A Little Place That Changed Everything

Back in 2007, friends Dean Chen and David Tjie opened Tokyo Pot on a quiet side street in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It was the first shabu shabu restaurant in the entire state, and people had no idea what they were in for.

The name "shabu shabu" comes from the sound the meat makes as you swirl it through the broth. It literally means "swish swish." The tradition goes back over 60 years to Osaka, Japan. Over there, shabu shabu spots are as common as steakhouses are here in Oklahoma.

For nearly two decades, people have been driving in from Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and all over the state just to eat here. Tokyo Pot has been featured in Oklahoma Magazine and The Oklahoman, and was rated the number one restaurant in Stillwater on TripAdvisor. It is more than just a meal. It is the kind of place people talk about for years.

Tokyo Pot is now under new ownership and reopening on April 8, 2026. We are keeping everything that made this place so special. The cozy dining room, the communal tables, the paper-thin wagyu, the bubbling broth. All of it is still here.