Gangnam Italian restaurant for octopus gnocchi: Mano di Chef

Mano di Chef Gangnam, between Yeoksam Station and Gangnam Station

Recently, while looking for a lovely Italian restaurant for an anniversary and a change of pace, I found Mano di Chef Gangnam, which was completely my kind of place! When making plans around Gangnam or Yeoksam, it is surprisingly hard to find a restaurant with a nice atmosphere, generous table spacing, and food that is reliably delicious, right?

This place I visited is even listed in the Blue Ribbon Survey, so I went in with high expectations! To give you the conclusion first: I was completely satisfied with everything—the food, atmosphere, and service! Let me tell you all about it! 😎🍷

An upscale Gangnam restaurant with roomy tables and a great atmosphere!

Mano di Chef Gangnam sits between Yeoksam Station and Gangnam Station, so it was very easy to get to! Once you enter this building, it somehow feels like a different world rather than a complicated office building.

Take the escalator down from the first floor to B1!!

Then you will find Mano di Chef like this.

Spacious table spacing and elegant lighting

The moment I stepped inside, I was impressed by the spacious gaps between tables and the elegant lighting!

Restaurants near Gangnam Station often pack tables so tightly that they are noisy or awkward for conversation, but this place had plenty of table space and felt private. It would be excellent for an anniversary date, blind date, family gathering, or company dinner. And when I saw the Blue Ribbon displayed clearly on one side of the restaurant, I understood why it has a reputation as a Blue Ribbon favorite in both Gangnam and Yeoksam! Here are the prices!

Biscque pasta is a must next time

Deep, savory flavor! I can see why it is known for bisque pasta in Gangnam.

The dish I had been looking forward to most, and arguably Mano di Chef’s pride and joy, was its bisque pasta. Its deeply simmered shellfish bisque sauce is said to soak into every strand of pasta, delivering an explosion of savoriness from the first bite. With no fishiness at all, only a rich, nutty seafood aroma filling your mouth, this is clearly a place recognized for bisque pasta in Gangnam. I have not tried it yet, but I was so curious. I absolutely have to order it next time.

Gamtae pesto & octopus gnocchi

A harmony of house gorgonzola and gamtae! Gamtae pesto & octopus gnocchi (₩31,900)

Mano di Chef’s signature dish, “gamtae pesto & octopus gnocchi,” arrived.

The sauce itself was a work of art, with a rich, nutty house gorgonzola cheese base blended with gamtae (sweet seaweed) pesto, subtle and full of ocean aroma.

The springy gnocchi and octopus—which was not tough at all and chewed softly in the mouth—made for a truly unmatched combination!

I even scraped up every last bit of sauce with my spoon.

Fresh and nutty blueberry & arugula pizza

The ultimate fresh-and-nutty bite! Blueberry & arugula pizza (₩33,900)

Finally, here is the “blueberry & arugula pizza,” which won over both my eyes and taste buds!

It was beautiful from the start, with fresh green arugula and purple blueberries set over black squid-ink dough.

One bite brought together the pleasantly bitter, fresh arugula, bright bursts of blueberry, and the nutty crunch of walnuts wrapped in house-made cheese—truly a perfect match in the mouth!

It was fresh and nutty without feeling heavy, making it a fantastic match for pasta and gnocchi.

When you want both atmosphere and flavor in Gangnam and Yeoksam

A Blue Ribbon pasta restaurant that gets both atmosphere and flavor right in Gangnam and Yeoksam!

From the elegant, spacious interior with its wonderful atmosphere to bisque pasta with a definite seafood depth, plus inventive octopus gnocchi and blueberry arugula pizza unlike anything else!

If you are looking for a great restaurant near Gangnam Station or a date course near Yeoksam Station that offers both flavor and atmosphere, I strongly recommend the proven Mano di Chef Gangnam without hesitation!