Chuseok-day Nowon sushi buffet: pick-your-own flounder fin, Kuu Kuu

This Chuseok holiday I went to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch with my partner. Kuu Kuu is always satisfying whenever I go, so I was excited for this visit too haha. It was open during the holiday, so I made a reservation ahead of time before heading over, and it was packed lol.

I couldn't photograph the whole salad bar, but from sushi to lamb chops to dongpa jok, I ate well again this time. The sushi quality was solid overall as always, and the friendly staff and spacious dining room stuck with me lol. Especially since they were open on Chuseok day itself, 9/25, I was so glad! So let's get into my review of Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch.

What is Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch? Location and basic info

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is a premium sushi buffet where you can enjoy everything from sushi and rolls to a variety of cooked dishes! Everyone can pick their own favorites, so it's great for family meals or dining with a group. I booked ahead for the Chuseok holiday, and there were really a lot of families there haha.

• 📍 601, 6th Floor, Seoul Onchun Building, 247 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: weekdays 11:00–21:30 / weekends 11:00–22:00
• 🕒 Last order: weekdays 20:00 / weekends 20:30
• 📅 Check holiday hours before visiting
• 🚘 Parking at the Seoul Onchun building (2 hours free); Saturdays, 4 hours free at Hakgye Technotown lot
• 📱 Reservations available (Naver/Catch Table)
• 🍣 Signature menu: sushi / rolls / salad bar / lamb chops / dongpa jok

With over 300 pyeong and 400+ total seats, this is a huge, very spacious and comfortable spot! They also have independent private spaces for 50, 80, or up to 300 people, which looked great for family gatherings or events haha.

Where do you park at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch?

Here's the parking info a lot of people ask about! 2 hours free at the parking lot inside the Seoul Onchun building, and every Saturday, 4 hours free at the Hakgye Technotown underground lot! Check the photo above for reference haha.

The Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch building from outside

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is on the 6th floor of the Seoul Onchun building near Hakgye Station. Go into the building, take the elevator up to the 6th floor, and you'll find it!

Is a reservation essential on a Chuseok holiday?

I made a reservation ahead of time for this Chuseok visit, and since they were open through the holiday, there were really a lot of people dining lol. I saw a lot of families too, and it really felt like a spot a lot of people looking for a family-gathering restaurant in Nowon come to.

Especially if you're planning to visit on a weekend or holiday, booking ahead like I did seems like a good idea! You can reserve quickly through Naver, and same-day reservations are possible if seats are available — I'd recommend booking!

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch prices: weekday lunch, dinner and weekends

Kuu Kuu is a buffet centered on sushi and rolls alongside various cooked dishes. Nowon Branch has separate pricing for weekday lunch, dinner, and weekends/holidays — here's the breakdown!

• Weekday lunch – ₩27,900
• Weekday dinner – ₩31,900
• Weekend & holiday – ₩35,900
• Elementary schooler weekday lunch – ₩16,900
• Elementary schooler weekday dinner – ₩17,900
• Elementary schooler weekend & holiday – ₩18,900
• Preschooler – ₩9,900
• ※ Weekday lunch requires leaving before 5pm

Weekday lunch requires you to leave before 5pm, after which the dinner rate applies. I visited during the Chuseok holiday, so I paid the weekend/holiday rate. Alcohol pricing is listed above too! And Nowon Branch has a special beer deal — here it is...!!

For reference, Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch also has draft beer sold separately, about ₩5,900 for unlimited pours, and it's free if you leave a Naver review! It's Terra and Kelly draft beer, so if you need it, leave a review and drink for free! I drove, so I sadly could only look at it, sob.

What does the salad bar include?

Caro, who's recently gotten into using AI, generated a layout map of Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch! Some parts may differ from reality since this is an AI-generated image, so take it as a rough reference only. The actual layout is nearly the same haha. Now let's go through what the salad bar actually looks like inside, section by section!

Gunkan roll, sashimi and sushi zone

First, the main salad bar starting from the entrance, laid out in a U-shape! It runs from gunkan (rolls) to sashimi (including soy sauce shrimp) to sushi — the core seafood zone!

They stock everything from various rolls to sushi and sashimi! Personally, Kuu Kuu's biggest strength is that fresh raw salmon sashimi and raw salmon sushi — with Norwegian raw salmon sashimi and sushi, I think Kuu Kuu has the best salmon quality of any sushi buffet! They also have upgraded shrimp sushi using botan shrimp, which gives it an even richer shrimp flavor, heh.

Salad zone

Next is the fresh salad-to-soy-sauce-plate zone clustered in the middle of the restaurant haha. It has the signature yukhoe (beef tartare) plus various salad items, pickled ginger, rakkyo, and assorted side dishes, along with sashimi soy sauce, wasabi, sauces, and utensils all stocked here!

Grill zone

Next is Kuu Kuu's pride and joy, the grill zone, with as much hot food as a full buffet! From smoked duck to lamb chops to various grilled items, there's a wide selection to enjoy to your taste!

Grill zone 2: dongpajok, palbochae and guobaorou

And then more hot food continuing from the grill zone! From various fried items to a made-to-order noodle corner, plus dongpa jok, palbochae (Chinese stir-fried seafood), and guobaorou (sweet and sour pork) — a wide range of hot dishes spanning Western, Chinese, and Korean food, no matter your preference!

Personally, the lamb chops and this dongpa jok are genuinely delicious at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch. They also have soup dishes like bajirak suljjim (steamed clams with liquor) and dogani-tang (ox knee soup) haha.

Drinks zone

A buffet can't be complete without a beverage zone! From soft drinks to a coffee machine, and even slushies and teas — enjoy however you like!

Dessert zone

And finally, you can't skip dessert after a meal, right? Desserts, fruit, ice cream, waffles, bingsu (shaved ice) — all ready and waiting! The marble ice cream is even available at lunch! Personally, I love putting soft serve on top of waffles haha.

The right-side seating area

And now, the big reveal — the interior! This time we sat in the right-side seating area, which I hadn't used on my last visit! It looked like this — spacious seats well divided into sections, great for eating quietly! The left side has a large private room too, but it was a bit tricky for us to get into that day, so check my previous review for photos and details haha.

The plates we actually ate at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

The much-anticipated first plate! Whenever I come to Kuu Kuu, my first plate is always packed full of sushi and sashimi haha. My favorites are salmon, flounder fin, and that sweet shrimp (amaebi) plus all sorts of sushi!

One of Kuu Kuu's biggest strengths is that they lay out flounder and salmon in various cuts right on the plate, so if you have a sharp eye, you can grab as much belly meat or flounder fin as you like, however much you want — I love that.

Once you're done and leave your plate off to the side like this, staff clear it away regularly. Personally, at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch, the size and taste are great, but the staff — even up to the manager — are so friendly, which I love!

From the second plate on, I started mixing in meat dishes! The plate on the right is my partner's haha. Mine was, uh... well, I'm a big eater, so lots and lots~~

And these lamb chops at Kuu Kuu are honestly quite tasty! Just note they're drenched in a cumin-ish sauce with a pretty strong flavor, but for buffet lamb chops, the quality's pretty good!

Honestly, just filling up those two plates alone comes out to over 20 pieces of sushi... so I was pretty full already! Time to slow down a bit. LA galbi (marinated short ribs) and steamed shrimp, along with the delicious sushi and made-to-order udon, all devoured. That LA galbi was especially delicious!

Then, the long-awaited dessert time~ I personally love Kuu Kuu's dongpa jok, but that day it took a while for a fresh batch to come out, so it arrived late and I ate a bit of it with waffles. I topped the waffles with strawberry ice cream!

Finished off with marble ice cream and fruit! Last time I visited, the melon was delicious, but this time the melon was a bit disappointing for me, sob. Still, the shine muscat grapes were great, and the marble ice cream is always delicious no matter what!

Final verdict on Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

This Chuseok holiday visit to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch! Even though I reserved ahead of time, it was still packed because of the holiday, and I ate well again haha. The sushi quality was solid overall, and the salmon, lamb chops, and dongpa jok were the highlights of this visit! I also really loved being able to pick out fin cuts myself at the flounder sushi corner lol. Recommended!

Kuu Kuu really does satisfy every time I go. With everything from sushi to meat dishes available, I think it's worth a visit if you're looking for a family-gathering restaurant in Nowon or a spot for a weekend meal out! I'm already planning to go back haha.