Quickly Shabu Shabu

I go to this place as often as I can. The prices are reasonable, the service is quick, and the food is just great. Since Happy Shabu Shabu closed, I think this place has the most well-stocked sauce/seasonings bar in the city (if you want raw egg you have to ask, but it's free). There can be a wait at times but it's so worth it! I can't say enough good things about it. The only bummer is that recently they have started charging for broth flavoring (japanese or korean) whereas before it was free. I guess too many people (like me) ordered it and just ate the kimchi by itself. I've also been to the Quickly in Flushing and it's just as good and a bigger space.

After doing shabu shabu for several years, I've come to realize that the meat/poultry options are the best...seafood is just too prone to overcooking in this temperature broth. You can order some seafood options a la cart but I wouldn't recommend it.

Overall - if you know and like shabu shabu, this place is for you.

Pros: Food, sauce and seasonings bar, quick service

Cons: Bright lighting and overuse of the color orange make it look fast-foody

Posted 02/02/09

The food here is great and the shabu shabu is a pretty good deal with your free drink! The only problem is the restaurant is TINY, so you need to come at an off-peak time.

Pros: Great food

Cons: Crowded

Posted 11/19/07

My friend and I went last night after reading all the reviews. I am so glad I tried it. I'd been going to another shabu shabu place in chinatown, but that closed down, so I haven't been for a while. This place is fairly priced, though if you eat a lot, beware, this is not the place for large appetites. The meals start at 12.95 for an assortment of veggies,a couple slices of meat, and noodles, and included in the meal is a bobba drink. The expensive part comes if you order additional sides such as meat or vegetables, as those plates aren't that small, and the prices do add up. I do like this place, its clean, the food is fresh, and presentation is nice. The place is small, despite having both an upstairs and downstairs, and tables don't open up quickly, so be ready for a wait if there are no tables. Overall, definitely would go back.

Pros: clean, cute

Cons: small space, tables arranged akwardly

Posted 03/10/07

really fresh food. good for vegetarians too, because you can boil your own little thing of soup instead of the traditional sharing between one entire table and having your food swim in meat. pretty good service and great deal too.

Pros: food, service, really clean, great deal

Cons: gets crowded

Posted 11/23/06

I've been here quite a few times and have always enjoyed the experience. Hip decor, fresh ingredients, great presentation and very friendly staff. They have a vegetarian plate as well as various meat and seafood platters to satisfy all kinds of palates. For spice fiends, I'd recommend the "ma-la" broth for your hotpot. The faint of heart should stick to the vegetarian or dashi broth that they serve, which is very tasty. What I enjoy most is that I can mix my own sauce from their condiments bar (fresh garlic, scallions, cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce, sha cha sauce, etc.) And to top it off, free bubble tea -- of which the pudding bubble tea simply rocks!

This is a great place to entertain out-of-town guests. I brought some of my guests here once and they were really impressed by the entire experience.

Pros: fun decor, big portions

Posted 09/10/06

I am crazy about shabu shabu. Unfortunately, it's not that popular here as it is in asia. The few Shabu Shabu Restaurants you can find are quite expensive. This is by far the best Shabu Shabu I have in the city. The food is fresh and broth is tasty. I also love the bubble tea it comes with. There are a lot of different flavors. Yummy.....

Pros: Good Service, Fresh food, Yummy Bubble Tea

Cons: Parking

Posted 09/10/06

I love Shabu Shabu and I found that Quickly Shabu Shabu is the best place to go in the city. The foods are very fresh and tasty. The restaurant is very clean compare to other chinese restaurants in Chinatown. Friendly services, plus, it's very economical, you will get a free bubble tea with the meal. I have to say that the bubble tea is fabulously good taste. I do recommand this restaurant for anyone who loves Shabu Shabu and bubble tea or anyone who likes to try out something new.

Pros: Food, Service and price

Posted 09/10/06

Quickly is a chain known for its bubble tea in Taiwan, but its franchisee in New York was smart enough to add a shabu shabu (hotpot) offering to counter the seasonal nature of the bubble tea business. Even though it's more common to have shabu shabu during fall/winter (colder days), you can enjoy shabu shabu in the summer as long as there is strong air-conditioning (this place sure has that) or cold/rainy weather (like what we have experienced throughout the month of August here in New York).

Quickly is a hidden gem located in NYC's Chinatown. All the vegetables, meat and seafood used here are fresh and of top quality. The tasty sauces that you can use to dip your food in also come in varied kind. I highly recommend ordering the set platters from the menu and adding any side dishes your heart so desires. For those who want to veer off the healthy eating regime, you should also try its snack portioned crispy fried chicken (seasoned with varied kinds of herbs to bring out the most savory taste), and then down your food with a great variety of beverages offered here. Quickly is famous for its bubble teas (tea with tapioca in it) and my personal favorite here is the honey and aloe drink. It's really refreshing especially in the summer time. The restaurant is a great place for small/big group dining. The portion here is generous, the service is efficient and pleasant, and the cost is so reasonable that there is money left afterwards for some knock-off handbag shopping on Canal street.

For those who don't like coming to Manhattan, there is also a Quickly located in Flushing, New York.

Pros: Healthy, inexpensive and tasty food/beverages

Cons: You may be tempted to order too much food because everything here looks/tastes good!

Posted 08/29/06

Staff was generally very nice and courteous except for one waiter, he looked so miserable, we didn't even want to ask him anything.
The food was great, everything was fresh. The oysters were a bit small but overall very good. Quickly being a bubble tea chain, the teas/drinks were great.
The overall experience was nice,with a nice selection of sauces and good selectionof meats, veggies, etc.
And not to neglect the fact that it is so econiomical!

Pros: Economical, fresh

Cons: parking

Posted 08/26/06

I have been too a couple shabu places in the city, this by far exceeds all in freshness, price and service. The server had no problems taken the time to explain how to properly prepare my food, control the flame, even how to mix the sauces. The flavor capsule they give for the broth provides excellent cooking broth and each meat shabu comes with a wide variety of vegetables. Be hungy because u definately get alot for your money, plus a free drink.

Posted 08/10/06

Great place for clean and sleek shabu shabu. Good bubble tea. Nice service.

Pros: Interior, Bubble Tea, Fresh

Cons: Tables are a bit awkward

Posted 04/16/06

I had my birthday there. My friend made a reservation for 20 people then 22 came. We occupied the whole downstairs section (downstairs has 7 table, about 24 seats). The food is great, fresh and taste. I had a lot of fun.

Pros: Awesome Bubble Tea, Fresh, Fresh, Fresh, Inexpensive

Posted 02/20/06

We went there yestergay for college union.That place was rock!!
Food was perfect!!And i loooooooooooooove their bubble milk tea!!oh~tasted like heaven!!!!service was great as well !waiters wore smille all the time!

i am soooooooooooooo ganna go!

Posted 02/15/06

go early for seating if you have a group (more than 6), we had a table downstairs with great service. waiters were very attentive, and they have a variety of sauces on the side. and bubble tea!

Pros: fresh food selection, great service, get yoaffordable

Cons: small seatings

Posted 01/16/06

By far this is definitely the BEST Shabu Shabu place in NYC! Being a Shabu Shabu geek, i have tried numerous in the city and this one certainly is on the top of my chart. Definitely has earned my respect just on my first visit! The restaurant serves wide array of vegetables, meat and seafood, and they are really really fresh! It's also a great diet for those who are concerned about carbs and oil and grease. This is definitely healthy and you get to mix your own dip and sauce, so fun! It also has a Bubble Tea department which gets me excited everytime i am there, definitely order the Tricolor Tofu Pudding in GreenTea with tapiocal pearls! So yummy~! *drool* Service is pretty prompt and the serve team is highly energetic, ready to help any customer with any requests - i m certainly impressed!

Posted 11/11/05

The first thing that caught my eye was the long line outside Quickly Sabu Shabu. This is the first time that i've seen a bubble tea and shabu shabu place with a red velvet line rope infront of their resturant. The tapioca "bubbles" is perfectly done, soft and chewy. Definitely one of the very best in New York. The Shabu Shabu is a real delight. You'll get the nice culterly and classy dishes that is very unusual in Chinatown. Their shabu shabu is one of the tastliest, not to mention the very unique kim-chi soup. Yum. The service staff is eager to please. Another anomaly for a chinatown resturant. It's clean and comfortable. The only thing that Quickly should improve it's its number of seating. Increasing the number of seating available to reduce the long lines waiting to enjoy the delicious food that Quickly Shabu Shabu offers.

Posted 09/03/05

I've finally found the best shabu shabu in town! It's right in the heart of Chinatown. My friends and I had a wonderful time at the restaurant. The ambience is great, unlike most restaurants in Chinatown. For less than $15, we had the freshiest meats and seafood and the shabu shabu even came with free bubble tea! I'm definitely going back there in the future!

Posted 08/25/05