SHABUWAY

180 Castro St.
Mountain View, CA 94041

On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being excellent, and 5 being poor:
The Food Quality/Quantity: 2.64
Pricing: 3.14
Atmosphere: 2.64
Service: 2.57

This was a great place to eat with friends. The meal style is perfect for hanging out and chatting. I didn't think the food was quite worth the price, but it was pretty good.
[Sarah, Regular]

I burnt my tongue.... haha
Overall a pretty good experience
[Catherine, Regular]

Though they really only serve one thing, this place never gets old!
[Karina, Regular + shrimp dumplings]

Food Quality and Quantity:

Upon entering, I found the atmosphere to be very pleasant (I realize 20 some friends were already seated and greeting me, but I think it would still be nice next time) and loved the way the tables had built-in pots of hot water to make the shabu-shabu. There was a table area on the left, and a bar, facing TVs, to the right. An odd woven fan contraption hung from the ceiling...I didn't really get it, but it was interesting too. The lighting was also tinted red, which gave ShabuWay a warmer atmosphere. The service was ok. Our first server seemed a little frustrated by our large group and her service was very slow (I had to get up to ask her for a couple things.) On the other hand, the second lady helping us was very accommodating.

As for the food, I especially like their two sauces. One was vinegar and soy-based, while the other tasted more like a combination of sesame and mustard. A variety of side-dishes were listed on the menu. These included ramen noodles, shrimp dumplings, and extra veggies/meat. I just stuck with the regular because that portion was fairly generous. For $9.50, my lunch included a plate of cabbage, spinach, two pieces of tofu, two baby carrots, and a large plate of thinly sliced lean beef. I thought it was very reasonable because the food tasted so yummy. Just one caution if you go- don't get too excited and burn the roof of your mouth like I did- when you take your food out of the boiling water, let it sit for a minute. Since we were a large group, five of us were sharing the same pot, which was a little tricky, but it worked out fine. If you came back it would be less crowded and it seemed like a party of five would typically get 2-3 pots.
[Karen, Regular $9.50]

Pricing:

Most of us got the Regular $9.50 Beef Shabu Shabu. I thought it was a really fun concept, except it was very pricey. There is even a cost to split a dish with someone else, but all in all, I would definitely pay that much to have the convenience of shabu shabu prepared for you. On a cold day, it was really nice.

The atmosphere was pretty nice, especially the interior decorations. The staff seemed a bit flustered, but perhaps that was because we had such a large party. I thought that the sauces really helped make the food taste better, because the plain water you boil the veggies/meat in was just plain water.

All in all, I would be happy to go back, but not too frequently because my bill came to $15. It's quite expensive for lunch.
[Leslie, Regular + mushroom platter]



Friendly service, very easy going atmosphere that fits students. They were able to seat all of us with little trouble, and the food came quickly. Being able to cook your own food with friends creates a warm/family feeling. Plus the peanut sauce was DELICIOUS. The price was OK since all they gave us was lots of veggies and raw meat, but I'm just stingy with money, so I don't know about other people. Overall, if you're around downtown on a cold day and in need of some warmth, Shabuway is the place to go.
[Christie, Regular Beef Shabu]

Atmosphere:

Their fans are cool.
[Jeremy, Regular]

Great atmosphere, the food was mainly catered towards people with open minds about their food. A good place for a date; interesting to talk about, and fun!
[Amanda, Regular]

It was, like uWink, an excellent communal experience which added to the quality of the meal. Food itself was pretty good, but I would recommend ordering the sides of things you want (if it's allowed... they had some rule about that...). For example, you could order ramen or mushrooms or meat or vegetables in the combination you want, which is probably a better idea. The pricing was pretty good, not cheap, but I didn't expect it to be so. The service was pretty good; they didn't have to do much. My only complaint would be a slight, strange smell in the restaurant. Overall, the food was good, and cooking it yourself was even better.
[Olivia, Regular, Diet Coke]

Service:

Yum.
Good for dinner.
Also a group thing, but probably more for smaller groups.
The environment is really nice, cool scenery and stuff.
Service is fair, I thought the wait wasn't too long.
Although it can be a little pricey.. it's worth it. :]
[Suzie, Regular]


I'm not a big fan of traditional Asian food so I thought that the food was just okay. The potstickers were pretty good but I like them fried better than boiled.

The prices seemed reasonable. I spent about $13 and got a ton of food.

The restaurant seemed pretty student friendly. It was small and casual.

The service was pretty good. The Shabuway original plate came out really quickly, and the restaurant split the bill for us. However, the potstickers took a lot longer than everything else.

I would recommend this to people who haven't tried it before. It's a unique experience, and the food is pretty normal food that most people will like at lest somewhat.
[Colin, Shabuway Original + shrimp potstickers]