Matsuyama Shabu House

Great service. When we came early Saturday evening, we were the only ones there at the beginning. No complaints because full attention was on us. It was awesome.

They just kept bringing us A5 Wagyu orders even if we hadn't order yet. They told us they were reading our minds :) But again no complaints. Keep bringing those A5 Wagyus that takes 3 - 5 seconds to cook. Ohhh, we all got the $98 A5 Wagyu sets for non-member. You get $10 off as a member but we didn't ask what the membership entails.

The $98 Wagyu set comes with everything in their big menu except of course the drinks like sake.

Ribeye Cap was our favorite.
Chuck Roll
Brisket
A5 Ribeye Cap sushi - we got this 3 times
Wagyu Cilantro skewer - 20 seconds to cook
And lots more! We were very full after the 2 hours.

Love how it takes only a few seconds in the broth to eat all these buttery A5 Wagyu meats. Omg,, it felt like we were in heaven - hahaha.

Parked at the Japanese town parking and easy walk to the restaurant.

Got the AYCE and what was tough about it was the service. There just wasn't enough people to make sure you can comfortable get the food at the right pacing.

The quality of the ingredients were also ok. I was expecting pretty high quality and variety, but it ended being flat. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good.

===TL;DR===
- AYCE A5 Wagyu Shabu
- With this option, you can also order from their Domestic Wagyu Shabu & Premium Domestic Wagyu Shabu sets
- Soup base: Golden Chicken Broth (delicious), Wagyu Spicy Broth (skip, bland)
- Parking: meter or Japantown garage
===TMI===
AYCE Wagyu? Sign, me, up. Upon arrival, even with a reservation, we had to wait for a while before getting seated (forgot if they were overbooked or whatnot but they had to move other parties around).

After getting seated, I was ready to start feasting! Love love loveeeeed the Golden Chicken Broth - it'll heal your soul. The spicy broth was not good... bland and not spicy at all, don't recommend. Or course we had to try everything on the menu so these are my recommendations: all the A5 Wagyu cuts, amazing. The American Wagyu were good too if you want to opt for a less fatty option. Very surprise on their seafood option as I'm not one that gravitates towards it for shabu but loved all the seafood options. Appetizers: A5 Ribeye Cap Sushi was littttt, sizzling Wagyu w/ black pepper was ok, surprisingly the garlic cucumber was amazing, all others were standard.

PSA: get the deep fried brown sugar mochi. Omg that was so fireeeeee, we ordered more. Warm, bouncy, tad sweet, so good.

The servers were nice but their pace was slow. Sometimes we can't even find them when we're ready to order another round. But the lady was nice. I asked if they do anything for birthdays and she said we already ordered the chestnut sponge cream cake as an appetizer. I thought alright, that's fine. Little do you know, she was like I got you tho & came back with a candle on a mini cup of ice cream - so cute. Thank you!!

Despite everything, I think they're still a good overall experience. Who doesn't like AYCE Wagyu?

6/24

An impromptu Monday night dinner. Hot pot and Shabu are always top contenders for last minute plans, and so is sushi; always!

Location: Japantown is sprawling with restaurants and shops, but how to choose? Matsuyama happens to be a new addition to the local area, and so it wasn't a hard choice. You'll find this ground level restaurant nestled in the courtyard adjacent to the shopping center. If you happen to want ramen and ramen alone; that is located directly on the second floor of the same building. An Indian family had been seated adjacent to our party, but was disappointed to hear that ramen is not part of the menu; after several minutes of scouring the menu, the family left the restaurant to hike up a flight of stairs for some ramen.

At first glance: upon entering, though simple and nothing fancy; the restaurant gave off a rustic countrywide Japanese aesthetic. While the space isn't necessarily big by any means; a central counter with bar seating sits in the center, while tables for 2 and booths for 4 sit against floor to ceiling windows that bring in plenty of light. Shades can be brought down for protection from the sun. The restaurant was not busy at all, perhaps because it was the first day of the week, and I can imagine it being busier on the weekend.

Service: we were greeted and seated by a friendly hostess, who explained how to order from a massive paper menu. A second server periodically checked on our table for anything that needs to be brought away while the hostess was always on hand for additional items.

How to Order: this is important as we were hungry. One would first choose an option, with the grades of meat differed between price. Secondly, one would choose 2 soup bases; third, the meats; fourth, the vegetables, and fifth, dessert for the very end. While this restaurant is billed as all you can eat, the caveat is that the first order of premium meats, well that's it, but with the other cuts of meat - you can eat your hearts desire. Those first cuts of premium wagyu was the most buttery soft melt in your mouth, and my mouth yearned for more of it. The other meats were good as well, but I wished that those first cuts were also endless. I will say that the soup bases (tonkatsu, and mushroom) we had here are among the best I've had anywhere stateside.

Let's not forget: the sides were so delicious too! We ordered the Korean cheese corn, crispy pork gyoza, and spicy tofu salad.

Dessert: the only option sweet wise is the brown sugar friend mochi, which are small mochi logs lightly fried and coated in brown sugar. They were so good that we ordered a second heeping.

Final thoughts: is this restaurant a yay or a skip? I was most impressed that the ventilation vent at our table did such a great job at removing the cooking scents. Definitely a yay as my friends and I agree that everything was delicious and the service sublime.

We were excited to see that they had switched to an AYCE model, so we decided to check it out.

They have 3 different levels of AYCE options. The basic level starts at $58 and includes plenty of america wagyu options and a handful of appetizers. The most expensive comes with AYCE A5 Wagyu options for $98. Since it was our first time here, we decided to go with the basic option to see if we liked it.

We went with two different broths, the wagyu spicy and the golden chicken. The spicy was more sweet than spicy and the golden chicken didn't have much of a flavor to it. The meat quality was good, american wagyu is definitely better than your typical select meat cuts. The sesame dipping sauce was the best of the 3 they offered. We found everything to be on the sweeter side, and wish they offered some type of jalapeno or serrano pepper to add a little kick.

The side dishes were good. I really enjoyed the garlic cucumber, super fresh and tasty. The potato croquette was also tasty. The spam tempura fries had potential, just wish they were a little bit crispier.

We didn't have a reservation, so we were seated at the bar, which each individual seat has a spot of their own pot. There were only 2 people at the bar at the time, and we were seated directly next to them, which to us was weird because the seats are shoulder to shoulder, and I think it would've been more comfortable for our party and the other party to have some space since there was plenty. Especially when the half circle bar had probably 10 open seats. The tables around us started to fill up as we went through our meal, but it was very quiet all around. Kinda felt like a library and how low we had to talk because we wanted to be courteous to those around us.

Overall, I thought everything was just ok.

Friends and I ordered their Premium domestic wagyu shabu with their tomyum and chicken broth. They add coconut milk to the tomyum broth. My favorite cut was the top blade and I always go for brisket as well. The A5 chuck roll was good but I realized that it is not my preferred cut. The brown sugar fried mochi is a must try for their dessert! My friends and I enjoyed it so much. It comes out hot, crispy on the outside, and so chewy on the inside. You have to flag someone down to order each time and there is a limit to 4 plates of meat per order. I felt like it would be more streamlined if they incorporated tablets besides the table for self ordering.

Went on a Sunday at around 7:30 pm and our table of 6 got seated in a more private area. The staff was very friendly and talked us through how many portions we should get each round as they cut the meat fresh per order.

We all got the Domestic Wagyu Shabu which was 58 dollars per person and came with some options for soups, meats and sides. We got all the broth flavors: Spicy Wagyu, Golden Chicken, Tonkatsu & Konbu. All of them were really warming and comforting, my favorite being the Golden Chicken Broth.

Ordered most of their meat options as well: American Wagyu Brisket, Short Plate, Chuck Roll, Pork Belly. The Short Plate was too fatty and it was difficult for us to eat. The favorites were definitely the chuck roll, not fatty and it was good quality, and the pork belly.

The portions were small where each dish comes out with 2 - 5 pieces of meat so you do need to order a couple rounds but it was very filling. Also ordered from appetizers like the kimchi, edamame, spam fries, potato croquettes and deep fried mini buns, the best were the last two.

Need to try the A5 Japanese Wagyu set next time to get a full gauge on if their meat sets are worth it as they are on the pricier side.

We had a very friendly server which was pretty much the highlight. He also gave us a discount for some reason (thank you!!!!!). The rest of the experience was more of a 2.5 star for me.

The broth we tried were good: sukiyaki and golden chicken (if I have not mistaken). Tried the A5 Ribeye Cap sushi, although we liked the torched beef, the ratio of the thin beef to the dense rice ball makes it a pass for me. Also tried the deep fried brown sugar mochi per our servers recommendation, though it's good, didn't really stand out to me. Tried some of the other apps, but none worth mentioning.

My group opted for the $98pp A5 Wagyu Shabu. Out of the three types of A5, only one cut was a tender and buttery texture. The other cuts were thick and hard and definitely did not give A5 vibes. Pretty sure the regular non-A5 snowflake beef I usually get to hot pot at home is more superior (and cheaper). Quality of beef was already not favorable, but then there must've been a period of 20-30 minutes where they just stopped serving us meat. I think I would be more understanding if the restaurant was packed and maybe they were backed up, but since we sat right in front of the kitchen area, I do not believe that to be the case. For $98pp, I do not appreciate that type of business practice. Mind you my group took their time with eating, we did not abuse the system or anything. If the business cannot handle an AYCE business model for it to be profitable, they should probably reconsider changing to a la carte options because it is a little deceiving in my personal opinion. Also, even if they were busy, if they wanted to they could've. I'm saying this through experience from another A5 wagyu hot pot place in Santa Clara that starts with an M. Right when we order, someone's already dropping off plates of meat at our table. I believe they're actually a branded restaurant and actually cost less.

Would not recommend this restaurant as I believe there is something out there that is better and cheaper.

My birthday celebration at Matsuyama Shabu House was an absolute delight! Opting for the premium all-you-can-eat experience was a fantastic choice, especially with the inclusion of the A4 Wagyu chuck. However, my taste buds are now lamenting that I didn't upgrade to the A5 Wagyu Shabu - note to self for next time!

The A4 Wagyu chuck was exquisite, but I couldn't help but imagine the heightened experience the A5 would offer. Nonetheless, the top plate and tofu nuggets compensated superbly, adding layers of flavor and texture to the meal.

The broth options were a highlight of the experience. The Wagyu spicy broth packed a punch of flavor, while the Tom Yum sauce delivered a delightful blend of creaminess and tanginess. Each dip and dunk was a culinary adventure.

A special shoutout to Irene for her warm and friendly service, which added to the overall ambiance of the evening. Matsuyama Shabu House has definitely earned a spot on my list of go-to spots in San Francisco. I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

Mediocre flavors and very rude staff. This place should NOT be considered as "all you can eat."

First red flag: There are 3 tiers you can choose from, we chose #2 for the table which is only $10 more than tier #1 for 1 plate of Wagyu per person and a few additional appetizers.
We noticed another table that ordered tier #3 and they definitely got special treatment by the staff, because I'm guessing they paid more. But special treatment as in, quick service and more smiles and nicer attitude when speaking.

Red flag 2: Meat tasted very fatty, I have really never disliked a shabu shabu or hot pot meat but this was shockingly bad. The soup broth was also flavorless. We ordered half golden chicken soup and second is spicy beef. I don't think they even make their own broths, must be watered down chemical/ processed broth packages. I tasted the broth before we put any other meats and veggies in and it really had no flavor.
And mid way while we were waiting for more meats, the soup kept boiling to the point where there was almost no more soup too and they didn't even offer to refill the broth.

Red flag 3: You get 90 minutes for supposed "all you can eat" but each round they told us we can only order 4 plates of meat at a time by the time we ordered our second round of meat and third, we noticed it would take 15 minutes per round for meat to come out. They said it's because they "cut their meat fresh" but I've never been to AYCE that was slow at slicing meat and bringing out meat plates like this place. Let alone restricting how many plates you can order.

We found this place because of Reels reviews from influencers and it's super disappointing. I hope they fix their service.