Euljiro restaurant lunch after an Ikseon-dong date: Pyu Euljiro

Lunch in Euljiro during an Ikseon-dong date: what is Pyu Euljiro like?

Pyu Euljiro (퓨 을지로, PHEW) is a big, 80-pyeong contemporary dining restaurant in Euljiro, and we stopped in for lunch in the middle of a Jongno date. I hadn't had a proper Jongno date with my boyfriend in ages, and with the weather so nice, Ikseon-dong, Insadong and Jongno were packed with people. Right then we found a restaurant with a great atmosphere, perfect for a date!

The space was much bigger than I expected and the mood was lovely, so I thought it would work not just for dates but also for blind dates or wedding invitation meetups.

The name is fun too. PHEW is meant to capture that "phew~" sigh of relief we let out when things are hard. They say they made it a place to take a short break in the busy city, and the overall feel really is relaxed. Calm, but not too heavy, rather than flashy and chaotic.

Pyu Euljiro menu

The menu at Pyu Euljiro is varied, from risotto and pasta to steak and octopus romesco. Drinks range from tea and juice to coffee and wine, so there's plenty to pair whether you come for lunch or dinner.

Pyu Euljiro atmosphere and seating: good for dates and blind dates?

Pyu Euljiro is 80 pyeong, so I was surprised by how spacious it was the moment I walked in. I had booked through Naver Reservation, and a name card was set out on our table like this.

The atmosphere is really good,, it has the wood interior I love, so it feels warm and cozy.

Above all, the space is so wide that I never felt cramped while eating. Catching up with my boyfriend after so long, we chatted about everything and the time flew by. It's the perfect mood for eating and talking on a date.

In particular, we didn't feel packed in next to the neighboring table, so it was easy to talk while we ate. I kept thinking Pyu Euljiro would be a good blind date spot too. When you meet someone for the first time, a comfortable atmosphere for conversation matters as much as the food, and in that sense I think it suits anyone looking for a blind date restaurant in Euljiro.

Further inside there's larger group seating that felt a bit more private. It's a great atmosphere for a wedding invitation meetup or a blind date.

There are lots of nice restaurants in Euljiro these days, but many have tables crammed together or are smaller than you'd think. Pyu, though, is roomy and the seats are comfortable, which I loved.

Pyu Euljiro fresh-pressed juice: grapefruit and apple-carrot

To drink with the meal, I ordered the grapefruit juice and my boyfriend got the apple-carrot juice. Pyu Euljiro also sells fresh-pressed juices made with seasonal fruit and vegetables.

The apple-carrot juice was tasty, with the apple's sweet, fresh flavor alongside the carrot's mild taste. The grapefruit juice has that typical fresh, slightly bitter grapefruit taste that left my mouth feeling clean when drunk with the food. Personally, I think fresh fruit juice like this goes well with a meal.

They set out neat cutlery, and gave us a small plate for each dish, which made sharing easy haha.

Pyu Euljiro mackerel pasta: is it fishy?

First up of what we ordered: the mackerel pasta! Pyu Euljiro's mackerel pasta is an oil pasta topped with tender boneless mackerel, and it was mild with no fishiness.

Pasta with mackerel, imagine that. My boyfriend really loves oil pasta so we ordered it, and the tender boneless mackerel on top made him very happy! Since it has fish I worried it might turn out fishy, but it was one hundred percent mild and delicious.

The nutty flavor of the mackerel went well with the pasta, and I liked that the overall taste wasn't harsh. They say Pyu values bringing out the natural flavor of ingredients, and after eating I got what they mean. Instead of a dish with lots of strong flavors, it felt like enjoying the ingredients themselves in a relaxed way. Maybe that's why it never got tiresome and I kept eating.

It came with a generous heap of arugula, which gave a nice fresh feel. The pasta noodles were lightly seasoned and mild too. With whole mackerel on top, it felt like a healthy meal.

Oh! Parking in Euljiro is surprisingly stressful, so it's a plus that Pyu Euljiro has parking available. After wandering from Jongno to Ikseon-dong with my boyfriend for the first time in a while, with great weather and good food, it felt like a proper date at last :)

Pyu Euljiro garden tomato risotto: share it with a pasta if you're two

The other dish we ordered was the garden tomato risotto! We got one pasta and one risotto and shared. Maybe because it's a tomato risotto, it felt light overall, and the fresh tomato flavor added to the soft risotto went really well when we alternated with the mackerel pasta.

If you visit as a pair, I'd recommend ordering one pasta and one risotto and sharing. You get to try different flavors instead of just one dish, haha.

The garden tomato risotto is made with barley, so it had a nice chew. The combination of roasted tomato, eggplant and cheese was really good. It wasn't harsh in flavor either, so it felt refined.

The mackerel was so mild and appealing. There wasn't a single bone, so no need to pick any out!! They also gave us pickles to go with it.

After finishing, I liked that compared with other Western restaurants it felt fresh and easy on the stomach.

Is Pyu Euljiro good for a wedding invitation meetup or blind date in Euljiro?

With its wide space and generous gaps between tables, Pyu Euljiro looked good for a wedding invitation meetup (cheongmo) too. For those, a super casual place isn't ideal, but a very formal one feels like a burden. Pyu has a roomy space and a relaxed mood. The table spacing is generous, so it's good for a group sitting and talking.

Same for blind dates! When you eat with someone you've just met, the taste of the food matters, but a setting where you can talk comfortably matters even more. Pyu is spacious with comfortable seats, so I'd recommend it as a blind date restaurant in Euljiro.

All-day lounge with no break time

I heard Pyu Euljiro runs as an all-day lounge with no break time. So after eating, there's no need to move on and ask "where should we go for coffee?" You can relax and enjoy dessert or drinks in the same place, which I liked.

Ikseon-dong, Insadong and Jongno are so crowded with couples these days that heading over to Euljiro for lunch at a quieter place with a nice mood seems like a good idea.

Pyu in Euljiro is a spot I really, really recommend for dates and blind dates! If you're out on a Jongno or Ikseon-dong date and want a restaurant with a slightly different vibe, give Pyu (PHEW) a try :)