Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Shabu Squared

    4.5 (369 reviews)
    PriceyJapanese, Hot Pot, Soup
    Closed • 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Shabu Squared Reservations

    Shabu Squared Photos

    Business Info

    SHABU SQUARED ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Intimate

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Shabu Squared

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Jacquelyn C.

    The broths here are yummy and the vegetable and meat options are super fresh. There isn't a large variety of the vegetables and/or the meat, but they had everything I typically get so I did not mind. I do wish there was more variety for dipping sauces but not the biggest deal. Service was great and the staff were so accommodating for my vegetarian grandma with other dietary restrictions.

    Emily H.

    Always consistent. My faves are the tonkatsu broth and the spicy crab. I always get the Kori Wagyu

    Christina L.

    Normally not a fan of shabu shabu as I prefer Chinese hot pot, but this was absolutely delicious. (And indulgent because it's AYCE and /expensive/). Broth is essentially the deciding factor on good/mid hot pot and the tom yum broth here was sooooooo good and flavorful. Not the most wide variety of vegetable options but they had a lot of what I personally like so I didn't mind (squash, bok choy, watercress, cabbage, mushrooms, broccoli, tofu, udon)--plus it all tasted very fresh. The table is also set with premade sauces: one that is dark and sweet and has the fishiness of dashi, and another one that I really liked that's thicker and more of a sweet tahini base.

    Meat
    Darian C.

    The service was a bit slow here even though there wasn't that many people. The meat choices were great and I really liked their salmon spoons were yummy as well. The tom kat broth was unique and tasted good but I'm not sure if I like it over just a tonkotsu broth. It was clean inside and the workers were nice it was just a bit slow.

    Victoria N.

    One of my favorite hotpot places in Houston! It can get busy sometimes, but parking is plentiful and I'm always seated quickly. There's bar and booth seating available. The service is always amazing and quick. My favorite broths are the spicy crab and sukiyaki. The beef served here is great quality and love the variety available here for seafood, vegetables and more. Sad to see that the concept of the restaurant is changing but will be coming back before it does!

    Beef belly
    Jacky D.

    With all the hotpot places in houston I wanted to give shabu squared a try before they close down because of the good things I heard. We had a reservation at 7 for 10 people and had to wait just a little for them to get three tables set up us as one table was just finished. One of the smaller hotpot places and the bowls are more for sharing than individual so nice for choices if you have a duo! I liked the artwork on the wall as well. During dinner time they have an S tier or tier 2 for AYCE! I did the tier 2 as those were the perfect meat choices for me. Beef belly, wagyu, chuck, and ribeye were our go to. All other places i been to recently for vegetables and seafood are buffet style and i realized how much i like that coming here. It feels a little weird trying to get a specific amount of veggies by asking for it. No enoki mushroom is a bummer. Overall meat quality is top notch for sure. Service was slow at some point when the restaurant started getting packed more. Their premade sauces offered a variety of umami and strong flavors! If some other shabu choices did not exist I would be devastated as this would've become a choice for me to insert into the rotation. 8.2/10

    Salmon
    Jennifer N.

    This place was recommended to me by a friend and so once we heard that they were potentially shutting down soon, I knew that we needed to try it out! Walking in, the place is very cozy with tables surrounding a center u-shaped bar style seating. We noticed that it's a pretty small restaurant so always good to have a reservation and smaller parties. This place has a 90 min time limit, and so you do usually need your entire party to be there if eating AYCE! If you're someone who gets overwhelmed with options, this place is for you because they have most of items you would expect at shabu but lesser variety which is a pro and con. For vegetables, instead of ordering individually, they provide of vegetable platter which features all they offer. I'm not a huge vegetable person at shabu so not a big deal but my husband did wish they had more variety. For meats, they offer two tiers for ayce and we went with Tier 1 which offered a fair variety and came with a soup spoon of salmon. My favorite meats were beef belly and ribeye - the presentation is also beautiful. I think the broths here are stellar and their premade sauces are to die for - way better than any that I could diy at other hot pot sauce bars. They do charge extra for noodles which was surprisingly. Overall, a good hot pot experience with no frills and decent variety to fulfill their hot pot craving.

    Brisket
    Brandon D.

    Tried out Shabu squared for the first time. One very nice thing about this place is that it is down the road and not actually in the heart of Chinatown, so the parking is not an issue here. Since it was the weekend, only tier 2 or s was available for all you can eat. This includes everything from tier 1 (chuck flap, beef belly, brisket, crab sticks, shrimp, fish balls w/ roe) as well as some extra options specific to tier 2 (ribeye, wagyu bavette, lamb). I tried the mixed broth (tonkotsu + spicy sukiyaki) and sukiyaki broths. They also provide their ponzu and goma sauces. I thought the ponzu was too citrusy but the goma was good! It's a sesame sauce that is sweet and savory. I tried all the meat options and my favorites were the beef belly and chuck flap, followed by the ribeye. I also got some of their ramen and it's actually a lot so I would recommend sharing it with someone. I think it's really good if you just keep getting the beef belly and chuck flap only, therefore I'd say it's really only worth it if you go during the time period for tier 1 because tier 2 is more expensive and I didn't like their meat options as much.

    Charnie D.

    Would recommend coming in early if you want a seat. The meat had amazing marbling and tasted better after dipping it in my broth. The vegetables and meats came flowing, thanks to the workers who made sure our meat orders come to us as much as possible. I would recommend the spicy crab broth to help make your food delectable.

    Cuts of meat and veggie bowl (and an egg yolk for the sukiyaki!)
    Laura L.

    I've been here so many times, one of the waitresses recognized me By far, my favorite shabu place in Houston! All of the meats here are super good quality and fresh. Every cut of meat is either fatty and tender or lean and juicy, but both types are irresistible. They have a good variety of soup flavors with the sukiyaki, tonkatsu, and spicy crab being my favorites! Their all you can eat menu is so worth it in my opinion, especially if you eat a lot of meat. The ayce is not buffet style so you can't pick and choose veggies and other sides, but each person gets a veggie bowl and a bowl of rice. They have two default sauces where one of them is sesame based and the other is a yuzu ponzu, but you can order other sauces they have. The staff here are friendly and nice! The waiters and waitresses are attentive and will come by to either lower or raise the heat of your broths if they see it's boiling too much or too little. It can get a little cramped if there's a lot of people, but they have a good amount of seats and benches for larger parties. They always play good music here too which is also a bonus! This place is a very solid place for shabu, and it's perfect to go on a rainy or cold day. Every time my friends want a recommendation for a shabu place, I recommend this place!

    Giang T.

    came here for dinner on a weekday and it was packed (despite sign saying it will close on mar 10, but will reopen with new concept) service was rly rly quick i love how the veggie bowl comes with an order of udon as well my favorite was the shrimp balls beef was very tender plenty plenty parking spots as the plaza was quite empty

    Lunch AYCE tier

    See all

    21 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    14 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    The owner is amazing.aren't enough adjectives to describe. Def will be back next week to eat again

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Ryleigh N.
    206
    260
    1486

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Megan L.
    651
    1444
    3235

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Kimberly N.

    Kimberly N.

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 10

    Ask the Community - Shabu Squared

    Is it all you can eat?

    They have that option now!

    Does your goma sauce contains peanut? Someone from our group is highly allergic?

    Our goma sauce does not contain peanuts. It does contain sesame seeds. If there are more allergies we should know about, please make a reservation with us and indicate the allergies. That way we can have time to use new clean equipments to prepare… 

    Are you guys opened?

    Yes, we are open.

    When are you guys re opening?

    Sorry for the late reply. We are open everyday except for Monday.

    Could we get pick up during Covid 19?

    I'm unsure if you can do Togo orders but they are open for serving, I went recently and social distancing was in place with every precaution.

    Are you open for take out?

    Yes.

    Is it a buffet style ? if not whats the pricing like , i cant see it on the website.

    Sorry, no we do not offer buffet.

    Is this place actually open? When I call, I get sent to a personalized voice mail. The first poster's photos look great.

    We are having our Grand Opening this Sunday, 12.8.19. We hope to see you there!

    View All 11 Questions

    You might also consider

    Local Foods - Crunchy chicken

    Local Foods

    4.5(462 reviews)
    10.7 mi•The Heights
    •$$

    Came here for brunch on a Sunday. I am a huge fan of Farm…read more44 beef got the steak and eggs! Potatoes and fried hard eggs plus sautéed spinach was delicious. Spoke with Bobby about the char being a little much he accommodated me with a steak cooked on flat top rather then open flame. Absolutely fantastic!!! I will be back service was amazing line moved fast. This place is busy on the weekends! Strawberry lemonade was delicious!! Amazing ambiance and super customer service. Once again Bobby was such a kind soul and made sure everything came out perfectly!!! Thank you local foods

    This is a top favorite of mine,I've been a regular for over a year and they never disappoint I…read morebring my friends and family and they've all loved it, I love that they use local and fresh ingredients and you can tell in the quality of the flavor and the richness. The drinks are also good coffee and the bar section is solid. I used to finish my running (walking trail right in front) and stop by for a coffee or full breakfast. The patio area is my favorite if Houston's weather is blessing us I'm always sitting outside I usually get the CRUNCHY" CHICKEN sandwich with either side of Pozole or the chips so crispy and made in the moment. I've had other items the burger the salad the salmon they've always been fees and flavorful, I cannot recommend one thing because everything tastes great! Best place for a cute date or get together with friends family this place has it all! Check out their seasonal items they're always changing and they absolutely worth trying ****** GREEN POZOLE!!' I was surprised on how good it was sorry for doubting it's now my too favorite pozole in Houston ****** (approved by a Mexican ajuaaa )

    Photos
    Local Foods - Inside

    Inside

    Local Foods - My fave, crunchy chicken with potato chips & kale salad

    My fave, crunchy chicken with potato chips & kale salad

    Local Foods - Avocado and egg toast with a side of potato salad

    See all

    Avocado and egg toast with a side of potato salad

    Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen

    Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen

    4.2(2k reviews)
    6.3 mi•Galleria/Uptown
    •$$

    Kenny and Ziggy's (K&G) is THE place I take visitors and friends that come to Houston as the…read moreatmosphere is a true deli experience, the service is top notch, the food is out of this world, and the ambience is true New York Deli. It been a Houston institution since 1999. Walking into K&G's can be quite overwhelming on the first visit. There's just so much to see, be it Autographs, Caricatures, Playbill's or their delicious cakes, treats, breads, and Pickles. However, the real overwhelming experience is the menu. Anything you could possibly want is listed on the menu. I recommend looking t it online before coming, just so you can have an idea of what you might want to eat. My dad(96) and I are frequent visitors and we always seem to get the open faced roast beef, which is stacked high and there is always left overs for eating at home the next day. The pickles are a fan favorite for me, and I tend to devour several of them. This visit I decided to try the fried fish sandwich (made with halibut) with onion rings and french fries and my friend, a Houston native who had never been here, went for the Schleppy Joe with onion rings. These sandwiches were stunning and wonderful. I saved half for to go so I could have their classic New York Cheesecake... the best in the city. The entire dining experience was top notch, exactly the experience I always have. Ziggy knows how to make the customers dining experience an "experience", I have never had a bad one, from the service down to the cleanliness of the entire place. In this review I want to give a special shout out to Beverly, our server, as she was amazing and whom I recommend. She practically read our minds and was an absolute star. Thank you, Beverly, for the fine service that was speedy with a smile!

    My niece and I wanted dessert so we decided to go to Kenny and Ziggy's…read more This was my first time visiting. We sat on the patio and took a look at their extensive menu. My niece wanted the chocolatey-est dessert on the menu so our awesome waiter (a very personable and kind guy) recommended a multi-layered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and we decided to have it a la mode. He asked if we wanted it hot or warm. We ordered it warm and in hindsight we wish we'd ordered it hot but it was still perfect for a chocolate fix. He even brought out a candle for the cake when he found out her birthday was coming up the following week. I also ordered a cheesecake and we shared each other's desserts. Needless to say we had plenty to take home and we thoroughly enjoyed it the following day as well and at a hotter temperature that was perfect with soft serve ice cream.

    Photos
    Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen - Outdoor seating by the entrance

    Outdoor seating by the entrance

    Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen - Chips and hummus

    Chips and hummus

    Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen - Inside seating with all the movie/broadway posters

    See all

    Inside seating with all the movie/broadway posters

    Xiaolong Dumpling - B1. Mongolian Beef B1.

    Xiaolong Dumpling

    4.6(304 reviews)
    10.7 mi•Fourth Ward, Midtown, Montrose
    •$$

    This little spot is my literal favorite place for fried rice. Everything is good but the fried rice…read moreis the best I've ever had! Pork Bao's are normally my daughter fave but the soup dumplings here are her favorite. She could finish an order on her own. The service is always great. As soon as you get in they give everyone a water and a carafe of more water. There is a QR code to order and you place your order on the phone. The order goes straight to the kitchen and you can add as you go if wanted. I always thought that was pretty cool. The owner came out to say hello and ask how everything is. She even brought out a small bowl of soup for my baby to enjoy. The waitress was also very sweet and attentive. I don't live close by but will make the trip when the craving hits. Today was one of those days. The last time I was here there was no ac and not enough seating. This time it was nice and cool in and well as having new seating! This little spot needs to be on your need to stop places!

    Was a little bit of a red flag when we were the only Asian customers in the restaurant - still…read moredecent but definitely catered towards Western taste buds. My favorite dish was surprising the fried rice, with generous portions and slight smokiness. The xiaolongbao weren't my favorite, as there wasn't a whole lot of juice; but hey if you're looking to be health conscious maybe that is a positive.

    Photos
    Xiaolong Dumpling - Excellent customer service!!!

    Excellent customer service!!!

    Xiaolong Dumpling - V9. Eggplant In Garlic Sauce V9.

    V9. Eggplant In Garlic Sauce V9.

    Xiaolong Dumpling - P3. Black Pepper Beef P3.

    See all

    P3. Black Pepper Beef P3.

    Ishin Udon

    Ishin Udon

    4.3(473 reviews)
    0.7 mi•Chinatown, Sharpstown
    •$$

    Cozy udon restaurant near Chinatown. I was surprised about the quality and price of this…read morerestaurant. They are specialized in udon; however, they have many other options to choose like Italian noodles. Their price is from $10-16 with a good portion of food. About the taste, the curry I ordered was a little bit salty, which I expected from Japanese food, but if you have it with udon, they create balance flavor. They have plenty of tables but small area. For friends, yes, big family, I would say no. The service was quick, and staff were friendly. Overall, I highly recommend this place if you want to try udon. I will come back to try more.

    This was my third time coming back here. Each time we like to try different dishes. This time I…read morebrought my nieces with me and that just means more dishes to try. Not many restaurants in Houston offer Takowasa, which is marinated raw octopus with wasabi; and when we find one that does, it's our must order for appetizers. We also ordered the chicken karaage and agedashi tofu. The karaage was juicy and slightly larger than the size of popcorn chicken. The tofu was soft and lightly battered, however the downside is that it gets soggy quickly since it's sitting in the sauce rather than on the side. For our entrees, we got the carbonara, curry tonkatsu rice, niku tama ankake, and kakuni udon. The carbonara was nice and creamy. The curry rice tastes exactly like the Japanese box curry. The niku tama is more of a thicker soup base similar to egg drop soup, however has a more slightly sweet umami flavor. The kakuni udon had a lighter broth with braised pork belly. The service was a bit slow here, but we didn't mind it too much. The interior had a cute traditional Japanese style decor. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and we'll be back to try other udons.

    Photos
    Ishin Udon - Booths layout

    Booths layout

    Ishin Udon - Curry udon

    Curry udon

    Ishin Udon - Chicken Karaage

    See all

    Chicken Karaage

    Local Foods - Egg Salad. Sandwich

    Local Foods

    4.5(1.9k reviews)
    8.5 mi•West University
    •$$

    Wow! Just... wow…read more Loved this place from the moment I walked in! Ambiance was super fun and welcoming. The tubs of ice filled with cold drinks all around as you approach the counter was casual and fun. And the staff was welcoming and friendly. The menu had so much variety, without being overwhelming. Anything from a good pazole, to a brisket Rueben, to an American Italian sandwich! I got the báhn mì sandwich, which was bursting with flavor! The pork was seasoned well and had good flavor from the marinade. The cilantro, pickled onions, jalapeno, all were so fresh and vibrant! And I was able to get homemade chips and fresh strawberries as my side - such a refreshing bite the strawberries after a rich, porky, spicy bite from the sandwich. Can't say enough good! Loved this place and would go back in a heartbeat!

    A big part of the decades long success at Local Foods has been their commitment to consistency…read more Their casual setting with excellent service is one thing, but quality executed food that is simple and seasonal will always go a long way. Before their recent expansions to Austin, it all began here in Rice Village exactly 15 years ago. The vibes are contemporary and casual, with the kind of space that fits for just about any scenario. Whether it's a solo meal, a lunch date, or a group led affair, the experience is almost always an excellent one. Start by ordering at the counter and find a seat where the food will brought directly to the table. So much of their variety caters to all sorts of dietary restrictions from vegan to gluten free to nut free. Their spicy crispy brussels sprouts ($10) are a nice starter, as is the squash "onion" rings ($12). The local power bowl ($16) is a classic and I've always enjoyed the brown rice and quinoa combo. Their chicken "posolé" is solid, and I love the large hominy bits along with the clear but green tint of a broth. The chicken shawarma bowl ($20) is an interesting mix that includes pickled beets and strawberries, along with their market cheddar burger ($17) and fabulous twice cooked fries. The carrot cupcake is strangely addicting, and I think their gluten free brownie is a bit of a sleeper. Some of their items didn't jive with me previously, such as an underwhelming cashew queso ($9), a semi-laughable Vietnamese steak bowl ($22), and their semi-gringo version of a banh mi ($15). It's not that these items are bad per se, but they definitely don't live up to the same standard that I feel their other dishes do best. Where they hit the biggest home run is their customer service. Everyone working behind the counter does their best to deliver and they almost always do by staying on top of refills, cleanups, and customer greets. I've always enjoyed my experiences here and look forward to every visit.

    Photos
    Local Foods - Inside

    Inside

    Local Foods - Garden Sammie Sandwich ($12) - brussel sprouts, smashed avocado, hummus, pickled onion, lettuce, tomatoes, curried cauliflower, ciabatta

    Garden Sammie Sandwich ($12) - brussel sprouts, smashed avocado, hummus, pickled onion, lettuce, tomatoes, curried cauliflower, ciabatta

    Local Foods - Banh Mi ($14) - charred red field ranch pork, aioli, pickled onion, jalapeno, cilantro, sambal, cucumber-carrot slaw, French baguette

    See all

    Banh Mi ($14) - charred red field ranch pork, aioli, pickled onion, jalapeno, cilantro, sambal, cucumber-carrot slaw, French baguette

    Shabu Squared - japanese - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...