Beef and pork shabu-shabu with mushroom-mala broth in Seohae: Shabuway

All-you-can-eat shabu-shabu, but prime beef?

Going to a shabu-shabu buffet always brings the same worry. You can eat as much vegetables and salad bar as you like, but the meat — the whole point — often disappoints. This time, though, Shabuway, a spot I found in Cheongna, was different from the start. They use prime-grade American beef, and I thought "really, for an all-you-can-eat place?" But after trying it myself — just a few swishes of thinly sliced meat through the broth — it wasn't tough at all, actually quite tender.

What do you get for ₩24,900 per person?

₩24,900 per person. Along with the meat, it includes rice paper wraps, various vegetables, noodles, buffet food, and even dessert, so the overall package was better than expected. And the atmosphere when I walked in was great too — the first impression was closer to a well-decorated hotel buffet than a typical all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu joint. If you're looking for a family dinner spot or a lunch gathering place in Cheongna, this one's worth a look.

A spacious, upscale space good for gatherings

The first thing I noticed walking in was how spacious the interior was. Tables weren't crammed together, so it was easy to move around — which matters a lot at a buffet where you're constantly walking back and forth for food.

The overall interior was quite upscale too. There was an arched entrance and seating divided by partitions, so even with a larger group you could still eat somewhat privately. It would suit a quiet family meal, a visit with parents, or a bigger group gathering equally well. So if you're looking for a private-room-style restaurant or a group dining spot in Cheongna, this could make the list.

At a shabu-shabu spot in Seohae, the meat is still the point

No matter how good the salad bar is, meat is still the star of shabu-shabu. At Shabuway, you can try three kinds — beef chuck roll, beef short plate, and pork neck — evenly. What stood out most was that the meat comes chilled, not frozen. It's laid out neatly, and just looking at it, the condition seemed good.

You can choose from mushroom, spicy, mala, or sukiyaki broth depending on your taste. We picked mushroom and mala. The sauce bar is fun too — soy sauce, peanut, chili, sesame, and more, so you can mix and match to your liking.

Vegetables, rice paper wraps, and noodles — all you can eat

After ordering the meat, we went straight to exploring the salad bar. There was a wide variety of vegetables good for shabu-shabu — napa cabbage, bok choy, bean sprouts, mushrooms — and everything looked fresh overall. As someone who loves vegetables, this alone made me happy.

What I especially liked was being able to freely grab rice paper wrap ingredients too. Wrapping carrots, cabbage, and other vegetables in rice paper with a piece of beef on top — you could keep eating just this and never get tired of it. There were plenty of noodle options too, like glass noodles and sweet potato starch noodles.

It's a shabu-shabu place, but the buffet food is pretty good too

I knew I shouldn't pile too much on my plate, but after one lap it was already full. There was a wide variety of meal dishes prepared — fried chicken, sweet and sour pork (kkwabaegi-style), stir-fried udon, and more.

I brought some over thinking "well, it's a buffet, might as well try it," without much expectation, but each dish was better than I thought. I even scooped up a bowl of warm cream of mushroom soup — on its own, it felt like a proper meal from a salad bar.

What stood out most was the strong aroma of the perilla oil pasta. The moist pork ribs were good quality too.

But if you eat too much here, there won't be room left for the prime beef, so I'd recommend just tasting a little of everything. I was already getting full by this point.

Trying each meat in mushroom broth versus mala broth

They serve two broths side by side, and we chose mushroom and mala. Getting to enjoy both the light flavor and the fiery kick at once was even more satisfying.

Beef chuck roll

I didn't leave it in the boiling broth long — just enough for the color to change — then dipped it in soy sauce. My first impression was that it was far more tender than expected. In the plain broth, the beef's light, savory flavor came through nicely; in the mala broth, the spicy aroma added a completely different feel. The grain of the meat was visible, but when you actually chewed it, it went down smoothly without any toughness. Meat cooked in the plain broth worked well in rice paper wraps, and meat cooked in the mala broth was great dipped in peanut sauce — a good combination.

Beef short plate

If you want a richer flavor, go for the beef short plate. It's sliced thin, so just a few swishes through the boiling broth cooks it quickly. Once in your mouth, you can clearly taste the savory richness from the fat. I especially liked the combination of mala broth plus beef short plate — the numbing, spicy flavor of the mala was softened nicely by the fat of the short plate, and I kept reaching for more. In the plain broth, on the other hand, you get a clearer taste of the short plate's own savoriness.

Pork neck

Surprisingly, pork neck held its own against the beef. Unlike the fattier beef short plate, it was closer to chewy and light. After eating beef continuously, throwing in some pork neck felt like a nice palate refresher. If you don't prefer fattier cuts, pork neck might suit you better.

Even full, I couldn't skip the porridge

I'd had plenty of meat and gone through the buffet, so I thought that was it... but leaving shabu-shabu without eating the porridge felt like a waste. We left a bit of broth, then slowly simmered in rice, seaweed, and egg. Since the broth had already simmered with meat and various vegetables, it had plenty of savory depth without needing any extra seasoning. As the egg cooked into soft, savory strands, my spoon kept moving even though I was full. I guess you really do need to save a separate stomach for porridge every time you eat shabu-shabu.

A dessert corner that's great to bring kids to

Don't get up just because you're done eating. There's a dessert selection too, from fruit to little garlic bread to ice cream.

Soft drinks are free-flowing, and there's orange juice and plum juice too, which is nice for having options when visiting with kids.

I even grabbed a warm coffee at the end, really eating through to the last minute. I went for lunch, but I ate so much I wasn't even hungry that evening.

A Cheongna restaurant with convenient location and parking

Shabuway is in the heart of the Ruwon City commercial district, so it's easy to get to. If you're driving, you can use the building's basement levels 1–2 parking, or the Ace Tower parking lot in front of the building, so parking wasn't much of a burden.

If you're the type who thinks "I'll just have to compromise on the meat" when choosing an all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu place, Shabuway might feel different. With its spacious, clean interior on top of that, it stuck with me less as just a place to fill up and more as a spot for a family meal or a lunch gathering in Cheongna. Next time, I'll pace myself better and make sure to properly work through the noodles too.