Dada Shabu Shabu Buffet

my friends and i came here on saturday at 5pm and there was a line!! thankfully, we were seated within 5 minutes.impressed by the variety of food that they had: korean tteokbokki, fried chicken, shaved ice, etc. the vegetables were fresh and the meat was good quality as well. servers were attentive and overall experience was good!!

First off, this place is humongous! Like great spacing between the tables/sitting area and parking was equally the same (I guess I shouldn't really be so shocked by this because of the location) but because I'm from San Diego -I just have to point that out first and foremost!Food selection was divine, especially the dessert bar/area, it's a build your own shaved ice Love that off the bat, we were given a pot with dividers that gave us 3 options on how to dress the soup base. Can't say enough about the selection of ingredients to make your soup base even better.And even with a lot of people constantly in the restaurant -hardly any wait (we waited like 10-14 mins max). Staff kept cleaning up the everywhere, taking empty plates/bowls off the tables as they was by. And they were courteous as wellDefinitely will go back again

Just had a Friday night dinner with a group of five at Dada! We had a great time. Many staff members greeted us upon arrival and thanked us as we left the restaurant. Here are some things to note if you haven't been beforeMy favorites / What sets Dada apart from the others:- The all in one priceincludes soda, coffee, tea, and dessert (shave ice!)- They have a wide variety of hot foods if someone in your group isn't in the mood for shabu. Loved the fried chicken -- so fresh and crispy!- The buffet area was well stocked and clean. Saw various team members refilling and keeping the area tidy- You can save time and join the waitlist from your phone before arrival- Their new placemat includes recipes for different sauces and broth upgradesNot dealbreakers but some items to consider:- Aside from the shabu meat and tableside sauce, everything is self serve. Water, tea, coffee, seafood, veggies, etc. Something to keep in mind if you or someone in your group cannot or does not want to get up multiple times- There are 6 shabu meats to choose fromWhile the restaurant and team are doing their best to provide a great experience, one small issue would be the layout of the buffet area. It can get a bit chaotic since it isn't the traditional straight line setup, leading to a lot of bumping, "cutting", and the occasional bottleneck. Still a fun spot with great service and food!

I wanted to update my review since its been almost 4 years and because they are many other AYCE shabu options that have opened since then. Dada is a great affordable AYCE option in the area. For lunch they have 4 different protein options to choose from. My favorite meat option was the pork belly and top blade was also pretty decent. We didn't really care for the other meat options. Dada's broth is a simple broth with a sauce and condiment bar that you can add to flavor. They also have dipping sauces at the table for you to do whatever you desire. The self service bar had lots of hot and cold items. And they have unlimited drinks, including coffee and sodas. And they even have desserts such as shaved ice and sesame balls. It's affordable so not much to complain about. The service was good and they will always check on you. But they also have a bell if you want immediate service. We came in on a week day for lunch and it was busy but the wait was only 5 minutes for 2. It's great for smaller groups or large groups. But be aware it's split pot and you do not have individual pots.

We go to dada a lot. Reason is we felt in love with their fried chicken wings! Yes, best fried chicken wings at a hot pot place!Price is fair for AYCE shabu. Service is attentive, and there is a bell to ring if you need attention. We never feel rushed even tho we have a 90 minutes limit. All you can soda, coffee, tea, snow ice included. Don't forget to try the small sesame ball desserts. They are delicious and addicting. The only negative is the self serving area can be quite crowded at busy time. Sometimes you might even bump elbows while getting food.

Have been here numerous times with family and friends and each time they have not disappointed. One of the best all you can each shabu shabu in town, possibly in SoCal as a whole.For meat selection they serve a choice of chuck top blade, briskets, chuck eye roll, pork belly, chicken breast, and lamb meat (unlimited order). But note there is a 90 minute time limit.At the end of the restaurant, there are about 7 stations that consist of various seafood, veggies, side dishes, sauces, and shaved ice stations. Here is a breakdown of the different stations:1. Veggie station: Napa cabbage, bokchoy, spinach, pumpkins, broccoli, cilantro, bean sprouts, zucchini, onions, and carrots.2. Noodles (ramen, udon, rice noodle, flat noodles, clear noodles), rice cakes, dumplings, fish cakes, mushrooms, lotus, tofu, corn on the cob, and sausage.3. Seafood: shrimp, mussels, clams, crab, crayfish, white fish, baby octopus, fish balls, fish cakes, imitation crab.4. Sauces: minced garlic, green onions, cilantro, chili oil, jalapeño, grated radish, Korean spicy paste, miso/spicy miso, wasabi, sesame seeds, sugar, red pepper, black pepper, sriracha, hoisin sauce, sesame oil. Soy sauce and ponzu and peanut sauce is at the table.5. Side dishes: kimchee, clear noodles, chicken wings, ribs (honestly not work wasting your tummy space on)6. Dessert: shaved ice with toppings to add (condensed milk, red bean, cheeky rice cakes, fruity pebbles, fruit cocktails.Very good option for shabu shabu with very seasonal price point.Been coming here for years and will continue to visit.

Fresh vegetables and meats. Clean. Excellent service. Healthy food. Good price. Interesting choice of spicy sauces.

Pro-tips: They take reservations and there's also a Yelp waiting list. Highlights: In addition to the hot pot items, I really love the hot food bar and snow dessert bar. Although there's only five meat options, there's some variety in the hot pot meats and they are all very high-quality and I couldn't believe how fast the meats came out. I liked the selection of the hot food as well and even the toppings for the snow dessert are good - personally I liked the fresh watermelon and the homemade red bean paste. I love the concept that the hot pot pots are sectioned so people can decide to each have their own soup or have different types of soups for everyone to share.Lowlights: Personally I don't like how the broth is not flavored because I don't know how to make my own broth tasty with their sauce bar and ingredients. I felt like the buffet foods could have been hotter. The seating is a bit tight between the tables, so it's hard to walk by if there's people seated in both chairs. It would have been nice to see more fresh fruit for the snow bar instead of two buckets of canned fruit and one bucket of maraschino cherries.

The first couple times I came was with a date & I really enjoyed it. The most recent time I came I brought my mom and sister. I was really excited to show them what it's like. The first thing I realized was the broth was lukewarm. I could be wrong but past times I remember the broth already being hot by the time we went to the buffet & came back it was always ready to start cooking. Instead we had to sit with our food & wait for it to boil. We also had to ask 3 different times for a second round of meat. I don't like to make it a big deal because I know that they were busy but having to ask 3 different times is too much. I felt ignored and each time WE had to flag them down. Our waiter wasn't being attentive. They also didn't have the crunchy shrimp, instead it was crunchy crab. That really bummed me out it was one of my favorites.

Ingredients are so fresh. Meat, seafood, too. And dasic soup is also yummy and soft.