Gangnam Station bistro, crab risotto for seafood avoiders: Eulji Darak

A great place to talk near Gangnam Station: Eulji Darak Gangnam

Eulji Darak Gangnam is a Western restaurant near Gangnam Station where both the vibe and the food were good. When you meet friends in Gangnam or have a wedding invitation meetup, picking a restaurant is surprisingly hard, haha. If it's too loud you can't talk! And if the mood is great but the food disappoints, that's a letdown too... Eulji Darak Gangnam, where I went this time, was satisfying on both counts!

Eulji Darak Gangnam hours and parking

Eulji Darak Gangnam is open daily from 11:30 to 21:15, with last order at 20:30. There's no dedicated parking, so you use the nearby paid Yeoksam Cultural Park Public Parking Lot No. 1 (21 Teheran-ro 7-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul), which reportedly has wide spaces and is easy to park in! They say parking fees aren't covered, haha.

• Opening hours: daily 11:30–21:15
• Last order: 20:30
• Parking: Yeoksam Cultural Park Public Parking Lot No. 1 (paid), parking fees not covered

Eulji Darak Gangnam is right near Gangnam Station, so access is great! You can feel Eulji Darak's signature moody atmosphere from the outside, can't you?

An entrance that opens only when you press the elevator button

The fun part of Eulji Darak Gangnam is the entrance, which you can only get through by pressing the elevator button. It was bewildering and funny, hahaha. The door and the elevator seemed to be swapped, so I was like, what?... and it turned out you had to press the elevator button to get inside..! I burst out laughing before even going in, hahaha!

Eulji Darak Gangnam atmosphere: good for a wedding invitation meetup?

Inside Eulji Darak Gangnam, the soft lighting and white-and-beige wood interior made it easy to talk calmly. Once inside, the lighting was gentle all around and the mood was really nice~ I bet it's even better at night!? The white plus beige wood tones feel comfortable. Gangnam Station is such a busy area with lots of noisy places, but Eulji Darak Gangnam is relatively calm, so it's great for chatting over a meal! There were lots of couples on dates and a few groups of friends. I thought it would also work for a wedding invitation meetup or a small company dinner!

3 signature dishes we ordered at Eulji Darak Gangnam

At Eulji Darak Gangnam, we ordered three signature dishes: Darak Omurice, Darak Rose Pasta and Spicy Crab Risotto!

At Eulji Darak Gangnam you call staff by ringing a bell on the table instead of pressing a buzzer. There was a little bell on the table, and that's what it was for!!! Ringing a bell instead of a buzzer was fun, haha.

They set out the cutlery and small plates for us first, and it all felt so neat that I was in a good mood before even eating^~^

These are the 3 dishes we ordered! The one I was looking forward to most was the Darak Omurice, haha. Doesn't it look great? All three looked so good that I took photos the moment they arrived, hahaha.

Darak Omurice: sliced open at your table

Eulji Darak's Darak Omurice (omelet rice) pairs a soft Japanese-style omelet with European-style fried rice, and after you take photos, a staff member slices it open at your table. This was the first dish out! After the photo, they cut the "belly" open so it's easy to eat, and the little performance was great, haha. When you slice omurice like that, the runny egg spreads out, and it looks amazing already.. With slightly undercooked egg like that you might worry about an eggy smell~; but Eulji Darak's Darak Omurice has none of that, haha. The soft egg with fluffy fried rice was a satisfying combo ❤️

Darak Rose Pasta: a rich meat-sauce rose you mix yourself

Eulji Darak's Darak Rose Pasta is a pasta where you mix the meat sauce, fresh cream and Grana Padano cheese yourself, with a rich flavor that ends in a little heat. The juicy meat sauce, fresh cream and Grana Padano came together for a rich flavor, hahaha. And you don't just eat it as is, they mix it all up for you! Mixing is fun too~ It starts out smooth and then a slight spiciness comes up, so I kept reaching for more, haha. So my taste ❤️

Spicy Crab Risotto: a hit even for someone who can't eat seafood

Eulji Darak's Spicy Crab Risotto is a risotto with vegetables stir-fried in chili oil and crab meat, and it was the most memorable dish of this visit for me personally. It has more flavor than an ordinary risotto!!! The nuttiness and spiciness balance nicely, so it isn't heavy, haha. And.... above all.... I can't eat seafood at all, because it tastes fishy to me ㅠ But in Eulji Darak's Spicy Crab Risotto the crab was so, so delicious ㅠ I loved it.

The full spread!

Is Eulji Darak Gangnam worth going back to?

At Eulji Darak Gangnam, the food was so good we cleared all three plates, and the atmosphere naturally stretched out our meal. We were talking nonstop and before I knew it every plate was empty, hahaha. Good food in a space with a lovely mood, so the meal naturally went long~!! If you're looking for a place with a nice atmosphere near Gangnam Station, Eulji Darak Gangnam should be a very satisfying choice!!❤️