Nowon sushi buffet cheat day: salad first, snow crab pasta, Kuu Kuu

Trying to be somewhat disciplined about dieting these days, sticking to it on weekdays, but I figured I needed at least one cheat day... so instead of agonizing over what to order, I went to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch to eat whatever I wanted, however much I wanted! I'd wanted to go for ages, and finally made it happen — here's my visit to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch!

247 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 6th floor, South Korea / Daily 11:00 - 21:30 / 2 hours free parking

Kuu Kuu is already a famous sushi buffet chain, but visiting the Nowon branch, I was genuinely surprised at how big the store was and how varied the menu turned out to be, haha!

How big is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch? Over 300 pyeong

The first thing you notice walking into Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is the sheer size of the place! It's over 300 pyeong (about 990㎡), so there are plenty of tables and the whole space feels open, which makes it great for visiting with a group. Whether it's a family meal with kids, dining with parents, or a gathering with friends or coworkers, the wide menu range and spacious floor made it feel like a solid pick if you're looking for a family-gathering restaurant in Nowon or a work-dinner spot in Nowon.

As soon as I sat down, the table mat had a simple intro to the food on offer, and even just from that you could tell how many different dishes were available, haha! Trying to eat through everything on that list meant I had to keep moving, lol. Being a proper buffet, the dishes were neatly divided by type and by line, so there was a lot of fun just in browsing around to find what I wanted to eat, haha.

Starting the cheat day at the salad bar

First up, a light start at the salad zone, stocked with fresh vegetables and various salads! Apparently the first plate should always be something light like salad, so you can enjoy the meal slowly for a long time without a blood sugar spike! There were so many fresh vegetables and salads piled high that I nearly filled up on salad alone... lol

California rolls and sushi: a full second plate

Next up was the California roll and sushi zone, which — true to a sushi buffet — had such an overwhelming variety it made my jaw drop!

There were so many different California rolls, and the quality was so good that with so much left to eat, I wanted to try a bit of everything, so my second plate ended up filled entirely with sushi and California rolls, haha!

Beyond California rolls, there was also a huge variety of gunkan (battleship sushi)!

At Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, the flounder sushi and salmon sushi have been upgraded even further, so you get to enjoy bigger, thicker, special-grade sushi!

With so many types on offer, my plate was already piled high from just the second round... lol

Honestly there were even more sushi menu items I wanted to try, but I held back a bit since I had other dishes to get to — and even so it ended up looking like this, haha. It's usually hard to expect great quality food at a buffet, but the sushi at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch was so fresh and thick that I'd honestly call it sushi-restaurant-worthy delicious.

There was also cockle bibimbap (rice bowl) that I really wanted to try, but in the end I never got to it... At a buffet I always want to try at least one new thing, and I always fail to get around to it, lol.

There's just so much sushi that photos can't fully capture it, lol — check the video too if you can!

Norwegian fresh salmon sashimi, not even at the Gold branch

The dish I most want to highlight from this visit to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is the Norwegian fresh salmon sashimi! As someone who loves salmon, this alone was reason enough to visit, haha!

Being able to enjoy fresh salmon sashimi alongside the sushi makes this a solid choice if you're searching for a Nowon sushi buffet or Nowon sashimi buffet — and on top of that, the basic sushi menu itself has been upgraded too!

Roast and hot food: smoked duck to lamb chops

Don't assume a sushi buffet is only about sushi! There were tons of Western-style dishes and meat dishes as well — from smoked duck to lamb chops, new menu items had just launched, so I got to enjoy a really wide variety of food!

Especially when dining out as a family, it's not always easy to agree on a menu when some people love sushi and others love meat. But at Kuu Kuu you get sushi, sashimi, smoked duck, lamb chops, and more all in one place, so everyone can eat according to their own taste — I think that's the biggest advantage. That's why it seemed like a great spot for a Nowon family-gathering restaurant that works for every age, from parents to kids.

The blue crab was packed with roe, and the snow crab pasta was especially delicious too, ugh!

The gamjatang (pork bone stew) fried rice was also a new item, and it wasn't bad at all!

For my third plate I brought back a variety of meats — the LA galbi (LA-style short ribs) was so good I went back for a refill of just ribs! The corn cream soup was tasty too, so I grabbed another bowl of that as well.

Dessert: bead ice cream, now at weekday lunch too

Last plate is dessert, of course! I'd normally load up on fruit, but today I heard that the bead ice cream, which used to be dinner-only, is now available at lunch too — so I told myself, let's eat as much bead ice cream as we want! haha, lol.

On top of that, there were various teas, slushes, and patbingsu (shaved ice)! You could probably fill up on dessert alone, ugh! As someone who really loves dessert, this felt like actual heaven... ugh!

Draft beer is unlimited

On top of everything, unlimited draft beer! Such a generous deal at Kuu Kuu Nowon... and they even had the trendy ube latte!

Is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch worth it? My verdict

Overall, Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch goes well beyond just being a buffet with a lot of menu items — the range of choices in each dish and the newly upgraded menu items made it a really satisfying visit. In particular, you get Norwegian fresh salmon sashimi that's hard to find even at the Gold branch, upgraded flounder, salmon and shrimp sushi, smoked duck and lamb chops, unlimited free draft beer, and even bead ice cream at lunch! On top of that, the spacious, comfortable 300-plus-pyeong store made it great not just for family dining but also for group gatherings or work dinners.

What stuck with me most, though, was that the staff were friendly the entire visit, which made the meal that much more pleasant. No matter how many menu items a place has, if the service is lacking you hesitate to come back — but here, the food, the space, and the service were all satisfying overall, so I'd happily come back with my family next time, haha. Whether you love sushi or just want everyone from kids to adults to be able to pick their own favorites, I'd strongly recommend Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch if you're looking for a family-gathering restaurant in Nowon, haha!