Amazing !! I very much enjoyed my food and staff was awesome! Will be returning thank you so much

Great experience 10/10. Our server walked me through the whole process with details. The restaurant was a bit small but overall great service read more

First time coming and service was great. Made it a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Food was good too! Definitely coming back :))

The food is great, the service is good and the atmosphere is hustle and bustle. It's an experience and I highly recommend. It's very popular and I would recommend very small parties as it's bar only and you could also experience a wait. But delicious food. Come hungry! read more

Cute restaurant, love that its bar top seating. I ordered the Sukiyaki broth and it was a little too sweet for my liking, but this is just personal preference I probably would've diluted it with water, but they don't allow you to add hot drops to the pot for whatever reason, so I figured I couldn't add a splash of water to my pot. Can anyone tell me why they don't allow hot drops in the broth? First shabu place I've been to that doesn't allow it. Interesting..... Good cuts of meat like any other shabu place. Probably wouldn't return to this location, didn't really like the customer service. 3 stars for decent food and cute restaurant. Was too annoyed to take pictures. read more

Tabu Shabu is the best! My wife and I have been going there for years, it's her favorite restaurant. The staff is always on their game and the food is a great fun adventure. It was really special getting Ursula to hold our baby today, she's served us a lot of food throughout the years that helped build him, haha. Thank you for the great food, service and fun atmosphere. We can't wait to stop by again. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Ursula and our baby! - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This place is hands down the best Shabu around. High quality meat and veggies, immaculate vibes and the best staff. I love Ursula and Santiago, all of the staff is amazing. They have been serving us for over a year and always create such a friendly engaging environment. I highly recommend the sukiyaki broth and Wagyu short rib. You can't ever go wrong with their crunchy garlic edamame either. See you all next week! With love. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

A M A Z I N G !!! I haven't been here in over 8 years and how does this place get even better than it was back in 2018?!?! The quality of the food is spot on and the service is PHENOMENAL!! Mustafa was the absolute best. Explained everything and was super attentive. Didn't have to look up or raise a hand once, he was there to refil and answer all questions! Same with the rest of the team, everyone worked together. No wonder this place is still here and THRIVING!! read more

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Each time I come back, I am reminded why I love this place. The food is delicious, the service is amazing, and the ambiance is so fun. You get to do it yourself and it is so interactive. Everyone in the restaurant is having a good time and the music is amazing! My server Ursula is the absolute sweetest and such a great server. One of my favorite restaurants!!!! read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Ambiance is great! - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great service and amazing food!! Very attentive if we need anything utensils napkins. Love their side sauces and seasonings. IPA beers and wine. Sushi too if you want it :) read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Hotpot - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Everything here is so good! Service was awesome! Get the broth booster. I also got the marinade on the meat which was a great!

Great food great service as always. Long time client and always bring friends and family here. read more

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Hot pot for a cold day is the best comfort feeling. High quality meat options and veggies with your choice of carbs, including white rice, brown rice, noodles, vermicelli, etc. I like the seating hot pot bar, makes the store cozier. read more

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So happy I gave this place a try after my usual shabu place was closed. Love that they are open later than other shabu spots. Wonderful service and very attentive staff. The quality of the food was outstanding and you can tell it's all very fresh. Portion size is also very wonderful for the price point. Goma sauce is spot on as well. Even the napkins are sturdy! Will definitely be back and happy I found a new cute spot! read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great food, great hospitality. My gf and I went to the location in Orange, but nothing compares to the experience we had with Michelle at the CM location! Loved everything about the location read more

We came in a little before 8pm on a weekday when most other customers were leaving but the staff was super attentive and made us feel welcomed. We ordered the one pork and one beef (sorry, we were too hungry to take pictures); both good; the veggie plate is super big! We had to take some of the food out and the staff offered to give us more rice to take home! Very thoughtful of them! Overall I'd say this is a casual and relaxed place for a quick but decent quality meal - especially good on those chilly nights. Prices are very reasonable for what you get - at this writing prices for most shabu sets are around $30. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Veggies that come with each shabu order - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Still my favorite Shabu spot at the moment! Always such great quality and richness in flavor down to the tenderness of the meats. Today I tried the wagyu chuck eye and its added to my faves list! Wasn't super busy later in the being especially with the warm weather still rolling around. Staff always kind and helpful, ready when you need! read more

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Always delicious. Staff is always friendly and attentive. I take my kids here for lunch and they love it. They offer kids portion of 10 and under read more

Santiago was the man! Had a great experience and the food was fantastic! Get udon noodles we enjoyed them! #getthesidedgg Best place for hot pot in OC read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Vibing - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Felt like I was getting a little sick so I ate all my veggies and had some shabu! I got the miso broth & cooked some beef along with it. I put some condiments: green onions, garlic, and, soy sauce. Service was nice and they served well. And I like the cutesy artwork everywhere :) read more

The meat was pretty good, I wish they marinated it like some other places though. I got the spicy miso broth and it wasn't that spicy but the miso flavor was still there! Only thing is the rice was really mushy :( Service was nice and explained the menu well since it was my first time. Overall it was a pretty chill place and we didn't have to wait on a saturday night, good place to chat with a friend or 2, prob not for large parties though. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This is an update. My coworker had what seemed like salmonella eating the raw egg when we came here the first time a couple of years ago. But nonetheless we decided to give it another try, without any of that raw egg. This time was well, worse. We didn't have salmonella but all three of us had some variation of discomfort that night, either mild diarrhea or just bad stomach ache. We will NEVER be back again. read more

Love this place none of my favorite go-to Shabu Shabu spots. Great staff and great food.

My niece was in town and we wanted to treat her and her sister to hot pot after meeting at church for service. We had dined here before for Father's Day. Because it was not all you can eat, we knew that she would not be able to overeat here. We were greeted upon entering. It was around 8 PM on a Saturday. There was no wait and they found space for the 6 of us. I had the traditional kombu and Ora King Salmon which is sushi grade with brown rice. They can customize your vegetable plate here removing vegetables and adding more of say green leafy vegetables or mushrooms. My husband tried the carb free shirataki. The young ladies all had combos. Ursula our server and the ancillary staff worked well together to meet our dining needs. Ursula has very nice manners making you feel like an honored guest at her table. She helped me with my soup base swirling 3 times for my udon. She made a very unique porridge as rich as risotto with my younger daughter's leftovers. The nieces liked this new to them hot pot place. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Cooking the vegetables - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I came here on a Friday evening with my dad - we had to wait about 10-15 minutes, which wasn't too bad. The bar-like atmosphere was quite fun, and the workers were very hospitable. After ordering our food (we had to wait a while to order, which was a little bizarre) our items came out fairly quickly. The chili edamame was pretty delicious, so I would recommend that if you're looking for something to nibble on. For the shabu contents themselves. I wasn't a huge fan of the choice of spinach and carrots, mostly because I'm not a personal fan of carrots and because spinach is kind of hard to eat in a shabu setting (difficult to pick up a ton of leaves after blanching). I'm not sure if I could have substituted instead for more cabbage and pumpkin, but maybe next time I'll ask. I think next time I would also want to order a more flavorful broth, as I chose the unflavored kelp one without really thinking about. What is nice is at the end they'll cook your udon in the broth and serve it to you in a bowl (which is where the better broth would've been handy). Overall a nice place - fairly standard shabu in downtown Costa Mesa. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - 3 oz SIDE Colorado Lamb - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Tabu Shabu in Costa Mesa has quickly become our haven for an elevated yet utterly comforting shabu-shabu outing. Kicking things off with the truffle-infused edamame is a stroke of genius--crisp, savory, and just the right prelude to the feast ahead. The spicy miso broth steals the spotlight, infusing every dip and swirl with a harmonious blend of heat and depth. In our first pot, the Wagyu short rib and ramen noodles mingled beautifully with prime ribeye, creating a symphony of tender, flavorful bites. Switching to the second pot with combo proteins like lamb shoulder and wild shrimp brought even more layers of richness and surprise. We wrapped up with the luscious mango mochi ice cream, a playful yet polished treat that lingers sweetly. Top-notch attentive service kept everything flowing effortlessly. We're hooked and counting down to our encore--5 stars for masterful comfort dining at its finest. read more

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The brisket was fantastic and the sauces were amazing. Definitely would recommend. The hot drops are definitely a necessity as well. The waiters were also very nice and quick for service. read more

This place is the best in the biz! Always such quick service (even if there's a small wait), the food is next level fresh, and they always have the best playlists bumpin' to keep the atmosphere and ambiance top notch! Tonight it was the CCR rock n' roll and the service from Santiago that made my night! You all rock. Thanks for the hard work and great service - it's what's kept me coming back for years. Run, don't walk to Tabu Shabu! read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I'm a repeat customer. Friendly staff. It's always yummy and all too easy to leave with a full tummy.

First experience at Tabu Shabu for date night and WOW it was fantastic!!! This was my first time having a dinner experience like this and the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. The waiter ran through the entire menu with us top to bottom, making recommendations along the way. I had the miso base and angus wagyu as my meat--extremely delicious! We were pleasantly surprised to find out that we hit happy hour!! Will definitely be dining again read more

Great food and service... a Costa Mesa must visit. Get the Ribeye and lamb... it is great protein source.

I went to Tabu Shabu for the power lunch special. The inside looks like most other shabu places, with a U-shaped layout of seats in the center. While the service was great and the broth was decent, I found the portion sizes to be way too small for the price. Additionally, the pots are positioned too far from the seat, making it somewhat inconvenient to cook and enjoy my meal comfortably as I found myself constantly reaching over. They offer the option to put everything into a bowl at the end, which helps mitigate the issue of the distant pot, but it isn't a perfect solution as thats when everything is finished being cooked. On a positive note, they do offer a nice array of condiments and toppings so that you can customize your shabu whatever way you want. Overall, it was an okay experience. read more

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Amazing food and ambience. Lovely Tuesday evening here at Tabu Shabu. Order the miso broth it's my favorite! read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The food was great and they have gluten free and vegan options so I was very happy. They also have all the standard Shabu options that looked top notch. Prices are typical and fair enough for the area. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - My new favorite Shabu Shabu place!! - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This is probably the best shabu in the Costa Mesa - Newport zone. You have to deal with 17th Street and the parking, but that is everywhere. Seems to be an easy walk-in early but the wait list does load up, hit the iPad at the door. Standard shabu offerings. I hit this often on my travels back to OC. read more

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First time Shabu Shabu... now I'm ruined for regular meals. Came into Tabu Shabu as a total Shabu Shabu rookie and left wondering why no one introduced me to this sooner. This place is dangerous--in the best way. From the moment we sat down, Mustafa, Wells, and Michelle made sure we didn't look like confused cavemen staring at boiling broth. They were patient, fun, and genuinely excited to walk us through the experience. No food shame. No judgment. Just vibes and guidance. The food was insanely fresh, the broth was comforting on a spiritual level, and cooking your own meal somehow makes it taste 37% better. Science probably backs that up. Shoutout again to the staff--Mustafa with the calm confidence, Wells keeping things smooth, and Michelle making sure everything was on point. You can tell they actually care, and that makes the whole experience next-level. If you've never tried Shabu Shabu, start here. If you have tried it, you already know why this place deserves the hype. I'll definitely be back... probably sooner than my wallet would prefer. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Came here pretty late for dinner and got the combo meat platter with kurobuta pork and beef belly. Kurobuta Pork 3/5 - It was a little more chewier than I had liked and it was pretty average. Nothing wrong with it when dipped in the sauces which were really good Beef Belly 4/5 - It was also a little chewy but not as much as the pork. I liked the marbling on it though. Overall, I'm not sure if I would come back here again but I really do like the presentation of everything. The let you customize the given ponzu and sesame sauce with green onion, radish, and garlic which I really liked. Service was also very attentive and I enjoyed my time here. read more

Tabu Shabu - Costa Mesa - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Tried out this place the other day and it was delicious!. The place itself is pretty cool with really dope art work and the place is clean and feels very welcoming. But the place is kinda small so coming here with a big group isn't ideal but then again I think they have outdoor seating . The service was really cool, they weren't busy when we went so the service was quick and simple, which made the experience worth wanting to come back. The food was really good and very fulfilling. It was yummy with every bite. Thank you for the yummy meal and great experience. I will be back for more read more

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Food was delicious. I am a big fan of the sister restaurant Oak and Coal and this place did not disappoint. Also the service was great and they were very attentive. read more

Tasty meat, attentive service, and quick turnaround. This restaurant location is in a plaza so there's plenty of parking, you can put yourself on a waitlist in advance. We were seated pretty quickly for a group of 4 on a weekend lunch, but if you find yourself waiting.. there's coffee shops and donut shops nearby. The seating structure is like a circle so you're not really facing your friends, it's a typical shabu place where you sit next to each other. Tbh, probably not great for larger groups. You can choose your meat type & size, broth, and sides. I went with the leanest meat and asked for a large because I was trying to hit a protein goal. The meat quality was really good, tasty and tender. I got the classic broth cause I get more excited about the sauces. (You can curate your own sauces by adding sesame, garlic, spice, etc which I really like. ) Overall, really good meat and the rice was good -- the only thing I wished was if there was a larger meat option. I was surprised the large was around 6oz and I was still pretty hungry in the end. read more