Nabe — Restaurant in San Francisco

I'll admit, I was a huge skeptic of this place until I actually ate here. Nabe is still a relatively new genre in Japanese cuisine in the US. Of course there are "shabu shabu" places, but rarely do you get the genuinely authentic flavors as nabe is supposed to be in Japan.

We got two large ones to share between 3 people, even though the waitress tried to convince us to get 3. Really, there's no need for that. There are plenty of add-ons for you to, well, add on, to your order. I think you should get as many individual nabe as you want to taste different flavors.

We got the sukiyaki and seafood yosenabe. Both had different broths. And then we got a bunch of add-ons: veggie plate, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, shungiku. You can also get additional meat and seafood, but I think veggies are essential to nabe, because they impart so much flavor to nabe.

So the way you're supposed to do this is let the nabe boil. Then start eating the meat. For sukiyaki, they give you a raw egg as a "wash" after you cook the meat in the nabe. Since the meat is cut so thinly, you only really need to put it in the boiling broth for a few seconds. And because it's so hot, you dip it in the egg wash and then eat. Let me tell you, the egg makes a world of difference - not only to calm the temperature down, but all add flavor and texture. The meat tastes so much better with the egg.

As you continue to eat, you might want to bring down the temperature of the heating pad a little if you're not eating meat. Add some veggies and wait for them to be ready. Eat the veggies and then eat more meat. Repeat until you don't have anything but broth.

Signal your server and she'll bring rice over to make zosui. This is an amazing end of the meal extra. Because you've added so much meat and veggies to the broth, the broth is rich with extra flavor that it didn't start with. When you add the rice, it becomes a heavenly porridge. No need to get noodles or other carbs as an add-on. The end of the meal zosui comes with your meal already. It's so much better than noodles because the rice absorbs the broth and all that good flavor.

Hot pots are one of my favorite food genres because it can be so flavorful... and FUN TO EAT! Definitely come to Nabe if you like hot pots. You'll be in for...

Nabe is a new trendy Japanese Shabu Shabu restaurant that recently opened in the Inner Sunset. It's a bit out of place, but it works - "diversity". The interior of the restaurant is simple, yet modern. It also puts the small amount of space into good use as you basically share one long table with other customers. Good for people who enjoy others' company, bad for people who like a more intimate environment.

The service is excellent. The waitresses are friendly and personable. They are also very knowledgable in the menu (though not many options). They would explain in details what is in the soup base and the idea behind it, and etc.

The food is okay. It's like an average Shabu Shabu place. I didn't find the meat to be extremely fresh, but definitely up to par with other places. The beef is nicely marbleized. The soup bases were decent, but nothing to rave about. Though the sukiyaki broth was too overpoweringly sweet, The spicy miso was not spicy at all. The Shabu set also comes with some veggies and noodles. I would have liked more noodles and veggies, but whatever. The porridge at the end of the meal is a nice and innovative touch. They basically bring out a bowl of rice and put it in the soup base of your choice (already at your table). One of the waitress will cook the porridge for you and add toppings such as green onions and seaweed. It was quite delicious, probably my favorite part of the meal!

It is reasonably priced, but the portions are not that big. I'm usually not a big eater, but I felt that the regular portion was just almost right. It got you to a somewhat satisfied state, but not too full. But you could probably snack on a couple more things before you're full. I didn't see much of a difference between the large and regular portion, I would have...

A bit pricey, but delicious. Like all the other reviews said, the porridge at the end really stood out to me. For the complimentary porridge, they take your leftover soup and add rice + eggs + other ingredients while heating it up I kept them as leftovers :)

Ordered the miso shabu-shabu with A5 beef ribeye upgrade (+50 and pictured). I intended to order the A5 wagyu upgrade (+30), but I told the waitress the wrong thing when they were explaining it to me (oops!). The ribeye upgrade was very thin and buttery, and tasted best when eaten with a spoon of the soup. While I'm glad I tried the upgraded meat, I don't think the price is worth it.

Also ordered the chicken karaage and takoyaki. Karaage came in many bite-sized pieces. Takoyaki was alright.

We ended up getting in within an hour of closing and they still served us. Super appreciative of the staff! Thank you for serving us :)

I would come again if I was in the area to order their non-upgraded meat/try other broths just so I could pack some...