Dobong pizza bar with loaded pepperoni: Normal Salon

Today I’m sharing my visit to Normal Salon, a Banghak Station pasta spot near my home that had so many genuinely glowing reviews, so we went there for a weekend meal! My very picky mom couldn’t stop praising it, saying it was far tastier than the upscale restaurant we visited last time. A truly great spot.

Normal Salon location and hours

Normal Salon (노말살롱) is at 5-3 Dobong-ro 149-gil, Dobong-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is open Tue–Fri from 17:00 to 24:00 and Sat–Sun from 16:00 to 24:00, and is regularly closed every Monday. There is no dedicated parking.

The weather was so, so nice that day. It was lovely walking along Jungnangcheon Stream on the way over. It is close to Banghak Station’s Homeplus and Daiso. It may look far because it is in a residential neighborhood, but it really was not far at all!

Normal Salon, this pretty Banghak Station pasta spot, is a pizza pub and wine bar, so I thought the atmosphere would be even nicer once it gets dark in the evening.

Private seating and evening atmosphere

One thing I loved about Normal Salon near Banghak Station was how private the interior felt! Some spaces are separated into individual tables, and even the larger areas have only two or three tables, so it was nice to spend time just with your group. We were lucky enough to get a private table too, and it was so comfortable and nice haha.

It was slightly dim inside, and it looked perfect for a date. Exactly the kind of atmosphere that suits pasta and wine from early evening into the night.

We came just for a meal without alcohol, and I liked that you can visit without ordering drinks. Also, the staff welcomed us sooooo kindly!!

What we ordered and prices

• Pepperoni pizza ₩14,000
• Bacon cream risotto ₩13,000
• Steak pasta ₩17,000

I had seen so many posts calling this a great Banghak Station pasta place that I spent ages deciding what to order. The prices were so low overall. When pasta and pizza are cheap, sometimes the restaurant itself has that budget-value kind of feel, you know? But... I was surprised by how kind the prices were. It felt like almost half the price of pasta at other wine bars.!!

We could pick up hot sauce and pickles from the self-service corner. The pickles seemed house-made, with a healthy, refreshing tang!

Pepperoni pizza delicious right to the crust

The pepperoni pizza came out first...!!!! Normal Salon’s manzo pizza is apparently famous, so I considered trying it, but the pepperoni pizza looked delicious too, and after much deliberation I ordered the pepperoni. But really, no regrets at all,,! This really is a great pizza spot near Banghak Station..!!

With pepperoni pizza, plenty of places just put a few slices of pepperoni on top with no other topping and call it a day. But Normal Salon’s was a true pepperoni pizza, packed so densely with pepperoni that you could not see the dough. There was also so much cheese that it stretched endlessly!! The dough had a bit of a wood-fired-pizza feel—soft and chewy, yet baked crisp too. My mom is very particular about that sort of thing, and she really enjoyed it! Who knew even the edge of the crust could be this delicious..!

It was so delicious as soon as it arrived that we started having a slice each, and then the pasta and risotto came out in no time.

Just a little behind-the-scenes proof of the disappearing pizza.. Three dishes like this for just over ₩40,000..!

Steak pasta and bacon cream risotto

The steak pasta, Normal Salon’s signature pasta. I was surprised that it came with quite a lot more steak than expected. Since we could try steak without ordering a separate steak dish, there was no way I could skip it.

We chose one cream dish and one oil-based dish, and it was such an excellent choice! The steak pasta is an oil pasta, but it is lightly spicy and savory, so it went really well with the creamy pasta and risotto. I normally cannot eat much oil pasta when it feels too rich, but this was so good.

The bacon cream risotto smelled so nutty and good the moment it arrived. The rice was cooked just right, and its nutty, slightly sweet flavor went wonderfully with the salty bacon.

There was a generous amount of corn and bacon in every bite. It felt like they did not hold back on ingredients in any of the dishes..

My mom loves mushrooms, and she happily ate it all, saying it was so delicious because there were so many mushrooms! Normal Salon, the Banghak Station pasta spot that completely won over my picky mom! We left super satisfied with its upscale flavor at such friendly prices! The portions were even generous enough that we asked to take the pizza away, and they packed it up so kindly that we left feeling happy!! I never knew a pasta gem like this was hiding in Banghak Station, where I come often—definitely becoming a regular. If you are looking for a Banghak Station pasta spot or wine bar with a great atmosphere, I really recommend visiting at least once.