Diet food restaurant near COEX, Seoul: high-protein pasta at Prefers

These days when you try to grab a meal outside, there are so many delicious options, but if you actually want something with decent protein that doesn't feel like a burden, the choices shrink surprisingly fast haha. Especially around Samseong Station or COEX, there are so many restaurants that it's almost harder to decide what to eat lol.

This time I visited Prefers Diet Food Samseong, which seemed like a good option for exactly that kind of day. Even though "diet food" is right there in the name, it didn't feel like just eating salad — it was a filling meal with rice or pasta plus a proper serving of meat haha. We ordered the beef cheongyang perilla oil pasta and the chicken curry rice bowl, and both tasted pretty good on their own merits rather than feeling like "diet food," so we left satisfied lol.

Where is Prefers Diet Food Samseong, and when is it open?

Prefers Samseong is located at 33 Teheran-ro 87-gil, 1F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul according to its official account, and it's easy to access from the Samseong Station and COEX area. The official account lists hours as daily from 9 AM to 9 PM.

As you can see in the photos, it's near Hyundai Department Store Trade Center branch and Hyundai Duty Free, so it's a good spot if you're shopping or working near Samseong Station and need a meal. There are so many office workers around Samseong Station that I imagine plenty of people are looking for healthy, solo-dining-friendly meals on weekday lunches, and Prefers' menu lineup seemed to fit that demand well haha.

Inside Prefers Diet Food Samseong: wide and clean

The moment I walked in, I was a bit surprised at how spacious it was — bigger than I expected. The overall look is white and light wood tones with Prefers' signature green as an accent, giving it a really fresh atmosphere haha. You'd normally think of diet lunchbox or salad specialty shops as small, takeout-focused places, but the Samseong branch has plenty of seating for a comfortable sit-down meal lol.

A long row of sofa seating runs along one wall, with several 2-person tables in the middle. A large Preppers logo is on the wall, giving the whole interior a clean, put-together feel haha.

Bar seats for solo diners near Samseong Station

On the other side, there's bar-style seating that's convenient if you're dining alone. It looked like a good option for Samseong Station office workers to eat quickly by themselves during lunch lol. The lighting was quite bright and the tables weren't crammed together, so the overall dining atmosphere was pleasant.

Ordering at the kiosk at Prefers Samseong

You order using the kiosk set up in the store. Prefers has a surprisingly wide variety of menu items, from plates to rice bowls to salad pastas haha.

Looking at the brand's official menu, there's the beef cheongyang perilla oil pasta along with chicken salad pasta, beef salad pasta, beef wasabi rice bowl, chicken teriyaki rice bowl, beef curry rice bowl, chicken curry rice bowl, and more. If you're dieting and eat nothing but chicken breast and salad every single time, you get sick of it within a few days lol. Here, even though it's the same protein-focused eating, having pasta, curry, and rice bowl options makes it much easier to rotate meals while managing your diet haha.

What we ordered that day was

• Beef Cheongyang Perilla Oil Pasta ₩14,900
• Chicken Curry Rice Bowl ₩10,900

these two items. The total came to ₩25,800 lol.

Beef cheongyang perilla oil pasta, 14,900 won

The first thing that caught my eye was the beef cheongyang perilla oil pasta. It comes out in a wide stainless bowl with pasta topped neatly with large-cut pieces of beef haha. On one side there's a generous pile of vegetables, plus plenty of seaweed flakes and perilla seeds, so visually it was completely different from your typical cream or tomato pasta.

According to the official menu, the beef cheongyang perilla oil pasta contains 51g of protein. Being able to get over 50g of protein in one dish is quite appealing for anyone balancing workouts and meals haha.

The beef wasn't just a token garnish either — it covered a good portion of the noodles, so there was a decent amount lol. Taking a bite, the meat wasn't tough at all, it was tender, and eating it together with the noodles naturally added a savory depth.

What was most interesting about this dish was definitely the combination of cheongyang chili and perilla oil haha. The nutty aroma of perilla oil hits first, then the sharp kick of cheongyang chili comes in behind it, so it wasn't as heavy or greasy as I expected lol. On top of that, the crunchy pop of perilla seeds and the salty aroma of seaweed made it feel quite Korean in character. Mixing all the ingredients together let me eat noodles, vegetables, and meat all at once, which personally felt much more filling than just eating plain pasta haha. If you were expecting the usual bland taste of diet food, this dish would be a pretty pleasant surprise lol.

Chicken curry rice bowl, 10,900 won

The second dish was the chicken curry rice bowl. The price at the kiosk when I visited was ₩10,900. It comes in a large plate with a generous layer of curry sauce, black rice in the middle, and a heap of chicken breast piled on top haha.

Vegetables like broccoli and bell pepper come alongside it, so the colors looked quite nice lol. I liked that it wasn't just curry by itself — you get carbs, protein, and vegetables all on one plate. Prefers' official menu also introduces the chicken curry rice bowl as a protein-focused BOWL item, with 44g of protein listed.

Worth eating even if you are not on a diet

Eating both dishes together made Prefers' strengths a bit clearer to me. Rather than the typical diet meal of just piles of vegetables, this felt like a meal that covers carbs and protein together while still keeping the taste reasonably good haha. In particular, the beef cheongyang perilla oil pasta is worth trying if it's your first visit to Prefers lol.

Putting familiar ingredients like perilla oil and cheongyang chili into pasta turned out more natural than I expected, and the amount of beef was quite generous. The chicken curry rice bowl was a more familiar, comfortable choice to eat haha. If the pasta is the slightly unique option, the curry bowl is closer to a low-risk, filling choice lol.

Review event: a free drink or egg

At the time of my visit, the store was also running a review event. Leaving a Naver or Google review got you the choice of a zero-calorie drink or an egg haha. If you were planning to have a drink or an egg with your meal anyway, it seemed worth taking part lol. Event details may change over time, so it's worth checking the in-store signage when you visit.

A healthy lunch near Samseong Station and COEX

Personally, Prefers Samseong felt less like a place only for people on a strict diet and more like a good choice when you want a clean, balanced meal near Samseong Station. The space is spacious and bright, so it's easy to dine solo, and with so many menu options, it's also good to go with a group since everyone can pick according to their own taste haha. The brand frames its menu around the idea that "eating healthy doesn't mean giving up on taste," and after actually eating there, I could see where that concept was coming from.

If you love pasta like me but still want to get in some protein, the beef cheongyang perilla oil pasta will suit you, and if you want something a bit more filling and familiar, the chicken curry rice bowl is a good fit haha. It's especially worth a visit if you're looking for a place to eat near Samseong Station after working out, or if you're an office worker who finds heavy lunches every day a bit much lol. Next time I'd like to try the beef wasabi rice bowl or one of the other salad pastas.