Cancel

Open app

Search

Shabumi

4.5 (1.6k reviews)
Open • 12:00 pm - 9:30 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

About Shabumi

Loading...

Read the full summary in the app

Shabumi Photos

Business Info

SHABUMI ATMOSPHERE

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

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Shabumi

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

Christina T.

This is an AYCE combination shabu shabu and KBBQ place where each individual has their own pot/grill. You can pick only one and choose from the corresponding menu, but if you come in a party you can always pair up and share your pot and grill so you can taste both. Personally the grill is the better choice, as the meat selection was a little better. The hotpot is a little disappointing. The house soup flavor was very bland, and the ingredients bar is not very well kept. There were a few flies, some items were left out of stock, and in general there's a bit of a gross feeling from food just sitting out all day as the turnover during the weekday lunch of food items is a bit lower. Decent enough meat quality. There is a little bar with sides and they have both fresh and fermented kimchi. Their fans are not very strong so we were drowning in KBBQ smoke from the next table over.

Shabu
Wai F.

Parking 5/5 -Big free plaza parking lot Service 5/5 -This is the best service I have ever gotten at a kbbq place, grill was changed multiple times without prompt, staff were all so attentive and helpful with ordering and any requests we made. Food 5/5 -We tried both bbq and shabu options, the quality of meat was outstanding and I really liked the portion that was given for each order, I got to try more variety than have to commit to a lot of one kind. Strongly recommend the pork jowl!! Great bite to the meat, it's more of a snappy texture with a medium amount of fatty, pairs really well with garlic and chili paste in a lettuce wrap. I also recommend ponzu sauce for dipping! The shabu option is great for building the flavor of the broth, so many ingredient options from the menu and the free grab bar area, I really enjoyed having kimchi and fish sauce in the broth! I recommend dipping your cooked ingredients in their goma sauce if you want a rich nutty/sesame taste. Ambiance 5/5 -Your typical kbbq establishment, it's going to be loud, slightly smokey, pop music, just overall a very blended environment. I love that they had both baseball and soccer on the TVs throughout the restaurant.

Kelsey S.

Shabumi in San Diego is THE best date night dinner spot. If you're looking for a spot that has something for everyone AND offers a fun experience I highly suggest Shabumi. Here, table guests can choose to either eat off of the AYCE Shabu menu or the AYCE KBBQ menu. Both menus offered delicious-high quality meats. The staff were super helpful, and the open bar has a variety of add-ins.

Taelyr V.

Service is great, food is great, atmosphere is great. What's special about this spot is you can choose either kbbq or hot pot, and your whole party does not have to pick the same thing. So I always get hot pot and my fiancee always gets kbbq. It's 42 dollars for an ayce which is pricey but about average for this type of restaurant. Let's start with the hot pot. I chose the house broth, which isn't super flavorful but once I add in all my extras (green onion, cilantro, salt) the base becomes so so flavorful. They have about 8 or 9 meats to order (3 at a time) and then a full ingredient bar with veggies, noodles, and seafood. I absolutely adore the beef belly and shoulder! Beef belly I had like 5 plates alone. I also always load up on ramen noodles, zucchini, bean sprouts, shrimp, crawfish, bok choy, and fish balls. They also have a full sauce bar where you can mix and match. And many different kimchi's to try! Kbbq has a lot more meat selection that you order from the server. Beef, chicken, and pork options. Along with access to everything else. The bulgogi is a favorite for sure! You never go without here. There is always a server passing asking what else you would like to order so there isn't much waiting around. Everything is also sooo fresh here. There is always a staff member making sure all the ingredients are fresh. Well worth the trip!!!

Inside
Amy P.

3.5 stars Called a few days ahead to make reservations for an early Sunday evening. The price was $41.99 per person for either AYCE hot pot or KBBQ (dinner/all-day weekend pricing). Surprisingly, the restaurant was never fully packed during our visit. Service was attentive when ordering meats, and items came out quickly. Each person gets their own individual warmer for either hot pot or KBBQ. You are allowed to mix and match within the table which was great for sharing. There's a self-service bar for hot pot with seafood, vegetables, noodles, plus a separate sauce bar and an appetizer bar offering items like japchae, fried rice, oranges, and fish cake. That said, the sauce bar was a bit messy - bottles were sticky and the hot food/appetizer area didn't look very appetizing and was cold, so I skipped those and stuck mainly to meats and veggies. The restaurant is located in a large plaza with Vons and CVS - no issues with parking.

Meat seafood selection
Anthony A.

This was my first time here. This is a great place for a mix of Hot Pot and Korean BBQ. This allowed you to share choices with friends and family. There is also a choose for little kids. If you have a little one that does not eat a lot. They charge $2.50 times their age. There is a great selection at the two bars. For veggies, seafood, some red meats, and fermented veggies. The service is vast and polite. Someone is always checking on you. The ambiance is your typical Korean restaurant. The only con, would be the smoke flow from the grill plates. Since the had the front door open and the AC on. The smoke would get into our faces on occasion. I will come back to do a review on the Hot Pot itself.

Food so good! Me and my sister love this place and visit every time we meet up! The best spot for hot pot and grill!

Veggie trays
Ronald T.

Went here for a team lunch and a party of 4. Got here when they opened at noon and before you know it.. the lunch crowd came. First time here and the service was on point. You have the option of hot pot or KBBQ. The best part is, two of us got hot pot and the other two KBBQ. Order and share all around. Its great that we all DIDN'T have to order one OR the other. The KBBQ and the hot pot station were individual sizes so it was nice that you can only cook so much food at one time and not have to cook 3 orders on the one huge tradition grill. The buffet section had great options and the sauce section had different type of space mixes. All things meat marinade was fantastic. While.other meats will need some sauce dipping. Great time

Shannon B.

100000000/10. This place is SO good, and this is coming from a vegetarian. I got the hot pot, and my boyfriend got the KBBQ. They had a plethora of veggies, different types of noodles, and sauces. My favorite site dishes were the rice and scallion pancakes. I got the tomato broth, and it was pretty bland alone, but I think that's the point because they have all the sauces and seasonings for you at the bar. A little vinegar, salt, sesame oil, and their sweet and sour sauce, and it was perfect! The staff were extremely attentive and checked on us several times. I was expecting there to be a long wait on a Friday night, but it was pretty slow. This was even more shocking to me when I realized how good it is. RUN here and give this place the business they deserve. I'll be back very soon.

Katherine K.

I love how your whole party doesn't have to choose shabu vs kbbq but everyone gets their own individual bowl/grill. Soo smart!! Service was awesome with very friendly and attentive workers. The self-serve bar was filled with fresh and tasty ingredients. I especially liked the japchae and marinated fish cake. Some of the labels were incorrect, but it was easy to figure out if you knew the items already. Funny enough, my entire party didn't notice the sauces bar behind as we were distracted with getting our fill from the bar. I got the Miso broth shabu. It was pretty bland before any additions. My party said the same thing about the other broths they had. I tried a variety of meats with Prime Top Blade as my #1 and Black Angus Eye of Round as my #2. I actually wasn't impressed by any of the other meats I tried. The quality of meat overall was mostly average. I really wish they had more variety especially for the price. Besides that, I was very happy with my visit and would come again!

Kathleen C.

Came here on a Tuesday night and was seated right away. You get your choice of ayce hotpot or kbbq. Not everyone has to choose the same thing but it does decide the the top of stovetop you get so, if you're craving both. Be sure you're with people who is willing to share!. There is a buffet of the sides, the only thing was because with wasn't busy I felt some of the hot sides were cold and the rice paper was hard, so was disappointed about that. However, decent selection of meat and very attentive service. I guess I could have asked for fresh rice paper. Would be willing to try again if other ppl have wanted to try.

Dan A.

Stopped in for lunch and enjoyed an early bird pricing (until 3pm) I was greeted by friendly young staff and a clean restaurant. The dining room is spacious and well layed out. You can choose from different brothe and a basic or premium meat selection. I was happy to enjoy the basic option with house broth. The best part of Shabumi is the self serve cold bar which offers not only noodles and veggies, but also a full spread of Banchan ( Korean BBQ sides) This is the first shabu shabu restaurant Ive been to that had the all Korean BBQ sides that I love. The fish cakes, the sauces, seafood. I wouldn't settle for a regular shabu place that does not offer this, from now on. I was macking so hard, they offered me a stylish bib. It was black and disposable. Since I was returning to work, I appreciated it. Just writing this review makes my mouth water. Don't hesitate to eat here, you won't regret it.

Getting ready to grill beef slices, aka chadol
SJ H.

Came here with a group of 6. Everyone got hot pot and I got the grill. We really enjoyed it! Service was great - they kept our table full of meats. They constantly changed out my grill. Salad bar had enough options. And as for the grilled meats, I got the kalbi at the very end. Though the cut was a bit fatty, the flavor was perfect and the meat tender! Next time I go, I'm going to start by order kalbi!

See all

28 days ago

Exactly food excellent service. Very clean and neat. Large variety of veggies. Sauces where awesome. Chris Simpson

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

29 days ago

Been coming here for 2 years now. The quality is always amazing and service is great! All the staff is very nice

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

28 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

5 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 months ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Amy P.
1887
1641
2579

10 months ago

Helpful 8
Thanks 2
Love this 4
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Shannon B.
626
102
36

2 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 12
Thanks 3
Love this 7
Oh no 1

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 1

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 1

1 month ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of L S.
0
3
0

1 month ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of SJ H.
2
49
123

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

30 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 month ago

The customer serve was good; the bar had tons of options, the meat kept coming. Great atmosphere

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

7 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

The place is good. The service was on point. I really wish they had shrimp PASTE instead of shrimp. The establishment was clean.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

21 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

21 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 6
Thanks 1
Love this 3
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 months ago

We love coming here. My husband wants to come here weekly. Great grill and hotpot options.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 7
Thanks 6
Love this 7
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Monica V.
46
29
28

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Hailey C.
38
31
15

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

28 days ago

Amazing. Had the black angus chuck tender, prime chuck eye, and prime top blade. So many meat choices. Recommend any day.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 41

Shabumi Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Shabumi

Can I go by myself, single party? Or there is minimum party?

It's been awhile, but I've come here for solo dining before and I had no issues

What are the gluten free options?

Almost every thing there is gluten free. I am gluten free and had no problem with finding enough food items since almost every item was gluten free. I think they had some noodles that were wheat and potstickers but tons of veggies and meat all… 

Do we need to make reservations for 10 people?

As far as I know, they do not take reservations. You show up, put your name on the list (notebook outside by the door) and they’ll call in order. They will not seat you if your entire group isn’t there

How long is the dinner wait?

Not too long.

Are your sukiyaki and miso broths made from pork base or beef base broth?

Is the seafood section available for lunch or is that dinner only?

I've there for lunch on two occasions and it's been available both times!

For your vegan options broth? Is there onion or garlic in the broth? Please let me know! Thanks!

There is tomato base soup and a dried kelp broth base which is their house base.

If my bf gets ayce bbq and I get ayce soup are we allowed to share?

My sister and her fiancé do that all the time, and they haven't had any issues.

Did they close down for good? We've been trying to call and no one picks up. Or maybe their hours are wrong?

They just reopened, dining inside as well as take- out. Since they're on limited seating, it'd probably be a good idea to call first. :)

Is the bbq menu the same price as the shabu shabu menu? Can you only pick one from the options or can you do both the bbq and the shabu shabu soup?

How does the BBQMi work? Is it AYCE?

Kind of like regular ayce kbbq. You get a list of meats you can choose from, unlimited sides..they have rice, rice paper, or radish slices. The only difference is you get your own individual grill! Pretty awesome, in my opinion.

What is the status of this business? What are the Lunch, Dinner, and Happy Hour prices? If it has a Happy Hour, what are the times?

6:45

It looks like BBQmi is relatively new, how does it work? Do you now have access to both BBQ and Hot Pot? Or do you have to choose? Also can a single prtt have BBQ and Hot Pot at the same table?

Yes. We do have hot pot and BBQ. Also BBQ is individual too just like individual hot pot.

Are they open on Christmas Eve?

Yes

Are the japchae, yakisoba, fried rice vegetarian?? What salad bar options are there for vegetarian eaters?

Plenty of veggies

When is last call usually?

30 minutes before they close!

Do they bring out the meat you order or is everything out in the buffet?

The seafood is kept out in the Buffet with all the veggies and seasonings/sauces.. the meat is brought out to you from the kitchen, 2 servings at a time, AYCE.

I hAve a party for 12 this Saturday can we be accommodated?

Yes. Please call us make ur reservation.

Can we make reservations?

Yes you can but we take reservations up to 8 people.

View All 37 Questions

You might also consider

Buga Korean BBQ - The bomb!!! Braised Kimchi Mackerel

Buga Korean BBQ

4.3(2.6k reviews)
1.1 mi•Clairemont
•$$$

Beef was very tender and staff was great, I was looking for a good Korean restaurant.read more

This was one of the worst AYCE Korean BBQ experiences we've had…read more We came as a group of 8 people and paid $54.99 per person for AYCE, with a 2-hour time limit. The biggest problem was that the restaurant's service was so slow that we could barely enjoy the food we were paying for. The side dishes came out quickly, but the meat took 15-30 minutes to arrive every time. Even with 8 people, when we placed multiple orders, they would only bring 1-2 orders at a time instead of bringing everything we requested. We constantly had to ring the service bell and chase someone down just to get our meat. At one point, we waited about ONE HOUR for our meat. How is that acceptable for an AYCE restaurant with a strict 2-hour limit? We are paying $54.99 per person, not paying to sit at a table and wait for food for half the allotted time. There was also a female server named Anne. I called her over and explained that we were still waiting for our food. She took note of it, but then walked away while looking at me and saying something in Korean. I couldn't understand what she was saying, but the attitude and interaction felt extremely dismissive. And then the experience got even worse when we went to pay. We spoke with the manager about what happened. To be fair, the manager was nice and listened to our concerns, so I want to acknowledge that. However, while we were speaking with the manager, a Vietnamese-speaking male employee/person interrupted our conversation and made an extremely disrespectful comment to my friends, basically saying that if we didn't have money, we shouldn't come there. Then he actually asked what kind of car we were driving. Seriously? We came to the restaurant with money to PAY FOR OUR FOOD. We were not asking for anything for free. We were explaining that we received terrible service and spent most of our limited AYCE time waiting for food. Why does what car we drive have anything to do with the service we received? Making comments about whether customers have money and judging them based on their car is incredibly unprofessional, disrespectful, and completely inappropriate. We were already disappointed with the slow service, but that interaction completely ruined the experience. If you don't want customers complaining about slow service, then provide better service. If you charge $54.99 per person for AYCE with a 2-hour limit, customers should reasonably expect to receive the food they order within that time. Instead, we spent a huge portion of our dinner waiting, ringing the bell, and repeatedly asking for our food -- and then were made to feel like we were somehow not good enough to eat there. The food is not worth being treated this way. I would not recommend this place, and after this experience, we will not be coming back. Management should seriously address both the service delays and the way customers are spoken to. A restaurant can have an off night, but making insulting comments about a customer's money and car crosses a completely different line. 1 star. Extremely disappointing

Photos
Buga Korean BBQ
Buga Korean BBQ - Signature Combo, the best

Signature Combo, the best

Buga Korean BBQ - Pajeon

See all

Pajeon

Friend's House Korean - 36. Seafood Udon

Friend's House Korean

4.0(1.4k reviews)
1.5 mi•Kearny Mesa
•$$

I've been wanting to come here for awhile and today is the day. Went on a Saturday afternoon and…read moresurprisingly there was parking. If you know Convoy you already know how difficult parking is. 5/5 We were seated right away once we got in the restaurant. The customer service here is seriously amazing. Staff kept coming back for water and refilled our soup and kept making sure we were good :) 5/5 I love the interior with the wood and the patio seating. There is plenty of seating 5/5 The food is soooo good! We got a mixture of dishes. Army stew, kimichi fried rice, grilled pork, and bibimbap. 5/5 Everything is sooooo good here! I'd recommend it.

Honestly, the food here was pretty mid for me. I went with a group of six on a Tuesday evening, and…read morethankfully we were able to get seats without any wait. There was also plenty of parking when we went, which was a nice surprise for Convoy. I got the hot stone bibimbap and the vegetable tofu stew. Both were just okay and didn't really stand out to me. The banchan was also fine, but nothing that I was particularly impressed by. I've seen other reviews rave about the tofu stew and bibimbap here, so maybe we just caught an off night because the food definitely didn't live up to the hype for me. The biggest miss was the kimchi pancake. It was not crispy at all and had a really soft, almost soggy texture. I was expecting that crispy, slightly chewy texture you normally get from a good kimchi jeon, so this was a major disappointment. Interestingly, other reviews seem to really like the kimchi pancake here, so ours may have just been a bad batch. (Miyong Za) One thing to keep in mind if you're going with a larger group: they automatically added an 18% tip to our bill for our party of six. Overall, I didn't have a bad experience, but I also didn't leave feeling like I needed to come back. The easy seating and parking on a Tuesday were definitely positives, but the food was pretty average compared to some of the other Korean spots around Convoy.

Photos
Friend's House Korean - Interior

Interior

Friend's House Korean - Spicy pork plate

Spicy pork plate

Friend's House Korean - Friend's House

See all

Friend's House

Dalbam Moon Night - bulgolgi

Dalbam Moon Night

4.6(162 reviews)
1.4 mi•Kearny Mesa
•$$

We came here for a table of three on a Saturday evening at exactly 5 PM. It was Labor Day weekend…read more Great center easy to park. Was seated quickly our waitress was very nice and was perfectly tentative. Immediately we enjoyed the vibe. Had all of my favorite K-pop mix. I could've sworn they were playing my Spotify daily mix videos. Menu wasn't huge, but everything that we got was amazing.. Son, husband and I enjoyed all of our dishes. Bossam is a must come again for! Perfectly boiled sliced pork belly that you layer yourself with shredded fresh green onion, sliced raw garlic, strips of kimchi radish, some sort of pickled radish, and a ssamjang sauce. The pork alone was amazing and the portion was huge! We barely made a dent in the platter. The kimchi jjigae stew was sooo good too! The broth was savory, just enough spicy, it has a pork riblet stewed in it that was cooked perfectly. Came out to our table still bubbling.. Takoyaki was pretty standard, but what made it a little extra was that you could tell it actually had two pieces of octopus and each ball most places only have one. It was moist on the inside, but firm on the outside perfect amount of sauce on top. Bulgogi was a good size. Portion flavor was spot on beef with sliced nicely and very tender however, there was nothing outstanding besides the portion. Cheese corn was pretty standard as well, but oddly the corn kernels were very sweet and tender so that was very nice. I couldn't tell if it was fresh corn or frozen corn. I was leaning towards it being fresh corn because the kernels popped very nicely and were so sweet. I'm pretty sure they fooled me and it was frozen corn. The staff was so nice. They gave us an order of fried dumplings on the house. And that was very delicious. We will most likely order this next time. It was a perfect mixture of meat and vegetables. The skin wasn't too thick so it wasn't overly chewy or hard but perfectly crispy. The restaurant is on the smaller side. I can see it getting very packed very quickly. By the time that we left a little after six all the tables were full, and there was a party or two waiting. It was very lively, and although there was only one waitress, she was on point.

A thousand times YES. Cozy, comforting Korean food and good music and vibes is what makes me keep…read morecoming back here. Along with their service as they are friendly and accommodating. For a laid back night to enjoy drinks with friends and food or even just a date night the vibes will be there. Their BOSSAM PAMUCHIN is on a whole different level that also has me itching to order every time I go there, but so torn cause I want to try other things on their menu haha.

Photos
Dalbam Moon Night - Inside | tiktok & insta: @trinhiesworld

Inside | tiktok & insta: @trinhiesworld

Dalbam Moon Night - Fried dumplings

Fried dumplings

Dalbam Moon Night - Seafood pancake

See all

Seafood pancake

Shabumi - hotpot - Updated October 2026

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