# Yeonnam-dong restaurant, sweet potato fries and lemon pasta: Hey Joji - By Sori (https://superchart.com/en/@dongne-receipts/) - Written Sep 18, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written as part of a sponsored store visit. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@dongne-receipts/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@dongne-receipts/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/index.md) ## In short Hey Joji is an American comfort food restaurant in an alley off Dongyo-ro 46-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. A couple visited on a weekday at 3pm after work and ordered garlic squid oil pasta, duck steak cream risotto and a side of sweet potato fries, and the fresh lemon squeezed over the oil pasta and the sweet-salty fries stood out most. With a quiet weekday afternoon room and enough food for two, Hey Joji is an easy pick for a Yeonnam-dong date. ## Good to know - **What we ordered**: Garlic squid oil pasta, duck steak cream risotto, sweet potato fries (side) - **Time of visit**: Weekday afternoon (3pm, after work); quiet inside - **Parking**: No private lot; use a nearby paid parking lot - **Location**: 1F, 42-24 Dongyo-ro 46-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, down a Yeonnam-dong alley - **Party size**: 2 people (2 mains plus 1 side was plenty) *as written by the visitor on Sep 18, 2026* I finished work at 3pm that day and went out with my husband for a Yeonnam-dong restaurant date, our first in a while! ![Weekday afternoon scene during a visit to Hey Joji in Yeonnam-dong](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-01-fcycj-900.webp) There are so many good-vibe spots tucked into the alleys of Yeonnam-dong, but Hey Joji exceeded my expectations on both food and atmosphere. ![The interior mood at Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-02-1a7i7-900.webp) The garlic squid oil pasta with a splash of lemon, the smooth duck steak cream risotto, and the sweet-and-salty sweet potato fries were all winners — not a single miss among everything we ordered! ![Table setting with pasta, risotto, and sweet potato fries at Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-03-ako5m-1200.webp) If you're looking to set a nice mood in Yeonnam-dong with a special pasta and other delicious dishes, I'd say go for it without hesitation :) ## Where is Hey Joji, and what is it like on a weekday afternoon? Hey Joji sits deep in an alley off Dongyo-ro in Yeonnam-dong, so even the walk there had that charming alley-neighborhood feel, which made the whole trip more fun :) From the entrance, the place had that vintage-yet-stylish American comfort food restaurant vibe. ![The vintage American comfort food entrance of Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-04-lmrso-900.webp) Maybe because we came on a weekday afternoon, the inside was quiet and warm, perfect for a date. The lighting was pretty and every little prop seemed carefully chosen — the moment I stepped in, I felt good. ![The interior of Hey Joji decorated with lighting and props](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-05-17saq-m-815.webp) ### Is there parking at Hey Joji in Yeonnam-dong? If you're driving, note that like much of Yeonnam-dong, there's no dedicated parking lot, so you'll need to use a nearby paid parking lot. We parked comfortably nearby and walked over, and honestly wandering through the alley on the way was fun enough that the parking wasn't a real inconvenience :) ## Garlic squid oil pasta with fresh lemon at Hey Joji Looking over the menu after we sat down, the first thing that caught my eye was the garlic squid oil pasta. I love oil pasta in general, so I ordered it without hesitation. ![A plate of garlic squid oil pasta at Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-06-17vr3-900.webp) The moment it arrived, the savory garlic aroma and the generous portion of squid caught my eye. A slice of fresh lemon came on the side of the plate, so I squeezed some juice over the pasta before digging in! ![A slice of fresh lemon served alongside the oil pasta](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-07-1bfej-900.webp) After tapping on the lemon and taking a bite of the oil pasta, the freshness spread through my whole mouth. ![Garlic squid oil pasta with lemon juice squeezed over it](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-08-h8swz-900.webp) The lemon's brightness cut right through the oiliness that oil pasta can sometimes have, and it worked beautifully with the chewy squid and the garlic's flavor. The noodles were cooked just right too, so I enjoyed it down to the very last bite :) ![Close-up of noodles lifted from the oil pasta](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-09-1ru6u-900.webp) ## Duck steak cream risotto: crisp outside, tender inside After the pasta came the duck steak cream risotto! ![Duck steak cream risotto at Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-10-hyz2h-900.webp) Cream risotto usually comes with beef or chicken, so a risotto topped with duck steak felt like a genuinely fresh combination. ![A plate of cream risotto topped with duck steak](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-11-sz3jq-900.webp) The cream sauce itself was very thick and savory — not just heavy cream, but deep in flavor, so it didn't get tiring and I kept going back for more. ![Close-up of the thick cream sauce on the risotto](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-12-1wdf1-900.webp) The duck steak on top was crispy outside and juicy inside, releasing savory juices with every bite. No gamey smell at all, and it was tender to chew! Piled on a spoonful of the cream risotto, it practically melted in my mouth. ![Duck steak piled onto a spoonful of risotto](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-13-ixsjc-900.webp) My husband took a bite too and said it was one of the smoothest, most delicious cream risottos he'd had recently. ## Sweet potato fries, the side to order at Hey Joji Before visiting, I'd looked up other people's reviews, and everyone strongly recommended the sweet potato fries as a must, not an option. Curious what made everyone praise it so unanimously, we ordered it as our side! ![Sweet potato fries ordered as a side at Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-14-1meb5-900.webp) Honestly, regular potato fries are common, but sweet potato fries aren't something you come across often — and the moment I took a bite, I understood exactly why everyone insisted on it. Crispy outside, moist inside, with the sweet potato's natural sweetness spreading through my mouth, combined with a sweet sauce and salty seasoning for the truest form of sweet-and-salty. ![Sweet potato fries with sauce and seasoning](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-15-lsqai-900.webp) It was great to pick at throughout the meal, and it paired really well with the mains too. It felt like a specialty you can only get at Hey Joji, so I highly recommend ordering it as a side if you visit! ![Sweet potato fries placed alongside the main dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-16-pt3cj-900.webp) ## Two mains and a side for two: is it enough food? How can a place have such generous portions and such delicious food all at once? The two of us ordered two mains plus a side and still ended up full. ![Table with two mains and a side shared between two people](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-17-1ug25-900.webp) Even though we were full, it was so good we couldn't put our spoons down and cleaned every plate! ![Empty, cleaned plates at Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-18-1iyve-900.webp) It had been a while since my husband and I had a weekday afternoon together like this, and with the warm interior mood and the care put into every single dish, it was a truly satisfying Yeonnam-dong restaurant. ![A warmly lit table inside Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-19-p4460-900.webp) If you're looking for a successful Yeonnam-dong date restaurant, or want to try something different and delicious, I strongly recommend visiting Hey Joji :) ![Final photo from a Yeonnam-dong date at Hey Joji](https://img.superchart.com/images/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta-20-1sj9d-m-900.webp) > Hey Joji, carrying that distinct coziness of a Yeonnam-dong alley ## Where it is - Hey Joji (헤이죠지) - 1F, 42-24 Dongyo-ro 46-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 동교로46길 42-24 1층 헤이죠지 - 37.5617323, 126.9265566 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%ED%97%A4%EC%9D%B4%EC%A3%A0%EC%A7%80/@37.5617323,126.9265566,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@dongne-receipts/hey-george-yeonnam-weekday-afternoon-pasta/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt