Seonyudo date restaurant: salad pasta & sweet potato fries, Square 21

Square 21 Pasta & Steak, found during a Seonyudo Park date

Square 21 Pasta & Steak is a Western restaurant about a 3-minute walk from Seonyudo Station. My husband and I had gone to Seonyudo Park and wanted a good Western meal, and since Seonyudo Park and Yanghwa Hangang Park are both close, it turned out to be a perfect date-course stop.

What impressed me most was that the owner-chef has more than 30 years of Western cooking experience. I heard the place has been loved for a long time, since 2013, so I went in with high expectations.

Square 21 location, opening hours and parking

Square 21 Pasta & Steak is on the ground floor of Kolon Digital Tower, 21 Yangpyeong-ro 22-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Weekday and weekend hours differ and it is closed on Mondays, so check before you go.

• Address: 21 Yangpyeong-ro 22-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul (Kolon Digital Tower, 1st floor)
• Weekdays 11:00–21:30 / break 14:30–16:00 / last order 20:30
• Weekends 11:30–21:00 / last order 20:00
• Closed every Monday
• Naver reservations available
• Takeout and delivery available
• 1 hour 30 minutes of free parking with a meal

Is Square 21's atmosphere good for a date?

The restaurant has a cozy feel, with warm lighting and green plants. That mood caught my eye the moment I walked in.

It is neither too casual nor too formal, so it suits couples, and I think it would also work for a family meal or a get-together with friends. There were plenty of couples, and quite a few families too.

The date-recommended set for two: bread and salad

Square 21's date-recommended set for two is a popular menu that includes bread, salad, pasta, tower burger steak and drinks. That's what we ordered, and just from the lineup it looked like great value.

The bread came first, served with olive oil and balsamic sauce. It had cheese inside, so it was nutty and delicious.

The salad that came with it had fresh vegetables and a dressing that wasn't heavy-handed, which was great for whetting the appetite.

Salad pasta with a refreshing tang

The pasta in the set can be swapped, so I paid extra to change mine to the salad pasta. It was better than I expected!

It was loaded with fresh vegetables, squid and cherry tomatoes, with a tangy sauce, so it had a charm quite different from ordinary cream or tomato pasta. The noodles were on the thin side and blended well with the sauce, and it was so clean-tasting that I kept reaching for more.

If you usually prefer light pasta over heavy pasta, you'll be really happy with this one.

The signature tower burger steak: as good as it looks?

The tower burger steak is Square 21's signature dish, stacked in layers with rice, a pure beef patty, hash brown, cheese, tomato, onion and more. I'd been looking forward to it, and it grabs your attention from the first look.

It's great for photos, so I imagine it's especially popular with couples. But it isn't just about looks.

The moist patty, hash brown and cheese blended together nicely, and every bite was satisfying. It even has rice in it, so it was more filling than I expected, enough for a full meal.

The extra-order sweet potato sticks are worth it too

The sweet potato sticks are a side of crispy fried sweet potato drizzled with maple syrup. We love fried food, so we ordered them as an extra, and the sweet potato and syrup together were really good.

The portion was generous enough for two to share, and they also worked like a dessert after the meal.

Recommended for a Seonyudo Park and Yanghwa Hangang Park date

Square 21 Pasta & Steak sits in a handy spot on a date route between Seonyudo Park and Yanghwa Hangang Park. When we came out after eating, many people were heading toward one of the two parks.

It works whether you visit after a walk or time on the Han River, or stroll the park after eating, so I was very happy with it as a date course. If you want tasty pasta and steak in a nice atmosphere, I recommend Square 21 Pasta & Steak. If you're planning a Seonyudo Park date, it's worth stopping by.