Pasta restaurant in Hongdae after AK Plaza shopping: Oh! Set, Omil

Weekend date in Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong: dinner at Omil Hongdae

On a nice weekend evening, I searched for pasta in Hongdae and picked Omil Hongdae. I was already shopping near AK Plaza Hongdae, so Omil Hongdae was right around the corner.

The weather was so good that staying home felt like a waste, so we went out on a date to Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong. We ate lunch at home, headed out late, had dinner in Hongdae, then finished at a cocktail bar in Yeonnam-dong. A perfect day! While wondering what to have for dinner, I searched for Hongdae pasta and Omil caught my eye.

I happened to be shopping near AK Plaza Hongdae, so I ran straight over to Omil!

Omil Hongdae location and opening hours

Omil Hongdae is at 178-8 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd floor, right in front of AK Plaza Hongdae. It opens 11:30–21:15 on weekdays and 11:00–21:15 on Saturday and Sunday, with last order at 20:30 every day.

• Address: 178-8 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor
• Weekdays 11:30–21:15 (last order 20:30)
• Sat, Sun 11:00–21:15 (last order 20:30)

How long is the weekend dinner wait at Omil Hongdae?

Go up the small staircase and you'll find a waiting machine. Register there and wait. Even at a slightly in-between weekend dinner time, there was a short wait.

Omil Hongdae is right in front of AK Plaza, so it's easy to find and a great date spot! Up the small stairs there's a waiting machine, so I registered, waited a little while, and then we were shown in haha.

The inside isn't very big, but it's a cute, cozy space, and being on the 2nd floor with big windows makes it pretty. It was a weekend and a slightly awkward dinner hour, yet there was still a bit of a wait! A hot Hongdae pasta spot indeed >_<

Omil Hongdae ordering system and review event

Instead of a kiosk, you shake the bell on the table and staff come to take your order. If you write a review, you get a drink worth ₩3,500 per person.

You order by shaking the bell placed on the table next to the menu, and a staff member comes over to take your order. The bell is so cute :-) I'm always using kiosks, so this analog touch was nice.

I brought back the menu too! They're running a review event: write a review and get a drink worth ₩3,500. And it's not once per table but per person, so if three people write reviews, you get three drinks, lol. If you go, definitely join the review event.

Here's the menu. I introduced this as a Hongdae pasta spot, but today I tried omurice (omelet rice) and iron plate cheese katsu instead of pasta haha

Omil Oh! Set ₩48,700: what does changing the menu cost?

The Oh! Set at Omil Hongdae is ₩48,700 as a base, and swapping menu items adds a little. The rubber duck omurice added ₩1,000 and the sizzling iron plate cheese katsu added ₩3,000.

• Oh! Set ₩48,700
• + Rubber duck omurice: ₩1,000 extra
• + Sizzling iron plate cheese katsu: ₩3,000 extra
• Omil soba maki
• 2 drinks worth ₩3,500 each

I ordered Omil's Oh! Set, and changing menu items adds a little to the base price haha

They cook each dish as soon as you order, and it didn't take very long. Almost everything came out together, so I could enjoy all three while they were hot.

Rubber duck omurice: can you take the rubber duck home?

Omil's rubber duck omurice is topped with quail eggs decorated like ducks, and the rubber duck figure placed on it is a gift you can take home. The sweet-and-sour sauce, soft egg wrap and fried rice inside went well together.

The one I was most curious about: Omil's rubber duck omurice! It's omurice topped with cute quail eggs decorated like ducks. So cute, right? I saw them making the decorations, and it's all handmade,, TT (so cute)

True to the name, they put a cute rubber duck figure on it, and they said it's a gift, so you can take it with you!

The slightly sweet-and-sour sauce, soft egg wrap, and fried rice inside were harmonious and delicious! If you like omurice, try the rubber duck omurice.

Plus it's so cute that the photos come out great haha

Omil soba maki: how does buckwheat noodle maki taste?

Omil Hongdae's soba maki (a roll) is made with buckwheat noodles, egg, cucumber and burdock, and the portion was big and generous. Being buckwheat noodles, it was filling yet easy on the stomach.

Next was the soba maki. I'd been disappointed that not many places sell maki made with buckwheat, but Omil has it! Made with buckwheat noodles, egg, cucumber and burdock, it was way tastier than I expected, and the portion was big and generous.

The buckwheat noodles aren't heavy, so it was filling yet easy on the stomach. The seasoning was just right, and the soft egg and buckwheat noodles go so well together. If you like soba maki, I recommend this one!

Sizzling iron plate cheese katsu: how does the cream sauce work?

At Omil Hongdae, round fried katsu balls come on an iron plate and cream sauce is poured over them at the table. When you cut the big ball katsu in half, there's cheese inside.

The last dish was the iron plate cheese katsu. Round fried katsu balls come out on an iron plate, and they pour cream sauce over them. It looked really pretty!

The big, hefty ball katsu has cheese inside when you cut it in half, so it's soft and delicious.

Pretty to look at and great in taste, Omil! The cheese katsu is delicious too, so I recommend it! lol Every dish was tasty and the seasoning was just right. I hear it's actually better known as a Hongdae pasta spot, so next time I'll definitely try the pasta.

Dip it deep into the soft cream sauce. It's so good, so please try it that way!

When and with whom should you go to Omil Hongdae?

At weekend mealtimes a wait seems unavoidable at Omil Hongdae, so I recommend going just before or after peak meal hours. The inside isn't very big, so I'd recommend it as a date spot rather than for a group.