Mokuku

Our verdict

Shabu-shabu in San Francisco's Inner Richmond has long occupied a specific niche: communal, broth-forward, and built for extended table time. Mokuku, at 332 Clement Street, leans into that format with a setup that goes beyond the typical single-room hot pot parlour. The restaurant operates across three separate dining rooms alongside a bar and lounge, a configuration that suits both large group bookings and those who want to pair their meal with soju or sake without crowding the main dining floor. The wagyu focus is the clearest differentiator on the menu. Options span American Wagyu through to Japanese A5, with broth choices that include tom yum and spicy miso alongside more traditional preparations. Lamb features as an alternative protein, and a vegetarian shabu option anchors the lower end of the pricing range. That spread, from accessible set options to premium A5 cuts, positions Mokuku as a venue where the table's appetite and budget can diverge considerably without anyone feeling underserved. Clement Street itself provides useful context. The Inner Richmond corridor runs dense with Asian restaurants at every price point, and Mokuku sits within that concentration rather than apart from it. The bar and lounge component is a deliberate addition to the format: shabu-shabu is a slow meal by design, and having a dedicated space for drinks before or after a long hot-pot session changes the rhythm of an evening in ways that a counter-service or delivery-focused operation cannot replicate.

Book onPearlSave to your list

Pearl is the En Primeur Club membership app, where members save venues, book tables and use the concierge.