Asian buffet date lunch in Euljiro 4-ga: Hotel Kukdo Patio

Western food or buffet? Why Hotel Kukdo Patio in Euljiro 4-ga settled it

Hotel Kukdo Patio is an Euljiro 4-ga lunch buffet where you can have both a main dish like steak or pasta and an Asian buffet spread at once. I wanted steak, I wanted pasta, and I wanted a buffet too, so while I was torn between going to a Western restaurant or a buffet, I suddenly remembered the Hotel Kukdo Patio Asian buffet banner I'd seen at Euljiro 4-ga Station during a previous Euljiro date. Since we were planning a Jongno date, it fit the route perfectly, so we went right away.

Thanks to the friendly staff, I got to cut into steak and eat pasta from lunchtime on, leaving happy and full at this Euljiro lunch spot, Patio's Asian buffet. Here's a preview of what I ate before I dive in properly, quick quick quick quick.

Where is Hotel Kukdo Patio, and what are the hours and parking?

Hotel Kukdo Patio Asian buffet is on the 2nd floor of Hotel Kukdo, 164 Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and it's right there if you exit Euljiro 4-ga Station through Exit 10 and walk straight. Hours are Monday to Friday, 11:30–14:00, closed on weekends and holidays.

You can park at the Hotel Kukdo parking lot, though large vehicles like SUVs are asked to use outside parking. If you park outside, submit your receipt and they'll cover 50% of the parking fee, up to ₩5,000, so keep that in mind if you're driving. Corkage is available for a fee.

Being on the 2nd floor of Hotel Kukdo, the space feels clean and well-run, and with group seating for up to 80 and a private room for up to 40, it also looked great for reservations or company dinners.

Hotel Kukdo Patio lunch buffet price and main dish choice

Hotel Kukdo Patio's lunch buffet is ₩29,800, and along with the Asian buffet you can choose one main dish: flat iron steak or seafood tomato pasta. My companion and I each ordered one and shared, and that turned out to be the perfect way to eat it.

The best part: unlimited sake and matcha

What I liked best about Hotel Kukdo Patio was that sake and matcha are served unlimited at the bar. You can keep going back for sake and matcha that pair really well with the Asian buffet dishes, so if you love drinks and tea, you can enjoy as much as you want. A tokkuri you can sip comfortably at your table costs ₩20,000 to order, and cola or cider is available for ₩3,000.

What food is at the Hotel Kukdo Patio Asian buffet?

Salads and desserts

Hotel Kukdo Patio has two kinds of salad ready, and desserts like fruit and tteok (rice cake) came into view first. A buffet always starts with salad! The fresh, crisp vegetable salad paired well with the creamy mushroom salad.

Generously filled futomaki (thick sushi rolls)

Next came the heartier dishes, and what a packed futomaki (thick sushi roll) it was! With shrimp tempura, egg, cucumber, sausage, carrot and more, it was full in every bite, with all kinds of textures and flavors to enjoy.

Grilled eel and six kinds of kushikatsu (fried skewers)

Thickly sliced grilled eel glazed in soy sauce and 6 kinds of kushikatsu (skewered fried cutlets) are the kind of food that calls for sake. Dipping the crispy fried skewers into the two sauces provided made them even tastier. Potato was especially my favorite. There's plenty more to enjoy too, with cod, squid, and other fillings.

Hot dishes and seafood

There's pork braised in soy sauce until soft, mild snailfish, chicken teriyaki, and a seafood stir-fried udon with chewy noodles that's especially appealing. Fresh abalone and plump, fun-to-peel shrimp are also on offer.

Udon, cold soba, ramen and rice

For noodles, there's udon, cold soba, and Japanese ramen. You can add fish cake to the udon, making it great to eat hot, and it was fun to pick between the refreshing cold soba and the ramen you cook fresh in a ramen machine.

Rice, side dishes, and gim (seaweed) are simply laid out too, making it easy to have a satisfying meal at lunch.

I picked out whatever I felt like eating and tried it all, and all the ingredients were fresh with great flavor. If you're looking for a lunch or company dinner spot in Euljiro, why not try Hotel Kukdo Patio's Asian buffet, where everyone can pick dishes to their own taste?

How do the flat iron steak and seafood tomato pasta taste?

At Hotel Kukdo Patio, while you eat from the buffet and wait, the main dish you ordered arrives at your table. Having both steak and pasta come out together made the meal feel even more generous.

The flat iron steak wasn't dry at all — it was tender to chew, making it great even if you came here just for steak. Unlike buffets with only a salad bar, being able to order a real main dish made it feel much more substantial.

I especially loved the seafood tomato pasta, slightly spicy and loaded with squid, clams, and shrimp — that was my favorite. Since the sauce was spicy, it actually paired even better with the salad bar dishes.

Steak, pasta, a wide range of Asian dishes, finished off with fruit and tteok — if you want to eat generously from lunchtime on, consider Hotel Kukdo Patio in Euljiro for your next get-together.