Weekday lunch shabu-shabu in Ulsan with free draft beer: Shabre Garden

I came away stuffed after lunch at Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch. It's a shabu-shabu spot in Yaeum-dong worth knowing about! And for the opening event, beer was unlimited and free~

I liked it the moment I walked in — the atmosphere was comfortable and clean. The seating was spacious too, good for a family meal, a meal with friends, or a light get-together.

Where is Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch, and when is it open?

Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch is at 14 Suam-ro 128beon-gil, Nam-gu, Ulsan, South Korea, 2nd floor of Building 4 in the Medical Tower. It's open daily 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 15:00–17:00, and last order is at 20:20.

How much is weekday lunch, dinner and the weekend price?

On days like these, when it gets chilly after sunset with a big swing between day and night temperatures, or on hot days when you want to fight heat with heat, nothing beats shabu-shabu for a warm broth craving. This time I went to have shabu-shabu in Ulsan, at Shabre Garden Ulsan.

• Shabre Garden the Black weekday lunch (adult) ₩24,900
• Shabre Garden the Black weekday dinner (adult) ₩29,900
• Shabre Garden the Black weekend/holiday (adult) ₩31,900
• Elementary school age ₩16,900
• Preschool age (36 months–age 6) ₩8,900
• Under 35 months free

A salad bar with more than 10 kinds of sushi

There was croissant-style bread, and you could grill your own waffles. It was my first time at Shabre Garden, and I was genuinely impressed by how good the sushi quality was and how many kinds there were.

Salmon, scallop, nigiri, octopus — staff were constantly making more than 10 kinds of sushi.

Salad, pizza, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), desserts, fruit — the sheer variety was surprising, especially with so many shabu-shabu brands around these days.

Kalguksu noodles, sausages, quail eggs, dumplings — you just take as much as you want.

There were carrots, cucumbers, vegetables for wrapping in rice paper, and vegetables for the shabu pot.

There were two kinds of pizza, and both tasted good.

There were plenty of cooked dishes too — pasta, mala xiangguo, shrimp and chicken bites.

Fried rice, cheese sticks, cheese balls, squid rings, kimmari (seaweed-wrapped glass noodle rolls) — plenty of options kids would love, too.

Dessert corner: coffee, affogato and bingsu

The desserts were loaded too — coffee and affogato were available, and bingsu (shaved ice dessert) came with cereal, red bean, chocolate, condensed milk and other syrups all set up nicely.

Dip the beef brisket briefly, then finish with broth porridge

By the time I got to my seat, the broth was already set up. It boiled quickly while I was eating what I'd brought over.

I sat down, looked over the menu, and got started properly. The biggest appeal of shabu-shabu is really the fun of cooking fresh ingredients exactly to your taste. Once the broth starts boiling, you add the prepared vegetables and meat one by one, and I loved how the broth got richer as everything cooked. Especially with the meat, it tasted best when I only added as much as I was about to eat and cooked it just briefly rather than letting it sit too long. (Highly recommend the beef brisket!!) Crunchy vegetables with tender meat made for something light and clean, and I kept reaching for more.

Unlimited draft beer!!! You grab your own meat from the fridge, self-service. And having hinoki-steamed dishes at the salad bar was great — light and ready to eat right away.

What I really like about shabu-shabu is that everyone can cook exactly as much of whatever they want, so even if the people you're with have different tastes, everyone can eat comfortably. (You can pick two kinds of broth.) So even when a family can't agree on what to eat out, Shabre Garden works for everyone with sushi, cooked dishes, and shabu-shabu all in one place! It suited a day like this one with a big temperature swing, too. Eating until full left me feeling comfortable and satisfied, not weighed down.

As you eat shabu-shabu, the broth naturally picks up flavor from all the ingredients, and being able to enjoy it warm right to the end is another plus. I started with meat and vegetables, and once I was fairly full, I used the leftover broth to make porridge — a really satisfying way to finish the meal.

Also, a lot of buffet-style restaurants stop putting out food as closing time approaches, but here they made sure guests could keep eating properly right up until closing.

And the desserts were the perfect finish. Be sure to top your waffle with ice cream. There was a clock displayed too, so I could keep an eye on the time along the way.