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    Shabu-Zen

    3.9 (728 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 11:15 pm

    Waitlist - Shabu-Zen

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    Shabu-Zen Photos

    Business Info

    SHABU-ZEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Shabu-Zen

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    Reviews With Photos

    Taylor Z.

    The jumbo combo is massive. Could easily split with another person. The A5 we got was pretty solid and I really liked the mushrooms as well. The broths were okay, tasted a bit watery.

    Suphot B.

    My wife loved this place!! We always make it a point to come here every time we visit Boston. They have seats at the bar for single diner and tables for larger groups. Servers are great and usually pretty fast when you ask for things. But service could be little slow when they get the rush. The broth is very tasty, portions are generous and loved the variety of different combinations dishes that have. The watermelon drink is a must too!!

    Jimmy N.

    It's been 5 months since I had hotpot... Shabu Zen definitely satisfied my cravings! As much as we complain about their pricing, we're confident that it will never disappoint us. Please bring back $2-$3 broths! LOL

    Thomas T.

    This place is one of the more popular hot pot restaurants in the Boston area. There is a small parking lot off the side street if you are lucky. The restaurant is huge with bar seating having individual pots and tables with shared pots. Service was attentive and quick. The house broth is included and any flavor is an extra charge. I got the A5 beef regular combo and it came with a choice of noodles and assorted vegetables. The udon noodles and beef were fresh and not frozen. It did give an impression of higher quality than other places. The flavor broth is really good and the portion for the regular meat combo was a good size for one person. You should get a regular combo for each person.

    Kimchee broth w beef and vegetables
    Christine K.

    My favorite hot pot spot in Boston for over 15year+. We always get the kimchi broth and don katsu broth and they are both great. We end up going back because their sauces are what makes it different/special from other shabu spots. I love love love their peanut sauce (so good that i ask them for extra all the time) but their soy sauce mixed w different herbs and chili oil is amazing. If you choose a meat a plate of vegetable (napa cabbage, mushroom,corn, buckchoy, carrot and tomato comes as a default on the side) if you want extra veggies you must order it a la carte. Also included is a choice of carbs (rice, vermicelli,udon) Highly recommend their fried tofu skin and fresh tofu skin and their in house made fish paste! This place is very spacious making it great for families large and small and the staff is on point . We love that this location has parking in the back which is a plus for allston location since parking can be tough. Definitely give this place a try if you're in the area.

    Finest Usda Prime Rib Eye Of Beef  Boneless Short Rib Beef

    Best hot pot i've ever had. Our server was nice and attentive. This is the only place with good Tobiko balls!! And the quality of the meat is unbeatable for hot pot! It's a bit expensive but definitely worth it. And has free parking!!

    Forgot what cut this was but around ~$30
    Shelley Y.

    Parking: street parking. There may be a small lot in the back but I'm not sure since I parked on the street Service was fast and wait staff was courteous. For the price, I would have expected more meat/seafood for the two platters. It was $30 for ~15 slices of beef! It wasn't enough protein for my partner and we ended up getting an order of the lamb ($25). I will say that the beef quality was good but the seafood was just ok and they only give one mussel (see picture). Definitely recommend getting the meat over the seafood. The total cost for the meal for two people with no drinks or dessert was $160 - quite expensive for hotpot.

    Adam R.

    Just as good as the Chinatown location. Great place to bring a date our a large party of people. The meat is of great quality and the appetizers are great too. The smoothies are amazing here too, don't miss out

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    6 months ago

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    1 month ago

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    5 months ago

    Spacious and fairly good spot. Not AYCE but still pretty good. Ingredients were fresh and service was quick. Reservations are recommended.

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    5 months ago

    Long time server nice guy served us. I love the food here. So yummy shabu! The shrimp paste is the best!!!

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    8 months ago

    Food is Good but price is high. Service are nice and friendly, place is large enough that have seats most of the time. STILL, TOO EXPENSIVE!

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    9 months ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Amazeballs. Staff is nice. meat quality is good and the overall food is great. The szechuan sauce is the best. I love this spot!

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Can't go wrong with the Tom Yum soup base! And their watermelon smoothies are just so scrumptious

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    All time favorite hot pot spot! Parking can be tricky. Love the watermelon smoothie!!

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    8 years ago

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    Page 1 of 19

    Shabu-Zen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Shabu-Zen

    Does anything contain peanuts / can they accommodate a severe peanut allergy?

    I believe nothing there contains peanuts. Also, the meat and veggies are sliced separately and brought to you to cook yourself in a pot of broth. So, as long as you're not somehow getting peanuts into the broth with the raw meat/vegetables, you're… Read more

    Are there private rooms ? if yes how much do they cost

    No. Open areas. They do have areas for small groups

    How many orders would you need for four people?

    Each person really should get there own entree since it's really enough for one person. An entree comes with vegetables and noodle or rice! You can order appetizers to share

    Is it a BYOB? corkage charge?

    No BYOB. They have beer, wine, sake, and mixed drinks.

    View All 7 Questions

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    Lan Feast

    Lan Feast

    4.2(77 reviews)
    0.9 miCoolidge Corner

    Really exciting place focused on Northwest Chinese cuisine…read more The signature dish, the hand-pulled beef noodle soup, had a fairly light, but subtle, flavor. The noodles themselves I wish were chewier (got the 'flat' but probably should have gone for 'extra wide'), and perhaps it'd been nice to have some different textures inside the soup (e.g. something crunchy). The scallions in the soup were also too wide, and needed to be sliced more thinly. The beef pancake was quite decent, though the edges didn't have enough beef and the middles had too much beef. The beef was tender, though I might have liked it more flaky. The sauce inside the pancake was somewhat unevenly applied, and a bit too sweet. I wonder if a dipping sauce (maybe a vinegar?) would have helped. The blueberry with mashed yams was fascinating. It was listed under appetizers, and wondered why the dish came out last. But the dish was a bit sweet (naturally!) and so it actually worked as a light modest dessert! The wait staff was spot on after all in putting out the dish last. The stir-fried cabbage dish was beautiful! It was appropriately crunch, yet using good wok hey. The salt level was a bit high, but the spice level was good. Their spice ratings were a bit timid to what I encounter in Szechuan restaurants (the 'regular' level seemed to be more 'mild-regular'). The stir-fried cumin potato was delicious; nicely flavored, nicely charred. Some bits were a bit oily but the cook on the potato was really neat. Will revisit!!!

    Hm, we had high hopes for this Lanzhou noodle place because we saw customizable noodle type and all…read morethe photos looked amazing, but our tries here have only been ok. We've ordered several of their noodle soups and noodle dishes with regular, thick, and wide noodles that have been fine but not great. I think the textures of their noodles across the board have been too soft, not chewy enough. We've tried some of their other dishes, which have been better: my fav is the cold okra appetizer. Also, the potato balls in the beef brisket with potato are a sleeper hit. Unfortunately, the dish was mostly beef and not potato haha unusual gripe. Service is normal, efficient, on the attentive side for a chinese place. Interior is nice and new and clean. After our second try, I'm not super pressed to come back, but if we're in the area, I might try some of their other non-noodle dishes!

    Photos
    Lan Feast - Nice decor

    Nice decor

    Lan Feast - Szechuan fried chicken bites

    Szechuan fried chicken bites

    Lan Feast - Stir-fried String Beans

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    Kao Jiu Restaurant - Beef skewers

    Kao Jiu Restaurant

    4.1(63 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    I ordered Chinese-style seaweed salad, fried tofu w secret sauce, mini BBQ abalone (5 pcs), and…read morelamb kebabs (3 pcs) - TASTE: 5/5 - wow, truly excellent and hard to pick a favorite dish! Tasty seaweed salad, satisfying abalone w bright green onion, and savory lamb skewers TEXTURE: 5/5 - on point w a light, cold salad that's perfect for warmer weather, perfectly fried tofu, and tender grilled meat PRICE: 4/5 - subtotal came to $55 SERVING SIZE: 4/5 - appreciate that plates are on the smaller side, so you can sample more SERVICE: 5/5 - walked in at 12:30pm on a Saturday and only one other party was seated. My waitress was friendly and helped me decide between my options. Food came out 5-20min after ordering ATMOSPHERE: 5/5 - more on the upscale side for a Chinese BBQ restaurant w Chinese music playing, traditional wooden furniture, and art pieces / decor on display. Sad to hear that the owners are moving back to China and that this spot is closing, super glad I stopped in beforehand! PARKING: 4/5 - plenty of metered street spots available at the time on Harvard St

    We made a reservation for 3 people here for Saturday evening at 6 PM. Definitely recommend making a…read morereservation as they got busy very quickly. Some street parking nearby with parking meters. The menus were a cool design - the drink menus being a scroll and you could open up the food menu to display everything. Little dark inside and somewhat moderately loud music but not overly loud where you can't talk. My cousin and I ordered some cocktails - she added rum to a cocktail - Fascinate Lychee and I ordered the Pineapple Passion monthly drink. The Pineapple Passion was okay but the Lychee drink was very good with the rum. My husband ordered an herbal tea which was very good but bitter if you're not quite used to Chinese tea. The menu provided on the table differed slightly than the scanned menu QR Code. We ordered a variety of food and 2 bowls of rice ($3/bowl but plenty of rice). Small BBQ Lamb Ribs - very good and tender, pretty spicy from the seasoning and some chili paste I believe. Don't let these sit because it becomes a little less tender over time. BBQ Mini Abalone - one of my favorites and definitely recommend. Teriyaki Big Squid - also one of my favorites - cooked beautifully, absolutely delicious. Handmade Mini Pork Buns - Good number of small buns and dipping sauce with some juices inside - pretty good. BBQ Eel - definitely one of the top dishes we ordered. The seasoning and how it was cooked was very good, especially with some rice. Absolutely recommend this. Pork Sausage - one on a stick but this was also very good. Incredibly tender inside and slightly crispy on the outside. Beef with Yuzu Sauce - This was good but not a favorite - wish it was just a little more tender but medium slices to try and eat in one bite. BBQ Whole Scallop - covered with slices of mushroom I believe and then one scallop under it all - great flavor but not sure if it was worth the price (MP). Overall, good service, delicious food and a great time!

    Photos
    Kao Jiu Restaurant - Interior

    Interior

    Kao Jiu Restaurant - Herbal Jelly with Taro

    Herbal Jelly with Taro

    Kao Jiu Restaurant - Purple Yam ice cream

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    Purple Yam ice cream

    Mountain House

    Mountain House

    4.4(195 reviews)
    0.0 miAllston/Brighton
    Casual dining
    Romantic vibe

    Limited Street Parking…read more The food made up for the wait time but it was very long. This place was packed, we came in no reservation and the wait time they told us just kept getting longer. We eventually were able to get in, there is a small space to wait with snacks though. Once our table was almost ready the host allowed us to order and once sat it came almost right away. We ordered the la-xi chicken with less spice, this has small crispy chicken pieces and lot of peppers, had to go in and pick out the little pieces. Truthfully wish it was less pepper and more chicken especially $23.95. The mapo tofu was delicious the perfect numbing sensation that I love. A must try dish was the fish fillet with crispy rice. This was $34 but it is perfect for cold day. They bring this dish out pour the soup on top and let it boil until the crispy gets cooked. We got the green beans as well, pretty standard nothing special. We got a little discount as well, I think for a late night special. The entire meal came with tea and the restaurant had calm setting with wooden interior

    Disappointing Service & Poor Seating Arrangement…read more Extremely disappointed with our experience here. I made a reservation for 6 people One Month in advance (in fact, today is my birthday) expecting a comfortable dining setup for my group. However, upon arrival, we were squeezed into a table clearly designed for 4 people. When we pointed this out, the staff insisted it was a '6-person table' and refused to move us to the larger tables available, claiming those were reserved for 7-8 people. This is inconsistent and unprofessional, as we have been seated at those larger tables with a group of 6 before. What's the point of making a reservation so far in advance if the restaurant can't provide adequate seating? The lack of flexibility and the dismissive attitude of the staff ruined our evening. For a place like Mountain House, I expected much better service. Will not be coming back anytime soon."

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    Mountain House
    Mountain House
    Mountain House

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    Big Fun Claypot - Beef Brisket Clay Pot Rice

    Big Fun Claypot

    4.2(30 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    Big Fun Clay Pot is a staple for my friends and family--our go-to spot whether we're in the mood…read morefor a quick snack or a full meal. The food is consistently savory, flavorful, and downright delicious. Honestly, everything here is good. Parking can be tough, but it's absolutely worth it. Our must-order is the salt and pepper combo--my favorite mix is pork, shrimp, and squid. We always add the salt and pepper wings as well. For vegetables, the string beans and garlic eggplant are staples at our table. The rice clay pots are another highlight, especially the black mushroom and chicken--it's hearty, satisfying, and easily a meal on its own (perfect for sharing). The beef chow fun is also excellent. Another standout (not pictured) is the wonton noodle soup. The wontons are plump, flavorful, and really hit the spot. The service is consistently great--everyone is friendly, welcoming, and attentive. The restaurant is also clean, which always makes the experience even better. This is definitely one of those places we keep coming back to.

    Came here for a late lunch/ early dinner on a Sunday and the place was relatively empty as it was…read morean odd time for a meal and it was pouring rain outside. Nonetheless, there were a few tables aside from ours and the interior was very clean and modern. Parking in the area is pretty easy as there are plenty of meter parking spots. The menu had a good selection without being overwhelming. We ended up ordering Eel clay pot rice, stir-fried string beans, half house chicken and seafood w tofu in claypot. I enjoyed all the dishes but the half house chicken and eel clay pot rice have got to be my favorites. I liked the stir-fried string beans as well but found it a bit saltier than I was used to and the seafood w tofu felt very saucy thought still pretty good. Our server recommended that we order one more when we had only ordered three initially without the seafood w tofu because she said everything was one serving size. However, I think we could have done without the fourth dish. Overall, it was a little pricier than claypot in Quincy or other predominantly asian places but I enjoyed my experience and would come back if chance comes up.

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    Big Fun Claypot
    Big Fun Claypot - Salt & Pepper Pork Chop

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    Big Fun Claypot - Pick-2 claypot (chicken w/ black mushroom + spareribs w/ black bean)

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    Pick-2 claypot (chicken w/ black mushroom + spareribs w/ black bean)

    Shabu-Zen - japanese - Updated May 2026

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