Dada Shabu Shabu Buffet: Indulge in a Korean Hot Pot Experience

My coworker brought me here for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised! We were seated right away, the staff were very welcoming and sweet, and the food was delicious! The restaurant is kept very clean and neat. The food bar was fully stocked! They had a variety of flavors/seasonings for your broth, fresh veggies/tofu, and seafood, cooked items including fried chicken, fried rice, short rib patties, tempura, and lastly, they have a yummy shaved ice station for dessert! We chose options 1-3 for meat, which was all beef, but they have chicken and pork options available as well. Everything was so delicious! I'll definitely be coming back here. This was the best hot pot l've had!

I’ve been coming to this hot pot restaurant regularly since moving to Irvine, and overall I enjoy it. The place is always clean, and the staff are consistently friendly and attentive. The hot food station has a smaller selection, but the items are flavorful. I also appreciate the variety in the seafood and vegetable sections. That said, given the price point ($29.99 for weekday lunch, $37.99 for dinner and weekends), I wish the meat quality matched the rest of the experience. Some of the cuts appear to be formed (restructured) meat, and offering higher-grade cuts would really elevate the value.

I don’t think I can go anywhere else for shabu-shabu anymore — Dada is the best! The unlimited salad bar is amazing, and the tteokbokki, fried chicken, and jokbal are all delicious! I ate tons of shabu-shabu and even finished with patbingsu for dessert. You can enjoy everything in one place, and the value for money is just perfect!

Wow. Staff is epic. Food is fire especially pork and beef! Dipping sauces well deserved the 5 stars.

This place is good!! I've come here with the family numerous times and so far the quality of food and service has been consistent. I've only been here for dinner and usually time it to get there before it opens to avoid any sort of wait. It is a large restaurant so seating is plenty but this place is popular. They have various sections you help yourself to such as; condiments to add to your dipping sauce or your hot pot, seafood e.g. fish, shrimp, crawfish, etc., a section of noodles, wide array of vegetables, and a selection of cooked foods as well that have chicken wings, Korean glass noodles, dumplings, rice cakes, etc., a soft drink section (included in your buffet price) and a shave iced section. Not much in terms of dessert but really you're here for the Shabu Shabu. They have a good selection of all items stated. The actual dipping sauces are available at your table which is a huge improvement to before when they were at the condiment section. As for the meats, they have a few options but I always just get the #1. The servers are constantly walking around making sure to take orders and remove plates and trays. Service is great here. Definitely a place to try.

Great place for hotpot, prepared food, and shaved ice - the items have always been fresh and abundant, the service is on point and the restaurant is generally very clean (especially for the volume they do). Parking is abundant since it’s part of a large complex. Children are priced by height with very small children being free and smaller kids being 50% off (as of 12/2/25, dinner). Early dinner times usually have little to no wait, but lines do get long at times. Limited waiting area inside. 90 minute time limit, but we have never stayed that long. If it’s your first time: Seating for 2 (tables), 4 (booth), and larger tables available. We can comfortably fit a family of 5 in a booth. Pots can be split by 2 or 3 for sharing (not sure if there is 1 and 4 section pots, we have never seen them). Nice because everyone can make their own style hot pot. You can put in your beef, pork and chicken order before you get your other ingredients. Staff is helpful and we usually get double orders of a 1, 3 and 4 and that’s usually enough for the whole meal. Heavy meat eaters can order throughout the meal - the staff is very good about asking if you need more meat. Comes out pretty quick. The buffet area is a mix of cooked, hotpot and shaved ice ingredients. Appears to be well stocked and always clean. Well laid out in sections. Smaller kids definitely need help to reach to the back row (ramen noodles). Drinks are included but you have to get everythjbg yourself. Soft drinks, water, coffee available. Water is in a separate machine so you don’t have that tinge of lemonade or HighC like other places. Extra utensils and napkins are also in the ingredient area. The staff is very attentive and come by often to refill your beef/pork/chicken and your soup stock. They aren’t overly chatty - meet your needs then peace out of there pretty quickly. There is a little “call” button at the table if you need anything. Lots of ingredients and combinations to try - try a little of everything and you can always go back for more. Split pots are a bit small and get filled pretty quickly. As you cook, you’ll have a scum and fat layer accumulate in the pot. The table has a ladle and a few tongs in a container. Ladle out the scum and put into the container. Tongs are helpful for noodles and such. 18% tip for parties of 6 or more. Dada is always a treat: lots of options, good service and family friendly. One stop shop as we always get dessert before our 90 minutes are up.

I don’t see anyone talk about the vegetarian or vegan experience so want to share that! Went with my husband last night. The standard broth isn’t vegetarian so we used a divider, and I started with hot water. The sauce bar has lots of options including regular and spicy miso, so I used that and added some other things to make my own broth. After that it was smooth sailing! Lots of vegetable options - I steered clear of the prepared foods just in case. The only strange thing was the corn which was somehow kind of… rubbery? My husband enjoyed all the meat and seafood options on his end. Staff is very courteous - it’s on the casual end but was a great date night option for us - $38.99/person for all you can eat (that’s their weeknight pricing). Thanks for a great meal!

This is my go-to Shabu spot! It's the perfect place for me to catch up with friends from Orange and LA County, especially since I'm based in San Diego County. They have an awesome variety of ingredients and meats to choose from. I fell in love with Shabu when I was stationed in South Korea, and it’s been one of my favorites ever since!