Shabu Sushi Asian / Asian Food / Barbeque / Beer / Dinner / Diverse / Drinkers / Good for Groups / Groups / Japanese Food / Lunch / Moderate / Seafood / Street Parking / Sushi / Wi-Fi / Wine / Japanese Restaurant / Asian Restaurant

My Take: Shabu Sushi on Geary is a very unique dining experience in San Francisco. I would constantly see Shabu Sushi on my way up and down Geary on the 38 bus but we finally decided to venture in for my best friend’s birthday. We bought a Groupon in an attempt to save money and made our way to the restaurant. The décor was evocative of a Japanese sushi bar, with elaborate “gold” statues all along the walls and shelves and with giant fans attached to the walls. After being seated we began deciphering the extensive menu and trying to figure out what each of us wanted. At first we didn’t understand the concept of Shabu but had it explained that it is a type of pho, where you are given a pot of broth that simmers over a heater on your table and then you can order an unlimited amount of toppings from meat, vegetables, noodles, seafood, anything your heart desires. However, ordering proved to be a challenge due to the language barrier and our waitress had to keep checking back with the owner about the company’s policy. It was agreed upon that our Groupon was not good for the all-you-can-eat option, a disappointment to the birthday girl who wanted to choose that. We spent another ten minutes trying to figure out the pricing of the all-you-can-eat and what came with it. All in all the ordering process was very confusing and frustrating as three different people told us three different things. But once the food came all the exerted effort was completely and utterly worth it. The food was absolutely delicious; the meats and sushi were all very fresh and the options for the Shabu are very extensive. While the beginning of our culinary experience was somewhat confusing the food definitely made up for it. Cocktails and Cuisine: The food at Shabu Sushi was delicious. My best friend and I ordered the all-you-can-eat Shabu and sushi option and were delighted as we got to choose an unlimited amount of toppings. My friend, the meat eater, settled on a beef broth and mainly stuck to the countless meat options, all thinly sliced right in front of us. I, being the vegetarian, also had a very extensive amount of toppings to choose from, greatly appreciated, as some Asian restaurants don’t cater very well to vegetarians. I selected everything from tofu, sweet potato, taro, yam noodles bundles (a very interesting knot of delicious noodles), vegetable pot stickers, and vegetables galore. The fun continued as we got to create our own bowls, adding in spices such as garlic or sriracha and coming up with our own unique combinations. Our other companion ordered two rolls of specialty sushi, which were gorgeously presented, and extremely thick; while she tried her hardest she could only finish about a roll and a half. The food at Shabu Sushi is delicious and over-flowing and completely worth the price. Prices: The price for the all-you-can eat Shabu and sushi is $20, an amazing deal for the amount of food you are able to choose from. The $20 also includes unlimited drinks, which include sodas and boba milk tea, and desserts such as ice cream. The specialty sushi rolls range from about $11-$14, also a good deal due to how thick the rolls are. We were all extremely impressed at how much food and drink we were able to consume for such a low price. What to Wear: There isn’t a strict dress code but I would say that the later it gets into the night that the dress code becomes more and more formal. As my friends and I left at around 8:30 we began to see more and more groups of businessmen and women out for dinner, wearing skirts or dresses and for the men slacks and a nice shirt. Insider Info: It is very difficult to understand the servers as many of them have limited English ability and the menu itself is not very easy to comprehend. My advice is to remember that the all-you-can-eat option includes sushi from the first page of the menu (the lower end hand rolls) and that drinks and dessert are included in that package.