Shabu-Shabu 70
“As a lover of sushi and experienced taster of fine omakase at many of the city's great haunts, I can vouch for the sushi at Shabu-Shabu.”
“WIth your choice of beef, chicken, premium beef or seafood, along with udon noodles and vegetables, you create your own meal at your own pace.”
“In fact, I live in Brooklyn now, but go to the Upper East Side to eat at Shabu when I want the most delicious Japanese food!”
Shabu-Shabu 70
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Lunch review:
The value for what you get just isn't there: $12.50 for numerous bento options and rolls that didn't look too appealing, so I went with my gut and ordered off the normal dinner menu: soft shell crab roll and shrimp tempura roll for $8 each. Yeah, it was a long week so I splurged a little! No complaints though.
I saw a couple tables get a big wok type bowl filled with noodles, veggies and meat (I think) and it looked really good, so maybe that's the dish to get. They bring it to the table on a large apparatus with flame on bottom.
Will be back, probably for dinner, to try more of the menu. It's a charming little place for sure, and actually has more space than it appears from the street.
It's a so-so spot on the UES with an extremely friendly wait staff. I can't speak about the shabu shabu or sushi, which may well be better. I instead had the udon, which came with chicken teriyaki. I'd characterize both as "serviceable," but definitely nothing special. Some may argue that udon has limited upside. Truth enough, but you can do wonders with broth and the mix of condiments you put inside. Not so here.
On the plus side, P2P here (my advanced metric for price-to-portions ratio) is superb. It's definitely not a bad place to stop for an economical lunch. You face a decision: do I wanna spend $15 for a 3-star lunch or $35 for a 4-star lunch. In an era of protracted not-quite-formal recession, the answer is obvious to many of us.
I am hovering between 3 stars and 4 stars. I made a reservation for a Saturday night for my friend's birthday dinner. The staff is all Japanese and may have some trouble speaking English. As a result, there was some miscommunication and they thought I wanted a reservation for 7 people at 10pm, instead of 10 people at 7pm. I was confused why she sounded so horrified on the phone, but it was all cleared up when we got to the restaurant. There is actually no need for reservation even for a large group. The restaurant was fairly empty.
The shabu shabu was $30/person for the premium beef (min. 2 people need to order this) and not all you can eat. The plate of beef looks enormous, given they put 3 orders worth on each plate, but after being cooked down, for $30/person it was actually very little. They didn't give much in terms of vegetables, just some napa cabbage, udon, tofu, and shiitake. We shared 3 plates among the 7 of us who got the shabu shabu. Even with the ponzu dipping sauce, it was somewhat flavorless, but it did let the quality of the beef shine through. The broth, similarly, was pretty bland. It was just boiled water with 2 pieces of kombu in it, but in the end the taste was cleaner. Overall, I prefer regular Chinese hot pot.
The staff was very accommodating. At first, they suggested we use only 2 pots among the 7 of us who ordered, but brought another one at our request. We also brought two cakes to surprise our friends with. The first one was to be a surprise brought out during dessert, and the second one was to be a second surprise brought out as we were paying for the bill. They executed the surprise perfectly and even decorated the cakes with candles and strawberries.
The service was great, but I was disappointed in the shabu shabu, especially with the high price. That is what makes it 3 stars for me. Although, sneaking a peek at the other tables, their sushi looks quite good. Next time, I think I'd forego the shabu shabu and go for the sushi instead.
I have yet to try their shabu shabus … of which the restaurant is named after. I know, I'm so ashamed for not ordering the dish that's in the name. But honestly, at $22.50 per person for chicken/plain ordinary unmarbled beef, I wanted to make sure I was really, really hungry, so this review is only for their house combination boxes with soup, salad, and a small dish of fruit. As part of their happy hour specials from 5-7 (even on weekends!), the boxes are $13.50 for 1) make your own sushi roll, 2) sashimi, and 3) sushi (california roll and salmon/yellowtail/tuna). I ordered the spicy salmon and shrimp tempura rolls, and I was so pleased to see the combo box come with grapes, cantaloupe, and strawberries.
I thought it was a pretty good deal, especially for the UES, and the fish tasted really fresh. Service was consistent – got plenty of refills on my water, though, for some reason, my friend got brown tea instead of the green tea she requested. Also, the waiters were speaking Japanese to each other, so extra point for authenticity! This seems like a solid choice for Japanese food if you're near 60-70th street, but I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to have that combo box again. Might update once I get their shabu shabu (though it's limited to a minimum of two orders and it's not listed on their paper menu).
Hmmm, they don't have what I ordered on Menupages, but I ordered two appetizers from their special menu.
Their eel which included about 5 pieces was very good and I applaud the restaurant for their presentation. My eel order seemed like the best order of the night out of our party of five!
Also, split the dish below:
Sukiyaki Meat and vegetable cooked in pot with special broth with chicken or beef. 18.00
What a jip! This sukiyaki type ramen dish was nothing special and the restaurant seemed a bit sheisty with their meat portions
What did look a little interesting was the whole hot-pot sharing. However, that costs $25/person–much too expensive for my budget!
Overall, just ok
Came here with a friend on a cold winter night for some hot pot
We got this tuna thing for appetizer (see pic), it was just ok, not too fresh in my opinion. And the thinly slice cucumber around it, tasted kind of fishy
We got the beef and chicken shabu shabu
it took forever to come out and when they brought it out, it was a pot of plain water with two slices of seaweed in there
Everything was just ok, the sauce they give u to dip the thing in was really just ok, one was a peanut based sauce, and the other one was soy sauce with vinegar in it.
The soup was very bland. really nothing spacial, I can cook the same thing at home
Don't think I will come here again…
I was here for a friend`s birthday recently and was definitely impressed with some of the items. The maki rolls are very good and most of the other appetizers also make the grade. What was really impressive here though was the Negimaki (Scallions rolled in sliced beef, served with its special sauce and vegetables).
The place is a bit pricey but the quality of the fish and especially beef is pretty high.
I would not recommend this place for someone looking for a sushi joint but if you like cooked (! for shabu shabu) Japanese food, you have come to the right place
This is a really good restaurant – so good that my daughter said I should give it 5 stars! We have been here a few times, and I am surprised I haven't reviewed it yet.
For those who don't know, Shabu Shabu is Japanese Hot Pot. Which is basically boiling water in which you cook beef, fish, chicken and assorted vegetables. They also give you udon noodles. Then after you have cooked the meats/fish you eat the hot water as it is now soup.
This restaurant does a great job with it. We get the premium beef which is delicious. The girls get the chicken skewers which they love. The sushi is also top notch. They have a large assortment of Sake too.
The service is very friendly and very tolerant of children. I would definitely recommend.