Rowoon Shabu Shabu Garden5 – An Affordable All-You-Can-Eat Hot Pot in Seoul

Recently I've been having lunch quite often at Garden5 in Seoul. It's one of those places that doesn't look too special from the outside, but once you start exploring, you realize there are so many restaurants and cafés to choose from. The location is great, the atmosphere is relaxed during weekdays, and it's actually a very convenient place to have lunch.

This time I visited Rowoon Shabu Shabu Garden5, an all-you-can-eat shabu shabu restaurant inside the Garden5 complex. The restaurant is located on the 7th floor of the NC Department Store Fashion Hall, only a short walk from Jangji Station Exit 4. It's surprisingly easy to get to, which makes it a nice stop if you're exploring the southeastern side of Seoul.

**Location**

Rowoon Shabu Shabu Garden5 is located inside the NC Department Store Fashion Hall at Garden5.

- Address: 7F, NC Department Store Fashion Hall, 66 Chungmin-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul

- Nearest Station: Jangji Station Exit 4 (about 2 minutes walk)

- Opening Hours: 11:00 – 21:00 daily

Parking is convenient if you drive. Use the Garden5 Life Building parking gates 1 or 2. Up to 4 hours of free parking is provided with a receipt.

**Weekday Lunch – Great Value**

One of the biggest reasons people come here is the price. Weekday lunch is 19,900 KRW per person, which is quite reasonable for an all-you-can-eat hot pot buffet in Seoul. Dinner and weekends are a bit more expensive, so if you can visit during lunch hours, that's definitely the best deal.

Even though we went on a weekday, there were already quite a lot of people around. We started eating around 11 AM, and by noon the restaurant was almost full with groups and office workers. If you're planning to visit around lunch time, making a reservation is a good idea.

**First Step: Build Your Own Hot Pot**

The restaurant layout is simple. The salad bar is in the middle, and the seating areas are divided into several sections. After paying, the staff guide you to your assigned table. From there, everything is self-serve.

One thing I liked is that you can choose different broths. Options usually include vegetable broth, spicy broth, mala broth, kombu broth, and sometimes seasonal flavors. We tried the vegetable mushroom broth and the minari beef broth, and both were surprisingly good.

**Fresh Vegetables (and Some Unique Ones)**

The vegetable station has all the usual hot pot ingredients — cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, potatoes, pumpkin and more. But what caught my attention were minari (Korean water parsley) and crown daisy leaves. I don't often see these at buffet-style shabu shabu restaurants, and they add a really nice fresh aroma to the soup.

**The Meat Was Better Than Expected**

The meat selection includes Australian beef slices, American beef brisket, and Korean pork shoulder. Honestly, the pork was the surprise winner. It was incredibly tender and flavorful. I expected the beef to be the highlight, but we ended up eating quite a lot of the pork.

**Surprisingly Large Buffet Selection**

Rowoon isn't just about hot pot. The buffet section has a lot of additional dishes. You'll find things like japchae (Korean glass noodles), tteokbokki, fried potatoes, mushroom sweet-and-sour, cold spicy noodles, pasta and salads, rice and soups. I personally love japchae, and the one here was actually really good — lightly seasoned but very tasty.

**Fun Drinks and Dessert**

There are several zero-sugar drinks, and one fun thing we tried was mixing them. My friend recommended mixing Zero Sprite with plum mint green tea, roughly a 2:1 ratio. It sounds a little strange, but it was refreshing and helped balance the richness of the meat.

For dessert, there are fruits, cakes, waffles, and ice cream. The waffle machine is fun — just use one cup of batter and cook for about two minutes for best results.

**Final Thoughts**

This was actually my first time visiting Rowoon Shabu Shabu, and I was pleasantly surprised. For the price, the variety of food is impressive, the ingredients are fresh, and the restaurant is clean and comfortable. It's one of those places where you can eat slowly, try many different things, and just enjoy the meal.

If you're visiting Seoul and looking for a casual all-you-can-eat Korean hot pot restaurant, this place is definitely worth checking out. The weekday lunch price of 19,900 KRW is a real bargain for the quality and variety on offer. I can easily see myself coming back here again for another relaxed weekday lunch.