Potato half-and-half and white ragu at a Gwangalli pizzeria: Extra

Extra Mile is a place I go back to pretty often when I'm craving pizza in Gwangalli. It's not just somewhere I tried once and thought was decent — it's the place that naturally comes to mind whenever I want pizza. I have a menu item I really love here, so when I'm deciding with friends, I tend to quietly steer the conversation toward Extra Mile. Out of all the Gwangalli pizza places I know, this is one I've been back to the most, so this visit felt familiar too.

What time does Extra Mile open, and how busy is it?

Extra Mile opens at 11am, and if you're even a little slow to get moving, seats fill up fast. Every time I've gone, people keep steadily streaming in, so on days I want to eat without waiting, I feel much more at ease showing up right at opening. I once told myself 'it's lunchtime, no rush' and showed up to a completely full place, so now I try not to be too late.

A white building with wood framing in a Gwangalli alley

The exterior is a white building with black railings and wood-framed windows, so it stands out fairly well even in the middle of the alley. Near the entrance there's a blue plate-shaped sign, and you can check the menu just below it. Rather than feeling heavily decorated from the outside, the overall vibe was clean and centered around white and wood tones.

Extra Mile's open kitchen and seating layout

Step inside and the same wood tones from the exterior continue. Wood is used extensively across the ceiling, walls, and tables, and a big window lets in light that keeps the whole space bright. On one side, a long open kitchen sits in view, so you can naturally watch the food being prepared. Right in front of the kitchen there are seats where you sit side by side, and further in there are regular tables and bench seating — the seating variety was more than I expected.

My age is showing in how much fun I had coloring... this is just who I am now.........

What you get with the 42,000 won Classic Combo

I ordered the Classic Combo. It's a set for two that comes with one pizza and one pasta for ₩42,000. Since half-and-half pizza is possible, I picked hot honey pepperoni and potato split down the middle to match my friend's taste too, and ordered white ragu for the pasta.

The visuals here are always so good. It's wild how the pizza alone looks incredibly delicious just to look at. You can practically feel the crunch without even eating it...

Hot honey pepperoni and potato, half and half

On the hot honey pepperoni side, pickled chilies peeked out between the pepperoni and cheese, with mascarpone and ricotta dotted here and there. True to its name, this side looked much richer and more vibrant.

On the potato side, thinly sliced potato was spread wide across the top, with thin fried potato strands and toppings added in the center. Same pizza, but one half was densely topped while the other showed off the shape and texture of the potato itself — switching back and forth between them was genuinely fun. My favorite is definitely the potato side. The staff even mentioned that potato pizza is better eaten by hand than cut with a knife.

Why the potato pizza is easier to eat by hand

When I actually picked up a slice, holding it in my hands turned out to be much easier for getting the thin potato slices and the center toppings all in one bite. I tried to be neat about it with a fork and knife, but ended up just grabbing it with my hands anyway. This potato pizza is genuinely one of my favorite items at Extra Mile. This time I went half-and-half because of my friend, but personally, next time I'd rather order a whole pie of just potato. I've had it many times now, and I still can't easily skip potato when picking a pizza. Looking at just half a pizza this time, I kind of wish I'd pushed harder for it when ordering.

White ragu pasta with beef and pork

The white ragu pasta came with wide, wavy-edged noodles thoroughly coated in sauce and minced meat. The menu said it includes beef, pork, Reggiano cheese, and parsley, and there was a generous amount of cheese grated on top as well. Rather than sitting in a pool of sauce, it looked more like the sauce and meat were thickly clinging to the noodles. Eating the pasta alongside the pizza made the whole meal feel much more comfortable than sticking to just one dish — the set for two really worked in its favor.

Why Extra Mile is worth returning to for Gwangalli pizza

When I want Gwangalli pizza, Extra Mile is a place I turn to pretty often. Ordering the set makes it easy to have pizza and pasta together, and since half-and-half pizza is an option, it's never hard to pick a menu even with friends who have different tastes. Next time, though, I'm definitely upping my potato ratio ♥