Yeonnam-dong Italian restaurant for shrimp aglio e olio: Classicdang

I visited Classicdang, an Italian and brunch place in Yeonnam-dong. You can walk there from Exit 3 of Hongik University Station, or get off a bus quite nearby. But as is always the case in Yeonnam-dong, there are not many parking spots, so parking is basically impossible unless you find a nearby public or paid lot. (Personally, I really hope people do not bring cars into these narrow alleyways.) There is apparently Dongjin Parking Lot (paid) just one minute away, but it was fine since getting there by public transit and walking was not difficult anyway.

Classicdang’s terrace and seating in Yeonnam-dong

There is an outdoor terrace too. It was raining, so the terrace was not an option that day, but it seemed like it would be a decent place for a spring or fall gathering. It is a clean, classic-style restaurant. Inside, there were different table sizes, including two- and four-person tables, but not a huge number of seats, so larger groups may want to ask the restaurant in advance. We went on a weekday without a reservation and luckily sat down right away. On weekends, I imagine it would be easier to visit with a reservation.

What we ordered and a nut-allergy request

The Classic Caesar salad was ₩14,000, shrimp aglio e olio was ₩18,000, and potato gnocchi was ₩17,000. They said they give you a Coke Zero for a receipt review, but we were about to go to a café, so we did not do it. The gnocchi comes topped with nuts, and when I mentioned my nut allergy beforehand, they left them off. So my companion had the gnocchi with the nuts served separately, while I had it without. I was curious about the lasagna too! But we both wanted shrimp more, so we ended up ordering the shrimp pasta and gnocchi...

The interior has a slightly tucked-away open kitchen, though because of how the tables are arranged, you cannot really watch it... We picked this place because we were meeting near Yeonnam-dong, and I thought it was worth considering if you are in the area and do not want somewhere that is overly fusion-style Italian.

How many people should share the Caesar salad?

The two of us ordered one Caesar salad just in case, and fittingly for a place called Classicdang, it tasted exactly like the Caesar salad we all know. The rich dressing, croutons, and salty bacon came together with the greens in a way that kept drawing us back in. It was quite a generous portion... I would recommend it as a side for three or more people. Three dishes for two people was a little much.

The shrimp aglio e olio was the best dish

The shrimp aglio e olio was what my companion and I thought was the tastiest. It came with about three shrimp, and between the texture of the aglio e olio and the cherry tomatoes on top... overall it really made me think, oh, this is a place that does the basics well. The shrimp were not ordinary cocktail shrimp either; they were nicely rich without being overly intense, and suited the overall balance well. We both picked this as the best dish.

The potato gnocchi may divide opinions

Then came the potato gnocchi. I did think it would definitely have been tastier with the crunch and nuttiness of the nuts... but honestly, haha, I am not usually a huge gnocchi person. The cream sauce underneath was tasty and the gnocchi was crisp, but the inside felt a little rich, so it may be polarizing. Still, plenty of people like this creamy style of gnocchi, so I think opinions will vary.

A neat Italian meal in Yeonnam-dong

Basically... I visited thinking it might be a place for a clean, delicious meal in Yeonnam-dong, where there are so many Italian restaurants, and I was satisfied. Yeonnam-dong really does have lots of Italian places, but some of them are, how should I put it, not quite satisfying. True to its name as a place that does the basics well, I think we had a satisfying meal here. It is a little disappointing that I did not get to try the lasagna. Since corkage is listed as available/free, it would be good to ask about it!