Nowon Station salad spot lunch date, wild garlic pork bowl: Prefers

What is Prefers Diet Food Nowon Station branch like?

Prefers Diet Food Nowon Station branch is a diet food restaurant right in front of Exit 9 of Nowon Station, where you can enjoy fresh ingredients and a wide range of dishes. I stopped by with my husband for a quick lunch date. We wanted something healthy but filling, and it turned out much tastier than I expected, so I was really happy with it.

• Address: 1F, 65 Sanggye-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul
• Hours: daily 09:00-21:00
• Parking: not available

Whenever I walked past Prefers, the fresh green sign caught my eye and made me curious, and this time our lunch breaks lined up, so we finally went together.

Is it okay for a solo salad lunch near Nowon Station?

The shop isn't big, but bar tables and regular tables are packed in neatly, so there are more seats than I expected. The mood makes it easy to eat alone, so it looks good for anyone hunting for a solo salad spot near Nowon Station.

Prefers menu: plates, pasta and bowls

The menu comes in three basic formats: a plate with salad and meat, a pasta dish with salad, meat and pasta, and a bowl that adds multigrain rice. The entrance has the menu posted with food photos, so you can look over what to eat beforehand.

You can also add a sauce of your choice or sides like grilled egg, soft-boiled egg, sweet potato and sweet pumpkin, so you can build a meal to your taste. I liked that.

What impressed me most is that every menu item lists its protein content. Honestly, I eat salad because I like salad, not because I'm managing my diet. But for people who exercise or track their meals seriously, being able to check protein and choose accordingly seems like a pretty big plus.

Special drinks like Proffee and protein milkshakes

As a diet food specialist, Prefers has slightly unusual drinks too. There were things you rarely see at a regular café, like Proffee (protein milkshake coffee), protein milkshakes and amino drinks. We were going to a café after the meal, so we didn't order any, but next time I'd like to try the Proffee.

What we ordered and the prices

You can order easily at a kiosk. We ordered the beef rosé salad pasta (₩14,900) and the pork wild garlic rice bowl (₩10,900).

When the food came out, I was startled by how generously the plates were piled. Is this really diet food? Haha. We wanted to taste both beef and pork, so we ordered one of each, and the amount of meat was more generous than I expected, which I liked. If you want even more meat, there are double versions too, so keep that in mind.

How was the beef rosé salad pasta?

Prefers' beef rosé salad pasta is rosé pasta sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, served with medium-grilled beef and fresh salad.

The salad had two greens, red chard and chicory. There was no separate salad dressing, but eaten together with the meat it was plenty tasty without one.

The rosé pasta has a slight spicy kick, so it isn't heavy and goes really well with the beef. With the smooth rosé sauce and the meat together, it felt like eating at a proper pasta restaurant. Honestly, this isn't diet food, it's just a great restaurant. Haha.

Is a pork rice bowl at a salad shop any good?

Prefers' pork wild garlic rice bowl is a bowl dish with lightly seasoned pork and myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves) on multigrain rice. At first I wondered if it was okay to order a rice bowl at a salad place, but pork and myeongi namul, what's there to even say? It felt like a simple, tasty Korean meal.

The distinctive aroma of myeongi namul goes so well with the pork that I enjoyed it without any other side dishes. If you worry that salad alone will leave you hungry soon, a bowl with multigrain rice and meat should keep you full. If dieting food tastes this good, I think I could manage a diet too. Haha.

How is it as an office worker's lunch near Nowon Station?

Prefers Nowon Station branch was a lunch with meat, vegetables and carbs all covered, yet it didn't feel heavy afterward. When I eat something too heavy at lunch, I sometimes feel sluggish and uncomfortable all afternoon at work, but this day I didn't, which was nice.

Visiting at lunchtime, it seemed popular with office workers nearby. Besides people eating in, delivery orders kept coming in and many customers took food to go. It's comfortable to eat alone and the menu choice is wide, so I'd recommend it as a good solo lunch spot near Nowon Station too.

Above all, Prefers Diet Food Nowon Station branch broke my prejudice that healthy food has to be a bit disappointing in taste. From salad to pasta to rice bowls, you can pick what you like, so even if you're not on a diet, I think you'd be satisfied. On days when I don't want heavy food for lunch at work but don't want to just grab anything either, I think I'll remember Prefers. It was a satisfying lunch date where we ate well and got a healthy meal too.