Nowon sushi buffet Sunday date: salmon sushi vs sashimi, Kuu Kuu

I went with my partner to Kuu Kuu, the Nowon sushi buffet that feels like great value at ₩27,900 and works as a Nowon spot for family gatherings.

Why a ₩27,900 sushi buffet is good value

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a Nowon buffet where ₩27,900 gets you all-you-can-eat sushi and cooked dishes. My partner and I both love sashimi, sushi, raw fish and yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). But at a regular restaurant, 20 pieces of sushi or sashimi easily runs ₩35,000 to ₩45,000, and it neither fills you up nor spares your wallet. You just end up licking your lips.

But at Kuu Kuu, which has loads of sushi and cooked dishes among Nowon's buffets, you can eat 100 pieces for ₩27,900. I was so happy to leave truly full and satisfied after piles of seafood.

Isn't it not fresh?

To me the quality felt about the same as a standalone sushi restaurant. I suspect the point is that buying in bulk lets them get good-quality seafood cheaply.

Is it OK to eat in summer?

I'm someone who gets gastroenteritis all the time, so I notice right away if something is slightly off. Even in August, nothing happened.

Who it suits

I think Kuu Kuu, the Nowon sushi buffet and family gathering spot, suits these people.

• People who want to eat their fill of raw fish, sashimi and sushi
• People who find sashimi restaurant prices a burden and want a good-value buffet in Nowon
• People looking for a Nowon family gathering spot where everyone can pick what they like
• People who want fried food, grilled dishes and desserts along with sushi
• Couples or families who want a hearty meal on an anniversary or weekend
• People who love seafood and find one plate not enough
• People who enjoy comparing different kinds of sushi and sashimi
• Big eaters

Kuu Kuu Nowon hours and last order

One thing to know about the hours at Kuu Kuu Nowon: last order is 1 hour 30 minutes before the restaurant closes.

Where do you park?

The Kuu Kuu sushi buffet is on the 6th floor of the Oncheon (hot spring) building, so park in the lot behind the building and come up.

They cover 2 hours of parking, but on Saturdays and Sundays the building is crowded with hot spring guests, so there may be no space. In that case use a nearby paid lot; the closest one to the restaurant is the Turu Parking Nowon Hagye branch lot.

How long is the Sunday wait?

The Kuu Kuu Nowon sushi buffet prices are below.

On Sunday there was a constant wait from 11:30.

Spacious seating and banquet rooms

Spacious, comfortable seating

Kuu Kuu Nowon was much bigger than I expected. The tables are spaced generously, so it seemed hardly stuffy even for a family meal or a long chat.

The airy feel of the floor-to-ceiling windows and the city view from a high floor made it a much more pleasant place to eat than an ordinary sushi buffet.

There are also partitions between seats, which keeps a nice distance from the next table. It looked great for a couple's date, or a quiet conversation over a meal with family or parents.

Banquet rooms and group rooms

There are also separate banquet and group rooms. Even large groups, for family gatherings, birthdays, company dinners, first-birthday parties and other events, can eat comfortably. Overall, most tables were families with children, and the atmosphere really fit the label of a Nowon family gathering spot. Of course there were plenty of couples and solo diners too.

What else is there besides sushi?

Kuu Kuu Nowon is a sushi buffet, but it also had a really wide range of cooked dishes and desserts.

It's not only raw salmon sashimi and sushi that are unlimited,

but also pizza, pasta, shrimp and crab,

smoked duck, dongpoyuk (braised pork belly), fried chicken, french fries, hot dogs and salad,

waffles, ice cream, assorted desserts and fruit,

herbal tea, various lattes, drinks and even coffee.

Being able to enjoy all of this in one place made ₩35,900 feel like good value.

What my partner and I ate: a record of 3 plates

On my first plate I brought salmon sashimi, salmon sushi, tuna sushi, tuna sashimi, monkfish liver gunkan (seaweed-wrapped sushi), avocado gunkan, small squid sushi, lemon blue prawn and beef short plate sushi.

You can tell at a glance it's full of greed, right? My partner, at least, didn't pile the first plate to overflowing.

What I loved was the salmon sashimi. Even a salmon rice bowl with 8 slices costs over ₩16,000 at today's prices, so eating 3 slices at a time like this made me feel powerful, and my mouth felt rich.

Why salmon sushi beats salmon sashimi

But here's one tip: there isn't that much rice in the sushi anyway, right? If you can, you might do better eating the salmon sushi. When I actually tried it, the salmon on the sushi was a bit oilier and nuttier.

Look at my second plate: no salmon sashimi, only salmon sushi, right? The second plate was clearly smaller. I'm not a big eater, but I was still satisfied.

On the third and last plate I happily polished off dessert, fruit and ice cream.

Wrapping up

If you like raw fish or sushi, I think you'll feel more satisfied than the price suggests. You can enjoy a variety of sushi and seafood, plus meals and desserts, all at once, and the roomy, comfortable space makes it a good Nowon family gathering spot, great for a date or for visiting with parents.