Rainy-day margherita pizza and chicken thigh steak in Gwangjin

I was craving Western food after a while, so my friend and I headed to Osteria Hyeon, a well-known spot in Gwangjin. It was easy to find, right across from the main gate of Children's Grand Park and in front of Sejong University.

Osteria Hyeon's location and hours

• 📍 Location: 1F, 237 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul / 3-min walk from Children's Grand Park Exit 6
• 🕖 Hours: Closed every Monday, open Tue–Sun 11:00–21:30
• Break time: weekdays 3–5pm, weekends 4–5pm / last order 21:00
• 🅿️ Parking available (first 120 minutes free)

It was drizzling that evening, and somehow the rain made the exterior feel even more atmospheric. I spotted that they serve wood-fired pizza and got so excited I made sure to book ahead on Naver.

They even have a Blue Ribbon award, haha 😮 They've received it for three years running, including this year. My expectations were already high just from the entrance.

A table set with your name on it, if you book ahead

Since I'd made a reservation, my name was right there on the table!!!

The table was set perfectly with my name, a menu, and plates all ready — I thought it'd be a great place to visit for something a bit more formal too :D

Inside the restaurant

The interior had a warm feel, with soft lighting that really drew you in. There were already a lot of people having dinner when we walked in, so I couldn't take too many photos, but as you can see in the photo above, they have group seating too, which makes it perfect for gatherings.

Each table also had its own individual lighting, which made the whole place feel even more upscale. A fancy dinner 🍽️

The weather had cooled down a bit, so it would've been nice to eat outside, but since it was raining, we passed on the terrace this time. Still, now that it's autumn weather, dinner on the outdoor terrace would be so atmospheric and lovely, don't you think? Hahaha

Osteria Hyeon 👍🏻, a go-to for wood-fired pizza. There's a huge wood-fired oven in the kitchen, so you can watch the pizza being made. If there's a wood-fired oven, not ordering the wood-fired pizza would be a betrayal.

Osteria Hyeon's menu and what we ordered

With so many types of pizza, pasta, and grill dishes, my friend and I had a serious deliberation before choosing.

• 🍽️ Margherita pizza ₩28,000
• 🍽️ 1++ Hanwoo bolognese pasta ₩29,000
• 🍽️ Aged chicken thigh steak ₩32,000
• 🍽️ Bundaberg, 2 glasses

The pre-meal bread came out first, served with olives and oil on the side. It was fresh out of the oven, warm and soft — we finished the baguette in no time.

They had a huge variety of alcohol too, but neither of us drinks much, so we went with soft drinks instead. Even the drink menu had so many options that I had trouble deciding.

We ordered Bundaberg grapefruit and mango, haha

Margherita pizza — my best pick

🍽️ Margherita pizza. We were chatting away over the pre-meal bread when the main dishes started arriving one by one! I thought the pizza would come out last, but it was actually first! The rustic, charred look of a wood-fired pizza looked so appetizing.

They even brought three dipping sauces to go with the pizza. I think it was cheese, basil, and one was oil?

Highly recommend the pizza 👍🏻 — you absolutely have to order it. It's a simple margherita with just buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, and fresh basil, but the taste was seriously legit!! Maybe it's because it's wood-fired, but the dough was so nice and chewy, and the tomato sauce was generous too — my friend and I demolished it in no time. My best pick ⭐️⭐️⭐️

How was the aged chicken thigh steak?

🍽️ Aged chicken thigh steak. Four pieces of marinated chicken thigh topped with arugula, in a balsamic-based steak. The portion looked like way too much for two people — I wondered how we'd finish it, but we ended up polishing off almost all of it, haha.

I wasn't sure how a chicken steak would compare to a beef one, but it was so good! It was marinated so the seasoning had really soaked in, and it looked like it had been grilled — crispy outside, tender inside!! Guess that's what a Blue Ribbon place gets you.

Chicken can get dry and hard to finish, but this was moist and tender. I ate it with the arugula underneath, and also dipped it into the pasta sauce we'd ordered 😋 It went really well with the pasta sauce too, haha!

1++ Hanwoo bolognese pasta — mix in the cheese

🍽️ 1++ Hanwoo bolognese pasta. Just the name — 1++ grade Hanwoo — had me full of expectations, haha. It came piled with cheese on top, and the staff told us to mix it all together before eating.

The more we mixed, the richer and creamier the pasta got, haha.

If it were just a plain tomato base, it probably would've been the usual taste I've had before, but mixed with the cheese, it turned smooth, creamy, and rich — I loved it :) Plus my favorite part, the meat topping 🤗🤗

Wrapping up

Good food and girl talk with a friend after a while — pure healing, haha. I found a new atmospheric restaurant in Gwangjin to add to my list. And it's Blue Ribbon-certified, no less!!!