The Itoyama family has been making shabu shabu in Osaka for five generations. That is approximately 140 years of one family doing one thing, refining the same dipping sauces, sourcing the same quality of meat, and understanding something that most restaurants never figure out: that the cook at the table should be the guest, not the chef. When the family brought that tradition to DFW — first to Richardson in 2014, then to Plano in 2018 — they introduced a style of dining that most of this city had never encountered. A decade later, Yoshi Shabu Shabu is the standard by which every hot pot experience in North Texas gets measured.
The Richardson location has since closed. The Plano location at 8612 Preston Road, Suite 115 is the one to know. In 2022, Dallas Hale — CEO of Crafted Bar Concepts, the hospitality group behind Ebb & Flow and Sushi Marquee — came on as a partner, bringing a new cocktail program built to match the food. The drinks are now as considered as the broth. The Mezcal Margarita and the Japanese Old Fashioned are the two to know. The blackberry hibiscus lemonade is the non-alcoholic call. Imported sakes, Japanese beers, and wines round out a list that pairs well with what’s happening at the table.
Here is how the meal works. You choose a broth first. The options include kombu dashi — the traditional Japanese base made from dried kelp, clean and mineral — and tsuyu, a seasoned soy sauce broth that’s the most popular choice in the room. There is also white miso with soybean paste, tonkotsu, a spicy variation, and a house broth. Each one changes the character of everything that goes into it. The tsuyu is the place to start if it’s your first time. The spicy broth is the place to go once you know what you’re doing.
From there, you choose your protein. The list is extensive. Prime ribeye, thinly sliced and fan-folded on the plate, is the anchor — the fat renders immediately in the hot broth and the beef stays tender. Wagyu ribeye is available for those who want to understand what a quality differential actually tastes like in this format. Berkshire pork belly is the other meat worth ordering, the marbling doing the same work as it does in any other application. On the seafood side: shrimp, scallops, green mussels, and salmon. The meats are locally sourced, grass-fed, cage-free, and hormone and antibiotic free — the restaurant has been consistent about this since opening.
The vegetables, tofu, rice, and udon come with every order. Noodles are the final move at the end of the meal: you cook them in the broth after everything else is done, by which point the liquid has absorbed the flavor of everything that went into it. It becomes a different soup than the one you started with. That last bowl is not optional.
The dipping sauces are where the Osaka lineage shows itself most clearly. The ponzu — citrus-forward, bright, acidic — is the classic pairing for beef. The goma, or sesame sauce, is richer and works with pork and chicken. Both are made from original family recipes. Additional seasonings — garlic, chili oil, green onion — can be added to the pot itself, which changes the broth as the meal progresses. The softboiled egg is a dollar extra and worth it. The garlic chips are the texture add that regulars order without thinking about it.
The room at Plano runs a Cheers-style bar along one wall with individual hot pot setups built into the counter — the right place to sit if you’re alone or if you want to watch the kitchen. Booth and table seating fills the rest of the space. The staff explains the process without rushing it, which matters for first-timers, and checks in throughout the meal with the kind of attention that makes the experience feel guided rather than abandoned.
Happy hour runs all day Monday through Wednesday and from 8:30pm Thursday through Sunday — 20 percent off proteins and appetizers. It is one of the better happy hour deals in Plano and the reason regulars know to go early or go late on weekends rather than at peak dinner hours.
Yoshi Shabu Shabu is open Monday through Friday 11:30am to 2pm and 5 to 10pm, Saturday and Sunday 11:30am to 10pm. Reservations are recommended on weekends. Phone is (469) 929-6067. The website is yoshishabushabu.com. The address is 8612 Preston Road, Suite 115, Plano.
Five generations of one family brought this here. That is not a marketing line. It shows in the broth.
