18,000-won lunch special shabu-shabu in Ruwon City, Incheon: Shabuway

I figured the ₩18,000 lunch special might be a little light on portions. Turns out I never even got to the kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) or porridge at the end.😂

My family loves Shabuway and we've been here many times before. Usually we go for the all-you-can-eat meat option, but this time, visiting during lunch, I tried the weekday lunch special for the first time.

Spoiler: if you're not a big meat eater, the lunch special is plenty. Actually, with everything I grabbed from the salad bar, it ended up way more filling than expected. Here's my review of this shabu-shabu spot near Gajeong Station.😊

Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna: hours, break time and parking

Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch is open from 11:30 to 21:30, with a weekday break time from 15:00 to 17:00. On weekends and holidays there's no break time — it runs continuously.

• Hours: 11:30 - 21:30
• Weekday break time 15:00–17:00 (no break on weekends/holidays, normal service)
• Parking available in the building basement
• Address: 2F, Ruwon Tower Plaza, 11 Yeomgok-ro 464beon-gil, Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea

Why the 18,000-won weekday lunch special was a first for us

Shabuway's weekday lunch special is ₩18,000 per person, with 180g of USDA prime pork shoulder and an unlimited salad bar. Shabuway is one of our go-to spots near Gajeong Station whenever we're craving shabu-shabu.

We'd always gone for the all-you-can-eat meat option before, so I never really paid attention to the lunch special. But this time, visiting on a weekday for lunch, that ₩18,000 price caught my eye. Given how expensive eating out has gotten lately, a price that includes the salad bar seemed like a good deal, so I decided to try the lunch special.

The lunch special comes with 180g of USDA prime pork shoulder per person, plus unlimited salad bar access. Kalguksu and porridge are included too. We cooked the meat briefly in the broth and ate it with vegetables — there's nothing like shabu-shabu cooked hot and fresh, bite by bite.

What's on the Shabuway salad bar?

The salad bar at Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch had vegetables and mushrooms for the shabu-shabu pot, plus chicken, sweet and sour pork, and salmon salad. Honestly, when I first heard it was only 180g of meat, I worried it might feel a bit skimpy compared to the all-you-can-eat option.

But once I actually started eating, that worry disappeared fast — there was so much on the salad bar. You can take as much of the vegetables and mushrooms for the pot as you like, and there were plenty of ready-to-eat sides too.

When I visited, there was chicken, sweet and sour pork, salmon salad and more, so it was fun grabbing a bit of everything between rounds of shabu-shabu.

Rice wrap fillings and eating at Shabuway with a child

They also had rice wrap ingredients, which I love. Wrapping crunchy vegetables and well-cooked meat in rice paper gives you a completely different vibe than eating the meat plain! Being able to mix and match whatever you like is what makes a salad bar so great.

There were kid-friendly menu items and baby chairs too, so it'd be a comfortable spot for families with young kids.

All-you-can-eat meat from 24,900 won: who should order it

Shabuway's all-you-can-eat meat menu runs ₩24,900 for adults on weekday lunch, ₩29,900 for dinner, and ₩29,900 for adults on weekends and holidays. Elementary schoolers are ₩16,000 and preschoolers ₩8,900. If you eat a lot of meat, the regular all-you-can-eat option might suit you better.

The biggest difference between the lunch special and the regular lunch is whether meat is unlimited or not. Since we'd always gone with the all-you-can-eat option before, the strengths of each really stood out to me this time. If you want to load up on meat, go with the regular lunch; if you want a cost-effective meal with the salad bar included, the lunch special is the way to go.

The kalguksu and porridge we had no room left for

If there's one thing I regretted that day, it's not getting to the kalguksu and porridge! They're included in the lunch special, so of course I planned to save them for last, but between the meat, vegetables, rice wraps, and everything I sampled from the salad bar, I was stuffed before I knew it.

In the end, I had to give up on the kalguksu and porridge.😂 Somehow a shabu-shabu meal doesn't feel complete without finishing with the kalguksu and porridge at the end, haha. Next time I'll pace myself from the start so I can make it all the way through.

Would we order the lunch special at Shabuway again?

We've been to Shabuway many times, but trying the lunch special for the first time gave it a different feel than our usual visits. I was a little worried about the meat portion at first, but if you pick and eat a good variety from the salad bar like we did, it's plenty filling.

What I especially liked was that on weekdays, lunch is more affordable than the regular lunch option. With baby chairs and a range of kid-friendly dishes, it's also a good spot for family meals — and a solid go-to near Gajeong Station whenever you want a bowl full of hot broth, vegetables and meat.

Next time we visit for weekday lunch, I think we'll get the lunch special again. And this time, I'm making sure to save room for the kalguksu and porridge!😆