Gokudo Shabu Shabu — Restaurant in Burnaby

Novembers in Vancouver means cold and stormy weather. And nothing feels better during this time of year than having a big, boiling, hot pot in front of you that’s filled to the brim with meats and veggies. Cue our visit to Gokudo Shabu Shabu at their new location near Metrotown.

This place caters to individual hot pots so you don’t have to share with your date (if you don’t want to). The menu can be a bit confusing and the hostess suggested that we pick one of their special meat items and then turn it into a combo. We decided on the Mix Balls and Beef ($17.95) and the Assorted Seafood ($20.95) and then added a side order of Tofu Fish Paste Puffs ($4.95). Each order comes with the ability to upgrade various items such as the upgrade to the Marinated Ground Pork on Rice and the upgrade to a Laksa broth.

Don’t be fooled… there’s actually quite a bit of food in their combos… especially when you factor in their assorted veggie plate which actually contains some meatballs and seafood to boot.

I felt that the laksa broth really didn’t have a laksa flavour to it and it might be fine to just stick with their regular house special chicken broth.

After our dinner, they brought us out these neat packaged lychee gelatin desserts.

Overall, the food quality is good and you’re sure to waddle out of this place stuffed. The only downside (which applies to all hot pot places) is that you spend a lot of time cooking your own food. We enjoyed our first visit so much that we brought some friends here a few weeks later. Unfortunately, this place can get really busy and usually has a lineup during the busy dinner hour. We arrived around 5:30pm and had to wait about 45 minutes for a table to open up. The servers are actually fairly friendly and useful and, while we were still waiting for our table, they came to us and helped us put in our order so it would be ready by the time our table cleared up.

As previously mentioned, it’s best to go with the combo as you get a filling “veggie” plate which includes some assorted meatballs, shrimp, and other tasty items. And, honestly, the 7oz order of meat is actually pretty filling.

So if you like individual hot pot, make sure you try this place out… but make sure you go early if you don’t want to wait in a lineup.

Update: Feb 2023 - They recently relocated a few blocks east (near Dinesty). Menu slightly changed. No longer have milk tea on their combos. Aside from that, most things are pretty consistent. Think their tables are a bit more squished for room. Good combo options

UPDATE JUN 2024 - Recent revisit to Gokudo. I do like the more spacious location. Milk tea is fortunately back on the menu. I feel like the food has changed a bit. For example, the complimentary broth (which is now a chicken soup) seemed to lack flavour and the premixed dipping sauce leaned towards being overly salty. Also the udon noodles stayed too firm after cooking. Not sure if this was just a one-off visit or not.

UPDATE - May 2025: Been a while since we were last here. The menu has changed slightly. Had the 2 Kinds of Meat Combo with 19 oz lamb and blade eye ($33) along with the Japanese Oden and Meat Combo ($28). Milk tea for drinks and Mango and Melon Melona for dessert.

UPDATE - July 2025: If you're dining with a friend with a smaller appetite, you can try their new lunch combo for 2 people @ $39.99. You pick 2 soup bases, 2 carb options, 2 meat options, 2 drinks, 2 ice cream flavours, and you get a shared veggie platter. Pretty good deal but it is less food than if you get the...

I've been here so many times and I have to say, their consistency and quality is unmatched! This place is family run and they do a hell of a job running this ship.

In a city where you can find a plethora of Hotpot restaurants within a kilometre radius. The competition is fierce and the stakes are sky high. It cant be easy running one of these shops.

I've been to almost all of them and can make the comparisons.

Chocho - Great variety, best for all you can eat, meat quality is ok. I do find myself over eating or just being overwhelmed with the choices.

Bigway - This place is always rammed, honestly it feels like your stuffed like a can of sardines. It's dirty, tons of fruit flies and Its loud, you get no space, soups come out lukewarm, and extremely inconsistent. I'm not quite sure why it's so busy other than you can eat for any $ amount depending on weight.

Boiling point - The pot is too small, you get no control over the heat, and it just doesn't hit the spot. Meat quality is low.

Marble hot pot - Great for big groups, more private, variety is decent for all you can eat.

Haidilao - The best tomato broth, great service, very expensive for what you get, value isn't there. Service is good.

Pros of Gokudo Best meat cuts you can find for the price (Prime grade) Best service Great for smaller groups of 2-6 Airy and spacious Sukiyaki soup base & Curry are solid 25% off daily happy hour 9pm

Cons Mid tier pricing from $20-$50, may alienate the crowd that spends under $20. Comes with pre-set vegetables may limit your choices unless you a la carte

I just find Gokudo having just the right amount of food, and their prime grade meat has always been a cut above the rest. For the price you pay and the quality you get its unmatched, even more so at happy hour.

The service here has always been stellar, warm, welcoming and genuine, not in your face and forceful (like haidlilao.)

If you're like me and you care about the quality of meat, having a good environment that you can enjoy food, and service that always exceeds expectations. This is your place, and thats why they're a winner in my opinion.

You can always find a hot pot that suits your needs, for me it has always been this one, hope you'll find yours too!

Shoutout to the amazing crew, Jenny,...

This is the 3rd time I have come to this restaurant in a month. I have to say, it gets better every time. Today, I came with my gf and her family, and even though we came at peak time, they were still able to work magic and get us a table quickly.

It was hectic, yet the employees still went above and beyond in taking our orders, getting to know us, getting the food to us in time, and explaining why it took longer than usual today (very busy).

The food was amazing. All 6 of us ordered combos. The little basket of ingredients that come with the combo is both generous, and beautifully arranged. The seafood platter is arranged beautifully and worth the wait. The soups are all high quality, and doesn't leave you ridiculously thirsty after. The veggies, seafood and meat are all very fresh too. I personally ordered sirloin with the spicy soup mix, which is delicious if you can handle the heat. The Lakhsa, Japanese curry, Tom Yum, and House Chicken soup are also amazing to try! Finally, the teas are all a refreshing contrast to the heat and salt, being cold and lightly sweetened to rest the palate.

My girlfriend's parents were raving about it after too, which is usually quite hard to achieve! ;)

There's also the stamp card rewards (10 combos for $18.95 off the next combo), Happy hour (10% off and unlimited combo drinks if you order before 5:30pm weekdays, and after 9pm 7 days a week).

The place may run a little expensive, expect to spend $20-$30 for a combo, but you will leave feeling completely full and satisfied.

Finally, shout out to the manager Teresa for making the effort to get to know us, chat with us, and providing exceptional, friendly service with a great sense of humour! We will definitely be back.

We...