Kufu-Ya

Great place with great atmosphere. There are a lot of regulars - we are, for all-you-can-eat shabu. They have all-you-can-drink options as well. Excellent quality and service. Busy around 7-8.

It's been a while since the last visit. This is hands down the best ayce shabu shabu in town. But this has been the place to go to when since I can remember. This is a local family owned, not sure if that has changed, but service is great here plus their quality is superb. It can be a bit frustrating to go here due to the lack of parking spots, so advice for folks to come early or be patient getting here.

Shabu shabu is fantastic to start with. This place is even better. Unlimited for a great price ($25)/person as of today. Great service, the special sauce is delicious no matter how you mix it. I'd recommend the hot pot with tonkotsu broth.

Who would resist All-You-Can-Eat shabu shabu on a windy day at SF? The soup was so comforting (try the spicy miso soup) and both beef and lamb were great. I almost took a star off because my party of 4 had to share a pot and had to pay $5 extra to add a pot. But for the price and the quality of the meat, never mind. still five stars. Will return on another windy day but maybe in groups of 2. :)

Pretty good Shabu shabu and dipping sauces. All-you-can-eat option if you are hungry, but also per-plate option (choosing beef, lamb, combo or vege+noodle plates) if you aren't. The meat (beef and lamb) is pretty good quality, thinly sliced, fresh. Their rolls and other Japanese choices look good too - the sashimi on the roll was pretty fresh! Parking lot behind the restaurant is handy, but gets busy so you'll be parking tandem and may either need to move your car (if you park someone in), or ask someone to move (if you are in first). Definitely a good value place for shabu shabu in the often cold SF evening!

Best dipping sauce in the city. This place get packed later in the evening so make sure you call to RSVP. If you don't feel like eating shabu, they also serve sushi!

Workers there are the star of the show. Amazing sauce, meat, and broth.

great food and they're super quick! really friendly staff and accommodated a large table for our group on a Saturday night. decent prices as well!

Wow, what a great restaurant. Half of the guests there were old-timers who would buy drinks for the chef and the waitress and drink together. That created this wonderful neighborhood restaurant atmosphere. The food was also very good: fresh fish, flavorful rice, masterfully made and presented. It was also reasonably priced. I will definitely be back for Shabu-Shabu.

Perfect post workout for a high dose of protein! Came here hungry and the food came within 60 sec of sitting down. AYCE of 2 meats (beef + lamb) with a special sauce; veggie bowl and noodles to even it out. They were out of oysters but the uni shooters were bomb. Super quick and friendly service, plates of meat were replenished immediately after clearing them, never really had to go out of the way ask for anything. Granted, we were just one of 4 parties there and it's chill for a date or group of friends to catch up. The broth isn't as flavorful as other places and the selection does have less variety. Everything (meat, veggies, sauce) is brought to you, so once you sit down, just focus on eating. Overall a 4.5/5 experience with a neighborhood bias of living closeby; wouldn't travel far for it but if you're closeby, definitely worth a shot.

I loved the whole cooking everything at your table experience. It's fun and it's social. Perfect for a group setting. Food was really good. The restaurant itself is not that large so it is definitely a more intimate setting. I recommend making a reservation, going there ready to eat and you might as well just wear sweats because you will stuff yourself.

Excellent ayce shabu. Add $10 per person for all you can drink beer/sake! Can't beat the price! Excellent place for a casual dinner or a night out with the gang! Plenty of parking spots and street parking is also available. Just make sure you drink responsibly and drink what you can handle, the all you can drink can get a little out of hand.

Just recommended this place to a group of young hikers from New Jersey I met at Yosemite Olmsted point! (Brothers, write a comment or send me a pm if you ever make it here; also write a review to help this business if you liked your experience) KuFuya is THE best shabu/hotpot restaurant in SF and I am so thankful that they survived the brutal Covid lockdown. They have been in this family business for more than 20 years and definitely have five stars in the following areas: *Family vibe and friendly 5 star *Quality, fresh ingredients, and quantity 5 star *Service 5 star, quick to serve you what you need (but please be nice to the servers and apply the golden rule and don't abuse them) *special sauce!! Their secret receipe 5 star (just mix garlic, reddish, and green onion in the sauce as much as you love them, but use the red pepper sparingly as it can be pretty spicy). I recommend spicy miso soup base for the shabu. Julie, thanks for staying open despite the stupid lockdowns and govt harassment. Been coming here with friends and family for the past 5 years and I am proud to say that I am your loyal patron!

OMG, this place is incredible, the food, the staff, the family feel. Julie is the best, we love coming here and enjoying the all you can eat and drink specials.

Pasha Gleyzer

Wow, what a great restaurant. Half of the guests there were old-timers who would buy drinks for the chef and the waitress and drink together. That created this wonderful neighborhood restaurant atmosphere. The food was also very good: fresh fish, flavorful rice, masterfully made and presented. It was also reasonably priced. I will definitely be back for Shabu-Shabu.

Johnny Auyoung

Perfect post workout for a high dose of protein! Came here hungry and the food came within 60 sec of sitting down. AYCE of 2 meats (beef + lamb) with a special sauce; veggie bowl and noodles to even it out. They were out of oysters but the uni shooters were bomb. Super quick and friendly service, plates of meat were replenished immediately after clearing them, never really had to go out of the way ask for anything. Granted, we were just one of 4 parties there and it's chill for a date or group of friends to catch up. The broth isn't as flavorful as other places and the selection does have less variety. Everything (meat, veggies, sauce) is brought to you, so once you sit down, just focus on eating. Overall a 4.5/5 experience with a neighborhood bias of living closeby; wouldn't travel far for it but if you're closeby, definitely worth a shot.

Tara Kelly

I loved the whole cooking everything at your table experience. It's fun and it's social. Perfect for a group setting. Food was really good. The restaurant itself is not that large so it is definitely a more intimate setting. I recommend making a reservation, going there ready to eat and you might as well just wear sweats because you will stuff yourself.

Harry

Excellent ayce shabu. Add $10 per person for all you can drink beer/sake! Can't beat the price! Excellent place for a casual dinner or a night out with the gang! Plenty of parking spots and street parking is also available. Just make sure you drink responsibly and drink what you can handle, the all you can drink can get a little out of hand.

Yohan Kim

Just recommended this place to a group of young hikers from New Jersey I met at Yosemite Olmsted point! (Brothers, write a comment or send me a pm if you ever make it here; also write a review to help this business if you liked your experience) KuFuya is THE best shabu/hotpot restaurant in SF and I am so thankful that they survived the brutal Covid lockdown. They have been in this family business for more than 20 years and definitely have five stars in the following areas: *Family vibe and friendly 5 star *Quality, fresh ingredients, and quantity 5 star *Service 5 star, quick to serve you what you need (but please be nice to the servers and apply the golden rule and don't abuse them) *special sauce!! Their secret receipe 5 star (just mix garlic, reddish, and green onion in the sauce as much as you love them, but use the red pepper sparingly as it can be pretty spicy). I recommend spicy miso soup base for the shabu. Julie, thanks for staying open despite the stupid lockdowns and govt harassment. Been coming here with friends and family for the past 5 years and I am proud to say that I am your loyal patron!

Stephen Frost

OMG, this place is incredible, the food, the staff, the family feel. Julie is the best, we love coming here and enjoying the all you can eat and drink specials.

Laura Guerrero

Delicious yellow tail and kind service

Great fresh food, friendly service, full of regular happy patrons.

Food was delicious, hot and fresh. I got the Mongolian beef. It was excellent. The meat was tender the spices just right and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.

There are times when service is slow. However, the sushi has never disappointed. The sushi has consistently been delicious and satisfying. Each roll I've had has been fantastic. Ask them to add cream cheese to your roll, it makes them even better. Plus the prices are more than reasonable for the quality. The shabu is also excellent. The meat is cut so thin and cooks quickly so more time is spent enjoying the food rather than cooking. One of my favorite sushi places.

Dinner was delicious. We had the all you can eat! Lamb and beef that was paper thin ! Super tender and delicious! Lisa was an amazing host! Sooo good 👍, highly recommend if you are looking for good food to share with friends!

one word AMAZING. Great deal on the all you can eat and also their sushi is FANTASTIC. I’m Japanese so I know! I was VERY impressed with their sushi! Get the unagi nigiri and the bluefin tuna! Fresh ingredients every time and the staff is so nice and welcoming. They’ve had regular customers for 15 years for a reason. Great local joint. If you know, you know

Service was awesome and atmosphere was pretty good. There were some people behind me and my friends that were pretty loud but it was all a good time. The only reason I didn't give it five stars on the food was because it needed a tad bit more options for flavoring but other than that this was an awesome place. If only it were bigger :)... this is definitely a hidden gem.

Lev Mazin

Great fresh food, friendly service, full of regular happy patrons.

Christa Carrera

one word AMAZING. Great deal on the all you can eat and also their sushi is FANTASTIC. I’m Japanese so I know! I was VERY impressed with their sushi! Get the unagi nigiri and the bluefin tuna! Fresh ingredients every time and the staff is so nice and welcoming. They’ve had regular customers for 15 years for a reason. Great local joint. If you know, you know

Wall Flower

Service was awesome and atmosphere was pretty good. There were some people behind me and my friends that were pretty loud but it was all a good time. The only reason I didn't give it five stars on the food was because it needed a tad bit more options for flavoring but other than that this was an awesome place. If only it were bigger :)... this is definitely a hidden gem.

Sandra Quezada

Food was delicious, hot and fresh. I got the Mongolian beef. It was excellent. The meat was tender the spices just right and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.

Mykel Chlopek

Dinner was delicious. We had the all you can eat! Lamb and beef that was paper thin ! Super tender and delicious! Lisa was an amazing host! Sooo good 👍, highly recommend if you are looking for good food to share with friends!

Ricardo Patron

There are times when service is slow. However, the sushi has never disappointed. The sushi has consistently been delicious and satisfying. Each roll I've had has been fantastic. Ask them to add cream cheese to your roll, it makes them even better. Plus the prices are more than reasonable for the quality. The shabu is also excellent. The meat is cut so thin and cooks quickly so more time is spent enjoying the food rather than cooking. One of my favorite sushi places.

Table of 7 we all got the all you can eat ($32). The service was great they were constantly refilling our meat but we had to ask for extras of veggies and noodles. They did seeem a bit overwhelmed but everyone was super duper sweet. We got the miso and the tonkotsu broth, the tonkotsu was definitely more flavorful and the miso was a bit bland. The meat was really good quality and just melted in your mouth. Overall a good experience 4/5

Went there for dinner with the family. Refills were quick and they have the friendliest staff. Had the ayce option. Broth was a miso for half the party and spicy for the rest. If it's not spicy enough for your liking, just add additional spices on your table to the broth. They have a parking lot behind the restaurant. Big plus because parking can be a challenge at times. Only downer is that it's a little tight and they're staggered 2 deep. However, people are considerate and I've never found a ding or a dent yet.

It gets busy. So, should make a reservation. Most patrons seem to order the $25 all you can eat shabu shabu, which looked good. We just had a few sushi rolls & udon. Very nice variety to choose from & all very good.

Pretty good Japanese place. Food is good, seafood is fresh, and they specialise in shabu shabu style hotpot. Service can be erratic during busy periods, having to leave by a specific time, being moved mid-meal, this like that. Staff after pretty friendly and considerate.

Loved the all you can eat. Good quality soups, sauce is amazing, and meat is tasty. I just wish there was more variety in the veggies you can add.

Perfect place for hot pot. Make reservations to avoid wait time. Good for groups as well as couples. They have an all you can eat hot pot deal. Also parking available in the back.

We had salmon teriyaki entree, crunch unagi roll, tiger roll, and union rolls. They all taste great. A lot of people order shabu shabu. There are 12 lots of parking next to the restaurant.

Ordered Chicken Katsu entree, and I enjoyed it. The portion size was great for one person, and I even had some leftovers. Entree comes with side salad 🥗, miso soup 🍲, and rice 🍚. My spouse got the beef & mushroom udon,, and the broth was good. The place is known for their hot pot, so maybe next visit I'll try it. They have a small parking lot where the layout is awkward, because you risk someone parking behind you and may be blocked in. I'm sure that the staff with ask the patrons to move the car if a car is trying to get out. I'd visit again to try the hot pot.

Place is a bit of a dive. They seemed under staffed. Service was below average. But if those things and dirty tables dont really bother you, check this place out. Food was excellent

I made a reservation and was seated immediately. Basic AYCE Shabu with one broth for your table, choice of lamb or beef and a bowl of veggies, and noodles for $35. The house sauce elevated the flavors when the broth isn't too rich. The attentive service and private lot adds to my positive experience. Despite the full house and hectic environment, I never had to wait for more than a few minutes for something. I heard their sushi was good, but I was too focused on targeting their meat plates to try.

S H

We had salmon teriyaki entree, crunch unagi roll, tiger roll, and union rolls. They all taste great. A lot of people order shabu shabu. There are 12 lots of parking next to the restaurant.

Leonard Suguitan (Len)

Ordered Chicken Katsu entree, and I enjoyed it. The portion size was great for one person, and I even had some leftovers. Entree comes with side salad 🥗, miso soup 🍲, and rice 🍚. My spouse got the beef & mushroom udon,, and the broth was good. The place is known for their hot pot, so maybe next visit I'll try it. They have a small parking lot where the layout is awkward, because you risk someone parking behind you and may be blocked in. I'm sure that the staff with ask the patrons to move the car if a car is trying to get out. I'd visit again to try the hot pot.

Xochitl Koppelmeyer

Place is a bit of a dive. They seemed under staffed. Service was below average. But if those things and dirty tables dont really bother you, check this place out. Food was excellent

Japanese food that is decent. I would have given a higher rating, but we got a lot of attitude with our service. We dined there with three adults and two toddlers (who were well behaved, objectively speaking). Maybe the babies turned them off, maybe they were stressed because they had a huge party reserved for later that night (they mentioned that to inform us that we had only one hour to be at our table, which we were fine with), I don't know. Next time we will order for pick up but that will not be soon. My focus is the food, so service isn't high on my priority list, but an entire meal of being treated like a burden gets old.

After reading more reviews, it must clearly be good for hot pot, but everything we ordered (not shabu shabu/hot pot) was just ok. Service was nice. It's not Japanese run which might be why the dinners were meh (udon, bento dinner options, sushi). Prices were reasonable.

We had the all you can eat shabu shabu, and it's very basic. No buffet, no options, just a single hot pot with the same veggie bowl & meat plates over and over again. It's not bad, just super basic. Solid 3-star. It also has a very weird parking lot.

Derrick Lin

We had the all you can eat shabu shabu, and it's very basic. No buffet, no options, just a single hot pot with the same veggie bowl & meat plates over and over again. It's not bad, just super basic. Solid 3-star. It also has a very weird parking lot.

Sashimi, didn’t look or taste fresh, got sick the next day, comes in paper-thin fish pieces; they still charge full retail. Dining room not very clean, smelled musty like an unwashed 20 y.o. carpet

One of the more disappointing restaurant that still finds its way to survive in the bay area. The service was poor. We had to flag down the servers at least four times before we got our orders. While they would always have the alibi saying they are busy, but all I saw were servers flirting and taking shots with their friends/customers. Ironically, the busser was more attentive than the two servers running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The raw meats were presented on the table 10 minutes before the broth was delivered lukewarm(so did they boil new broth or just plain forgot we need broth to cook???). In the mist of the bad service, the food was below average. The beef was tough and the sauce was this creepy combination of creamy vinegar. All in all, the restaurant is fortunate to find its fan base and returning customers (mostly middle men who like to holler at the female server), but if you are new in town or trying out shabu for the first time, there are way better options such as Shabu Club or Shabu House.

I want to love this place, but it has problems. It's not uncommon to be ignored completely at your seat for 20 minutes. You'll have to get up and grab whichever staff member is either deep in conversation, or is simply ignoring half the restaurant. There's also the staff's strange tendency to literally seat people by race. All the whitest-looking people always get the window seats closest to the door, and everyone else tends to get the seats deeper in to the restaurant... along with a significant amount of additional attention. It literally appears to be restaurant policy over the 30 or so times I've been there. On the bright side, the food is very affordable and pretty fresh.

Absolute let-down. I used to come here for generous portions of very fresh fish; tonight the maki rolls were extremely tiny. The saba was awful. Probably two days old at least; almost inedible- I LOVE fresh Saba... this was so bad... Only the spicy toro maki was good; everything else was truly mediocre, and prices are way higher than last time I came here two years ago. Prices way up, portions way down... I'll never eat here again. Server was nice though. Skip eating here. Sad that a former diamond in the rough sucks so much now. P.s. the karaage was cooked well but they didn't finish it with salt. It was very bland. Edit: yup, the old Saba gave me diarrhea. Thanks for knowingly serving spoiled fish.

Graham Leininger

Absolute let-down. I used to come here for generous portions of very fresh fish; tonight the maki rolls were extremely tiny. The saba was awful. Probably two days old at least; almost inedible- I LOVE fresh Saba... this was so bad... Only the spicy toro maki was good; everything else was truly mediocre, and prices are way higher than last time I came here two years ago. Prices way up, portions way down... I'll never eat here again. Server was nice though. Skip eating here. Sad that a former diamond in the rough sucks so much now. P.s. the karaage was cooked well but they didn't finish it with salt. It was very bland. Edit: yup, the old Saba gave me diarrhea. Thanks for knowingly serving spoiled fish.

Overpriced. Bland food. Even blander atmosphere. This place was a spontaneous pick while trying to find an open kitchen after 9pm on a Friday. The food was very bland and unbelievably overpriced, even for SF. Overall, I felt ripped off and wish I had just gone home rather than stopping at this restaurant.

Gina

Overpriced. Bland food. Even blander atmosphere. This place was a spontaneous pick while trying to find an open kitchen after 9pm on a Friday. The food was very bland and unbelievably overpriced, even for SF. Overall, I felt ripped off and wish I had just gone home rather than stopping at this restaurant.

My 1st trip was outstanding, best service and great sushi. But my 2nd trip was horrible the restaurant became like a warzone even more when the waitress socialize too much with the customers that I was forgotten, I gave 25% tip as my farewell, I won't comeback here again. Spending $100 per trip alone and with this kind of service

We visited Kufi-Ya and unfortunately, we had a very disappointing experience. Our friends had reserved a table for six, but my husband and I arrived earlier because we were hungry. The restaurant staff was aware that our friends would be arriving at 7 PM, as they know them well. Since we were early, we ordered a glass of wine, a bottle of sake, a cucumber salad, and one sushi roll while waiting. Before our friends arrived, my husband specifically asked the server to provide a separate check for the items we ordered earlier. She agreed. However, when he went to pay, we were shocked to see that they had added a 20% service charge, which, according to their policy, is applied to groups of five or more. When he pointed out that there were only two of us at the time, the server responded, “But you were sitting at a table for six.” This is completely unfair and misleading. Aside from this frustrating experience, the overall dining conditions were disappointing. The tables were sticky, which was unpleasant. There was a cold draft coming from the window, and in the restroom, the ventilation system was running instead of the heater, making it uncomfortably cold. In winter weather, the heater should be on, not a fan blowing more cold air. As for the food, it was overpriced for the quality. There are plenty of places in San Francisco where you can find better sushi, fresher ingredients, and a cleaner atmosphere at more reasonable prices. Overall, we left extremely disappointed and will not be returning. We cannot recommend this place based on our experience.

Maria Birch

We visited Kufi-Ya and unfortunately, we had a very disappointing experience. Our friends had reserved a table for six, but my husband and I arrived earlier because we were hungry. The restaurant staff was aware that our friends would be arriving at 7 PM, as they know them well. Since we were early, we ordered a glass of wine, a bottle of sake, a cucumber salad, and one sushi roll while waiting. Before our friends arrived, my husband specifically asked the server to provide a separate check for the items we ordered earlier. She agreed. However, when he went to pay, we were shocked to see that they had added a 20% service charge, which, according to their policy, is applied to groups of five or more. When he pointed out that there were only two of us at the time, the server responded, “But you were sitting at a table for six.” This is completely unfair and misleading. Aside from this frustrating experience, the overall dining conditions were disappointing. The tables were sticky, which was unpleasant. There was a cold draft coming from the window, and in the restroom, the ventilation system was running instead of the heater, making it uncomfortably cold. In winter weather, the heater should be on, not a fan blowing more cold air. As for the food, it was overpriced for the quality. There are plenty of places in San Francisco where you can find better sushi, fresher ingredients, and a cleaner atmosphere at more reasonable prices. Overall, we left extremely disappointed and will not be returning. We cannot recommend this place based on our experience.