Mokkoji Shabu Shabu

I got a regular plate of toro and spicy miso broth. The meat comes already seasoned with some sauce and garlic paste which I’m not a huge fan of. You pay additional for the broth you want, each is different pricing. They do have spicy drops which was nice because I love my food spicy. Price was decent for the amount of meat provided. Food is cooked on a portable stove which is a little high. They don’t have any ladle or tongs to scoop out veggies or broth. Nor do they have additional toppings on the side to add to your broth or sauces. This place was decent but I have my go to hot pot spots that I personally think are a better bang for your buck.

The hotpot and appetizers were quite delicious. It is also nice that the restaurant provides outdoor seating. Furthermore, they offer complimentary refills for the vegetables. One minus point was the extended wait time for the food, and it was a bit challenging to get the server's attention, even though the restaurant was not very busy.

We were in the area and craving for Shabu Shabu. Stopped by between meal hour so there were no wait. We ordered the beef sampler for two with spicy sukiyaki and spicy pork base. Also a Makkoji cut with spicy miso base. I personally like the spicy sukiyaki base. The entire time we were eating there was a lot of white noise, which I think is coming from their vent system. I would strongly suggest the owner to fix it soon.

The location is a bit smaller and located in a plaza. The meat is definitely a higher quality than you would get at AYCE, but it’s a little expensive. Our bill was like $120 for two people and we got three plates of meat. You could probably spend less and get fewer items, but you’d probably leave hungry. We started with the toro and pork belly combination. Our server recommended that we order more food, and she was right. We were still hungry. So we also got a large portion (14 pieces) of toro and an add on portion of Zabuton. The toro is hands down the best thing that we had. I wasn’t particularly too impressed by the Zabuton. It was tender and buttery, but I feel like I’ve had better. I wouldn’t get it again and would definitely not spring for the full size. They were also out of a bunch

Meat quality is good, similar to its two other locations (Irvine and Costa Mesa). Good customer service. Spacious, clean, and they have the outdoor/patio seating for larger groups. The only downside is they use the share/divided pot on a portable gas stove vs. electric tabletop one.