Banghak Italian restaurant with bacon cream risotto: Normal Salon

Not long ago, on a weekday evening, I timed things to my husband's finish time and we finally had a cozy date, just the two of us, for the first time in a while. To get that dating-days feeling, I went looking for a place with good atmosphere and good food. Near Banghak Station I found Normal Salon, a restaurant and bar where you can relax over Italian dishes like pizza and pasta along with a wide range of drinks. The food was great and the value was excellent, so I came away very happy. Let me tell you all about it!

Where is Normal Salon, and what are the hours and parking?

Normal Salon is at 5-3 Dobong-ro 149-gil, Dobong-gu, Seoul, and it is open 17:00–24:00 on weekdays, 16:00–24:00 on Saturdays and 16:00–22:00 on Sundays. It is closed every Monday, and last order is 60 minutes before closing.

• Parking: no free parking; use Banghak 1-dong Public Parking Lot No. 1 or No. 2
• Corkage available (fee applies)
• Groups welcome

Normal Salon is about a 4-minute walk from Exit 3 of Banghak Station on Subway Line 1, so it is really easy to reach by public transport. Walk a little way into the alley and you will spot its unique exterior: a red brick building completely covered in lush green vines. With a red mailbox and cute little props, it felt like stepping into a secret hideout!

Normal Salon's interior: is it good for a date?

Normal Salon is a restaurant and bar where you can enjoy tasty dishes and a variety of drinks in a snug, relaxed atmosphere!

The whole interior has a standout vintage feel. The lighting is kept slightly low and cozy, which was perfect for chatting quietly and setting a mood! The tables are also spaced quite generously, so we could enjoy a relaxed dinner date with my husband without being bothered by the people around us!

Normal Salon menu and prices

The Normal Salon menu had a wide range of meals such as pizza, pasta and steak. There were also lots of side dishes to go with drinks, like a sausage platter, so it is well set up for a casual drink too. Above all, prices were generally low, and I thought the value was excellent!

Normal Salon is a restaurant that doubles as a bar where you can easily have a drink, so the drinks lineup was impressive too. Besides the basics like soju and beer, there were various wines and refreshing cocktails, so you can pick whatever suits your taste!

A mini fan on every table

At Normal Salon, water, cups and neat tableware are set out first. Unusually, each table had a small mini fan. The air conditioning was running nicely inside, but thanks to this thoughtful touch of a personal fan, I think it would stay comfortable even in the sweltering summer.

Self-serve bar with pickles and hot sauce

On one side of Normal Salon there is a neatly kept self bar. It has crunchy, cool pickles, plus hot sauce and red pepper seasoning that go well with pizza, and you can help yourself to whatever you like, which is really convenient!

Risotto, pasta and pizza: the three dishes we ordered

After some deliberation, my husband and I ordered a generous three dishes: bacon cream risotto, cheese ragu pasta and egg bacon pizza. They arrived looking neat and appetizing, filling the big table, and just from the look of it I could tell we had come to a great Banghak-dong pasta and risotto spot!

Bacon cream risotto: carbonara style with a yolk to break

The first thing I tasted was Normal Salon's bacon cream risotto, which is in proper carbonara style. An egg yolk sits in the center of the risotto, and you break it with a spoon and mix it gently into the cream sauce. As the yolk melds in, it makes the deep flavor of the cream sauce even richer and heavier. And the generous, salty bacon perfectly balanced the creaminess that could otherwise get heavy, so I enjoyed it to the very last bite without ever getting sick of it!

Cheese ragu pasta: tomato sauce with ricotta

Normal Salon's cheese ragu pasta had snow-white ricotta cheese on top of a richly simmered ragu pasta. When I mixed the sauce, noodles and cheese together, the sweet-and-sour tomato sauce blended with the ricotta for an even softer, deeper flavor. The sauce soaked right into the noodles too, so I scraped up every last bit of it!

Egg bacon pizza: hearty and piled with arugula

As the name says, Normal Salon's egg bacon pizza is topped with egg and salty bacon, so it felt heavier and richer, filling the mouth more than an ordinary pizza! Best of all, it was generously loaded with fresh arugula. I rolled up a slice with the arugula, and its fragrant aroma cut right through the richness, so I never got tired of it and enjoyed it to the end!

Is Normal Salon good for pizza and beer?

Next to the counter at Normal Salon there is a cocktail bar area and a draft beer machine, both neatly set up! I noticed them while paying after a lovely meal. Sadly I can't drink much so I passed, but I thought it would be a really good place to drop by in the evening for "pimaek" (pizza and beer)!

Verdict: Normal Salon as a Banghak-dong date restaurant

Normal Salon is a place where you can talk quietly and enjoy high-quality dishes in a vintage, cozy atmosphere. If you are looking for a Banghak-dong pasta and risotto restaurant to visit casually with your husband or partner, I really recommend giving Normal Salon a try!