Nowon sushi buffet with encroute soup and gunkan: Kuu Kuu

Hours are 11:00–21:30 daily, with last orders at 20:00. You get 2 hours of free parking at Seoul Oncheon Building; if it is full, you will need to use a nearby paid lot separately. Every Saturday, Hagye Technotown's underground lot offers up to 4 hours free. The first 120 minutes are free, then it is ₩4,000 per 30 minutes, up to ₩80,000.

It is all-you-can-eat, with birthday and anniversary benefits, kids' dishes, group dining, a children's playroom, separate restrooms, reservations, high chairs, a waiting area, and Wi-Fi. The entrance and seating are wheelchair accessible, and there is accessible parking too.

Getting to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch and weekday dinner waits

From Exit 3 of Hagye Station, take bus 100 and get off at Seoul Oncheon, or take buses 1221, 1224, or 1141 and get off at Daejin High School—it is practically right there, so getting over was easy!

It was around 7 p.m. on a weekday, and there was a wait?! It is a spacious, pleasant venue of more than 300 pyeong, and it was not even the weekend. Apparently it has won the grand prize for sushi buffet brands for seven consecutive years, so I guess there is a reason! Keep the dining rates and parking details in mind!

Today I am rounding up my weekday dinner experience at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, wait information, and the dishes I would and would not recommend from everything I tried!

Reserved window seats and the kids' playroom

We made a reservation, and our window-side seats were so lovely~ ✨️ A soft sunset view! ✨️

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch has a natural wood-and-white concept throughout, so it felt clean and relaxing! I took these when most people had left, around 8:30.

The space is divided so groups of up to 50, 80, or 300 people can use separate areas almost like a private rental! 👍 Rooms require at least 40–60 people, while reservations are available from 14 up to 200 people. As you would expect from a family-gathering favorite, there is a kids' playroom too! 👏👏👏 It is a good-value buffet and a big place where group dining is no problem!

Let me list what was prepared for weekday dinner~😉 In order: new dishes, Western food, sushi rolls, sushi, desserts, and what I tried, with ⭐ recommended dishes along the way!

New LA galbi and Norwegian salmon sashimi

At the Nowon branch, Terra and Kelly draft beer are free, and if you leave a review, you can enjoy unlimited draft beer for ₩5,900—such a nice perk~

⭐LA galbi was the first thing I spotted. The seasoning was just right, and the meat was tender rather than tough! 👍

Next, I recommend ⭐Norwegian fresh salmon sashimi, which even Kuu Kuu Gold branches do not have. Eat it before sushi rice makes you nearly full! It disappeared quickly~ The smoked duck was a treat too, with its chewy texture and smoky yet light flavor~

Lamb chops are available all day~ They get tough when cold, so aim for a freshly put-out tray!! ⭐Lemon cream shrimp, guobaorou (sweet-and-sour fried pork), and kkansho shrimp were solid too~

I brought only small portions of the soups and broths to cleanse my palate~ I recommend you do the same and just sample a little! The ox-knee seolleongtang (beef bone soup) and shiitake samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) had a light savory flavor.

Western dishes and encroute soup

There were cheese sticks, hot dogs, Cajun potatoes, chicken wings, and BBQ, plus made-to-order jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), udon, and cold soba! Noodles fill you up so quickly that I did not try them, but next time I might ask for just the broth or sauce separately.

⭐Encroute soup is mushroom soup hidden under a pastry lid. It is a dish people take as soon as it comes out, so I recommend trying it right away~!

Gunkan picks from the sushi rolls

Almost all of the rolls were tasty, but I was getting so full! Of what I ate, my recommendations are~

California rolls, eel rolls, red flying-fish-roe gunkan, and tako wasabi gunkan! ⭐⭐⭐⭐👍 The chewy octopus and the sharp little kick of wasabi—this is something I look for everywhere~ I heard the stir-fried kimchi gunkan, or was it fried rice?, was delicious because you could feel every grain, but when I went to get it... sold out 🚫

From flounder to botan shrimp sushi

For sushi, live flounder sushi is a must! I recommend soy-marinated shrimp sushi, amaebi sushi, freshwater eel, Gwangyang sirloin sushi, and the beef varieties~⭐ The shrimp are huge, right? Definitely take the shrimp sushi made with botan shrimp too—the shrimp flavor is upgraded!

Dessert recommendations and disappointments

A lineup that hits the spot for everyone from kids to adults~ Dippin' Dots are available at lunch ❗

A collection of after-meal desserts kids would really love.

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is not missing the ube latte trend either!

The waffles have that junk-food flavor kids will love~a direct hit. Maybe I should have asked a staff member to warm one up. The whipped cream was a little disappointing too!

There were so many slush flavors—papaya, hallabong citrus, raspberry, gold kiwi, and more! 👍 They were just a little lacking; I wished they had more flavor. The sikhye (sweet rice drink) looked rich, so I had high hopes, but it was slightly bland too, unfortunatelyㅜ

The Dippin' Dots were banana split! The flavor was strong, and since so many people took some, I tried it; it was the best of the bunch! Personally, it was not sweet enough, so I recommend having it with cookies~ It is a hot dessert stop that kids cannot miss! Maybe it was only this relaxed because it was not school vacation—we could eat comfortably!

For dessert, ⭐chocolate and matcha crepes were maximum sweetness. People were eating the jelly so enthusiastically—it must be tasty! ✔️ If you like jelly, I recommend trying it. Fruit included grapefruit, ⭐melon, watermelon, ⭐frozen mango, passion fruit, lychee, oranges, Korean melon, and ⭐pineapple, which are good for digestion too~

There were lots of warm teas, so I blended some, but I recommend drinking them simply and cleanly instead~haha. Peppermint and chamomile. Those are my ⭐ picks!

Midway favorites and final roundup

I piled everything onto one plate, all the way through the first round of dessert~👍

Kuu Kuu sushi does not come with wasabi, so I personally recommend adding it yourself! Was I the only one who could not find the soy sauce?! It was right beside me, haha. For my second plate, I focused on the tasty sushi and gunkan!

Final recommended dishes

• ⭐Norwegian fresh salmon sashimi: Eat it before sushi rice makes you nearly full! It disappears quickly~
• ⭐Smoked duck: A treat with its chewy texture and smoky, light flavor~
• ⭐Lamb chops
• ⭐Lemon cream shrimp, guobaorou, and kkansho shrimp
• ⭐Encroute soup
• ⭐Soy-marinated shrimp sushi, amaebi sushi, freshwater eel, Gwangyang sirloin sushi, and beef varieties
• ❗A crunchy, tangy accompaniment that pairs perfectly with jellyfish salad sushi
• ⭐California rolls, eel rolls, red flying-fish-roe gunkan, and tako wasabi gunkan
• ⭐Desserts: chocolate and matcha crepes, jelly, melon, and pineapple

Kuu Kuu is an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet that families, friends, and even solo diners can enjoy comfortably. Keep these dinner recommendations in mind~