Hongdae restaurant with crab bisque shrimp risotto: Rangteu Yeonnam

My partner was out on leave again, so we were wandering around Yeonnam-dong and got a craving for Western food — ended up at Rangteu Yeonnam!

• 📍 22-30 Yanghwa-ro 19-gil, 1.5F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 110m from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3
• ⏰ Mon-Sun 11:30 - 21:30 / Last order 20:30
• 🚘 Urban Port Hongik Univ. Station Yeonnam-dong parking lot, True Parking Hongik Univ. Station parking lot (both paid)

Inside Rangteu Yeonnam: white-toned room, window seats and group table

Rangteu Yeonnam is a Western restaurant with a fresh, sunlit atmosphere.

The first thing I noticed walking in was the clean, white-toned interior! Plants big and small were placed all around, giving the whole space a fresh, relaxed feel :) With warm lighting on top of that, it was really cozy to hang out in 🍃

There's a spacious group table that seats about 8, and plenty of tables good for 2-3 people! It seemed great for visiting with a bunch of friends, and just as good for a low-key date or small gathering :) Plus, they said you can bring in outside cake, so it seemed perfect for a little birthday or anniversary party 🎂

Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows so every seat had a great atmosphere! From the window seats you could see the whole Yeonnam-dong alleyway view too, perfect for a date on a nice day

What to order at Rangteu Yeonnam

Red crab bisque shrimp risotto

Snow crab bisque shrimp risotto 🦐 I really love shrimp so I'm always looking for shrimp dishes — feels like I've struck out every time, but my partner and I both had our eyes go wide eating this one. It's not even Rangteu's signature dish but it was seriously delicious. The shrimp were so plump and the risotto seasoning was amazing. There was bok choy (cheonggyeongchae) in it too, so I felt like I ate healthy.

Brisket melchi pasta

Beef brisket melchi pasta 🍝 The smoky-charred brisket paired with the fermented shrimp (melchi) cream and bok choy was such a good combo! The sauce especially was so good I scooped it up with a spoon nonstop. I usually find pasta really heavy, but with the bok choy in there it felt like a healthier meal 🍃

My partner and I basically went into a feeding frenzy right after taking photos — we cleared all three dishes in 20 minutes flat... And I loved that every single dish had a good amount of vegetables mixed in. As a broke person living alone, it's hard to eat pricey fruits and veggies, so I was so happy I could get them at Rangteu Yeonnam (the owner must be very well-educated haha)

Passionfruit hallabong ade

Passionfruit hallabong ade 🍊 I'm addicted to soda these days so I even drink cola with meals... but soda's gotta be fair game with Western food, right? The ade was really good too, and there were so many options on the menu that picking was half the fun 🪽

Events and coupons at Rangteu Yeonnam

Rangteu Yeonnam had all kinds of coupons like this. The atmosphere is so nice it'd be great for blowing out candles on an anniversary 🎀🎂 The menu is varied too! Since the vibe is so good, I think adding a few more dessert options would be great 🫧

Adding the sous vide pork belly steak

My partner and I were hungry so we ordered one more sous vide pork belly steak and demolished it in no time. Even though it's pork belly, eating it with their house-made yuzu-doenjang sauce and bangpung namul (glasswort greens) made it not the least bit heavy — the combo was seriously top-tier 🤤

If you're craving Western food in Yeonnam-dong but still want to eat healthy even with pasta or risotto, and you want somewhere with a great atmosphere for an important person like a boyfriend or someone you're seeing — I really recommend Rangteu Yeonnam 🤍