Dracula-themed squid ink risotto date at Romaok Magok, Gangseo

A date-course recommendation for Magoknaru — my review of Romaok Magok! 🤍

• 📍 Location: Romaok, 136 Magokjungang-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, 3F LG Art Center Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00-21:30 (break time: 15:00-17:00, last order 14:00, 20:30)
• 🅿️ Parking: LG Art Center underground parking (paid) / 2 hours free + 50% discount with a store visit
• 🚻 Restroom: Shared restroom in the building

Where is Romaok Magok?

A review of a Magok restaurant, Romaok at LG Art Center!

Hi, this is Meo-Meokneyang! 🪽 I was looking for a good date spot around Magok lately and ended up at Romaok Magok, an Italian restaurant well known as a Magoknaru favorite! ♡ It seemed like a great place to stop by while dating near Seoul Botanic Park and LG Art Center, or for a meal before or after a show haha ,, Romaok is even on the Magok Blue Ribbon restaurant list, so I went in with high expectations 😲 Let me introduce it one thing at a time!

The vibe of the space and the signature lounge table

Walking in, you can really tell the interior was put together with care! In particular, the signature lounge table in the middle is beautifully decorated, so it caught my eye ,, 🥹 I imagine it'd feel amazing on a date, sitting side by side with your boyfriend 🤭 Overall it has a cozy yet sophisticated feel, and I'd say it ranks near the top for atmosphere among Magok restaurants ♡ (///)!

The tableware was also neatly arranged, giving off that 'oh, I've come to a nice restaurant' feeling ••• ꩜~

What we ordered at Romaok Magok and the prices

There's a really wide variety on the menu, and this time we ordered

• Eclipse squid ink risotto ₩25,000
• Abalone geou pasta ₩26,000
• Sangria ₩8,500

That's what we ordered! We also joined the Naver receipt review event and got a free zero-sugar cola (♡)

Interestingly, you can ask them to adjust the seasoning on the dishes! I was worried the food might be a bit too salty ••• but I actually loved it as-is, so unless you have a specific reason, I think it's fine to eat it without any adjustment >_< 🤤👍🏻!

The drink selection was really varied too! I especially liked how many alcoholic options there were, and I tried sangria for the first time 🫶🏻

Focaccia bread and sangria before the meal

Once you sit down, they bring out focaccia as a pre-meal bread, and it was so moist and warm that it was delicious right off the bat! 🥖 Dipping it in the accompanying oil made it even more fragrant and tasty ~ ♡!

This was my first time drinking sangria, and it was sweeter than I expected and genuinely delicious 🍷♡!!! It felt like a nice palate refresher whenever my mouth started to feel a bit heavy from the squid ink risotto and abalone pasta, so it paired really well with the food ~ 😉

Eclipse squid ink risotto: the Dracula collaboration plating

Since the Eclipse squid ink risotto is part of a Dracula collaboration menu, the sauce is plated in a coffin shape, which I thought was super creative and loved ••• haha 😅 The texture of the risotto was slightly different from the risotto I usually eat, but that had its own charm! The squid on top also went really well with it ⸝⸝◜࿀◝⸝⸝ Just one warning — do not laugh after a bite ••• your mouth and teeth turn completely black 😂

How was the abalone geou pasta?

The abalone geou pasta had a whole, well-cooked and chewy abalone (jeonbok, whole abalone) on top, which was satisfying just to look at! The geou (abalone liver/roe) sauce was rich and delicious, and it blended really well with the pasta noodles 💚 Personally, this was my favorite dish of everything we ate that day ㅇ3ㅇ~!!

On the day we visited, the Dracula musical was playing in the same building, and there was an event offering a discount on dessert if you brought your same-day show ticket! 🎫 If you're there to see the show, it's worth keeping in mind!!

Final verdict

Romaok Magok has a lovely space, and the seats at the signature lounge table in particular are great for setting the mood ♡ If you're looking for a restaurant near Seoul Botanic Park or LG Art Center, this would make a fine date spot in the area, and it's worth adding to your Magoknaru restaurant list! I'd recommend this Magok restaurant to anyone on a special-occasion date or anyone wanting to eat somewhere with a nice atmosphere before or after a show (ˊσ̴̶̷̤⌄σ̴̶̷̤ˋ).♡*.