Namyangju private event venue with a hanok garden: Romaok Riverside

Namyangju restaurant, Mieumnaru restaurant, Suseok-dong restaurant — Romaok Riverside

Wait, is there really an Italian restaurant this stylish and this delicious just outside Seoul?! Sometimes when I plan a Namyangju drive, I end up skipping it because Namyangju is SO~~ wide that traffic on the way back can wear me out even more than the way there, and a Namyangju date course can end up more tiring than fun.

But I found a real Namyangju restaurant that isn't even that far from Seoul! Right on the border between Guri and Namyangju, I guess — just a bit past Guri, I found a Han River-view restaurant, and it's Romaok Riverside, a Mieumnaru restaurant in Namyangju where you can taste authentic Italian dishes from a chef who trained at a Michelin two-star restaurant ^^

Where is Romaok Riverside? Just inside Namyangju Han River Sports Park

Romaok Riverside is a modern hanok-style Italian restaurant that appears once you enter the Namyangju Han River Sports Park in Suseok-dong, Namyangju. Passing by on the main road, you only see a few grilled meat places, so I had no idea a Namyangju restaurant with this kind of atmosphere was hiding nearby — but once I went in, there was this hanok building!

The hanok main hall and outdoor garden you can rent privately

At Romaok Riverside, an annex is connected behind the hanok main hall, and there's a wide outdoor garden in front, so private full-venue rental is available too. With a Han River view this pretty both during the day and in the evening, it's a perfect Namyangju date course.

Looking at the info posted around the venue, it seemed like a great spot for outdoor weddings and even first birthday parties (doljanchi) — private events set against the hanok and a beautiful Han River view ^^

Parking at the Han River Sports Park public lot: 1 hour free

There was info posted all around the restaurant too — you can park at the Namyangju Han River Sports Park public parking lot, with 1 hour free. After that it's only ₩200 per 10 minutes, so parking costs were low and stress-free~

Inside the main hall's first floor and how seats are assigned

On the first floor of Romaok Riverside's main hall, you can't really see the Han River, but the floor-to-ceiling windows by the table look out onto grass, giving it an open, pretty feel ^^ You can't request specific seats — seating is auto-assigned in booking order, so I'd recommend reserving ahead!

Han River-view annex 2nd floor: 4 people minimum, set menu required

Past the main hall there's also an annex, and the second floor of the annex is where you can enjoy the Han River view. Note that for the 2nd floor Han River view, table reservations require a minimum of 4 people, and ordering a set menu is required~ Since it was just the two of us, we couldn't go up to the 2nd floor >.< So instead we shared these pretty photos, saying we'd found a great Namyangju restaurant nearby and next time we'd bring four people and go upstairs haha

Romaok Riverside menu lineup and the 1.5-hour table limit

True to an Italian restaurant, the menu lineup is solid too. From appetizers that whet your appetite before the meal, to pasta, risotto, pizza, mains, desserts, wine, and coffee — you can go from a full meal to dessert.

Note that the dining time limit is 1 hour 30 minutes, so you need to pace yourself well haha

Deciding what to eat, we each picked what caught our eye — cuttlefish ink risotto and abalone gejeau pasta (abalone intestine pasta). Honestly the ink risotto tastes great, but I almost avoided ordering it as a couple because I was worried about getting ink on my face haha

With the weekday review event, if you write a Naver review, you get 1 americano per table.

The bread before the meal is scallion ciabatta

Once you order, pre-meal bread is served, and this alone was enough to confirm this is a proper Namyangju restaurant ^^ Not just plain ciabatta but scallion ciabatta, studded with scallions! Chewy texture plus scallion aroma — this was SO good~~ Probably why you can order extra, and even get it to go ^^

How do the abalone gejeau pasta and cuttlefish ink risotto taste?

Personally, the abalone gejeau pasta was so good! First off, I was surprised by the size — a whole big abalone on top. Photos are usually just for reference, so I expected something baby-abalone-sized haha

Since the abalone is steamed with kelp, it wasn't chewy at all — nice and tender, and there were garlic scapes mixed in too?! Those were crunchy, so within a single pasta dish you get all these different textures >.< It was also my first time trying pasta made with abalone intestine (gejeau) as the sauce, and it's savory to the max ^^

This is the pasta I'd say get one per person, no sharing haha

The cuttlefish ink risotto had chewy cuttlefish and umami-packed ink risotto — it tasted so good I failed at eating it neatly >.< The red on top of the black ink is sun-dried tomato, and its tanginess really woke up the palate haha

It's not just good because of the view — Romaok Riverside is a Namyangju restaurant where you can taste dishes crafted by a chef who trained at a Michelin two-star restaurant in Italy! Genuinely great atmosphere and great food, so it's a Mieumnaru restaurant worth visiting when you're deciding on a Namyangju date course ^^

Romaok Riverside: address, hours and parking at a glance

• Address: 16-13 Gangbyeonbuk-ro632beon-gil, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do (179 Suseok-dong, Namyangju), in front of the Namyangju Han River Sports Park parking lot
• Hours: Monday–Sunday 11:00–21:30
• Break time: 15:00–17:00 (last order 14:00, 20:30)
• Parking: Han River Sports Park public parking, 1 hour free, then ₩200 per 10 minutes