Gijang ocean-view Italian restaurant pasta date: Riverside

There’s a little park called Sinpyeongso Park in Ilgwang, Gijang. It’s perfect for coming out for a drive and walking while looking at the sea, so I find myself going often. One day, while walking with a friend, this incredibly delicious smell of pizza baking came from Riverside. That smell alone completely won us over, and I thought, I absolutely have to come back with my husband next time. As it happened, our schedules lined up on a weekday, so we didn’t hesitate and headed to Riverside.

Where is Riverside, and what about parking?

Riverside in Gijang is located at 582-44 Ilgwang-ro, Ilgwang-eup. It is directly across from Sinpyeongso Park, so you can simply set Sinpyeongso Park as your destination in the navigation app.

There’s a spacious dedicated parking lot on the left side of the restaurant, and having no parking worries was a relaxing start. It was weekday lunchtime, yet the lot was full of cars, and we went inside thinking, wow, there are a lot of cars here.

Maybe because there are private rooms inside, it looked like lots of people come here for lunch gatherings. The window-side room seats were also busy being set with food for a lunch reservation.

Near the entrance, there are also bar-table seats where you can dine while facing the distant horizon straight ahead.

My husband and I sat at a four-person table by the window. Fresh flowers decorating the table looked so vibrant that they instantly lifted my mood.

Before the meal, they bring out two pieces of warm bread and a sauce of olive oil with balsamic glaze. I saw other tables asking for more, so I guess refills are possible too. Love that.

My husband ordered an iced Americano and I ordered Coke Zero. When you order a drink with a meal, there is a discount on one drink. I love a discount so much.

How was the scallop aglio e olio?

Scallop aglio e olio, ₩19,500

I love oil-based pasta, so I had high expectations for the scallop aglio e olio. The olive-oil sauce, deeply infused with garlic and peperoncino, clung to the noodles instead of sitting separately on them—an umami explosion from the very first bite.

The thoughtful touch of serving small tongs so we could share it was so touching. And these nicely seared scallops, with their wonderfully chewy texture, were truly the star.

The generously sliced garlic was not too soft, with great texture and aroma, while the peperoncino gave the aglio e olio its spicy kick. I added a little more of the peperoncino set out on the table, and I was very satisfied. The noodles were cooked so well too—such a nicely balanced pasta.

Spicy shrimp salad pizza taste

The spicy shrimp salad pizza made me gasp as soon as it arrived at the table, with all that vivid green chicory and salad piled on top.

The red powder lightly sprinkled over the abundant salad was unusual. Was it paprika powder? The pizza was larger than I expected, so it was more than enough for two people to share.

The cheese made this pizza. It was truly nutty and delightfully springy, yet mild the more you chewed—such good quality that I wondered if it was Imsil cheese.

Under the salad were plump, umami-filled shrimp seasoned with a little spice. When the crisp, chewy dough, stretchy cheese, crunchy salad, and seasoned shrimp all come together in one bite, you think: happiness really doesn’t need to be anything more than this, right?

A Gijang date that continues to Sinpyeongso Park

How does this sound for a perfect Gijang date course: delicious pizza and pasta while looking at the blue Ilgwang sea, followed by a walk right afterward at Sinpyeongso Park across the road?