Hagye Station sushi buffet with parking: gochujang yukhoe at Kuu Kuu

Here's my honest review of Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch (쿠우쿠우 노원점), where I went with my husband on a weekend :) He had been singing about wanting Kuu Kuu for ages, and we happened to have errands in Nowon that weekend. When I looked it up, there was a Kuu Kuu in Nowon too, so off we went!

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch hours and parking

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is on the 6th floor at 247 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul. It is open 11:00–21:30 on weekdays (last order 20:00) and 11:00–22:00 on weekends (last order 20:30). You can park at the Seoul Oncheon Building. The parking entrance is at the back of the building, and on weekends and holidays there are lots of visitors, so parking may not go smoothly.

• Naver reservations available
• Rooms available for groups
• Kids' facilities (playroom)

There is a wide range of fresh sushi, rolls and gunkan (seaweed-wrapped sushi), and as you'd expect from a Nowon buffet favorite, there are Korean, Chinese and Japanese dishes plus fruit, desserts and more.

The space is spacious and comfortable, over 300 pyeong, so it looked great for a date and also good for family gatherings or group get-togethers.

How much is unlimited draft beer at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch?

Draft beer at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is ₩3,900 per glass, but unlimited is ₩5,900 per person, so if you like beer, I recommend going unlimited!

If we hadn't brought the car, we would have had unlimited draft beer too. So disappointing ㅜㅜ Next time I'll take public transport and go for the unlimited beer!

When the waffles run out, the staff bake more right away, which I loved. It looked even better because kids can eat them safely too!

How varied are the sushi and gunkan at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch?

The number of gunkan varieties at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch was huge. Maybe it's because it had been a while since my last Kuu Kuu, but I wondered if the menu had always been this varied.

There are really many kinds of fresh sushi too: salmon sushi, flounder sushi, egg and shrimp sushi, lobster sushi and more. Meat sushi comes in many kinds as well, like yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) sushi, bacon sushi and BBQ duck sushi!

Like an open kitchen, you can watch the sushi being made right in front of you, which made me trust it even more.

How are the yukhoe and sashimi at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch?

The yukhoe at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is gochujang-based, but the seasoning wasn't as harsh as I expected. It was spicy-sweet and delicious. There were many kinds of japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), yukhoe, kimchi and salads too. Kuu Kuu in Nowon has great sushi, but it's also a hidden yukhoe gem, right?!

You can also enjoy fresh salmon and tuna as sashimi. The moment I ate it, it tasted fresh and it just melted in my mouth. My husband said it was delicious and went back for more several times!!

Is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch good for a family gathering?

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a great Nowon spot for a family gathering, whether you bring parents or kids. There are plenty of dishes for people who don't like sushi, so it looked like a really good place for a family meal out.

Pasta, pizza, even sauerkraut soup: this Hagye Station favorite has everything.

Summer has really arrived and the weather has gotten super hot, so being able to make your own cold bingsu (shaved ice dessert) made this Nowon spot a perfect finish to the meal.

There are lots of kid-friendly foods like hot dogs, cheese sticks and fries, maybe that's why there were so many families. There are rooms too, and I even saw a big family holding a birthday party!

Buckwheat soba and Uljin red snow crab soup

The buckwheat soba (cold buckwheat noodles) at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch whets your appetite and was tastier than I expected. You have to pile on the radish and green onion!

There were soups too, and the Uljin red snow crab soup was totally my taste! It has Vietnamese chili peppers, so it might be spicy for kids, but that slight kick was so my style!

Fruit, desserts and bead ice cream at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch has a really wide range of fruit and desserts. The fruit was especially fresh, and the watermelon and melon were so good that my husband kept refilling on fruit several times while saying he was full, haha

Scoop up lots of the ice cream you want, then top it with bead ice cream (tiny frozen ice cream pellets), and that's the ultimate dessert! You can eat this unlimited? Kuu Kuu is the best. Honestly, I thought you'd already get your money's worth by eating bead ice cream just 5 times at Kuu Kuu.

The raw fish was fresher than I expected, with no fishy smell, and the sushi topped with chewy yet tender fish was delicious. My husband and I ate until our stomachs were bursting!

Who I'd recommend Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch to

• Anyone looking for a Nowon spot for a family gathering
• Anyone looking for a Nowon or Hagye Station favorite
• Anyone who needs a Nowon place for a company dinner or group gathering
• Anyone looking for a Nowon sushi buffet with lots of menu variety
• Anyone who wants friendly staff

The staff at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch were all friendly, so we started our meal on a good note as soon as we walked in, and it stayed with me as the best memory of all the Kuu Kuu branches I've visited.

It gets really crowded on weekends, so I recommend booking on Naver before you go if you can! If you reserve, you can walk straight in without waiting, which is so convenient!