozzarella Cheese $6 As with the kalbijjim, the whole spectacle is having the servers torch the cheese table side. They come armed with two torches, so it makes quite a show. After our server was done doing the first dish, he walked away and we were left wondering which dish it was as we ordered two similar dishes. Each order comes with 2 rice bowls - white or purple. I wasn't a fan of them bringing out the rice bowls early with no covers as the rice got cold. I'm used to Korean restaurants having rice covers and was surprised theirs did not. We were pleasantly surprised with the amount of meat in both dishes, and definitely had leftovers. Our mistake was ordering two dishes that were along the same flavor profile, so we got bored eating the same thing. We should have ordered only one kalbijjim and maybe a suyuk or jeongol. The major issue was we had was the service. We were largely overlooked as those waiting for tables were blocking our section. The staff rarely came by to check on us and we were constantly trying to grab someone's attention without having to get up and chase them down. We also realized we never got serving utensils for our kalbijjim, which would have been helpful. It was a pain trying to get refills on our tea, water, banchan, etc. There is also an automatic 18% service charge, in addition to the 5% mandatory SF ordinance charge. I wouldn't mind the automatic service charge if we got decent service. Constantly trying to get someone attention by waving our hands, napkins, etc. is tiresome and really put a damper on the whole experience.

TLDR: When you're at the heart of Japan town, you have to embody the nation in all the good ways…read more Kui Shin Bo, embodied the nation's backbone of being average to above average in multiple things. This place covers many of the basics (rolls, ramen, tempura, yakisoba, teriyaki, unagi). I really only see it as a jack of all trades, but a master of none. It doesn't mean that this restaurant has no place in Japantown, but it doesn't inspire confidence when it's located in an isolated region of the mall with less foot traffic, while its competition on the other wing has lines longer than the location's capacity. Black Garlic Ramen: It's always a mystery to me how black garlic improves a bowl of ramen. My expectations, however, remain the same. How thick is the broth? How clean is the broth when consumed? What is the quality of the chashu? Do I get enough noodles? I think the best part of this meal was the amount of soup they give, and the chashu was very good. It sucks that the chashu is tiny, but they did very well. I feel that the noodles were those wholesale ramen noodles that were portioned, and the garnish was fine. The broth was okay, 3.5-ish stars in terms of taste. Dynamite Roll and Volcano Roll: I think it's a problem if I have trouble identifying which is which. I can tell you that both are good enough to try, and the Volcano Roll comes with raw fish. Both come with a good crunch and a good sauce, but like most Japanese places that lean heavily into the rolls, good luck finding out what you ordered and what you just ate. Ambiance: Very classic Japanese. They're really at their best to convince you that you're in Japan. It may get tight during a busy day though. Service: Standard. You order, your water gets refilled, you pay, you leave.

Amazing service and amazing food…read more This was my second time visiting Kui Shin Bo and it's great every time. We received great service, constant water refills, and our food came out quick. I ordered the chicken katsu and beef teriyaki, which is served with rice, miso soup and salad--the perfect balance, and a bit of everything. The chicken was very crispy, the beefy teriyaki had a nice smoky flavor to it, the soup was nice and warm, the rice paired well and the salad was fresh and tasty. My sister ordered the Crispy Chicken Chili Creamy Ramen. I had some of her ramen and it was delicious as well! The overall, restaurant itself is a bit small but the food makes up for it. I would definitely return!

老板非常好服务，很健谈啊每次都可以聊很久的天，服务很好 牛骨汤熬的很好喝，牛肉很美味 推荐一下!…read more澳洲那个最美味感觉、然后我还喜欢吃鹌鹑蛋 环境很好收拾的很干净! 推荐大家来!!!

Fondue Chinoise was a very solid chinese hot pot spot. I think the broth is very good and…read morespicy/flavorful like it should be. The waitress was super nice also and proactive in serving us. We also ordered a mango Soju and it was huge, they definitely plugged us :). The only thing is that is felt a bit more pricey than my favorite spots like Liuyishou and the new Feng hot pot. It also was more expensive for better cuts of meat.

Food selection is great for a one price all you can eat hot pot (at the time of writing is was…read morenearly $40 per person. You can have individual hotpots and a shared grill. Meat selection is perfect! They do have an unnecessary overage charge of $20 if you order more than you can eat, so order by pacing yourself. You can order as many times as you would like. There is an item limit per order but even amongst four people, it was more than enough to get started. If you going with a group, please note that the plate portions are scaled to your table. For example, one person ordered two kinds of pork belly, but the plate provided was more pork belly than this person could eat in one sitting. The rest of the table had to help. There are some items that are only one order per table - like the cooked spareribs (only three pieces too). So look for that notation on the specialty dishes area. Service was attentive at the beginning and got more sparse as the restaurant got busier. Busy times seem to be at around 7-8 pm, which is normal. Take advantage of their sauce bar and dessert bar (featured fresh fruit - watermelon, oranges). Of course, they had kim chi available as well. The ambiance was good. House music was playing so it felt like you were a club. Flat screen TV's along the top walls and open spaces between tables gave an airy open touch. Parking may be difficult given the residential area you are in so allot time to find a spot. Otherwise, the N Judah or 17 is a block away. All in all, I'd recommend! Next time, I wanna try the shared grill as we went in for hot pot only. We had the option of the grill but the team decided against it and stuck to hot pot.

Solid meal and okay quality for the price…read more The sauce station is messy! MESSY. I know that's more on the customers being gross, but the staff could at least stay on top of it. Upon arrival, we were seated at a dirty table (old grill from last guest still there) and no silverware. We were told to scan the code and order, but hesitated because the grill was used and table still had spills and food from the last guest. Service was incredibly poor. Food was decent. Again, this place is cheaper than most AYCE hot pots. Lots of options for veggies and non-meat items which was nice. Overall, go if you're on a budget. Splurge more somewhere else if you can.

YakiniQ really said "leave hungry? never heard of her."…read more Pulled up with my homie Jun because this man treated me to lobster last time and you already know... Asians keep receipts but in a wholesome way We don't split love, we rotate blessings. For $49.99/person, this AYCE Korean BBQ was straight violating my self-control. The short ribs?? HELLA BUSSIN. Like actually criminal. Every bite had me ascending like a TikTok food review in 4K. Meat so juicy I almost stood up and thanked the cow personally. The grill smoke got us smelling like seasoned warriors walking outta there but honestly worth it. Staff kept the meats coming faster than my auntie asking why I'm still single. And let me put y'all onto some elite Chinese vocabulary real quick: "好吃到舔手指" (hǎo chī dào tiǎn shǒu zhǐ) = "so good you lick your fingers." That's EXACTLY the vibe. Finger-licking good fr fr. YakiniQ got me fighting for my life, unbuttoning my pants in the parking lot, and already planning my return. 10/10. No crumbs left. Their "Red Hot" peanut sauce is the carry here - no doubt. Highly recommend with my utmost respectful regards!

Horrible meat quality and even worse service quality…read more Imagine being first in line with a party of 2 and then watching a party of 3 and another party of 2 getting sat before you. Well we didn't need to imagine because we watched it happen in front of our faces. The party of 3 actually got their food and the other party of 2 got their side dishes before we even got our water. You literally have a Yelp waitlist to help you stay organized and all you have to do is follow it. Somehow they still managed to fuck that up. We got the premium AYCE--expecting some higher quality meat. We were deeply disappointed. The SF Cut Short rib was the saddest short rib I have ever seen. There was little to no meat on the bone. The ribeye was extremely thin. Not even a full minute of cooking on both sides and it was well done. At this point I turned the heat down to the lowest setting. The short rib bites were filled with tendons and ridiculously hard to cut much less chew. The boneless short rib and the ribeye caps were skinnier than a coke addict. 10 seconds on each side and they were basically well done. That was the end of round 1--I thought I was being hangry and grumpy so I tried to let them get their redemption. Hahaha or so I thought. We got the miso pork belly which somehow managed to burn itself on the side of the grill while the center part was still raw. I put two pieces on the grill. Clearly the meat cutter didn't know what they were doing because while one looked like it had cancer causing blackness on it the other one was still more raw than a dog. I guess they just can't cut the meat uniformly even. The beef tongue was also extremely thin and burned immediately when put on the grill. It's Korean BBQ--your restaurant and chefs don't even cook the meat. How can you not know how to cut meat properly? Not to mention paying extra for "premium" meat only to have the exact same quality as the rest of your meat. I would recommend this place to anybody who wants their Korean BBQ experience ruined. Honestly come here for your first or second time at Korean BBQ and then go somewhere else and you will be GLAD that the other place exists. YaqiniQ BBQ is by far the worst KBBQ I have been to.