All-you-can-eat shabu-shabu in Seohae, Incheon: Shabuway

It was September, and I was craving a spicy yet refreshing broth, so I went looking and found this shabu-shabu place! I had a wonderful unlimited shabu-shabu meal in a comfortable setting with seriously high-quality food.

Unlimited shabu-shabu near Gajeong Station

Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch is about a five-minute walk from Gajeong Station Exit 6 (formerly Exit 4), so it is easy to reach. It is on the second floor of Ruwon Top Plaza, the building with the large Seoul Daehyo Cheongna Nursing Hospital sign, and you can simply take the elevator up.

If you drive, you get two hours of free parking in the complex basement levels 1–2. If Ruwon Top Plaza is full, you can also park at Ace Tower in front of the building. On public holidays and weekends, it operates without a break, and the salad bar closes at 9 p.m.

Shabuway prices

• Weekday adult lunch ₩24,900 / dinner ₩29,900
• Weekend adult ₩29,900
• Elementary school students ₩16,000 / preschool children ₩8,900

Spacious seating and private rooms

The interior was modern, neat, and spacious. Even though it is a buffet, it was fairly quiet and easy to talk in, and the tables were well spaced for a comfortable meal. There are private rooms too, so it looked great for all kinds of gatherings—a good restaurant in Gajeong-dong, Cheongna, and Seohae-gu for anniversaries, family dinners, company meals, reunions, and birthday parties.

Strollers are welcome, and they can guide you to a roomy seat. Cakes and simple decorations are allowed, but they ask guests to refrain from loud celebratory songs, confetti-style party supplies, and fanfares where possible. High chairs are available too, making it easy to visit with children.

What is on the salad bar?

Shall we grab a plate and get ready to eat our hearts out~? The first thing that caught my eye was the mala xiang guo, a dry stir-fried spicy mala dish. It looked too good not to take some, so I scooped up a little.

The quality of the meat dishes was good too, including smoked duck, flame-grilled marinated ribs, and suyuk (boiled sliced meat)!

There was perilla oil pasta for something light, plus mushroom soup to gently line the stomach before the salad and main dishes.

There were Korean side dishes such as kimchi, as well as Gorgonzola pizza. You could also have lighter bites like salad, caprese, and soy-marinated shrimp.

If the standard shabu-shabu vegetables are not enough or you want more, just head to the self-serve bar. The napa cabbage, bean sprouts, bok choy, mushrooms, and other vegetables were all fresh!

Shabu-shabu is even tastier with dipping sauces, right?!

There was a sauce-combination guide, which made it easy to create one to your taste. I made a clean soy sauce and scallion combination, and a nutty sesame sauce, garlic, and scallion combination!!

I loved that Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Fanta were all available in zero-sugar versions. There was plum drink to help with digestion, refreshing orange juice, and cold draft beer too. Order draft beer through the QR code at your table, and they bring you a beer glass for unlimited refills.

Unlimited Hanmac draft beer ₩5,000

There were beef brisket slices, beef neck meat, pork shoulder, and various broths as well. If what comes with your meal is not enough, you can pick up more here.

Vietnamese spring rolls, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), and juk (rice porridge) cannot be left out either. The spring-roll ingredients were fresh and varied, but I wanted to focus on the shabu-shabu, so I took only rice paper and skipped the vegetables~

Shabuway's signature two-color kalguksu consists of brown buckwheat noodles and pink prickly pear noodles. They are both fresh noodles, so you only need to cook them lightly in the shabu-shabu broth for three minutes. There was juk too, but my stomach is not in the form it used to be these days... Sadly, I passed this time, but I will definitely try it next time.

There were desserts too, including seasonal fruit and custom ice cream. It is a great lineup for cleansing your palate after all that shabu-shabu. The salad bar was high quality and varied, making it a lovely accompaniment to the shabu-shabu.

Feast time with mild and spicy split broth

Ta-da, the shabu-shabu is here. There were light mild broth, spicy broth, and mala broth, and I chose a half-and-half pot of mild and spicy broth. It was nice that everyone could choose according to their own taste.

They offer unlimited fresh vegetables, USDA Prime-grade beef neck meat, beef brisket slices, and pork neck. The standard vegetables were enoki mushrooms, bok choy, napa cabbage, kabocha squash, and bean sprouts, while the thinly sliced meat turned tender and delicious with only a quick dip in the broth.

Just look at that beef marbling. It was unlimited, yet the quality was genuinely so good!

The things I brought from the salad bar~ My boyfriend was properly enjoying duck, meat, pasta, and pizza! He especially said the smoked duck was rich and delicious. I tried the soy-marinated shrimp, salmon salad, and mala xiang guo. The shrimp was well marinated in sweet and salty soy sauce, plump, and fun to chew.

This is the salmon salad and caprese my boyfriend thoughtfully brought back on his second trip. They were delicious and great for refreshing the palate between bites of shabu-shabu.

I just put all the vegetables in first~ The mild broth was clean, light, and easy to enjoy. It was not overly intense or salty, so it brought out the natural flavors of the vegetables and meat. The spicy broth had a proper peppery, warming kick and would be perfect for anyone needing a hangover cure. Once the vegetables and meat went in, its flavor became even richer.

Dipping into the sauces

Personally, the mild shabu-shabu went well with the soy sauce and scallion dip, while the spicy broth and mala xiang guo paired beautifully with the nutty sauce. The salty soy sauce and fragrant scallions highlighted the mild shabu-shabu's clean flavor, while the sesame sauce, garlic, and scallion mix seemed to soften the heat. If you like peanut sauce with mala tang, give this one a try~

Finishing with rice paper and kalguksu

Dip the rice paper into the broth, wrap up shabu-shabu vegetables and meat, and it becomes wonderfully chewy—almost like eating Chinese glass noodles. I added the kalguksu to the fiery spicy broth. After finishing the shabu-shabu, adding noodles to the deep broth enriched by meat and vegetables is exactly the kind of ending you want when you want to be happy.

Juk next time

I could not eat the juk that day because of my stomach condition... Even though juk is the true finale of shabu-shabu! I will expand my stomach and make sure I eat it next time. If I have the juk, I think I will finish it simply in the mild broth!

The real finale is dessert, of course. There were sweet dessert options too, so I had a plum tea to aid digestion and custom ice cream. Clean sweep, Shabuway!

How was it for family meals and gatherings?

With its clean, spacious interior and private rooms, it was a great space for all sorts of occasions, including family dinners, reunions, and anniversaries. The shabu-shabu and salad-bar selection were both strong for an unlimited restaurant, and it would be lovely not just with friends or a partner but also when bringing your parents. There are high chairs, and the staff were kind too. I was so happy to have unlimited high-quality shabu-shabu and side dishes in such a clean, comfortable place.