Kufuya Japanese Restaurant

Wish I can give more star. Tried all kind of shabu shabu around the states. This is the only place I must eat at least once a week. Regardless, where I’ve moved to. I always try to come back to the bay just to eat here. The two sisters are super nice including other workers. The sauce is what it get me keep on coming back ^_^

Our first night in San Francisco and it was pouring out — We needed something to warm us up and Kufuya hit the spot!
The all you can eat hot pot was absolutely delicious. We didn’t opt for the all you can drink option, but we sure will next time.
There was a huge birthday party going on when we arrived and they seemed to be having even more fun than we were! Definitely a great place for large groups.

I love this place! One of my fav places for ayce shabu for sure!
Parking — not too bad… it’s mostly street parking but they do have a mini private lot on the side. Downside to parking there is having to get up and move it if you’re blocking somebody.
Service — really good! They’re always really nice and on top of their stuff! Lemme tell you, the meat plate is never empty for long because they get you a new one right away or as soon as they can!
Food — loveeee it! I always get the spicy miso broth with ayce beef and lamb. The cuts of the meat depend on the day and can be fatty but it still hits the spot on a cold evening. Not gonna lie but the broth does get oily real quick so you would have to skim it every now and then before it gets too oily… but for the ayce price, you can’t beat that! You can tell that the veggie bowl with spinach, lettuce, mushrooms, glass noodles and udon are fresh as well! I love using the dipping sauce that they provide and you can also add ginger, green onion, grated radish and/​or red chilis in it to your liking. I think it pairs really well with the meat.
All in all, I def will be back :)

THAT SAUCE!!!
I always leave here happy and full! Spicy miso broth is what I usually get (although it was lacking flavor on my last visit here), but the tonkotsu pork broth is delicious too! They also have a chicken broth which I never tried (and I don’t think I ever will ahaha). The main star here is their dipping sauce! I can’t even describe it, but it’s FREAKIN’ DELICIOUS! I always end up asking for a refill because it’s that good. You can add garlic, daikon, chili peppers (they’re strong for me!) and green onions to the sauce.
Veggie bowl comes with napa cabbage, spinach, tofu, both udon & glass noodles and two different mushrooms (no enoki though!). Meat choices are beef or lamb… both are cut incredibly thin and cooked tender!
They raised their price to $ 25 for AYCE, but I don’t blame them. The price is still cheaper than a lot of their competitors, especially around the area. For AYCE, automatic 15% tip is included with the bill, and they usually always remind you about it. Service has always been friendly… they often refill your meat plate before you even ask, but when it gets super busy feel free to flag them down. There’s a parking lot right next to the restaurant, so that can be realllly helpful in this neighborhood!

Called several times trying to make a reservation but they never picked up the phone. I guess they’re just that busy.
I walked in there and there were no parties waiting before me. The server looks right pass me and seats the two parties that walk in after me. When I attempt to tell her that I arrived first, she tells me that the other two parties have a reservation. But how would she know that if she hasn’t even spoken to them?
She then hands me a menu and tells me I have to wait, doesn’t say how long though. When another table finally opens up, the same server was hesitant to seat my party. She just waves us off to the table and comes back 10 minutes later to give us the rest of the menus. When we tell her immediately that we’re ready to order she disappears for another 10 minutes before coming back to take our order.
We all wanted to do the ayce shabu and she took about another 10 – 15 minutes to bring out the meat and veggies. And another 10 minutes after that for the soup pot. Service was extremely slow. I understand they only have 2 – 3 servers working but I’ve been here a few times before and had better service. The servers are also very forgetful. I had to ask several times for the same item multiple times.
¹⁄₅ stars for service.
Moving on to the food, we got the spicy miso broth. It wasn’t too spicy, some of us who didn’t like spicy really enjoyed it. They also give you dipping sauces with plenty of garlic, green onions, red peppers, and daikon for you to add together to suit your liking. They don’t have much variety for ayce but the quality of the meats are pretty good. They give you about 2 – 3 plates of meat at a time and a bowl of veggies with udon and glass noodles. They refill your new plates of meat on request, which took a while for us.
⁴⁄₅ stars for food.
Ayce shabu is $ 25 per person which is pretty decent for shabu. They also have a 18% service charge added onto the bill which I really wouldn’t mind if they actually had good service. Probably wouldn’t be back. There are other shabu and hot pot places in SF with much better service.
2.5 stars overall

Let me start off by saying the sauce is AMAZING! Every time I visit a different shabu place I’m hoping it compares to kafuyas sauce. So far none have come close! The only complaint I have about this is place is that they only offer AYCE for shabu. I wish they offered it by the plate. I’d be here in a heart beat if they did. They have a wide variety of veggies and the meat is decent. I only order the beef and the quality is pretty good. The waiters are very friendly and attentive. They always bring out another plate of meat before I’m done with the first plate! I’ll always come back for the sauce! You gotta try it!

Love AYCE Shabu Shabu!
Came here on a Friday Night for a girls gathering for 9 people, I pull into their small little parking lot and spotted my 2 friends, we were so hungry, the owner was nice enough to let us start our pot first before the others show up. Their Spicy Miso broth is the best (I don’t eat spicy, but it was to my liking) the meat is fresh and thinly sliced, the dipping sauce they provide is this peanut and soy sauce, but they do have ponzu, upon request. We all order the AYCE and my other friends order Warm Sake to share. $ 25 for AYCE is pretty good for pricing I think and you get 90min but the owner is nice, she will spare some time and I’ve never seen them subjected to kicking anyone out of the restaurant.
This place brings back memories cuz we use to come here, eat and just hangout/​chill. It’s a cozy place in the Richmond area, parking can be tough but they do have a small lot can fit probably 6 – 8 cars, but watch-​out you might have to move your car if your blocking someone.

Been here a few times, but yesterday will probably be my last time going here. The only thing that really stands out to me is the dipping sauce, but even then, yesterday it was very vinegary. I like that there’s chili peppers, daikon, onions and garlic that you can add to your sauce. The service was medicore. They refill your meat when they see its finished, but they dont seem to ask to refill anything else. Before you can finish asking what else you want, they’re walking away, rushing to only get one item for you.
They also got a lot more stingy, as I asked for both the lamb and the beef, but they only gave us one at a time, but before they gave us both at once. The man took away our beef when we asked for the lamb too, and vice versa, never both. They raised their prices of shabu to 25, it used to be 22, and now they even include 15% tip (including tip on your tax too, which is clearly not right). I would be more inclined to tip more if they didnt force it. I dont like the idea of not having your own option of tipping based on the service that we think we received. Overall, it isnt worth it, I rather take my shabu craving elsewhere.

I’ve been coming here for years and I’m surprised that I haven’t even wrote a review yet.
It’s $ 25 a person for AYCE shabu. They offer only beef and lamb and your typical veggie bowl. The beef quality stays consistent and the veggies are always fresh! The servers never lag on bringing you new meat or more veggies. And that sauce tho. Its so good and they give you chili peppers, garlic, and daikon to add to your sauce. Be careful of that chili pepper because it’s actually really spicy. You do not want to accidentally swallow a pepper like how I have done so many times. It hurts lol. The only con about the food would be the soup base cause the spicy miso is pretty bland.
The servers are always super nice and I love how this place is run by a family. It’s such a comfortable and inviting atmosphere, makes me feel welcomed every time I come. There is a 18% gratuity and the servers DO deserve it for how hardworking and friendly they are. If you’re going to complain about it, then you’re just a cheap tipper. Servers work hard and DEPEND on tips. So like I always say, if you don’t have money to tip, stay your ass home! Go to McDonalds or something.
Anyways, this place is bomb and you can never go wrong with Kufuya.

I’ve been a customer at Kufuya for over two years now and I still find myself craving it every weekend.
AYCE SHABU at $ 23−25/person (plus 18% gratuity) includes lamb, beef, veggies, noodles, and your choice of broth. My personal favorite is the spicy miso broth. The broth lends a light, clean flavor while the sauce they provide adds a tangy kick. I LOOOOVE the sauce and always load it up with garlic and daikon! The chili peppers are hot as balls though so proceed with caution. The meat can vary between very lean and slightly fatty but I love it all regardless! I think that if you are someone who is very particular about the fat content of your meat, maybe you should go to the store and buy your own meat… stay your ass at home where you can pick and choose whatever you please instead of going out and complaining about how you once went to a shabu place that served you fatty meat.
I love everyone who works here, from the servers who see me almost every month to the servers who have only seen me once or twice. They’re always kind and smiling and never, ever lag on bringing a fresh plate of meat to our table. That being said, beware of the time limit! They handle a high volume of customers so they will enforce their time limit when they have to. During this time they do their best to rotate in as much food as possible to your table so coordinate wisely, my friends.
I always leave happy. I don’t mind the 18% gratuity; after being a server in the city for several years I understand the struggle! So maybe if you do not believe in tipping your servers, go elsewhere. They are amazingly patient and hardworking here even with the hordes of drunk assholes and impatient snobs. Kufuya consistently provides great service and good eats at an affordable price. Call ahead to arrange for seating, especially if you have a larger party. Also make some time to find parking!
Why I prefer Kufuya over other shabu restaurants?
— Servers are friendly and quick and do not avoid making eye contact (I HATE servers who do this, and for some reason so many shabu places are staffed with people who walk around staring at the ceiling or walk right past you when you’re trying to get their attention).
— Broth is flavorful but still light, not overly spiced (some places go crazy with the herbs and I find that it makes their broth taste almost medicinal)
— Their sauce makes my tastebuds tingle with happiness and I can put as much garlic in there without being judged hehe

2.5 stars. This restaurant is more of a Chinese hotpot place rather than a Japanese shabu shabu place.
All you can eat lamb, beef, Napa, mushroom, spinach for $ 25. With three choices of soup base (spicy miso, chicken, tonkutsu).
Pro — Good value for how much you get, especially if you are hunky guy who could eat twice as much as I can.
Con– I didn’t love the soup base. At the end, I had some soup, with all of the vegetables and meat steaming in the soup for hours, it should be very flavorful — but I was surprised that it wasn’t the case. There was only this one very salty dipping sauce for the hotpot, whereas usually there are usually several options in other shabu shabu restaurants.
From service perspective, they have you packed one table after another time-​wise. They asked us to give up the table in 1.5 hours when we arrived since there was another table who was adding additional guests to their table right after us. There were a lot of young kids doing their college gathering or birthday celebration there.
I would call this budget buffet hotpot in a hurry. If you want to go during the weekend, make sure that you reserve a table and come hungry.

This place was certainly worth the long trek from North Beach! I really enjoyed the quaint, mom-​and-​pop vibe of the establishment, which is clearly set from the first step inside.
Our large table of 8 opted for the bottomless shabu as well as the bottomless booze (sake and beer). There is a time limit for the «bottomless» specials, but at a 90-​minute limit, our group felt like it was more than fair.
The service was fun and quick. We hardly waited for our drinks. The shabu was served up quickly as well. I sincerely enjoyed the dipping sauces and the spice accessories that accompanied the hot pot. Watch out for the little red peppers! Wowza. Our group had roughly 5 rounds of beef and veggies. The flavors were nothing short of delightful and it was fun cooking our own food to our textural liking.
Our total was under $ 47 per person. That is not too shabby for bottomless food and drinks in SF!

I’ve really had a better experience. And although I am fairly new to shabu, I could tell that this place wasn’t trying hard enough. Overall I would recommend Shabu House as the main place to get shabu, don’t get me wrong Kufuya had decent shabu, this review is mostly based on work practices.
I had made reservations but their was possibly a 10 minute wait that I really didn’t mind. Ordered… got The food… you Know the deal. Anyway, it wasn’t till I received the bill… you See it wasn’t itemized, which means you really don’t know what you are paying for, it just a total. And although the amount sounded fairly correct, I could have easily paid for the table beside me, this is not the first review regarding this business practice; lets hope its the last.

Meat is so so. check my picture… theres a LOT OF FAT in the lamb. This is very subpar for a shabu place. half of the plate is white FAT. Considering 25 $ a person, there are other competitors who fare better.
Not to mention. this place is FORCED GRATIUITY. They dont give you the option of how much tip you put down whether its good or bad service. They add it in the totaI so you have no say. I think they forgot the definition between GRATUITY and REQUIRED SERVICE FEE.

I tried the Dinner Box /​Bento Box and thought the portions were on the small side especially for the price $ 16.00 I usually get this much from other Japanese restaurants for a more reasonable price or Lunch sized Bento box, but the quality was pretty good and the service was not too bad for being so busy. This place does fill up fast, people were practically lining up to get a table, probably waiting for the all you can eat Shabu Shabu hot pot style dinner, because thats what most people were having
This appears to be a Chinese run /​owned Japanese restaurant. I would recommend the All You Can Eat Shabu Shabu.

Bless my work family for wanting to take me to Shabu. T_​_​_​T
They ended up taking me to Kufuya and I have to say… I was very pleased. I’ve driven by this place a lot whenever I go to Japantown and it just looks like a regular ol’ sushi joint from the outside. Never did I imagine that the inside of this place would contain a hotpot galore. The inside of this place is pretty decent. A good amount of tables and I saw a lot of people just get the AYCE shabu for $ 23.
Service is ridiculously fast! As soon as you finish a plate of something, the waiter is already there to switch the plates. Either their meat is gonna go bad in the next 20 seconds or they are just on top of it with that AYCE, hahaha. And the quality of the meat isn’t really all that, but you do get what you pay for here. And after my friends ate 11 plates of meat, they definitely made it all worth the money. They’re quick to refill water, too. Definitely a big plus in my book.
For the AYCE, you can choose between 3 different soup bases — spicy miso, chicken, and tonkotsu which is pork flavor. And with the AYCE, you get a big plate of beef, a small plate of lamb, a bowl of veggies that includes lettuce, mushrooms, clear noodles, udon… It’s awesome.
Parking is a sort of a pain because they’re located in a residential area in San Francisco where some spots aren’t long enough for a car to fit, but you can definitely find parking if you try hard enough or just get lucky. They do have a small parking lot on the side, but it’s one of those parking lots where you’ll end up blocking a car and it can be a pain because they will call you to move your car if you end up blocking someone who needs to leave.
Overall, would definitely definitely oh please let me come back here again! I want shabuuu!

Came here for a surprise birthday party! The reservation was for a group of 15… but more people actually showed up. Whoops. The waitresses were friendly about adding more people! They added more chairs and another table for us.
Everyone got AYCE! Unfortunately they don’t have the «half» pots so you can’t get two types of broth at once. This was kind of a problem for those who did not want the spicy broth. The waitress (I think she’s the owner) will take shots with you haha. Definitely a fun environment for birthdays!
THE DIPPING SAUCE. OOOooOo this was so good! It was probably the highlight of my night :). I threw in tons of onions, green onions, and red peppers! (try not to choke on a pepper like me LOL, my throat was on fiyaaaa)
I like how the meat just keeps coming! You don’t really have to order until it gets busy, then you just have to ask for it. You have the option of beef, lamb and pork! The portions for the beef are big but kinda small for the lamb.
P.S You may want to do street parking if you don’t want your meal to be interrupted! Their parking is «tandem» style.

We were deciding which place to go for AYCE Shabu. So this place seems to be the best bang for the buck. First impressions arriving was that it look like a sushi joint. It wasn’t that busy at all until later.
We end up doing the AYCE and had the spicy miso soup as the broth. We got a big dish of sliced beef and a small dish of lamb and a large bowl of vegetables with udon and noodles.
The meat was alright, I’ve had better, but like they say, «You get what you pay for,» so nothing i can complain. The lamb was alright as well. The meat was alright because there wasn’t much marble, but it was tender if you cook it medium rare. Well done, and it will be rough. The vegetables were alright pretty standard
Overall, its good for AYCE, but the quality isn’t superb. Good to get full. Other than that the service was excellent. They got us a new plate after we finished and i was impressed with the service here. The staff is good and one thing they do here is they’ll add the gratuity to the bill if you do AYCE.
Cash or credit.
parking only street.

It’s really sad that customer service can ruin an entire experience this bad.
My sister made reservations a week in advance for a birthday by calling in. The entire family travels from two cities away to get here and after finding parking FINALLY, we arrive and the waitress says we don’t have your name down, accusing my sister of not making a reservation and that’s that. No apology, only an abundance of dismissive attitude as she moves on to the next party. Incredibly infuriating.

4 star for food and 1 more star for excellent service.
came here with a group of ten and made reservations ahead of time. felt a bit bad since I called in an extra 2 times to add some people, but the workers were always friendly about adding a few and it wasn’t a problem.
came in at 7 and there were a few people here and there. most for the ayce shabu. they set up the fire pots with all the sauce garnishings on the side. it included radish, green onion, hot peppers and minced garlic. all were yummy, but be careful of those peppers, they are HOT!!!
AYCE $ 23 comes with option of lamb and beef. veggies on the side include cabbage, spinach, mushrooms, udon and glass noodles. I must say this was a fairly good deal and all the meats were excellent quality. you can choose from spicy miso or tonkatsu broth. I didn’t taste much in the tonkatsu but definitely made a difference when I added some peppers in it to kick it up a notch. my friends liked their spicy miso broth, but I think everyone was more amazed of the yummy dipping sauce!!! it’s a bit different, but very delicious. we all also asked for ponzu on the side, which the waiter was glad to bring out.
service was excellent. everytime a meat platter or veggie bowl was devoured, they kept it coming and I was throughly amaZed!!! it was a little bit awk in the beginning because the servers were really precise of where each meat platter and veggie bowl goes. it was funny when they told my friend to move their sauce closer and leave everything exactly as they placed O. o little bit weird but I see what you guys were doing now! they were really quick in setting up and changing empty plates :)
bill came out with added gratuity already so just beware! parking can suck because although they have a parking lot in the back, it’s spaced out weird so you would block another person if you were the 2^nd car parked behind. so if you can find parking around, it would save you a lot of trouble from disrupting your meal and moving your car.
overall, awesome experience and blown away by their service, food and price. will definitely go back here again!