One of Houston’s newest shabu or hot pot restaurants. Shabu Squared is very much an authentic Japanese shabu-shabu with excellent sauces and high-quality meats.
Experience
My visit came on a Sunday evening at the 5 pm opening. The restaurant is a little small, but it wasn’t very full luckily. In addition, the restaurant staff was very friendly when I entered. The waitress was very attentive and friendly as well. This was my first shabu-shabu and I had no idea how the hot-pot works. Sure enough, the waitress made it quite painless. Though, the setup does require personally smashing up sesame and cooking all meats and vegetables in whatever broth you choose. This can be problematic for some people and may not be very relaxing.
Food
Before I started with all the hot pot stuff, I ordered the truffle edamame as a starter. These were incredibly tasty and the garlic took the edamame to the next level. Definitely, an appetizer I would get again.
Nevertheless, the unique broths and Goma dare and ponzu sauce are quite the superstars for making the entire meal extremely tasty. There are quite a few broths, but I will mention two of the ones I ordered. The spicy crab and the spicy sukiyaki. The spicy crab was really delicious and actually had a crab in the broth. Also, the broth wasn’t too spicy for those averse to spicy food. Spicy sukiyaki was a mild soy-based broth that was quite good, but not as amazing as the spicy crab. Lastly, the Goma dare a sesame based sauce was really good and the ponzu sauce a soy-based sauce mixed with citrus was top notched. I definitely couldn’t resist dunking with the ponzu sauce.
Ponzu Sauce 
Goma Dare Sauce with Green Onions and Garlic
Lastly, all hot pots come with vegetables, rice, and udon noodles. With regards to meats, they are a la carte and are priced by size: regular to extra large. The meats are mostly beef and pork, though I went just with the Snake River Farms wagyu beef extra-large portion. It was very good and the overall quality of the meat was excellent. Also, the meat was very tender thanks to the excellent broths and spices. All in all, they give you a lot of food and I was quite stuffed at the end.
Cooked vegetables in spicy crab broth Vegetables 
Sukiyaki and dashi kombu broths 
All the utensils used for shabu shabu.
Accessibility
Dining area.
Despite being a fairly small restaurant, Shabu Squared is exceptionally accessible with no major issues. The restaurant has a standard accessible restroom, easy access, and accessible parking near the entrance. The only issue will be during peak dining hours where tables will be at a premium, particularly ones with easy access. Additionally, all food is cooked at the table by you or your party. This may be problematic for some because it can be a little difficult reaching the pots, particularly ones that are across the table.
- Easy access to/from restaurant
- Small restaurant but easy to maneuver
- Step-free
- Accessible bathrooms available
- Accessible parking near the entrance
- Friendly waiter service
- All food is cooked at the table by you or your party
On the whole, Shabu Squared provides exceptional service and excellent accessibility in complement to amazing food. In my opinion, it is one of Houston’s finest shabu-shabu restaurants.
Accessibility: A
Food/Service: A
Price: $$-$$
Address: 5840 W Sam Houston Pkwy S #140, Houston, TX 77072
Phone: (346) 342-1866
https://www.shabusquared.com/
