Matthew was an excellent server! He was super attentive and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. He recommended the Mongolian soup base, and it was delicious definitely my favorite so far! My little sister also loved the shaved ice bar. We had a great experience and will definitely be coming back! read more

I have been to the Mira Mesa location, but never this one before. Matthew took care of us and gave us great recommendations for our soup flavors! They have a lot of options for vegetables and meats. The desert bar was also a nice touch. read more

This was my first hotpot experience and it was quite a lovely one. We got garlic miso tonkotsu and sichuan ma-la. They were both flavored perfectly. There were so many vegetable and sauce options, everything there to make the perfect bites. This is a fabulous place to eat and I could not recommend it more. The service was quite impressive. Things came out quickly and they were very present to anticipate your needs. You won't be disappointed if you're craving this type of food. read more

We used to really like this restaurant and had a very good impression of it. The food has always been fresh, and the service was generally great. We have visited about 6 times before this experience and even appreciated the owner's presence and care for the restaurant. However, this visit was very disappointing due to one server (a tall female staff member). She did not manage seating appropriately, never refilled our water, and did not check on us at all throughout the meal. Empty plates were left on the table for a long time without being cleared. At the end of our visit, her behavior became very unprofessional--she appeared frustrated and forcefully slammed the dishes onto our table while cleaning up, which made us feel uncomfortable and helpless the entire time. This experience was completely different from our previous visits. I hope management takes this seriously, as one staff member can significantly affect the reputation of an otherwise good restaurant. read more

For someone who doesn't love your typical hot pot spot, shabu works works for me. They have fun soup bases to choose from - my go to is their tom yum!! I love their hot appetizer bar, extensive selections for the hot pot, and the shaved ice for dessert. Such a cherry on top to finish off after all that salty goodness. Quick and efficient service, wait times can be long depending on the day and time so try to check in on Yelp or make reservations in advance. Very spacious and clean inside, with fun and bright anime murals on the walls. The meats are fresh and great quality. I'd pick this over Haidilao any day. You get so much more for your value and overall fits my tastebuds much better The biggest perk - they let you eat here for free on your bday with ID, and offer memberships to get discounts every time you dine there. It pays itself off within a few visits read more

Pretty tasty! Easy to fill up. The chicken katsu and chicken legs were very hard, difficult to eat almost like they had been sitting out for too long. Dessert is a shaved ice machine, where u can put cereal and chocolate and candy on ur shaved ice. Kinda a let down, only buffet ive never had a tiny taste of dessert at. The broth isnt too bad, some are better than others, this is a tom yum type broth and then their mongolian broth the waiter said was really popular. Staff is very friendly, everything pretty straightforward. Id prefer this over KBBQ any day read more

SHABU-WORKS® - Broth and meat - Hot Pot Near Me - San Marcos, California

One star. Went tonight at 7:20, got on the waitlist, and didn't get seated until 8. Fine, that's an hour, but the host's first words were him showing us his phone saying just so you know, we're closing at 8:45 -- when they actually close at 9. Then he told us to sit down, asked if it was our first time, and when we said yes, basically told us you pick a meat and a soup, that's all. Poor attitude from the start. We tried to enjoy ourselves, but no waiter came by for over twenty minutes. When we finally ordered, it took another twenty-plus minutes. Then they apparently stopped serving meat at 8:45 -- or stopped providing it, I'm not sure which -- so we barely got to eat before the meal was cut short. All told, it cost us ninety dollars. Ninety dollars in the trash. Between the attitude, the slow service, and getting rushed out early, this was a frustrating experience. Won't be back. read more

Such a great experience! The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the vibes were amazing. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, which made the whole experience even better. I'll definitely be coming back! Highly recommend! read more

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This place is extremely good. I feel like they could add a few more things to switch up the menu. I've been in the past and it's exactly the same as it was a few years ago at the other location, but everything is really good. The soup was very hot which I like I love the dipping sauces especially mixing them together to make something delicious. They have a lot of good ingredients. The fish was very good as well. It's a nice white fish. read more

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Came here with a group of coworkers. The price is fair for unlimited hot pot. It also comes with drink. There are many options they have sodas and teas. The teas were very delicious. You make your own sauces for dipping. I am vegetarian so that's why I give it 4 stars. If I did eat meat it would be 5. I did get full but I would have liked to see any options for vegetarian for the hot food which none of them had it. The only protein available for me was tofu. There is also a lot of noodles and vegetables to choose from . My favorite noodles was the udon. The shave ice was good but I wish there was some type of syrup to add flavor to the shave ice. The servers were very nice and kept clearing out the plates. Overall it was a fun experience and would come back. read more

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Alright, it's been a little over a year now and I love coming here! Not for dinner though, I come here for lunch. It's the best deal around. All you can eat for lunch, and the pricing is on point. Also you can stuff yourself and skip dinner and be okay, and not go to sleep with a beef hot pot belly. The meats are limited during lunch but we just get the beef belly and eye round. That's really all you need. 4 plates. 2 plates of veggies, some noodles and it's all good. I go to Cava next door and it costs me almost $20 for not so good food. But come here and pay $25 and get all you can eat! Thats member pricing, just buy the membership. Everything is usually fresh at lunch time too. The soft drinks, milk tea, flavored tea and bingsu are a good addition. Love this place and so glad it's in San Marcos. It's the best hot pot we have! Best broths are mala and Mongolian if you like spicy. Spicy miso and tonkatsu is pretty good too. The one broth I did not like is the spicy Tokyo. Tasted like nothing, just spice, no salt or real flavor. Skip that and go with other spicy broth. Service is on point now. They got it down. Service is fast. They do need to give you more napkins though. 1 is just not enough. read more

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Hot pot was really good! The meat, sides, and veggie selection was great, I just wish their broths were more rich/flavorful. As a heads up- pricing is $50 per person for dinner so I would recommend going during lunch. It's only $29. read more

I love a good hot pot place! So good! I especially like it when it's buffet style. We went on Valentine's Day and it was pretty busy! On the weekend they have seafood. You get 2 choices of soup. We got TONKOTSU PORK BONE and UMAMI MUSHROOM. The UMAMI MUSHROOM tasted super buttery. The TONKOTSU PORK BONE was more my favorite. The meats we got were CAB top blade, Pork belly, Wagyu chuck tender, angus beef belly, and NZ lamb shoulder. My favorite was lamb and pork belly. All the meats are thinly sliced and so tasty! To drink, I grabbed the crystal boba with Okinawa milk tea and lychee jelly with lychee black tea. I love them both and the lychee jelly was so great with my tea! I grabbed one of almost everything! My favorite was the mushrooms and boiling my egg. My all time favorite noods is the glass noodles! I just love how thin they are and they hold a lot of flavor from the soup. It's super great that they have a shaved ice machine for the dessert! A perfect finish to hot pot. I had 2 bowls! I put a lot of toppings on mine. All the syrups, fruit, fruity pebbles, and sliced almonds made it sooo good! The restaurant has a bar, and so many tables to sit with a couple or a group. It was a perfect Valentine's date if you love unlimited options to eat. read more

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This is an AYCE place. My baby bro introduced this place to me. We came here when his twin daughters had their "Promotion" and will be entering middle school next school year. It was what the twins wanted to eat. There were 7 of us and we were seated right away because we came when they were opening for business. It's a good size restaurant and their selections were good! The service was good and the food was delicious! I highly recommend this place and I would definitely come back here! Thank you for a great experience! read more

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We tried Shabu-Works for the first time. The wait was long for Saturday dinner. We joined the waitlist through Yelp at 8:00, and got a table at 8:50. We had to wait in the parking lot for 50 min. since we had to be close to join the wait list. The place was clean for AYCE. We had spicy miso broth and mushroom broth. The mushroom one was plain with not much flavor. The hot food was less than my expectations. The regular popular things like gyoza, teriyaki chicken and katsu were there but the quality of the hot food was AYCE. A lot of items to choose from for shabu shabu! My favorite was fish, vegetables and clear noodles. So many different things and could not try them all, so we must go back again! The quality of the included meat was better than expected for AYCE. They were tender, and two out of three we picked didn't have a thick fat band around the edges, which we liked. It was an interesting dining experience for sure. We will try to avoid the wait next time. read more

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Maria and the staff provide top notch customer service. She made my mom feel like VIP on her birthday, and it's no wonder this is one of her favorite places to eat. Thank you!! read more

This place is great! One of our more visited ayce shabu spots. The meat quality is good and the broth selection is great variety. I just wish they had Sesame balls for dessert in the buffet area and then this would possibly be my favorite ayce shabu place. Most other places have the sesame balls so I was surprised they didn't have them. read more

Best hot pot joint I've ever been to! The food was amazing. Meat was fresh. They have everything you want from a hot pot joint! Way better than Chubby Cattle! 5/5 stars. Definitely coming back! read more

Solid place in San Marcos! I've been to the location in Mira Mesa many years ago, and that was also pretty good (just smaller and harder parking). This place is extremely clean, food options aplenty, and very good customer service. Pricing is also great! Esp for lunch. Soup bases to must try: tonkatsu and the Mongolian Meat quality was actually really good too! Very thin slices and not too fatty. I also love that they have a bunch of drinks to try (outside of soda) and also shaved ice station! My family will be a regular here! We just bought more gift cards to take advantage of the holiday deal. read more

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Really great hot pot, we will definitely be back! Keep up the excellent quality. The service stood out, absolutely friendly and accommodating. Clean and modern interior. The quality of the meat and vegetables is great. They also have milk tea and fruit teas on top, all soft drinks, and a shaved ice dessert bar on top of a great condiment bar, fried katsu and karaage (karaage is not as crispy), and more. read more

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Overall for the price and what they offer it is fair priced and tasted good. I appreciate how you can make your own sauce to fit your taste. Also if the broth is lacking, they can bring out extra paste to liven up the sauce. We did this with the umami mushroom broth. Service is usually decent, but don't sit next to the door as you will constantly have people hovering around you when it gets busy which is a bit of an annoyance when you are trying to refill your items. I recommend this place. read more

I have only ever come here for lunch, and I have not really had to wait. The restaurant is very clean, and the waiting area is separated by a slot wall from the dining area, and I think that's really nice. I always find it uncomfortable when you have people standing around waiting near your table as you're trying to eat. For beginners, they do a pretty great job of explaining how everything works. Choosing your meats is pretty straightforward, but choosing your broth can be the difficult part. Something that a lot of people may not know is that you can get a small taster of the broth! One thing to note: If you like the broth that you tasted, but feel like it might be a little intense, just know that you won't really be drinking the broth. It's used more to cook your meat and vegetable vegetables and add flavor. They have a good selection of broth and meats on the menu. The things on the menu (if I remember right, that's just meats and broth) are brought to you by the server, and everything else is a self serve buffet. The vegetable buffet also has cooked meat as well as some seafood options and a very large variety of vegetables. They also have a dessert area with boba and shaved ice. The wait staff is friendly, helpful, and attentive. Whether you're in the mood for Shabu, or you're looking to try something new, I would definitely recommend giving Shabu-Works a try! read more

SHABU-WORKS® - Hot Pot Near Me - San Marcos, California

Solid hot pot experience. The food was on par with any other legit spot around San Diego or oramge County and the price was reasonable. The hot bar had tons of options and my friends I took here for the first time were impressed. It did get kind of hot in there though that happens when steam is constantly in your face from the boiling broth. Can't wait to come back and eat my weight in meat again. Unfortunaly I forgot to take pics because wqs so overwhelmed by all the food. read more

This place was a cool little experience, make sure you go in pairs so everyone gets their own side. You can customize the broth, they had so many different broths to choose from I got the miso garlic which was good! Then they had a buffet style area for you to choose what sauces, veggies, different types of noodles, seafood options for your pot. It's nice they had so many different options for people to choose from. I def will be going back to try more things. Best part of it was that it was all you can eat for 2 hours. read more

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Turn it all the way UP! The food here is amazing. I frequent a lot of hot pot joints but this one takes da cake. The meats were thinly sliced to perfection, the hot food selection is great , and the service was tremendous. Come to this location before there's a line out the door! FIH' STAH read more

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Always busy, and crowded because its good! AYCE hotpot Big parking lots Good services Good foods Reasonable price read more

Was so impressed at the flavor and quality of the food here. So easy to order too. Waiters handle the meats and broths and specialty items and everything else is self serve. They also offer shave ice dessert that my son loved. We will be back for sure read more

Top tier hot pot/shabu restaurant! This place is honestly such a good bang for the buck. I absolutely love that they have all you can drink milk tea and various fruit teas as well as shaved ice! Their hot food bar is also pretty great. Only thing is that I wish they had quail eggs and enoki mushrooms, but the food selection is honestly pretty great and their meat quality is fresh. Service is pretty decent is well and their staff is nice and friendly. Facility is clean and well kept as well. read more

So, it's been almost a year since my first review of Shabu-Works. I've been in about a half dozen times since then, and they have kept up the excellent food quality and fastidious service that we experienced right after their grand opening. The buffet is stocked with dozens of delicious choices: Seafood, veggies, noodles, white and fried rices, fried chicken, tonkatsu, gyoza, and so much more. They even have a soda, and iced tea bar, thus drinks are actually included in the price. The tables are spaced far enough apart that you actually have a little breathing room. So even when they're hella busy, you don't feel crowded in. This is the best hot pot restaurant around, and it definitely fixes my Japanese food cravings every time I've eaten here. I love this place! read more

SHABU-WORKS® - Heaven in a bowl! - Hot Pot Near Me - San Marcos, California

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Favorite shabu place near me. Love the meats selection and seafood. Tried most of the soups and they're all yummy but garlic miso tonkotsu is my favorite along with the spicy miso. Service is good as well. When I ask which meats are which when they bring my order to the table so I know which to order more of for the next round, they always know just by looking so that shows how well trained the staff is. I also love the milk tea and drink selection. read more

Paid by card. Shabu- Works is located in a plaza and offers a lot of plaza parking. I go here at least once or twice a month and ended up getting the membership for the discount. The workers are quick to serve here and are friendly. I also like how you can add yourself to the waitlist through Yelp. I love how the ingredients are so fresh and there are so many to choose from. I usually like to get one spicy broth base and a non- spicy broth base. I forget they have a shaved ice bar as well, but I'm usually so stuffed after shabu. I would definitely recommend this place and would go back. read more

Service was great! We were waiting for a friend and the host saved us a table. Because when my friend came it started to get packed behind us. Aaron explained the whole process to me and always came to our table asking if we needed anything or needed more meat, which is really appreciated. The place is beautiful and so spacious. I could see why it gets crowded. Unlimited fountain drinks and they even have shaved ice !!!! I went with my girlfriends and we had such a great time catching up with eachother I forgot to get the shaved ice. Guess im going to have to come back and I cant wait. read more

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Shabu Works has quickly become one of my go-to lunch and dinner spots in San Marcos, and for good reason. The food is consistently great -- fresh, high-quality ingredients and a fun, interactive dining experience that never gets old. If you haven't tried the New Zealand lamb shoulder yet, stop what you're doing and order it. It's tender, flavorful, and honestly one of the best proteins I've had at any shabu-shabu spot. It's become my personal staple every visit. The lunch options are excellent -- good value and a solid spread that doesn't leave you wanting. Whether you're grabbing a quick weekday meal or a leisurely sit-down, it hits the spot every time. A special shoutout to Li Dong, who is an outstanding server. Attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable -- he makes the whole experience even better. It's the kind of service that keeps you coming back. Highly recommend Shabu Works to anyone in the area looking for a warm, satisfying meal with great hospitality! read more

SHABU-WORKS® - Sichuan mala pot and pork bone - Hot Pot Near Me - San Marcos, California

We love to cook all of our meat and noodles in the sukiyaki broth because it's so flavorful. Then we also get the tonkotsu which is a better base because it's not as sweet and we'll mix the half and half of the broth in our individual soup bowls! They also have a lots of sauce options to doctor your soup to your liking! The wagyu meats are our favorites because they melt in your mouth. This place has a lot of options at the buffet and lots of drink options too! Milk tea and a variety of fruit teas. They have boba - the popping fruit ones. Wish they had the traditional black ones but they don't. Service was great too! They were always checking on us whenever we were getting low on meat and needed another round. read more

The beef belly is my favorite meat here. Great options for broths, but my favorites are probably the sukiyaki and spicy miso. The ramen noodles are fresh, not instant. I try not to eat too much to fill up but I can't help it lol. Teas are ok. Definitely recommend coming here for your hot pot fix in north county. read more

SHABU-WORKS® - Hot Pot Near Me - San Marcos, California

Came in thinking it was happy hour from 1-3. But we came on Saturday. So weekend pricing. But honestly was worth the money. Because I always go to Shani in Irvine. What surprised me was the shave ice machine with an abundance of toppings. The staff was really friendly. Would come again and they have a membership pass for 35 dollars. Gets you discounts Every time you come. 5 dollars off per person I believe. read more

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I've never been to a hot pot. It was sooooo good! You can sample the broth before you order them. It's legit all you can eat. Endless meat, veggies, sea food, cooked foods, dessert & drinks. Not just sodas but all kinds of teas & other drinks as well. I will definitely be going back so that I can try more stuff. My stomach could only hold so much! 10/10 highly recommend. read more

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SO. DELICIOUS. Been here two times and I've loved all two times so so much. Servers are friendly and honestly feel like friends when you talk to them. 10/10 would swim in the Mongolian broth read more

Shabu Works This was totally guided us to this restaurant from Yelp. Not familiar with the area, trusted reviews and was very satisfied with the actual experience. Wagyu Stew was a winner, very good selection of meats and extra items to choose from. I liked picking out from the buffet bar, the self service drink area is a nice touch along with the cooked buffet items. I personally enjoyed our experience read more

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First time here and we will be coming back! Food, service, ambiance 5 Stars!! Made reservations for 7:30p on a rainy Thursday evening. We got seated immediately. Note: your entire party must be present in order to get seated. Francisco was amazing. He explained everything to us. Gave us his recommendations and even let us sample some of the broth before deciding. We decided on the sukiyaki broth and the garlic miso to tonkatsu and The Mongolian and Tonkatsu pork bone broth in another. My favorite was the sukiyaki broth which has a sweet terikayi flavor. It complemented the wagyu beef. The other fam fav was The Mongolian. It was a bit spicy for me but still yummy. The hot bar was fresh and had a variety. Chicken karage, dumplings, wings to name a few. They also have raw seafood: crab, calamari, fish, lobster balls and more. Fresh veggies too. Variety of drinks and teas to choose which are included with the meal. Mango tea with popping boba was a hit. And the dessert bar had shaved ice. And various topping and sauces. Highly recommend. Make reservations because I'm pretty sure this place gets pretty busy. read more

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