SHABUMi

We came here yesterday after searching on Yelp for some shabu eats because bf's dad was craving shabu and we were down in SD for Father's Day. At first we thought this was both shabu and kbbq, but turns out it is only your choice of one or the other. No worries! We were so hungry, and it was really hard to choose! But all 3 of us went with the shabu option because we wanted to be able to eat lots of veggies too. Okay, onto the service. We arrived close to 2pm - maybe it was after the lunch rush, but we were seated right away. Service was always very quick - they have a call button and the servers were always fast to cater to our needs. They would remember our orders and bring our meats to us very quickly. Each person is allowed 3 meats each time. And of course, veggies and condiments are self serve - weekend menu came with seafood and japchae items as well. All were very delish. I wish I took more photos of the food and the self serve stations but we were seriously way too hungry and well, we had other priorities. AKA filling our tummies full of AYCE food haha. I do want to come back and try their kbbq option as the meat from the grill from other tables smelled really good as well. Definitely a good find on my boyfriend's part - and a huge thank you to the staff for an amazing first experience for us. Can't wait for our next visit back here!

I had the house special soup. It was good and used 3 jalapeño to spice it up a bit. The mushrooms and veggies they had were a nice variety. My wife and son did Korean BBQ and most of the meat was tasty or no flavor but that was just dipped into sauce you can serve yourself. It was good I especially enjoyed the peanut sauce. We didn't like the marinade in one of the meats they had. It was a big piece of meat. The chicken was alright. I liked how the 3 of us just ate from each others dish. It was fun and something different.

Had the best time at Shabumi with Eric helping serve us while managing the restaurant. He made all the accomodations for our party which streamlined our evening.What I love most about Shabumi is the unique choice of soup or bbq individually compared to most "community grills". As much as I love my family, each person has their own tastes in meats, seafoods, and soup bases. With the individual grills/hot stove, each person can get their own choice without having to fight over grill space/meats.Their buffet bar in the middle had fresh ingredients to make our evening special. I don't live in San Diego but I would come back here the next time I am back in SD.

My husband and I along with another couple went to this restaurant last weekend (Saturday evening). The place was not packed so we were quickly seated. However, the tables are quite close to each other so it is difficult to get in and out if you were seating in the inside. Our waiter was super friendly and helpful. For ayce, it is $40 but luckily you get to share and eat the best of both worlds. The beef bone broth was somewhat bland so I had to add chili oil to make it more flavorful. All of the meats were delicious particularly in regard to Korean bbq. Pork jowl aka pork cheek was the table's favorite. The hot foods is just ok, nothing special. No quail eggs for hot pot but there are regular eggs. Too bad they don't have corn cheese but parking is plentiful.

5 stars for AYCE5 stars for easy parking5 stars for service There were 4 of us that came for an early Saturday dinner. We placed our name on the waitlist table out front and we were called back within 5 mins. We sat at a table near the front door which is next to windows that had the blazing sun coming in and also the cold breeze when the doors opened/closed. The menu was pretty extensive and for $40 AYCE you can get a good amount of food! You can choose KBBQ or hot pot. If you have 2 or more ppl, I recommend someone in your party to get at least 1 of each so you can try each others food There is a salad bar area with meats for hot pot. Sauce area and sides. The employees came around like clockwork. Kudos to this team for coming around often to check on our party. We ordered the one per person meats first (NY, Ribeye, and Short Rib). What we didn't know is how huge there were. There are straight up whole meats from Vons or local grocery store. They were almost as big as your grill. You need to season them well and there wasn't enough salt or pepper on the table. These 3 meats filled you up so suggest ordering the smaller meats first. The cuts were also too thick. The scissors provided were super dull and my fingers were hurting trying to cut the meats. There were no knives so we stuck with our chop sticks and scissors. After the 3 steaks I was pretty full and tired from cooking and cutting my meats. We did try other meats like bulgogi, galbi, pork belly, and others. All the meats started tasting the same after a while so get different sauces. The concept is amazing and the amount of food you get is a great deal. But cooking my own food with dull utensils... pass. Thus the 3 stars...PS - 2 hour limit for dining.

I love Shabumi. My friend introduced me to this place and I've returned many times. This is one of my favorite hotpot places. I like the serving size and the different broth types. I like the buffet style and being able to get whatever I want to add to my soup. The portions of meat is great and the quality of meat is high. The service is great and they are always available for answering questions and giving broth refills. The restaurant is really nice and clean. I haven't been back for a while but I want to go back again soon.

This place gets busy. It has a typical Korean BBQ semi modern feel. It's a combo all you can eat Korean bbq and hot pot place. Call buttons at each table, and the staff is prompt and makes sure you get any meats you need quickly. Meat quality is better than your average AYCE place, sauces are good, and the choices to add to hot pot plentiful. A better value for lunch at $30 a person, but I felt satisfied at the $40 dinner price. If you go with someone, consider having one person get the hot pot and the other the bbq so you get to try everything. Bottom line: solid, but not blow you away.

Came here with my family. It was pretty mid, food quality wasn't the best and items weren't fresh. The only good thing was that they open all day and don't close mid day like most places do. We must've came at a bad time because service wasn't great either. There was only one older lady working. Pretty average place for me.

Such a cool spot to eat at with friends and family, and what's even more cool is that you can choose to eat either hot pot or Korean bbq. Each person gets their own stove top so you cook your own food :)I chose hot pot and was very happy with the selection of meats, veggies, seafood, noodles, and sauces to choose from. My soup was extra tasty after adding a variety of different sauces into it. Prices are pretty standard and cost more on the weekends. I went on a Saturday around lunchtime and the wait was a little under 5 minutes. Located in a shopping center so there is plenty of parking. I will be coming back again soon :)

We came as a group of 5 at around 5pm on a Saturday and waited around 30 mins to be seated. This place offers both hot pot and kbbq so it caters to everyone! I chose hot pot and the sukiyaki soup base. I really liked that everyone had their own personal pot! The self service bar offers a huge variety of veggies, seafood, noodles and sauce options. The meats were good quality but the seafood options were average and the sukiyaki soup base was a bit too sweet for me. Service was quick and friendly and the interior was clean and spacious. Overall, it's great place to hang with friends and family and I would definitely come back!