Nowon sushi buffet 1pm weekday lunch: hallabong slushie, Kuu Kuu

Today's spot is one I always end up eating at whenever work takes me to Nowon — hahaha, seriously, every single time.

Between the variety of food and how friendly and clean everything is, this place satisfies me on every single visit.

Nowon favorite Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch — a jam-packed sushi buffet, the go-to spot for family gatherings in Nowon!

Why weekday lunch at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch is calmer after 1pm

Even though it's technically weekday lunch, going to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch after 1pm — once the main lunch rush has mostly cleared — works so much better haha. It just feels like you get to enjoy things at a more relaxed pace. Ba-dum.

Parking at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch: 2 hours free under the Oncheon Building

Lucky for us, we managed to park in the building's basement (Seoul Oncheon Building). If you enter from behind the building, the building manager will direct you. That said, it fills up even on weekdays, so I'd really recommend public transit.

Maybe because it was school break, the lot was full even though we arrived a bit past normal lunch hours. (Thankfully a spot opened up right as we pulled in.)

If you park in the building, you get 2 hours free with dining, then ₩4,000 per extra 30 minutes — worth keeping in mind. If it's full, you'll need to use a paid lot nearby.

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch prices and how long you get to eat

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch gives you 2 hours, but when there's a line of people waiting outside, that drops to 90 minutes — just so you know.

• Adults: weekday lunch ₩27,900 / weekday dinner ₩31,900 / weekend & holiday ₩35,900
• Elementary schoolers: weekday lunch ₩16,900 / weekday dinner ₩17,900 / weekend & holiday ₩18,900
• Preschoolers 36 months and up: ₩9,900

A 300-pyeong hall at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch for groups and full venue rental

Time to walk into Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch. A friendly staff member greeted us and showed us to our table — snapped a shot on the way.

I figured it'd be empty since lunch hour had just wrapped up, but nope, surprisingly busy!

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch has that comfortable natural wood-and-white interior — bright, relaxed, and with over 300 pyeong of space, it's genuinely great for group gatherings.

Sure enough, plenty of groups were eating together. A group of foreign visitors, dozens of them, kept exclaiming how delicious everything was — wow, haha.

Beyond the regular seating, they can host independent spaces for 50, 80, even up to 300 people, basically like a private rental (rooms for 40–60 people minimum/maximum, group seating from 14 up to 200). There was even a table in the back celebrating an elderly relative's birthday, haha.

New summer menu and upgraded sushi at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch

With summer here, there are some tasty new additions. Also heard the flounder and salmon sushi got upgraded — the fish slices are now bigger, so it comes across fresher and more generous.

The shrimp sushi now uses botan shrimp, boosting the shrimp flavor big time! Weekday dinner and weekends/holidays also now have Norwegian raw salmon sashimi — a Nowon-branch-only item not even at the Gold branch, worth noting. Whoa.

They've also added chewy smoked duck that pairs well with pretty much anything — guess I'll need to come back on a weekend for that. Soft, flavorful lamb chops are available all day too. Apparently they were giving out clear tote bags for reviews — first come, first served, so ask staff about it.

Inside the roll, sushi and sashimi corners

Table secured — now off to load up on the good stuff!!

Rolls, rolls, rolls, so many delicious rolls. Loved seeing so many new menu items. This is what a proper, jam-packed sushi buffet should look like.

The sushi selection also felt more varied than last time! The flounder and salmon really did have bigger fish slices — such a nice upgrade.

Raw salmon, mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), soy-marinated crab, and soy-marinated shrimp — all available. Before I could snap a photo, an older gentleman was loading up on crab and shrimp saying how good it was, hahaha. If you like buckwheat soba, grab a bowl too haha.

The BBQ zone, pasta, and adding broth when a dish tastes bland

Let's check out the BBQ zone. Flames roaring — looks great, right? Hahaha.

The pork belly cooked in barbecue sauce was great, and all the pasta was solid too. They also had a new crab cream pasta that was nice and savory.

Their oil pasta is normally really good, but it seemed a little short on salt that day, a touch bland. Fellow true buffet lovers, when the seasoning's off, you fix it yourself by combining dishes, hahaha.

If the oil pasta tastes flat to you, head over to the clam-broth stews or mussel soup nearby and spoon some broth on top. Seasoning instantly improves — so good, hahaha. Anyway, load up on meat and fried items too, they're essential.

Grabbing the cream soup I love right away, and my husband's favorite pizza too. Spotted the corn dog dunked deep in sugar and had to applaud, hahaha. That sugary texture is non-negotiable. True food connoisseurs know.

The vegetable tempura is fantastic, don't skip it. Whatever that fried topping was on the kim-mari (fried seaweed roll) — shrimp or crab meat maybe — it was insanely good. I think I went back for it like 5 times, hahaha.

Roast corner: Chinese dishes and shiitake mushroom samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)

The section labeled 'roast' also has Chinese dishes. There's soup and broth-based food too, so if you want something warm, go quick.

The foreign visitors were pretty much lined up here so I couldn't get a natural shot, haha. Lots of Chinese-style dishes — sweet and sour pork, mala-style items — but everyone was queuing up specifically for the shiitake mushroom samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), described as a Korean-style soup.

How varied is the salad bar at Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch?

Gotta grab some fresh salad to keep blood sugar from spiking, right? Total obligation, hahaha.

Tons of ingredients ready to go — mix and match however you like. I love balsamic or oriental dressing, hahaha, and always grab the sweet pumpkin salad too — a little bit with every new plate.

Dessert zone: marble ice cream, now at lunch too

Staff bake fresh waffles the moment they run low, still warm. And that chocolate fondue fountain always catches the eye, hahaha.

Oh, and news flash: marble ice cream is now open during lunch too, hahahaha. No exaggeration, three or four scoops of that alone would run you ten thousand won elsewhere. Ahh.

So yes, my husband and I responsibly had 2 bowls each. Haha. Being school break, tons of kids were around too, each clutching their own plate of marble ice cream, hahaha.

Had to hit the fruit and bakery section too. New this time: a crepe cake. Wanted the chocolate flavor but by the time I finished taking photos and went back it was gone, then I got distracted and forgot to go back. Still managed the matcha one though, haha.

Drinks: hallabong slushie and unlimited 5,900-won draft beer

Went off to explore the drinks. Soda of course, plus 4 slushie flavors — raspberry, gold kiwi, papaya, hallabong (Jeju citrus), hahaha. All good, but hallabong is my top pick.

Had a cup of sikhye (sweet rice drink) too, hahaha. Skipped the patbingsu (shaved ice with red beans) though — I'd already ordered a huge bowl of it the day before, so I wasn't really feeling it, hahaha.

Oh, and important: Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch pours real draft beer — Terra and Kelly, not the alcohol-free stuff. Just ₩5,900 per person for unlimited refills, so if you're not driving, definitely take advantage.

They also stock a range of premium herbal teas. Meal kits and wine are available too if you ask staff.

Everything eaten in a full two hours

Time to show off some serious eating skills at this Nowon sushi buffet favorite, hahaha. Some plates I straight up didn't photograph — honestly loaded up way too aggressively to show, hahaha (feral behavior). Mainly captured the neatly arranged early plates. Hehehe.

Genuinely so good. Ate a ton of sushi and rolls. If we'd ordered the same amount at an actual sushi restaurant for the two of us, it probably would've run 200,000 won, hmm hahaha. Couldn't skip the zero-sugar cola either.

Mixed in some tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) and steak-type items along with fried food. Funny thing is, once we'd mostly finished, it was already dessert time, right?

Oh wait, I want more of this too

So plenty of plates ended up mixing dessert and mains together, hahaha. Scooping pumpkin porridge and suddenly craving marble ice cream again, hahaha.

Marble ice cream cleanses the palate, then it's back to more mains. Pizza, fried stuff, chicken, sushi, dessert, then mains again — when does that stop being funny? Hahaha.

Anyway, after another round of heavy mains, cleansed the palate once more with marble ice cream and a latte, and probably grabbed more cake too, hahaha. And that was the finish. A full 2 hours of eating, wow. There's really no other sushi buffet this packed with variety.

What a third visit to Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch made clear

The Nowon branch genuinely satisfies every single time I come. Staff are always kind too. This time in particular, a staff member who looked to be in her 40s or 50s clearing tables was incredibly thorough — wiping spotless, clearing plates immediately, picking up every last crumb off the floor, and doing it all fast. Wow, senior staff are the best. Such great work.

With so many new and upgraded menu items rolling out, I'm 100% coming back again. (Honestly, first visited in May, came back in July, and now August too, haha.)

This is my third visit already, so you can trust it. Great for all kinds of gatherings — dates, family meals out, work dinners, events (private rental available) — come anytime. That's it!

Kuu Kuu Nowon Branch: address, hours and prices

• Address: 6F, 247 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul (lot number: 251-7 Hagye-dong)
• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:30 (last order 20:00) / Sat–Sun 11:00–22:00 (last order 20:30)
• Group seating available, kids' play room, separate men's/women's restrooms, reservations, high chairs, waiting area, Wi-Fi
• Wheelchair-accessible entrance and seating, disabled parking spaces, parking (2 hours free with dining)