We have been loyal customers of Shabu Zone for over 7 years, visiting regularly (usually 6–10 times a month). The food quality and overall service have consistently been excellent, which is why this restaurant has become a place our family truly loves and supports.
Because we come so often, we naturally notice that there may be internal dynamics among staff, including different roles and management styles. Of course, as customers, we understand that these matters are not our business.
However, during our visit today, we experienced something that made us feel very uncomfortable and disappointed.
While dining, my husband noticed an older senior server speaking very rudely to a younger, newer server who was supposed to be serving our table. We do not know the reason, but it appeared unprofessional and inappropriate, especially in front of customers.
After we finished our meal and paid, we were preparing to leave. My husband briefly went to the restroom, while I waited near the front entrance with our two children so we wouldn’t occupy the table any longer. When my husband walked toward the exit, he was suddenly shouted at by an older female server because he was holding an ice cream. He did not realize we had already left the table and did not want to throw it away. The server followed him with a very rude attitude and expression, making us feel as if we had done something wrong or were being accused of stealing.
As long-term, frequent customers, this behavior was shocking and extremely uncomfortable. A server should never yell at a guest. This single interaction overshadowed what has otherwise been years of positive experiences.
Please don’t get me wrong — all other servers are kind, professional, and welcoming. This review is not meant to criticize the team as a whole. This particular employee’s behavior, however, stood out in a very negative way.
We truly value Shabu Zone and hope the owner and management will take this feedback seriously, as we would hate to see such a great restaurant affected by unprofessional service behavior.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Kevin Wang
Nice spot for AYCE hot pot
Staff are fri sly and good about refilling meats. There are several different broth options, which can be exchanged. There’s a good selection of other items: seafood, tofu, veggies.
My personal favorite was the match and I’ve ice cream.
Nhi Th Dinh
Finally, I can find a hot-pot place that is safe for my stomach in Bellaire area! Shabu Zone in my opinion is a fulfilling option that can satisfy your hunger for only $17/person for lunch and $26/person for dinner. My first time trying this place with my sisters was a breeze. We came with a party of 3 at 5PM on Monday, which is probably the best time, so there was no wait and all of the food sections are all filled up! Yet, the total for us 3 at dinner time is just $84.65 after tax, which means it just costs $26/person for everything from broth to all food selections. Coming to Shabu Zone, each customer just has to pay the price I mentioned above. Then, each person will be served with 1 personal soup pots with unlimited Wagyu beef, not to mention blue crabs, shrimps, ring-cut squids, fresh veggies, and various types of noodles. The best part is all the above are already included in the lunch/dinner price! But, since this place is AYCE, so basically customers are self-service, and some of the seafood sections may seemed small, or their crab sticks may be just frozen food. So, please don’t expect too much for services and 5-star quality when you come in the rush hour. Please be aware that I just a regular local, who aren’t prefer over-hyped places, this review was written based on my personal opinion!
Mario Soto
The food was great! Be careful, you will over eat😁
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
AD Avenue Group
Excellent quality and the staff is very friendly. I didnt like the ice cream but the rest is great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The Clown
Of all the hot pot places I have been to, Shabu Zone has the absolute best service, if you leave an empty plate on the table it is gone in less than 5-10 seconds they have their people moving like Navy Seals. They fulfill almost any request extremely quickly. Their selection of seafood and vegetables and spices/sauces on the bar is very comprehensive and high quality, as well as the selection of meats on the menu itself. $6 for a draft beer as well which I feel is pretty good. Overall, this is the best Hot Pot place in Houston, 10/10 no notes or room for improvement.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
_Trin_T
First off, I’m disappointed at how they handling the charging. I came in today at 11:30am lunch time with my family, party of 5. On the menu, it says lunch from 11-3pm, it is 23.99 per person, but we were charged with 35.99 per person. When I asked our server why we being charged like that, he says “today is holiday” mind you today is no longer holiday nor anywhere in the restaurant says today the price is no longer $23.99 per person. The next 3 tables to us were asking the same thing, none of them looked happy as we were feeling we weren’t being informed nor charged properly. Safe to say me and my family are not coming back to this place with them running their business like this.
Osama Bin haha
Its okay to stop taking order at 2:45. I just try to make things easier . Maybe i am the one not understanding the situation , maybe you are not also . But i tried to follow your rule to make the closing duty easier . If anything , if you expect someone to be nice. Then be nice to your staff first . I knoww you dont keep taking order til 3:30 pm. I love the place , this doesnt bother me but your staff deserve much better
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah Meng
Like to come here and mostly bring more friends to eat there delicious foods 👍
It was too cold in the restaurant and the waiter explained that the tiles would be less slippery when it was cold. I never heard of something like that before.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Gene McCubbin
I always enjoy shabu zone.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristopher Suetrong
What sup google reviewers..! Y'all gotta check out this shabu zone. You'll definitely get in zone for cooking and boiling. Eric was out server and super attentive and gots the best recommendations. Beef belly, Prime rib and chuck tenders were on point. Forgot to mention the self-serve area. They got shrimp, calamari, clams, muscles, variety of veggies. They also have fruits and ice cream.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot, Sukiyaki Soup, Spicy Original House Soup
Mellie Pheng
Lots of selections from meat to seafood and vegetables. All you can eat. 2 hr time limit. Waiters are attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Original House Soup
Google reviewer
Always a solid experience, manager goes above and beyond to make sure the dining room is always clean, food is constantly restocked and service is excellent.
We have been loyal customers of Shabu Zone for over 7 years, visiting regularly (usually 6–10 times a month). The food quality and overall service have consistently been excellent, which is why this restaurant has become a place our family truly loves and supports.
Because we come so often, we naturally notice that there may be internal dynamics among staff, including different roles and management styles. Of course, as customers, we understand that these matters are not our business.
However, during our visit today, we experienced something that made us feel very uncomfortable and disappointed.
While dining, my husband noticed an older senior server speaking very rudely to a younger, newer server who was supposed to be serving our table. We do not know the reason, but it appeared unprofessional and inappropriate, especially in front of customers.
After we finished our meal and paid, we were preparing to leave. My husband briefly went to the restroom, while I waited near the front entrance with our two children so we wouldn’t occupy the table any longer. When my husband walked toward the exit, he was suddenly shouted at by an older female server because he was holding an ice cream. He did not realize we had already left the table and did not want to throw it away. The server followed him with a very rude attitude and expression, making us feel as if we had done something wrong or were being accused of stealing.
As long-term, frequent customers, this behavior was shocking and extremely uncomfortable. A server should never yell at a guest. This single interaction overshadowed what has otherwise been years of positive experiences.
Please don’t get me wrong — all other servers are kind, professional, and welcoming. This review is not meant to criticize the team as a whole. This particular employee’s behavior, however, stood out in a very negative way.
We truly value Shabu Zone and hope the owner and management will take this feedback seriously, as we would hate to see such a great restaurant affected by unprofessional service behavior.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot
Nice spot for AYCE hot pot
Staff are fri sly and good about refilling meats. There are several different broth options, which can be exchanged. There’s a good selection of other items: seafood, tofu, veggies.
My personal favorite was the match and I’ve ice cream.
Finally, I can find a hot-pot place that is safe for my stomach in Bellaire area! Shabu Zone in my opinion is a fulfilling option that can satisfy your hunger for only $17/person for lunch and $26/person for dinner. My first time trying this place with my sisters was a breeze. We came with a party of 3 at 5PM on Monday, which is probably the best time, so there was no wait and all of the food sections are all filled up! Yet, the total for us 3 at dinner time is just $84.65 after tax, which means it just costs $26/person for everything from broth to all food selections. Coming to Shabu Zone, each customer just has to pay the price I mentioned above. Then, each person will be served with 1 personal soup pots with unlimited Wagyu beef, not to mention blue crabs, shrimps, ring-cut squids, fresh veggies, and various types of noodles. The best part is all the above are already included in the lunch/dinner price! But, since this place is AYCE, so basically customers are self-service, and some of the seafood sections may seemed small, or their crab sticks may be just frozen food. So, please don’t expect too much for services and 5-star quality when you come in the rush hour.
Please be aware that I just a regular local, who aren’t prefer over-hyped places, this review was written based on my personal opinion!
The food was great! Be careful, you will over eat😁
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent quality and the staff is very friendly. I didnt like the ice cream but the rest is great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Of all the hot pot places I have been to, Shabu Zone has the absolute best service, if you leave an empty plate on the table it is gone in less than 5-10 seconds they have their people moving like Navy Seals. They fulfill almost any request extremely quickly. Their selection of seafood and vegetables and spices/sauces on the bar is very comprehensive and high quality, as well as the selection of meats on the menu itself. $6 for a draft beer as well which I feel is pretty good. Overall, this is the best Hot Pot place in Houston, 10/10 no notes or room for improvement.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First off, I’m disappointed at how they handling the charging. I came in today at 11:30am lunch time with my family, party of 5. On the menu, it says lunch from 11-3pm, it is 23.99 per person, but we were charged with 35.99 per person. When I asked our server why we being charged like that, he says “today is holiday” mind you today is no longer holiday nor anywhere in the restaurant says today the price is no longer $23.99 per person. The next 3 tables to us were asking the same thing, none of them looked happy as we were feeling we weren’t being informed nor charged properly. Safe to say me and my family are not coming back to this place with them running their business like this.
Its okay to stop taking order at 2:45. I just try to make things easier . Maybe i am the one not understanding the situation , maybe you are not also . But i tried to follow your rule to make the closing duty easier . If anything , if you expect someone to be nice. Then be nice to your staff first . I knoww you dont keep taking order til 3:30 pm. I love the place , this doesnt bother me but your staff deserve much better
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Like to come here and mostly bring more friends to eat there delicious foods 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Been here like regular basis
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
It was too cold in the restaurant and the waiter explained that the tiles would be less slippery when it was cold. I never heard of something like that before.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
I always enjoy shabu zone.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What sup google reviewers..! Y'all gotta check out this shabu zone. You'll definitely get in zone for cooking and boiling.
Eric was out server and super attentive and gots the best recommendations. Beef belly, Prime rib and chuck tenders were on point. Forgot to mention the self-serve area. They got shrimp, calamari, clams, muscles, variety of veggies. They also have fruits and ice cream.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot Pot, Sukiyaki Soup, Spicy Original House Soup
Lots of selections from meat to seafood and vegetables. All you can eat. 2 hr time limit. Waiters are attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Original House Soup
Always a solid experience, manager goes above and beyond to make sure the dining room is always clean, food is constantly restocked and service is excellent.
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