Jin Pot Shabu House — Restaurant in San Francisco

Well. Let’s start saying that the broth used in this restaurant is the best one we found in SF. My partner and I, we like to explore restaurants and we got very surprised with the quality of the ingredients in this location. Now, knowing that, the service there is really bad. There was two Girls working there, one Asian and another one White. Not that it matters, but it’s the only way to differentiate them in this review (obs.. my Partner is Asian). We had the bad luck of only being served by the Asian one. While the other girl was very welcoming, even tho she wasn’t serving our table, the girl serving us was very mad. IDk if it was us, or if she was just not happy at all. We are polite people so we didn’t say anything. We paid for the all you can eat and both times she allowed us to order 4 times but we only ordered three times (the first time). We left the place a bit upset the first time, but we still gave her 20%, in the hope of having a better treatment next time. So we went there again, same thing. But this time, after only ordering two times, our third order came missing mostly of the meat we ordered. We asked her about and she said that the kitchen didn’t have more of those meats. We then, had to order a forth time to add meat (that was available) because we didn’t have in our last order. Just so, next to us, the people that just got there was able to order all the meats they wanted. Now, if she was telling the truth, blame on the restaurant that promises all you can eat and is really far from that. Even sadly, because this restaurant have everything to get even more successful, since the quality of the food is good. But besides that, the attitude of the girl is not appreciative, and she should value her job and the client that go there. We didn’t disrespect her and we preferred just leave instead arguing about it. Here is the tip: if you guys don’t wanna keep losing clients, you should pay attention on your clients. Sadly, because we liked the food, we are...

Absolutely me and my wife’s favorite Shabu spot in the bay for AYCE Shabu Shabu. We’ve been coming here since prepandemic and the server Teresa would always take care of us and offer friendly service. It’s easy to make a reservation through Yelp. The interior feels cozy and has stuff animals on the bench seating with pictures and details of the broths they offer on the right wall.

The numerous broths they offer are all flavorful and unique which you can’t find at most shabu/hot pot places. Our personal favorites are:

1. Szechuan spicy pickled cabbage which is peppery and sour with a bit of a kick.
2. Sukiyaki broth which is savory and sweet that compliments and enhances the sweetness of the nicely marbled wagyu beef they offer. This is the broth we miss from Japan that this place satisfies our craving for.
3. Spicy miso which is common amongst shabu restaurants but they add more miso in theirs which taste more flavorful and is actually spicy.

We always order the wagyu beef which they slice thinly and the meat is well marbled so it melts in your mouth, our second favorite is the New Zealand lamb which always taste fresh and not gamey at all.

Here are our favorites from the menu that’s included in the AYCE: Vegetable platter - Can’t decide? It comes with a variety of their veggies Tsumire Bamboo Rolls - minced wagyu beef w/ negi(green onion) or corn Chicken Kara-age - nice and crispy to get the appetite going. Takoyaki fries- comes with the sweet and slightly tangy Takoyaki sauce topped w/ bonito flakes. Cilantro Wagyu dumplings - flavorful dumpling to go with their broth and not overpowered by cilantro. House sake- check-in and you get a bottle for 50 cents

Lastly they offer you a complimentary dessert at the end of your meal which is a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a brown sugar syrup and kinako powder and it is SO addictive...

I used to consider Jinpot my favorite shabu spot in SF, but my recent visit left me deeply disappointed and frustrated. The decline started with a server who was shockingly rude from the moment we walked in. We were assured over the phone that reservations weren’t necessary, yet upon arrival, we were left waiting as she gave our table away to others without so much as an explanation or apology. But it didn’t stop there. The server offered no guidance on the menu, leaving our group of four confused when it was time to order. We opted for the all-you-can-eat option, only to be served portions clearly meant for two people. With just two pieces of each item per round, we found ourselves constantly waiting for more food, enduring long and frustrating delays. When we finally voiced our concerns, the server’s response was even more disheartening. Instead of addressing the issue, she dismissively claimed that everyone had the same wait time, even though it was obvious that other tables were being served well before us. To make matters worse, she suggested we speak with someone else and handed us a number, completely brushing off our legitimate complaints. I’m at a loss for words. Jinpot, once my go-to for shabu, has become unrecognizable with its terrible service. It’s incredibly disappointing to see such a drastic decline in both the quality of the food and the professionalism of the staff. I can no longer recommend dining at Jinpot, as it is far from the enjoyable and satisfying experience...