Autumn fig pizza at Camel Orzo, Italian restaurant in Sangmu, Gwangju

I wanted to treat my sibling, who just came back to Korea after living abroad for a long time, to a really good meal — and Camel Orzo, an Italian dining restaurant in Sangmu, Gwangju, was more than enough for the job. Let me introduce it!

Camel Orzo hours, parking and reservations

Camel Orzo is on the 1st floor of Urban Peak Sangmu on Uncheon-ro in Seo-gu, Gwangju, and it's open 11:00–23:00. Break time runs 15:30–17:00 and last order is 22:30.

• 🗓 11:00–23:00 (break time 15:30–17:00, last order 22:30)
• 🚗 Free 2-hour parking available (Switzen commercial building/Nice Park/Peace Park/*Megabox annex — 1 hour)

Maybe because it was a Friday evening, there was a wait! Since it's listed on Table-ing, I'd recommend booking through the app in advance for popular time slots.

What Camel Orzo looks like inside, and ordering by T-order tablet

The interior is wood-toned, full of pretty chandelier-style lighting, artworks and eye-catching decor pieces ✨️. The moment I walked in, the upscale, cozy atmosphere made me think the food at Camel Orzo had to be amazing :)

You order from the menu via a T-order tablet 👆 — even the signature desserts shown on screen looked so good haha. Seeing the dessert photos reminded me of the maekmundong (lilyturf) plants around Sangmu, and it turns out Camel Orzo is actually meant to embody the final journey of the maekmundong plant!!

What is on the menu at Camel Orzo?

A lot of Western restaurants in Gwangju share the same familiar basics, but Camel Orzo has distinctive dishes you can only find here ☺️👍 Built on the deep expertise of an owner-chef with 25 years of experience, the menu was full of highly polished dishes 👨‍🍳

With a lunch set, happy hour set and dinner course available, anyone who has trouble picking a menu can get a discount while sampling a variety of top-tier dishes!

You can't skip a dish made with fall's seasonal ingredients!! I chose the fig fresco pizza, and my sibling went with the hidden mackerel pasta.

I feel like I'll keep thinking about this hidden mackerel pasta if I leave without eating it.

That's what my sibling said haha.

How does the hidden mackerel pasta (21.5) taste?

Camel Orzo's hidden mackerel pasta is ₩21,500 and only available after 1pm. They say it's a gourmet dish recommended for anyone who wants to try something out of the ordinary 🍝 The combination of tender domestic large mackerel with cool, crisp young radish greens — a pairing I'd never had before, so I was really curious 😋

The staff explained that once the mackerel is well mashed, there's a special broth and extra virgin olive oil underneath, and mixing it all together brings out the best flavor*_*

The seasoning was spot on, with none of the fishy smell you'd expect, and the combination of mackerel, young radish greens, garlic, pasta and sauce was so good! The fish itself has some fattiness that could easily get heavy, but a touch of spiciness balanced it out, so I ate it happily without feeling weighed down. Total thumbs up for this gourmet dish 🍽

Autumn fig fresco pizza (28.6) at Camel Orzo

The fig fresco 🍕 is ₩28,600, topped with fall figs, domestic jambon, tomato confit and ricotta cheese. It's fig season right now! As someone who loves figs way too much, this was a menu I couldn't pass up, and this one pizza is packed with the feeling of fall haha 🍂

They gave us honey and pistachios to dip the pizza in 🍯 I already thought the figs were sweet enough, but dipping it in the sauce definitely bumped up the savory depth even more~~ And the pizza itself was so good, honestly🤤 If you're looking for a great pizza spot in Sangmu, come to Camel Orzo haha.

Isn't this one slice already so generous haha. My sibling and I were supposed to finish the whole pizza together, but we got so full we could only manage two slices each, so we boxed up half the pizza to take home 🤣

Why brunch is next on the list at Camel Orzo

After eating the hidden mackerel pasta and the fig fresco pizza, I naturally started thinking 'I should come back for brunch next time.' Dinner was great, but I imagine visiting during the day would give a completely different, relaxed vibe to enjoy — I'm really looking forward to it!

If you're craving good Western food in a nice atmosphere, or looking for a great date restaurant in Gwangju, definitely give this place a visit — once, twice, maybe even three times 🧡🤎🧡🤎