Shabutei Shinsaibashi — Restaurant in Osaka

I’ve been to this store before in Umeda and had an amazing experience.

So when 6 of my friends came to Japan to visit I wanted them to experience the same service and delicious shabushabu that I did.

However, at this location in Shinsaibashi we were forgotten about more than once, even after ringing the bell and reminding them.

The course comes with a shot of umeshu, vegetables, your meat order, udon, and lastly ice cream.

Once the meat came out and we finished they didn’t bring out the udon. So we pressed the button and asked for it. The waiter said he would get it sorted.

25 minutes pass and we pressed the button again. The waitress asks us if we were ready for ice cream. The udon hadn’t even come out yet.

When we told her she seemed apologetic and got it immediately.

Once we were done we rang the bell again and we were told they’d bring out the ice cream.

We waited another 20 minutes or so before it finally came out.

I did not appreciate having to seemingly ring the bell at every step of the meal to remind the staff of what to bring next. I did not appreciate being forgotten about. I feel like after the first incident of being neglected that they should have been more attentive.

A wonderful experience is possible, but I recommend the location in Umeda instead. In Umeda they were ready after every step of the meal, they cooked the udon for you, and were attentive to all needs. In Umeda we didn’t have to ask for water, but in Shinsaibashi we even had to ring the bell for water. Feel free to skip this location in Shinsaibashi. For the prices the service was regrettable. I regret bringing my friends here and saying this chain was amazing....

I was really tired from all the shopping I did with my girlfriend (mostly me carrying things) and was ready to go home at this point to our Airbnb. But this restaurant caught my eye and I really wanted to go and try some authentic Shabu Shabu.

This place has such a classy environment and the staff is so welcoming and friendly. When I came here there is not much of a smoky smell as reported by others, and it’s definitely a place to bring children if you want them to have a cultural food experience.

The quality of meat they have is exceptional I had the wagyu beef set and my girlfriend got the mix pork and beef set. However the star of this meal is really their homemade special sesame sauce. Gives the meat a whole new dimension. They walk you through how to eat the meal which basically turns a pot of plain boiling water into a meaty broth which is used to make a bowl of udon at the end of the meal.

The experience is awesome, and what a way to finish the trip in Japan. Good food good service would visit this place again when I come...

We arrived at 7:30pm without a reservation. The line was long but it moved quickly, only taking about 30 min (on a Saturday) to get seated. We chose the prime gyu/buta (beef and pork) shabu-shabu. The meal starts with a small glass of plum wine then you start cooking. Both the beef and pork is extremely tender, and the two dipping sauces are amazing. The sesame sauce alone is worth the trip here. Once you are done eating the meat and vegetables, the chef prepares udon noodles with your cooking broth. The service is subdued, and efficient. My advice would be to know what you want including drinks shortly after sitting down. This restaurant is busy and the turnover is quick. This is not a place (like many of the busy Japanese restaurants) to lounge around drinking and talking after the meal. High maintenance customers may find the experience here frustrating. With that said, I found every part of this meal to be great, I’m looking forward...