Cheongna shabu-shabu with mala broth, shrimp jang self-bar: Shabuway

These days when picking somewhere to eat out with family, it's not just about how the food tastes — I always check whether it's easy for a group, and whether parking is decent.

This time we hadn't eaten out together in a while, so we went to Shabuway in Cheongna. Shabu-shabu is usually a safe bet for family meals since everyone can pick their own ingredients, but I heard this place has a wider self-bar lineup than typical shabu-shabu spots, so I went to check it out.

Bottom line first: we left stuffed from the shabu-shabu itself and got to try all kinds of self-bar dishes on top of that — more satisfying than I expected.

Is parking free at Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch?

I was told Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch offers 2 hours of free parking. Anyone coming by car probably wants to know this in advance — from what I was told, the free 2 hours made it much less stressful to drive over.

Parking is available in basement floors 1-2 of the plaza and at the Ace Tower parking lot in front of the building. When you're eating as a family group, easy parking really matters. We drove too, and it was great to eat without worrying about the car.

They also mentioned the store accepts the national consumer recovery coupon, gives 1% store points on your payment total, and runs free draft beer events on weekends and weekdays — worth checking the current schedule if you're planning a visit.

What the dining room at Shabuway Cheongna looks like

From the moment we walked in, the Cheongna Shabuway had an overall clean, modern feel. The spacing between tables didn't feel cramped, and the vibe wasn't too casual either — it seemed like a fine spot for a family meal.

It felt like the kind of place that works for birthdays or family gatherings with several people, and the space felt roomy enough that a group meal wouldn't feel awkward.

We sat as a family and chatted comfortably through the meal, and instead of feeling loud or crowded, the overall clean atmosphere was really nice.

Ordering two broths: shiitake mushroom and mala

That day we decided to split into two broths at Shabuway. One was shiitake mushroom broth, the other was mala broth.

Sticking to just one broth can get a bit boring halfway through, but switching between two flavors made it much more fun. Personally I like the clean taste of shiitake mushroom broth as much as the spicy kick of mala, so being able to eat both together was great.

You can also grab as much shabu-shabu ingredients as you want from the self-bar, so I picked around from the start. Loading up on all kinds of vegetables plus beef and simmering it all together confirmed for me that shabu-shabu really does taste better with plenty of ingredients. Haha.

Unlimited U.S. prime-grade beef at Shabuway

One of the best parts of Cheongna Shabuway was the meat. You can eat as much U.S. prime-grade beef as you want, so there was no worry about running short — we just kept going back for more.

When you're eating shabu-shabu, loading up only on vegetables feels a bit lacking; you really need plenty of meat to make it taste right. We started out with a modest amount, but as we ate, we wanted more, so we went back for extra.

Lightly cooking the thin-sliced beef in the hot broth and eating it with vegetables went great with the mild broth, and it tasted completely different again when dipped in the mala broth.

Since it's unlimited, it was also convenient that everyone in our group could grab as much as they each wanted.

What's on the self-bar: shrimp jang, galbi, bossam, mala xiangguo

The self-bar at Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch had way more than just shabu-shabu ingredients. Honestly, before visiting I figured it would just be lots of vegetables and meat since it's a shabu-shabu place, but seeing the actual self-bar surprised me a bit.

• Shrimp jang (soy-marinated raw shrimp)
• Various sauces
• Pizza
• Drinks
• Ice cream
• Fruit
• Galbi (short ribs)
• Mala xiangguo
• Bossam (boiled pork wraps)
• Rice paper wraps (fresh spring rolls)

We came for shabu-shabu, but browsing the self-bar, I kept finding more things I wanted to try. Haha. Dishes like shrimp jang, galbi and bossam are a bit different from typical shabu-shabu fare, so grabbing them in between made the meal feel much more substantial.

There was mala xiangguo too, and since I love mala, I tried a bit of that as well. Rice paper wrap ingredients were also set up, so you could wrap shabu-shabu ingredients inside them too.

People who love vegetables can load up mostly on those, meat lovers can pile on plenty of beef, and everyone can also snack on self-bar dishes in between — it was convenient that family members with different tastes could each eat exactly what they wanted.

Dessert at Shabuway: pizza, ice cream and fruit

The Shabuway self-bar also had fruit, ice cream and drinks, so we finished with a simple dessert at the end. Once we'd mostly wrapped up eating, the dessert options started catching my eye.

Even though we were completely full from the shabu-shabu, there was still room for ice cream. Haha.

When eating out, people often go find a café afterward for dessert, but here you can just have fruit or ice cream right at the self-bar, so we didn't need to move anywhere — we could keep chatting and wrap up the meal at the same table. That makes it a good spot for a relaxed, unhurried meal when you're with family or a group.

Is Shabuway Cheongna good for family and group gatherings?

This visit to Cheongna Shabuway stuck with me mainly because of the varied self-bar, though the shabu-shabu itself was also good. We picked shiitake mushroom broth and mala broth, piled on plenty of vegetables and prime-grade beef for the hot pot, and snacked our way through shrimp jang, galbi, mala xiangguo, bossam, pizza and rice paper wraps in between — it felt like a genuinely varied single meal.

Families eating out often have very different food preferences, and here the self-bar is varied enough that everyone can pick what they like. The interior is modern and clean, making it comfortable for a family meal, and it also seems like a good fit for group gatherings, birthdays or work dinners. Parking was easy too, with 2 hours free, so coming by car wasn't a hassle.

We went for shabu-shabu that day but ended up sitting much longer than planned, working through the self-bar dishes one by one. Haha. If you like shabu-shabu and prefer enjoying a variety of dishes over sticking to just one thing, Cheongna Shabuway seems worth a visit.