Stroller-friendly sushi buffet in Nowon: wide seats, crab at Kuu Kuu

Since going back to work after parental leave, juggling job and baby has left me too busy to keep up with posting. It's been a while, but here's a restaurant review!

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch: is it okay to bring a stroller?

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a sushi buffet in Nowon that allows strollers, and if you mention the stroller when booking, they guide you to a wide seat at the end. This weekend I went to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, which I absolutely love! I've been before, and one of the reasons I love it is that strollers are fine!!! Other buffets may allow strollers too, but the tables are packed so close together that it's really uncomfortable. At Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, if you tell them you have a stroller when you book, they seat you in a wide spot at the end.

I booked through Naver Reservation and wrote in the memo that I had a stroller, and they gave me this spot, with hardly anyone around and room to park the stroller.

The tables on the opposite side of mine are also nicely spaced. Normally they seat people in order, but because I had a stroller, I got assigned to the tables across the way where nobody was seated yet.

Weekend lunch at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch: what time should you go?

Weekend lunch at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch hits peak time at 11:30, so factoring in parking, I'd recommend arriving in the early 11 o'clock hour. I got there at 11:10, and the moment it turned 11:30, peak time kicked in and people suddenly came flooding in!

The reason I went early is that the building is shared with a wedding hall, so there seems to be a bit of a wait for the parking lot at weekend lunchtime... ugh. I'd experienced it last time, so this time I came a little earlier.

Group rooms and the kids' playground

I also looked around the other sections where people hadn't been seated yet. There are group rooms too, and judging by the banner, they seem to hold things like first birthday parties (dol).

And here's the kids' playground at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch! Since I came in the early 11 o'clock hour, there were no kids yet, so I could get a photo.

What food does Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch have?

Now let me properly introduce the food at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch.

Hot dishes: whole steamed salmon and steamed crab

The hot dishes section at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch gathers the foods you could call mains, beyond sushi, like whole steamed salmon. There are lots of kinds of hot dishes here.

These are the spots with the foods you could call mains, apart from sushi, like whole steamed salmon.

I personally love seafood... especially steamed dishes, so every time I come to Kuu Kuu, I go for the steamed crab first.

Meats: smoked pork belly, chicken, grilled sausage and vegetables

Right next to the steamed crab are meat dishes like smoked pork belly.

There were also things like chicken and grilled sausage with vegetables... but I only eat what I like, so of course I didn't try them.

Western food: pasta, en croûte soup, pizza

Now for the Western food. Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch has several kinds of pasta ready.

There's also the en croûte soup (soup baked under a pastry crust), one of Kuu Kuu's popular menu items. Next to it were mushroom quesadillas and tofu lasagna! I enjoyed the en croûte soup quite a bit last time, but this time I was busy eating other things and missed it, which was a shame.

Pizzas were laid out in several varieties too.

Dumplings, made-to-order station, kids' snacks

Next to the pizza were dumplings, and the Kuong steamed bun (?) caught my eye because it was so cute I almost couldn't bring myself to eat it.

There's also a made-to-order station, a buffet must. The made-to-order menu at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch has jjajang (black bean noodles), jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), udon and cold soba, and you just ask and they make it on the spot.

There are also hot dogs and snacks that kids love! I was struck by the hot dogs sprinkled with sugar.

Chinese dishes, yukhoe and salads

On the far right are Chinese dishes like kkanpunggi (sweet and spicy fried chicken) and gochujapchae (stir-fried chili peppers).

Across from them were yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), salads and more.

Sushi and sashimi stations, and soy-marinated crab

Near the entrance of Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is the sushi, which you could call Kuu Kuu's main event. It's an open kitchen, and the chefs were constantly making it on the spot.

The sashimi was fresh too. I don't actually like raw fish much, but there's ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab), and every time I come it moves me to tears. T_T

Dessert: patbingsu, chocolate fondue, bead ice cream, waffles

The dessert corner at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch has patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red beans), slush and chocolate fondue, plus coffee and drinks, and there was a really wide variety of sweets like cake, all kinds of fruit and ice cream.

They also had bead ice cream in several flavors, which you don't often see at buffets.

There's a made-to-order waffle machine too, and unlike other buffets, they have whipped cream ready as well.

What I actually ate at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

My first plate was mostly steamed fish roe, mala stir-fry and cooked sushi, and the second was steamed crab and steamed shrimp. While I was deciding what to eat, I grabbed steamed fish roe and mala stir-fry (mostly just the dried tofu skin.. haha), and since I don't like raw fish much, I picked mainly cooked sushi.

My husband's plate looked fresh and light (?), unlike mine.

For my second plate I took my beloved steamed crab and steamed shrimp. Of course it's Samjeon crab rather than blue crab, but it was very fresh with a good meat yield, so I enjoyed it a lot.

Finally, I finished off with dessert, too.

Is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch good for a Nowon family gathering?

Personally I'm very satisfied with Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch every time I come. At peak time there can be a bit of a parking wait, but if you come a little early, parking is very easy and the staff are very kind.

Above all, we have a little baby and still have to bring the stroller, and every time we go they guide us to a spot where parking the stroller is easy, which really touched me. I actually saw lots of other people bringing strollers too!

I'd go back 200%.

If you're looking for a good spot for a Nowon family gathering, Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is worth a visit.