Open-kitchen restaurant near Wangsimni CGV: bar-seat date at Ryuun

Today I'm sharing my visit to Ryuun (류운), a Wangsimni Station restaurant that's quietly getting talked about lately ✨ I went on a weekend evening with my boyfriend, after searching for somewhere good near Wangsimni CGV, and it was seriously amazing. It's a perfect Wangsimni date spot, so I really wanted to introduce it to you all :)

Where is Ryuun? Hours and parking

Ryuun is at 2-1 Haengdang-ro 13-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the first floor, about a 7-minute walk from Exit 10 of Wangsimni Station. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 17:00–24:00, and closed every Monday.

• Address: 2-1 Haengdang-ro 13-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st floor)
• Location: about a 7-minute walk from Exit 10 of Wangsimni Station
• Hours: Tue–Sun 17:00–24:00 / Closed: every Monday
• Reservations: available (Naver reservation recommended)
• Parking: no dedicated parking; nearby public car parks available

Parking at Ryuun is tricky, so we left the car at a nearby public car park. I heard it's a fusion restaurant with a touch of Michelin experience, so I went in with big expectations!

Ryuun's atmosphere: good for dates and blind dates?

Inside, Ryuun feels like a wine bar with softly dimmed lighting, and there were lots of couples. The space is really stylish, not what you'd expect from a Haengdang-dong restaurant. It has a properly moody Wangsimni wine bar vibe ✨ Delicious smells drifted over and my expectations doubled...😍 The atmosphere is also a perfect fit for a Wangsimni blind date spot🥰

Bar seats, tables and the open kitchen

Seating at Ryuun comes in two types, dachi (bar counter) seats and tables, so you can choose to your taste. We sat at the bar, and because the kitchen is open, we could watch the cooking right in front of us.

What kind of place is Ryuun?

Ryuun is said to be run by a chef who built a career in Hong Kong, Singapore and Guam, as well as in five-star hotels and one- and two-star Michelin restaurants in Korea. It's modern casual dining that blends French technique with seasonal Korean ingredients, and familiar things like doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang (chili paste), gim (seaweed) and oil melt into the dishes in refined ways🤍

What we ordered at Ryuun, and the prices

At Ryuun we ordered the homemade baguette (a small bite), the uni whelk pasta for ₩27,000 and the duck breast steak for ₩34,000.

• Homemade baguette (small bite)
• Uni whelk pasta ₩27,000
• Duck breast steak ₩34,000

Homemade baguette

The homemade baguette came out as a light small bite before the meal, crisp outside and moist inside, and I honestly wanted to just keep eating only this!

Spread with the butter that comes alongside, it tasted like the bread you get before a meal at a fancy hotel..💕 My expectations shot up right from the start :)

Uni whelk pasta (₩27,000)

Ryuun's uni whelk pasta is squid ink pasta topped with uni sauce, crab tomalley sauce, whelk, salmon roe and yuzu ponzu. There's a reason it's known as a Haengdang-dong pasta spot.. the combination is really something, right?😆

It's salty and full of the scent of the sea, and it's so. good. The salmon roe popping in your mouth with the chewy bite of the whelk is a work of art!!!

It's a flavor I've never had anywhere else, and I thought this was the real deal for a Wangsimni wine bar dining menu ✨

Duck breast steak (₩34,000)

Ryuun's duck breast steak is a main of duck breast dry-aged for 48 hours, served with parsnip purée, mandarin sauce and apple compote! There's no gamey duck smell at all, and the skin is grilled crisp, so the contrast with the tender meat is perfect..!

The bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) sauce was the real kick: its sweet-tart flavor brings out the duck's richness, so you keep reaching for more...🤍

Service and drink pairings at Ryuun

The owner of this Wangsimni wine bar was so, so kind, and I loved that. He explained the menu in detail and created a relaxed atmosphere, so we felt good the whole time :) Watching the cooking up close in the open kitchen was a fun, different experience too.

Ryuun also has a good lineup of traditional Korean liquor, cheongju (refined rice wine), yakju (clear rice wine) and fruit wines that won't overpower the aroma of the food, so if you enjoy drinking, it's worth asking for a pairing recommendation!

Would I go back to Ryuun?

For the quality of the menu, Ryuun's prices are reasonable, so I strongly recommend it among Seongdong-gu restaurants if you want a good-value fine dining experience🤍 I'd go back 200%! I found Ryuun by chance while looking for a place near Wangsimni CGV, and I never expected it to be this special. The atmosphere, food and service all satisfied me, so I've saved it as a place to visit again :) If you're still planning a Wangsimni date course, please try Ryuun, the Wangsimni Station restaurant ✨