Jung-gu restaurant lunch with mushroom salad: Hotel Kukdo Patio

I had lunch plans with my mom in Euljiro, so this time we went to Hotel Kukdo Patio. We visited for the 1 PM weekday slot!

Since it is a hotel restaurant, I expected the price to be quite high, but for ₩29,800, the meal includes everything from the Asian buffet to a main dish. Best of all, you can choose between flat iron steak and seafood tomato pasta, and it includes soba, ramen, and unlimited sake, so it was much more substantial than I expected.

To give you the conclusion first, my mom said the food was delicious, and every staff member was kind, so we left after a really pleasant lunch :) I even found an unexpected top-pick dish here, haha.

Hotel Kukdo Patio for lunch in Euljiro

Hotel Kukdo Patio is on the second floor of Hotel Kukdo, at 164 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul. The Asian table you see right from the main entrance~~~!

Hotel Kukdo Patio is close to Exit 10 of Euljiro 4-ga Station, making it easy to reach by public transit. I drove! Once inside, the large floor-to-ceiling windows made the whole space feel bright and open.

Weekday lunch runs from 11:30 AM to 2 PM, with an Asian buffet + main dish setup. I also liked that you can choose either flat iron steak or seafood tomato pasta as your main. (The pasta is said to be a little spicy, so keep that in mind.) You can pick according to what you feel like eating that day, so even repeat visits could feel different.

That day, we chose the flat iron steak.

From a main dish to an Asian buffet for ₩29,800

At first, I thought the steak main would be the focus and the buffet would just be a light side. But after one lap around, there was more food than expected, and I had to think about what to put on my plate first.

There were dishes such as futomaki (thick sushi rolls), kushikatsu (breaded fried skewers), chicken teriyaki, and buta kakuni (braised pork belly), plus plenty of Asian-style options including stir-fried udon and abalone and shrimp dishes.

The side dishes were quite substantial too. There was refreshing yuzu soba, plus warm miso ramen, shoyu ramen, and oden (Japanese fish cake), so you could choose whatever suited your taste along the way.

I liked that you do not just choose one steak or pasta main and call it a day—you can freely enjoy all these Asian dishes, plus soba and ramen.

An unexpected top pick: the mushroom salad,,

Rather than bringing back every dish one by one, I started with what I wanted most—and found an unexpected top pick. The mushroom salad was seriously so good,, I grabbed it from the salad station without much thought, but the creamy sauce and mushrooms were such a delicious combination.

It was not as rich as I expected, and I kept reaching for it, so it kept coming to mind even while eating the other food, haha. It paired well with bites of steak too, and if I come back, I will definitely get it again. I never expected the salad station to hit my taste so perfectly,,

The stir-fried udon and abalone were tasty too

After the mushroom salad, the stir-fried udon was what stayed with me most! It is a common buffet dish, so I picked some up without high expectations, but the noodles were chewy and the seafood and seasoning worked so well together—it was better than I expected.

I also liked the dish with abalone and shrimp. The abalone was good, and getting to eat shrimp with it made it even more satisfying.

For ₩29,800, I thought it was nice that you could freely go back for dishes with abalone too. More than a buffet that simply has an overwhelming number of items, I think a place sticks with you when it has definite dishes that make you think, this is delicious. The mushroom salad was my top pick, but the stir-fried udon and abalone were good too, so I made sure to eat plenty of all three, haha.

Flat iron steak and unlimited sake too

As you enjoy the buffet, your chosen flat iron steak comes out separately. The steak came generously topped with sauce, alongside mashed potatoes and vegetables, so having a main as well as the buffet made it feel like a proper full meal.

Usually, when you go out for steak in Euljiro, you order one main and the bill climbs as you add this and that. I liked that at Hotel Kukdo Patio, you can enjoy a main and the Asian buffet together for ₩29,800.

And another thing that surprised me here: unlimited sake! The setup is ₩29,800 for either steak or tomato pasta plus the Asian buffet, and it even includes unlimited sake,, I did not expect that, haha.

You can enjoy unlimited matcha as well, which was nice to pair according to your preference. After the meal, I also had orange, grapefruit, and tteok (Korean rice cakes). There were apple juice and tangerine juice too, for a satisfying finish with dessert!

Lunch in Euljiro 4-ga with my mom

This time I went with my mom, and it was not just me who was happy—she said the food was delicious too, so I felt like I had made an especially good choice, haha. I especially remembered the mushroom salad, stir-fried udon, and abalone, while my mom said the food was delicious overall.

And the thing my mom specifically mentioned was the staff! She said it was nice that everyone was so kind. I also felt the service was friendly during the meal, and hearing my mom say the same made me feel glad I had brought her here :)

When you eat with your parents, you quietly worry not only about the food but also the atmosphere and service, so I was pleased with Hotel Kukdo Patio on those points too. You can choose steak or tomato pasta as your main, and the buffet has everything from abalone and stir-fried udon to soba and ramen, so it looked like a good option for people with different tastes.

With unlimited sake on top of that, the overall setup made for a very worthwhile Euljiro lunch. If I go again, I will be getting the mushroom salad first, haha. I want the stir-fried udon and abalone again too.