Gwangju Italian restaurant with free 2-hour parking: Camel Orzo

Where is Camel Orzo, and what are the hours?

Camel Orzo 🏡 Address: 261 Uncheon-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Korea, 1F Unit 102, Urban Peak Sangmu ⏱️ Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00 Naver reservations available • takeout discount • parking available

My mom really loves Italian food, so I was thinking about where to take her this time and ended up at Camel Orzo, which is apparently the second restaurant opened by Maengmundong! Maengmundong is so famous that I went in with high expectations, and to cut to the chase — both my mom and I walked out 200% satisfied, so here's the review right away.

Parking at Camel Orzo: 2 free hours at a partner lot

Camel Orzo has an in-building parking lot, and even when it's full, they'll register 2 hours of free parking at a partner lot. Parking is honestly the biggest worry when you're driving parents somewhere, so this made things easy from the start. These days going to a popular restaurant often means a parking headache, but this place was totally hassle-free.

Staff came over first to seat us and pour water.

You can browse the menu either on the physical menu board or via kiosk, whichever's easier.

Truffle soup: the bowl my soup-averse mom emptied

The first thing to arrive at Camel Orzo was the truffle soup. The truffle aroma the moment it landed on the table was seriously amazing. One spoonful and your mouth fills with rich, savory cream and truffle flavor spreading through it — it warmed us up and got our appetite going perfectly. My mom, who usually isn't into soup, said this one was genuinely rich and delicious, and cleaned the bowl.

How does the cream pasta at Camel Orzo taste?

Camel Orzo's cream pasta has a thick, smooth sauce — a classic, well-made cream pasta. The sauce clung to the noodles instead of sitting separately, and throughout the dish I tasted more savory depth than heaviness. The noodle texture was just right too, so I enjoyed it to the very last bite without getting tired of it.

Arugula gamberi pizza, and how it pairs with the cream pasta

The last dish out was the arugula gamberi (shrimp) pizza, and it grabbed attention just by looking at it. The dough was generously piled with fresh, slightly bitter arugula, and loaded with plump, springy shrimp (gamberi). One bite gave chewy dough, bouncy shrimp texture, fresh arugula, and the harmony of the dressing and cheese, all creating a perfect rhythm in the mouth. It added a bright, clean counterpoint to what can otherwise be a heavy Italian meal, and it paired really well with the cream pasta.

Too much food for two, so we boxed up the rest

With just my mom and me eating, the portions were so generous we got stuffed and asked for a to-go box — and they packed it up as neatly as if it were a freshly made dish, which was a nice touch.

Inside Camel Orzo: high ceilings and wide table spacing

Camel Orzo is much bigger and has much higher ceilings than I expected, so there's zero feeling of being cramped. The moment we walked in the door, it genuinely felt refreshing and open. The tables are spaced widely too, so we could chat comfortably with mom without worrying about hearing the conversation at the next table. The overall interior and lighting worked together so well it felt like we'd traveled to an old-fashioned European restaurant. My mom kept saying the vibe was so lovely and took I-don't-know-how-many photos.

I bet it's amazing to eat on the terrace in spring or fall — highly recommend Camel Orzo, an Italian restaurant in Gwangju's Sangmu district!