Alright, here’s your post transformed into a bright, chatty, well traveled hotel review vibe like a seasoned, cheerful traveler sharing her honest take:
I finally checked out the weekday lunch buffet at The Garden Kitchen at The Riverside Hotel yes, that place everyone keeps calling a hidden “great value” gem and here’s my honest review after experiencing it firsthand.
I’m breaking down everything: value for money, food quality, and overall atmosphere so if you’re planning a visit, you might want to read this first!
Looking for a reasonably priced hotel buffet in Seoul? Well… after trying this one, I totally get why people debate whether it’s worth a revisit. Let’s get into it drumroll please.
📍 Location & Basics – https://naver.me/F9NrQevI
The Garden Kitchen is located near Sinsa Station, right by the southern end of Hannam Bridge.
👉 It’s about a 1 minute walk (around 100 meters) from Exit 5 of Sinsa Station super easy to find.
- Parking? Of course available.
- Group dining? Yep,tables for 8+ and private rooms can be reserved.
Important tip:
If you book through Naver, you get a 10% discount (don’t skip this!).
- Weekday Lunch: ₩68,000
- Dinner / Weekend: ₩93,000
Lunch includes unlimited sparkling wine,
and dinner offers unlimited wine and beer so it’s actually a pretty popular spot for group dinners or company gatherings.
💬 Let’s start with the conclusion (because I’m that kind of person)
✔️ My Overall Take (with real thoughts)
Lunch and dinner menus are different.
I even called ahead and was told dinner includes extra mains like lamb racks, braised ribs, and more seafood options.
But here’s the twist there was lamb at lunch too… except it looked suspiciously like LA galbi. I had a moment of “wait! what?” 😂
🍖 The Biggest Issue: Live BBQ (aka the “main attraction”)
Honestly, this was the weakest part.
1. The waiting situation
Food prep was slow, which meant constant lines.
And personally? I just don’t think you should be lining up at a buffet. That’s kind of the whole point…
2. The serving pace felt.. controlled
With the roast beef and LA galbi, it honestly felt like the chefs were intentionally slowing down slicing and serving.
Not a skill issue more like a strategy.
But here’s the thing:
If I’m at a hotel buffet, I want to enjoy the main dishes freely. Feeling limited? Not a great experience.
3. Flavor profile
A lot of the marinades leaned quite sweet almost like side dishes rather than proper mains.
The LA galbi itself? Great cut, thick, super tender.
But the sweetness kind of masked its quality, which was a shame.
4. Location of the BBQ station
It was tucked way in the back, almost hidden.
Although I guess this might feel different depending on where you’re seated 😄
🍽️ Other Food Sections
Variety wise?
There’s a good mix of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes so it’s actually a fun place to visit, especially with kids.
🍕 Italian (Surprisingly Good!)
The pizza and pasta were standout items.
They proudly mentioned their wood fired pizza, which is apparently rare for hotel buffets in Korea—and honestly, it was delicious.
But for me, the real winner?
👉 The abalone truffle pasta so good.
🍣 Japanese
Limited selection, and overall not particularly memorable in terms of quality or scale.
🥡 Chinese
There was decent variety, but the flavors were quite strong too salty and intense for buffet-style dining.
The chicken wings, in particular… wow. My tongue was not okay 😅
Maybe they’d work better as a standalone dish, but in a buffet setting? A bit overwhelming.
🧾 Final Thoughts
If you’re someone who doesn’t mind slower access to the main meat dishes,
👉 then yes it might be worth visiting once for the price.
I had seen so many positive reviews before going, which really made me realize how subjective buffet experiences can be.
For me?
I’d say it was “decent for the price,” but not somewhere I’d rush back to.
😅 Real life moment…
The teenagers in our group who usually demolish two steaks each at steakhouses
only had a plate or two here… and then stopped eating.
So yeah… for our group, it definitely didn’t feel like a “great value” meal.
a little heartbreaking, honestly.
Below is the detailed review 👇
You can also get made-to-order dishes like pho, udon, mala tang, cold noodles, and jajangmyeon.
Bouillabaisse maison, made with fish, shrimp, and shellfish.
Three varieties of wood fired pizza and every single one was delicious.
At the live pasta station, they offer four options including abalone truffle and ragù truffle and I really enjoyed how rich and aromatic the truffle flavors were. The dishes had a lovely, creamy depth that felt quite indulgent.
The crispy seaweed topping they added was an interesting touch and actually paired nicely, but I do think dialing down a bit of the sweetness and saltiness would make it complement the pasta even better.
Roast Beef – This is exactly how it was served the entire time… four slices on a plate. Four. 😂 Honestly, even in a full on rationing scenario, you’d expect more than that.
My kids actually love roast beef, but the line took so long that they ended up giving up before getting any. When I called ahead, I was told lunch would include LA galbi and steak well… I guess this was the “steak.”
Marinated raw crab (spicy) and soy sauce marinated crab.
A variety of Korean side dishes, including yukhoe and different kinds of kimchi.
Sashimi – salmon, mullet, tuna : the mullet was surprisingly fresh and stood out in terms of quality.
The dessert selection was quite extensive tiramisu, cakes, and more but the overall quality was just average. The gelato, however, was definitely a highlight.