Nowon sushi buffet weekday dinner with oyster refills: Kuu Kuu

No AI, no script — this is written by Sujjang, one keystroke at a time.

⏳Wait time: none 🔁Would return: yes 📌Location: 11-minute walk from Hagye Station Exit 2 🥢One-line review: A branch-by-branch gem, this Kuu Kuu matches Gold quality — the only thing missing is BBQ.

— Order — Weekday dinner for two, ₩63,800

Why we traveled out to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

Today Sojjang and I visited Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch. It's far from home, but we came because we heard this branch has fresh salmon sashimi that isn't even available at Kuu Kuu Gold locations.

Weekday dinner price and 90-minute limit at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

The weekday dinner price was ₩31,900, with a 90-minute time limit, but unlike other places, they let us keep eating past that since there was no line.

How big is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, and how does the salad bar flow?

The interior has 60+ tables for four, so true to Kuu Kuu form it's massive. I visited on a weekday at 5pm, and by the time we were eating it felt about 60–70% full.

The salad bar's traffic flow was well designed, so even when customers piled in, it wasn't the kind of place where you had to keep standing in line.

They also had Kelly and Terra draft beer machines, rare at other branches, and it's free if you do the Naver review event — worth trying.

Why Kuu Kuu keeps each tray only half filled

Since it was still early and the crowd hadn't come in yet, the buffet containers weren't fully packed, more like half full — but I could tell they were thinking about turnover once customers pile in, and I really liked that. The mala shrimp and lemon cream shrimp stood out the most among these.

There were five kinds of soup, too, though the samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) came out a bit later so I don't have a photo of it, sob.

The wide, flat shrimp tempura at the fried section

Kind of unexpectedly, the fried section had the flat shrimp tempura I always buy at Costco, and I was so surprised. I don't think I've seen this at any other Kuu Kuu branch.

Don't skip the oysters at the hot section

There were oysters at the hot section — you have to try these!! They were so good that Sojjang and I kept scooping more onto our plates.

And of course, when it's Kuu Kuu, you can't skip the ankeurut (savory egg) soup.

Sushi section and the fresh salmon sashimi only at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

From here on, it's the sushi section. Do you notice it too? The relatively popular items, or ones where freshness doesn't matter as much, are set out in several rows, while the ones that turn over a bit slower are only in a single row. I loved that this too seemed done with turnover in mind, so guests could eat the freshest sushi possible.

And the salmon sashimi..!! So good. I lost count of how many pieces I scooped onto my plate.

At first glance a single row might look sparse, but once you realize it's done for the customers' sake, you really appreciate what a thoughtful place this is.

Cold section, salad zone and desserts

Now the cold section — there were so many toppings you could add to yogurt.

The vegetables in the salad zone looked fresh and appealing too.

Dessert was Gold-tier too, with a huge variety of ice cream.

My first plate and how to eat the salmon belly

Sojjang's first plate,

and my first plate. Doesn't the salmon sashimi's color just look incredible? The belly part was lovely and rich, and it seemed like they used most of the loin meat for sushi, since the sashimi had a lot of belly cuts.

Sojjang's eating tip is putting belly sashimi on top of a salmon sushi piece. I tried this too, and the salmon's rich flavor doubles — genuinely delicious. Highly recommend.

And these oysters..!! There were two flavors, gochujang-vinegar and cheese, and both went really well. Besides this plate, we also went back for a whole extra plate of just oysters.

There was also yellowtail sushi, and the yellowtail had a pretty strong richness too, so we enjoyed it.

We wrapped up dessert cleanly with cake and ice cream.

Is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch worth it? The verdict

I've been to quite a few Kuu Kuu branches, but even counting the Gold locations, Nowon is definitely top tier. It didn't lose to other Gold branches, and thanks to the rich fresh salmon and the small-batch cooking done with turnover in mind, we really ate well. I'm guessing they haven't become a Gold branch yet because Gold requires BBQ items, but people visit Kuu Kuu mainly for the sushi anyway, and the quality of the other dishes was more than good enough that we had a genuinely delicious meal. If it were closer to home, I think we'd come here often. If you're debating whether to go to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, I highly recommend it.