Sejong Italian restaurant, tablet-ordered set for two: Olivus Compagno

I was craving pasta or pizza in Sejong and looked around, and this time I ended up at Olivus Compagno, a well-known spot in Boram-dong. The wine-colored exterior stands out from outside, and I noticed Blue Ribbon Survey 2025·2026 stickers on the entrance.

It's a casual Italian restaurant mainly serving pasta and pizza, and to cut to the chase — the main dishes were good, but the potato soup that came out first was way better than I expected. And the fruit on top of the pizza, which I thought was apple at first, turned out to be pear. The pear-and-cheese combo worked surprisingly well, so the pizza stuck with me too.

The wine-colored storefront that stands out in Boram-dong

Olivus Compagno Sejong Boram Branch is near Sejong City Hall. There's a big deep wine-colored 'OLLI BOOTH COMPAGNO' sign, so it wasn't hard to find even on my first visit. From outside it looked like a somewhat quiet restaurant, but stepping inside, the atmosphere was more relaxed than I expected.

The ceilings were high and the tables weren't crammed together, and the wood-toned furniture mixed with wine-colored accents made me think it'd be a decent Sejong date spot too. It didn't feel like a stuffy formal restaurant, so it seemed like a comfortable place to drop by whenever you're craving pasta or pizza.

Why we ordered the 50,700-won set for two

You order through the tablet on the table. Instead of ordering several dishes separately, we went with the two-person set. At the time of our visit, the tablet showed the set at ₩50,700, and some menu selections came with extra charges.

The potato soup was the surprise favorite of the meal

First up was the potato soup and baguette. Honestly, since it was just the soup included in the set, I didn't expect much at first, but it was really good. A smooth, savory potato soup that wasn't heavy or greasy. Taking that first warm spoonful really woke up my appetite.

I especially liked dunking the toasted baguette into the potato soup. The bread soaks up the soup and softens while still keeping some of that toasted crust texture, which made it way better than eating the soup alone. It's the kind of item in a set you might overlook, but honestly, the potato soup was one of the most memorable things I ate that day.

Aglio olio with real garlic aroma

The moment the plate arrived, I could see the pasta was loaded with garlic — very Korean-style. The oil coated the noodles well, and the distinct garlic aroma gave it a savory, fragrant first bite.

Cherry tomatoes added a fresh burst here and there, and eating it with arugula helped cut through the richness of the oil pasta. If you like garlic, this style would satisfy you.

Since the pizza had cheese and leaned a bit rich, I liked pairing it with this oil-based pasta. Taking a bite of pizza, then a bite of pasta, meant the flavors never overlapped, so I could keep eating without getting tired of either.

Gorgonzola pizza made better by the pear on top

For pizza, I picked the cinnamon pear gorgonzola. Regular gorgonzola pizza can sometimes taste a bit one-note, centered on the cheese's savory saltiness, but this one had pear on top too, making the flavor much richer. The cheese's deep flavor was joined by the pear's subtle sweetness, with a refreshing note coming through here and there — each bite tasted more alive than the last.

The pear especially paired with the cheese better than I expected. The gorgonzola's signature savoriness stayed intact, while the pear added a sweet, fresh note that made it taste better than a regular gorgonzola pizza to me. Personally, this was one of the most memorable dishes I had that day. I preferred this kind of pizza with fruit adding variety over a pizza that's all rich cheese.

How well does the set for two work as a combination?

What I liked about this two-person set was that each dish went in a different flavor direction. Starting with the smooth, savory potato soup, moving to pasta with vivid garlic aroma, and finishing with a sweet-savory pizza combo of cheese and pear — the flavors kept shifting throughout the meal. So on days when you want both pasta and pizza, the two-person set is a pretty solid choice.

In the end, we cleaned our plates haha. There's a lot on the menu so it can be hard to decide on a first visit, but if you want to try both pasta and pizza like I did, it's worth checking out the sets first.

Would I go back to Olivus Compagno?

If I go back, I'd definitely order the potato soup again. That smooth, savory taste from dunking the baguette stuck with me more than I expected. And if you want something different from the usual gorgonzola pizza, the cinnamon pear gorgonzola pizza with pear on top was pretty good too.

If you're looking for a place in Sejong to have pasta and pizza together, without too heavy an atmosphere, this Boram-dong spot is worth a look.

Hours, parking and other visit info

• Olivus Compagno Sejong Boram Branch / 127 Sicheongdae-ro, 1st floor, units 117-119, Sejong, South Korea
• Hours 11:00–20:30
• Break time 15:00–17:00
• Last order 14:20 / 19:50
• Parking available, reservations available, high chairs available