Friends Station

4.4

155 Reviews

$30 and under

Thai

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 26, 2024

11:00 PM

Booked 4 times today

Charming
Neighborhood gem
Innovative

The first Thai rotary hot pot restaurant in Chicago would introduce a unique and interactive dining experience similar to Japanese conveyor belt sushi, but with hot pot dining. In this concept, diners sit around a rotating conveyor belt that carries various ingredients like vegetables, meats, seafood, and noodles. Diners can pick the ingredients of their choice and cook them in individual hot pots right at the table.

Rotary hot pot dining encourages a social and customizable meal experience where each person selects their broth and ingredients to create personalized dishes. It’s an evolving trend in Asian dining, particularly popular in Japan and some parts of Thailand.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Thai, All you can eat/Buffet, Asian
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:00 pm
Phone number
(312) 643-8558
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
800 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610-3319
Neighborhood
River North (Chicago)
Cross street
Located on the corner of W Chicago Ave and N State St
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Located right next to Chicago red-line stop
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine

Step 1: Make Sure Boiler is On
Careful! It's hot once it's on! Please ask for assistance if unsure
Step 2: Wait for Broth to Boil
Please wait for pot to begin boiling (you may put vegetables in at this time)
Step 3: Enjoy! You Have 90 Mins of Ayce!
Once broth is boiling, you may add meats and other items. We recommend adding one serving at a time to maintain cooking temperature. Please follow the recommended cooking time for all items
Step 4: If Your Pot Begins to Run Low on Broth, Ask for a Refill!

Shabu Shabu

Most items are raw. Please cook thoroughly

What 155 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4

4.4 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.3Service
4.4Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

155 Reviews

C
Chris
VIP
Chicago
26 reviews
4.0
26 reviews
Dined on December 14, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
This is a do-it-yourself Shabu Shabu (Hot Pot) restaurant. Two prices offer the boiling broth and all you can eat from the rotating (vegetables, noodles, won-tons...) belt. Proteins (meat, fish...) are offered in the two levels of cost and brought to your table and it's all you can eat. Be forewarned that you will probably order too much. IT'S FUN.
Is this helpful?
J
Jeff
Chicago
10 reviews
4.0
10 reviews
Dined on December 1, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Beware that you MUST select one of two menu options! Very expensive if you are both forced to the menu with the best options including shrimp! Also beware of the hospitality fee (left over from Covid) and a mandatory minimum tip if 18% and it is “self serve” which is ironic! Too bad, because the food quality was good and the concept really fun!!!
Friends StationResponded on December 2, 2024
Hello Jeff and thank you for dining with us! We're so happy you enjoyed your dining experience and we can't wait to welcome you back soon!
Is this helpful?
B
Brittany
Chicago
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on November 9, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
I wasn’t happy with the lack of utensils. We had to handle the raw meat with the same chopsticks they provided us to eat with so I had to get a fork. When asking for more broth, our server poured water in our pots…after that we left. Not worth the price. Will not be back.
Friends StationResponded on November 20, 2024
Hello Brittany and thank you for dining with us! We apologize for not meeting your expectations on the variety of utensils and broth refills. We are happy to provide additional chopsticks as needed to reduce cross mixing of meat; please feel free to flag a server to ask. In addition, our broth refills are not water; but we do have different broths available with some being clearer than others. We'll bring these up for discussion with our staff later today to ensure we're being more communicative with our guests in the future. If you have any additional feedback, please email us at our email provided in our private reply.
Is this helpful?
S
Sarah
Chicago
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 3, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Me and my friend had a reservation at 8:30 pm we came a little late it was still no problem at all getting seated . We had two amazing waitresses. One of the girls offered me a drink from the menu and the drink was the bombbbb.commm‼️‼️ everything was good from the shrimp down the the goyoza
Friends StationResponded on October 9, 2024
Hello Sarah and thank you for dining with us! We're so happy you enjoyed your dining experience (along with the drink!) and we can't wait to welcome you back soon!
Is this helpful?
J
Jeremy
Chicago
10 reviews
4.0
10 reviews
Dined on September 22, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
For my first time having Hot Pot, I had a wonderful time. Plenty of options, and delicious broth.
Friends StationResponded on September 23, 2024
Hello Jeremy and thank you for dining with us! We're so happy you enjoyed your dining experience and we can't wait to welcome you back soon!
Is this helpful?
C
Colin
Chicago
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on August 18, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
Played about 6 songs, all by The Weeknd, on a loop continuously, sometimes playing the same song back to back. Understaffed, and we sat at our table for 15 minutes before anyone checked on us and we got to begin our 90 minute session—even though it wasn’t particularly busy. Tip automatically added without telling us. Food was good and we got refills at a good pace once we began, but our broths were refilled with very bland broth, possibly just water, instead of the soy broth I chose or the Thai broth my gf got. The menu was recently changed mostly for the positive with new broths and more types of beef included at the same price points as previously middle levels.
Friends StationResponded on August 22, 2024
Hello and thank you for dining with us. We love to hear that we are taking a step in the right direction, but understand we still have a bit more to go! We'll bring your comments regarding playlist to our staff and ensure you don't have to re-listen to the thing on repeat. While we were indeed understaffed this week, this does not give us an excuse for poor service; thank you for your patience! Our new broths are made to be very mild, but we've sent a note to our back of house to ensure we get the seasoning right for both the soy and thai broth. if you have any additional feedback please email us within the email provided in our private reply.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Kansas City
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on July 27, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We came here for Shabu Shabu. The ambience and location are amazing. They have a good selection of broths and very nicely valued AYCE amd rotary menu. We loved the flavor of broths as well as the selection offered in rotary for noodles, vegetables, and dumplings. The sauce station is also nice. The meats however are not cut in bite size portions and are hard to manage without knife or scissors. The menu is also different from the one shown on the website. Otherwise great place !
Friends StationResponded on August 1, 2024
Hello and thank you for dining with us! We're so happy you enjoyed your dining experience and we can't wait to welcome you back soon! We've taken note of your feedback regarding meat sizing and menu differences and will work to rectify.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago
8 reviews
1.0
8 reviews
Dined on July 14, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
I made a reservation for 2 pm through OpenTable. They contacted me twice saying my reservation was coming up. When we got to the restaurant, it did not open until 4 PM very disappointed This restaurant needs to coordinate with OpenTable so you can’t make a reservation when the restaurant is not even open. The sign on the door of the restaurant said it opened on Sundays at 11:30.
Friends StationResponded on August 2, 2024
Hello and thank you for letting us know of this situation. We're working with our General Manager to ensure we're communicating with guests as we have to make restaurant closures due to issues. It sounds like there was a communication gap on our end. If you have any additional feedback please email us in the email provided in our private response.
Is this helpful?
AS
AngelaS
VIP
Indiana
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on June 26, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
Very disappointed. Made a reservation for 6/26/24 via OpenDoor and the establishment was closed. I have eaten here before and it was delicious but slightly expensive. I’m not sure what happened but it was a huge disappointment and true inconvenience.
Friends StationResponded on July 9, 2024
Hello Angela and we truly apologize for the inconvenience. We're working internally with our staff to understand what happened and ensure we don't accept reservations when we are closed.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on June 20, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I've been to this place before, and I'm liking the new menu! It was nice to have the split bowl with both broths, and the new instant ramen additions were awesome! Can't wait to return for another visit!
Friends StationResponded on June 26, 2024
Hello and thank you for dining with us! We're so happy you enjoyed your dining experience, the new menu and new format! We can't wait to welcome you back soon!
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Friends Station is rated 4.4 stars by 155 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 26, 2024

11:00 PM

Booked 4 times today

800 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610-3319

Additional information

Cross street
Located on the corner of W Chicago Ave and N State St
Neighborhood
River North (Chicago)
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Thai, All you can eat/Buffet, Asian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Located right next to Chicago red-line stop
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine

Phone number
(312) 643-8558

Friends Station

Make a reservation

Additional information

Menu

Appetizers

Edamame

Kimchi

Gyoza (Chicken)

Vegetable Tempura

Garlic Fried Rice

Shabu Instructions

Step 1: Make Sure Boiler is On

Step 2: Wait for Broth to Boil

Step 3: Enjoy! You Have 90 Mins of Ayce!

Step 4: If Your Pot Begins to Run Low on Broth, Ask for a Refill!

Shabu Shabu

What 155 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Friends Station restaurant rated?

Is Friends Station currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information