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    Malabar Grill

    3.7 (7 reviews)

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    Xiao Long Kan Hot Pot - three flavor broth

    Xiao Long Kan Hot Pot

    4.3(390 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$$

    Went to eat here with the Hubs on New Year's Eve around 5:45 PM on a rainy night. Luckily there was…read moreno line when we arrived, but this place can definitely get busy, so I'd still expect a wait during peak times. Ordering is done by scanning a QR code, which was easy, and everything came out pretty quickly after we placed our order. They also have a sauce bar (extra cost) along with some sesame balls and rice crackers, which was a nice touch. Service was okay overall -- we did have to call our server a couple of times when we needed things. The inside of the restaurant is very pretty and clean for the most part, which made the experience enjoyable. Price-wise, it's on the average to slightly higher side for shabu, but overall a decent spot for hotpot, especially for special occasions or colder/rainy nights.

    As an avid food lover, I honestly want all restaurants to do well, especially those that are by and…read morefor the Asian American community. This was my second time here and overall it's a great experience- fun sauce bar, quick service, elaborate decor - what's not to like? As far as the eating experience goes, I'd give it a solid 4... that is until I went to the ladies room...or tried to. This was my first time going to the restroom and I was appalled by the mustiness of the air and the dirtiness that I saw. I'm familiar with restrooms at basic restaurants and I don't expect aromatherapy candles or scented hand soap but as a consumer I do expect a certain level of cleanliness especially at an eating establishment. I tried to just suck it up and bear it but had to leave as soon as a saw a thin black ring around the toilet bowls...(mold?!?!) Sorry if it's too much info but just had to share- go for the food and the picture worthy decor but skip the bathrooms till they have a thorough clean!

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    Xiao Long Kan Hot Pot
    Xiao Long Kan Hot Pot
    Xiao Long Kan Hot Pot

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    All That Shabu

    All That Shabu

    3.8(727 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$$

    I had All That Shabu a really long time ago in Irvine and remember loving it, but there's just so…read moremuch competition in OC so I haven't been back in years! I tried it again with my friend the other day because we were in the area. I thought it was just okay and probably wouldn't come back here specifically because there's just a lot of better places, but this isn't bad at all for the price. The inside was huge and dimly lit, and they had a large self serve bar for hot sides, drinks, hot pot toppings like veggies and seafood, sauces, and dessert. It was a great vibe! There's a pretty large variety of broths to pick from which is nice. We both got the spicy beef, which tasted rich and tomatoey so it was different than a typical beef bone broth that I expected! It was nice because the acidity helped to balance with the richness of the meats. Of all the meats, our favorites were the brisket and the beef short plate. Personally I like to know which meats are which but sometimes when I asked, the servers couldn't really tell them apart so it kinda sucked because I wanted to know which ones I actually liked to order more of those. They were quick with taking our orders though and meats came out really quick. For hot sides, they had a large variety of things, such as fried rice, crab, crispy fried chicken, kimchi, and more. I liked that there was variety! I just think that overall, the experience didn't wow me as much as it did back then, but definitely cheaper than most places and so you get what you pay for!

    Personally i like number 2 for meat it is fatty. Alot of the other meats dont have enough fat in…read morethem. But everyone else likes to eat the other ones. For the broth i get bone. Some people get half spicy and half bone. Service was really good. When we were running low on meat they came by to ask if we wanted more. They have a sauce bar where yiu can make your own dipping sauce. Mines consist if garlic, green onion, ponzu and the wasabi green things. The middle sections have veggies, noodles, seafood, etc for your hot pot. They also have fried food at the far right. When the crab legs come out fresh, they are amazing but on the sweet side. Definitely recommend trying it. I forgot to get ice creammm.

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    All That Shabu - Inside

    Inside

    All That Shabu
    All That Shabu - Inside

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    Inside

    Nabemono Shabu Shabu - Veggies and meat comes with each combo :)

    Nabemono Shabu Shabu

    4.3(546 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$
    Curbside pickup during COVID-19
    Established in 2019

    I have a new favorite hotpot place…read more Nabemono is a combination of great ingredients, helpful staff and cleanliness. They do not have a designated parking lot, but there is Alhambra parking structures and (if you are lucky) street parking. I've tried Nabemono a handful of times and I am pleased to know that the quality has remained the same as when I first tried it in 2019. The establishment is well lit and there was a fair amount of staff that checked parties on my last visit on a Saturday night. Quality of food was great and what blew my mind was that they offered free veggie and sauce refills! Price didn't seem to break the bank as well. One thing that I did noticed was that, when you asked for veggie refills, they bring in 2 serving batches instead of individually (so, if 4 people want more veggie, they get 2 big plates.) Not a big issue though. This place is a for sure try if you are craving for hotpot.

    I had a hard time choosing where to go for dinner with my family. I wanted shabu shabu, but I…read moredidn't want AYCE. Nabemono came up, and I ended up choosing it over others. I read reviews which expressed frustration over the service, and I felt like that helped manage my expectations. I know it's a very tough time for restaurants, and I hope they are able to smooth things over soon. We were greeted when entered and we waited a bit to get seated. We were seated at a very large table, which felt funny since it was just three of us. It took some time to get menus. I walked up to grab them, but staff said they would bring it over. Once we ordered, food was quick to come out. Refill requests initially were promptly responded to, but as the first round of customers ended their meals, the service was backed up. It took some time to get refills and the check. Luckily we weren't in a hurry. The menu isn't entirely clear, so we had a couple ordering hiccups. Generally, easy problems to resolve. My family and I enjoyed the food. The vegetables, meat, and sauces tasted good. I really liked their goma dare (sesame sauce), which is my favorite part of shabu shabu. The brown rice portion was substantial, but the rice was reheated and dry. The ramen portion, while tasty was small, like ~1/3 of the rice portion. I personally, like to eat the carb throughout the meal, which means ordering more. The space is large with a lot of hard surfaces. I wouldn't say it is a quiet space--it is good for groups. We also sat closer to the door, so my elder family members were a bit cold while we waited. However, once the burners were going, it didn't feel as cold. The three of us ate for ~90 without tip, which can make sense for folks who don't want to pay $55pp for AYCE dinner. However, I think AYCE lunches at other restaurants during the week are a better value and can have smoother service. Just like many things in this world, my experience isn't black and white. There were things I liked and things that could be improved. I think it's worth a shot for others to try, as long as they can be open minded about the experience and patient.

    Photos
    Nabemono Shabu Shabu - Cheers! Panko Shrimp Pops are a must!

    Cheers! Panko Shrimp Pops are a must!

    Nabemono Shabu Shabu - Fresh ramen makes for the perfect chewy noods

    Fresh ramen makes for the perfect chewy noods

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    Tasty Pot - A pot of happiness!

    Tasty Pot

    3.9(356 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    New Name Alert: Malabar or apparently Malatang…read more Didn't figure it out until I walked up and saw the wrong sign actually. We are hot pot professionals so we knew how many items were going to weight how much. I got it down to choosing the sides and it weight exactly 1.2lb exactly. My wife ended up with 1.2lb also but ended up bringing leftovers home. She got the bone broth healing soup ( clear white soup) I got the golden spicy / sour soup ( golden color , not too spicy but not too sour but still delicious!! Honestly both soups were good, they serve it to you cooked so no stress on waiting. Service was great as it felt like a grand opening party. price is good too! if you don't overstuff yourself. Selection awesome good meatballs good meats ( fat and lean) good veggies mini sauce bar also they pretty much covered all bases for hotpot

    Tasty Pot has changed to malatang hot pot style. You put all the ingredients you want in a big bowl…read moreand then they'll charge you by the pound. Price was reasonable at 13.99/lb. We came in around 5:30 pm on a weekend. A lot of the ingredients were in low supply and the veggies didn't look fresh. We had to ask them to refill the beef because the container was completely empty. When we went to get our sauces, they had a limited selection compared to other hot pot/malatang places. They didn't have any sesame sauce available then, even though there was a label for it. The soup bases were alright. The tom yum flavor has a bit of a kick and the healthy bone soup was decent.

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    Tasty Pot - 12 different hotpot's to choose from

    12 different hotpot's to choose from

    Tasty Pot - The best hot pots are the ones that you don't need to share with anyone!!!

    The best hot pots are the ones that you don't need to share with anyone!!!

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    Tasty Pot

    Hot Pot Hot Pot - Little Fat Sheep

    Hot Pot Hot Pot

    4.0(1.1k reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    Disappointed to hear that this place closed. Wish we could be there for the last day atleast. Went…read morehere over the years and each time I've enjoyed it a lot. I hope to see this restaurant open some other time, even if it's in a different place. From what I remember the soup was great, and the other foods we placed in them were almost nice. I didn't mind most of the things most people had problems with, namely, the "presentation." Honestly didn't really care because I really only enjoyed the food. The owner was also nice and chill, along with the rest of staff, hope they're doing well.

    I hadn't been to this place in like 12 years prior to this dinner. I remember liking it a lot in…read morethe past. I do feel that this place needs to up their game. Other places have passed them by in some respects First there is no sauce bar here. Just four small containers of sauces you can use. Ironically none of those sauces are soy sauce. A darker possible peanut sauce, a sesame sauce, a pinkish possibly fermented tofu sauce and the standard chili oil. I wanted more as far as the sauce goes and I thought a sauce bar was pretty standard these days Second there is no AYCE bar with small snacks. Kind of interesting When ordering the meat, I guess they wanted to save a plate so the sliced meats just came in plastic containers. That loses some points with me on presentation Other than that everything is fine. They charge a little less for the broth than a lot of places do, so that's nice Got vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, noodles and a couple of meats. Overall it's a fine experience, mostly Ok to Good. But the lack of some things makes it more second tier for me and it would not be a go to hot pot place for me

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    Hot Pot Hot Pot - Sliced beef

    Sliced beef

    Hot Pot Hot Pot - Spinach

    Spinach

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    Doughy bread

    Malabar Grill - hotpot - Updated May 2026

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