JBBQ & Shabu Shabu – a Unique Japanese Dining Experience – Adds New Spot in Commack

August 2, 2023 - by Lon Cohen

At JBBQ & Shabu Shabu, the Japanese restaurant that opened recently in Commack, there are two ways to eat their food.

Diners accustomed to Korean barbecues should be very familiar with the first experience, barbecuing the meat yourself. Unlike at the hibachi places people are familiar with on Long Island where a chef comes to you, puts on a show of cooking the food right at your table (and ends the experience with a squirt of sake), at JBBQ, you’re given your meats and vegetables to cook up yourself then dip them in an array of sauces. Just as Korean barbeque places are shortened to text-speak like KBBQ, this Japanese style of cooking (called Yakiniku) has been abbreviated, JBBQ.

If grilling isn’t your style then there’s still Shabu Shabu, the second half of this new restaurant’s food offerings (and its name). Meaning “swish swish” in Japanese, diners add ingredients into a hot pot with your pick of flavored broths. The swishing comes from how diners use a small netted ladle or chopsticks to quickly cook the food. According to the restaurant’s website, cooking usually takes 30 seconds or less. Then you dip your food into your sauce.

This new spot joins JBBQ & Shabu Shabu restaurants already in Bay Shore and Smithtown.

Inside the restaurant, patrons are greeted with a wild, funky interior with graphic artwork on the walls, grills at every table and a casual dining room setup.

On Google, reviewer drockny gave them five stars.

“What an amazing experience,” they wrote. “The wait staff was so attentive and helpful. There is so much variety of what to grill.”

Douglas agreed.“The place is amazing … outstanding services , 10/10 food …never leave feeling hungry . Will be back next week,” he said.

Take a quick look inside JBBQ & Shabu Shabu in Commack with these photos: