Shabu-shabu restaurant in Seohae: weekday lunch at Shabuway

The weather has finally started to warm up, so my girlfriend and I went on a weekday lunch date for a change of pace. We debated where to go, then heard that a proper new shabu-shabu spot had opened in Cheongna, so we hopped in the car right away haha. Let me tell you about the meal where we seriously ate until we were bursting!

An upscale shabu-shabu space in Cheongna

The interior is so pretty, and the atmosphere is truly a work of art 👍

The place we visited is on the second floor of Ruwon Top Plaza. It is also an easy walk for anyone looking for shabu-shabu near Gajeong Station. We parked in the building's underground garage and received two hours of free parking, so we headed upstairs without a worry. Hours are daily from 11:30 to 22:00, and there is a weekday break time!

The moment we opened the door and walked in, I thought we had stepped into an art gallery lol. The interior was incredibly upscale—pure luxury from the lighting to the floors! The space is huge and wonderfully open. There are also well-appointed private rooms, so I immediately thought it would be perfect for family meals or group gatherings.

The weekday lunch special and two broths

Weekday lunch, dinner, and weekend prices are all different here! We chose the weekday lunch special at ₩18,000 per person. It includes 180 g of prime beef chuck roll, plus unlimited refills of the salad bar, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), and juk (rice porridge) lol. For a shabu-shabu restaurant in Cheongna, that value feels seriously next-level!

We could choose two broth flavors, so we went with the original broth and the spicy one.

Prime chuck roll and a generous salad bar

After ordering and waiting a little, the star of the show—the prime chuck roll—arrived. I gasped the moment the meat came out. Drool! Its bright-red color was so gorgeous that I felt like I had suddenly landed in Japan lol. The meat quality was so good that I had to approve it as a great shabu-shabu spot in Incheon. It looks like Korean beef, that color!!!!! You know I'm a total meat lover haha.

Then we made a beeline for the salad bar, and honestly, it was much better than many buffets. There was everything from mala xiang guo to crispy sweet-and-sour pork, chicken, ratatouille, and pasta! There was also a huge variety of fresh vegetables and mushrooms for the shabu-shabu, plus sauces to choose according to your taste, which made it so fun to mix and match. The vegetable section felt wonderfully fresh and was perfect for a restaurant in Cheongna's Ruwon City.

Finishing our lunch date with Vietnamese rice-paper wraps

We piled fresh vegetables onto rice paper, added tender cooked beef, and wrapped it all up for Vietnamese rice-paper wraps—absolutely delicious ㅠㅠ Soft drinks are unlimited as standard, and for just ₩5,000 extra, draft beer is unlimited too! We ate so much meat and hot food that I thought my stomach might burst lol. Sadly, we could not manage the kalguksu or juk, but we finished neatly with sweet ice cream to cleanse the palate.

From the atmosphere and food to the value, everything about the day was exactly to my liking. Being able to enjoy high-quality meat and such a generous salad bar together means I will absolutely be back again soon 💕 It was such a filling, happy meal!