For many years, this Medford Korean spot has been known as a great bargain for Korean barbecue, featuring an all-you-can-eat, buffet-style feast, but the shabu-shabu is a must-try as well. The shabu-shabu menu adopts a similar format to the barbecue menu: Pick your broth, protein, and vegetables — and you have a 90-minute window to order. For those who live south of Boston, Sura has a second location in Johnston, Rhode Island, right outside Providence.

With its original location in Flushing, Queens, Spring Shabu-Shabu’s Allston offshoot is a popular spot for students and residents. Its menu is partially buffet-style, meaning the diners get to pick their “entree,” which is a protein prepared to order. The sides, mainly vegetables and tofu, are laid out on the buffet counter alongside the sauces. Each diner gets their own individual broth, with vegetarian options featured on the menu. This makes it an ideal place for large groups with different dietary preferences.

It’s almost impossible to miss Kaze Shabu Shabu on Harrison Avenue because of the giant mural on the side of its building, in which Totoro, a famed cartoon character from Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, is seen enjoying hot pot with friends. The two-floor restaurant is spacious, making it an ideal spot for large parties. Don’t miss out on its house-made meatballs, which are extremely juicy, flavorful, and a little bouncy in texture. The menu also features multiple types of Korean bibimbap and Japanese ramen.     

Tucked inside the Westin Hotel, Shabumaru boasts a decent selection of Japanese sake and “saketinis,” a riff on the classic martini. Diners can pick from a variety of sushi, sashimi, and appetizers in addition to Japanese hot pot mainstays such as Miyazaki wagyu, Berkshire pork, and fish cakes, served in individual small pots. The lunch selection, which comes with broth, protein, vegetables, and noodles, offers a great value.

For those who live west of Boston, Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse may be the most accessible option for a quick shabu-shabu fix. Located in the Chestnut Hill area, this restaurant is mostly known for its spectacularly crowd-pleasing teppanyaki — but its shabu-shabu menu is also worthwhile, as it encompasses a wide range of sliced meat, seafood, vegetables, and broths.

This Japanese restaurant is inside the President Plaza in Quincy, just steps away from one of the region’s largest Asian grocery stores, Kam Man. It serves up a classic mix of Japanese fare, including sushi and bento box lunches, alongside buffet-style shabu-shabu during lunch hours that offers great value and is much loved by locals.