A new restaurant is on the rise! Located in McCandless Crossing, Shabu Shabu is a Japanese hotpot and Korean grill. This brings a menu entirely new to the North Allegheny dining experience, and the immersion starts as soon as you walk through the doors.
A vibrantly decorated establishment, Shabu Shabu offers all-you-can-eat, buffet-style Asian barbecue restaurant where you load up your plate and bring it back to the table to cook it to your liking. They offer everything from ramen to beef and seafood, all of which are high quality.
Customers are able to choose between the standard grill style that is located directly on the table and the hotpot option that comes with a broth for boiling noodles and meat. Either option is a great deal. My personal favorite is the noodles in the hot pot along with thin-sliced beef that cooks quickly in the broth.
Shabu Shabu also separates itself from other local options by bringing the future into the present day. Your drinks are brought to you by a robot, and after you pick up the drink you ordered it drives away in pursuit of the next order. Also, the drinks on the Shabu Shabu menu, such as milk tea with boba, are unique compared to other local restaurants.
But robots are not the only piece of innovative technology this restaurant has to offer. Passing directly beside your table is a conveyor belt that carries various types of ramen that you simply take from the moving shelf and drop straight into your broth to start cooking. This feature, similar to conveyor-belt sushi restaurants such as Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, not only allows for instant service but also adds to the new-age dining feel.
Shabu Shabu makes for a great dinner with both friends and family. However, the only drawback of Shabu Shabu is the price. Although you are able to eat as much as you would like, it remains relatively expensive at $38 per person for all-you-can-eat. Due to the pricing, I would recommend this restaurant as a special night out rather than a regular dinner night.
I would also suggest doing some research on how Japanese hotpot and Korean barbecue work before going to Shabus Shabu. Although cooking and eating your own food in a restaurant can be fun, it may be difficult if you are not experienced with cooking. Some of the things I grilled, such as the salmon and chicken, did not turn out well due to my choices of seasoning and the amount of time I chose to cook them.
Nonetheless, if you give it a try with an open mind and a big appetite, this up-and-coming restaurant can become a new staple for your friends’ and family’s nights out.
Dining and Cooking