Shrimp cream pasta and pizza in Hongdae, Seoul: Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza

Where is Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza?

Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza is a wood-fired pizza and pasta restaurant at 5 Dokmak-ro 7-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, between Hapjeong Station and Sangsu Station. Hours are 11:30–22:00 with a break time from 15:30–16:30, and reservations can be made by phone or through Naver Reservation.

Hi everyone, it's Matjjang's Jeongseok! Today I visited Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza in Hongdae. It sits between Sangsu Station and Hapjeong Station, so I got to enjoy the hip streets on the walk over, which was a nice bonus. The exterior is made of log wood and red brick, giving off a cozy vibe.

This place serves wood-fired pizza, pasta, and wine. The window seats are terrace seats, and you can open the window while eating, which gives an outdoor dining feel.

The pizza and pasta menus are posted outside, so you can decide what to order before you even walk in.

Inside Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza: mood and seating

The interior of Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza makes you feel like you've stepped into a cozy European home, with a mix of 2-, 4-, and 6-person tables, so it works for couples, families, or group gatherings alike.

If you ask, they'll take a Polaroid photo for you, and it looks like a lot of guests have left memories behind — all those photos also double as great interior decor.

This is the wood-fired oven where Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza's delicious pizzas are made.

Plates, spoons, forks, and knives are set out right away too.

What makes the 72-hour naturally fermented dough different?

Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza kneads its dough with a special recipe to bring out the true flavor of authentic Italian pizza, and when baking, the dough is always hand-stretched thin and fired instantly in an oven over 400 degrees made from Italian Mount Vesuvius volcanic stone, preserving the natural flavor of fresh ingredients. The dough is also naturally fermented at low temperature using only yeast for over 72 hours, which makes it easy to digest and gives it a chewy, light, savory taste. Even the pickles are made in-house with natural spices. It's clearly a wood-fired pizza place where real care goes into every step.

Apparently, dough fermented with yeast alone contains a component called beta-glucan, unlike regular flour, which helps break down the gluten in the flour and aids digestion — good for your health too.

Every pizza can be ordered half-and-half

Ordering and payment are all done through the kiosk. Most wood-fired pizza places don't allow half-and-half orders, but Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza lets you split every single menu item, which made me so happy haha.

We chose the recommended Gamberi Crema penne pasta and a half-and-half Manjo + Crocante wood-fired pizza.

There's also a wide wine menu, so there are plenty of options for anyone who wants to pair wine with their wood-fired pizza.

• Gamberi Crema shrimp cream pasta ₩18,500 (spaghetti noodles)
• Manjo + Crocante half-and-half wood-fired pizza ₩25,000
• Zero Coke ₩4,000

Gamberi Crema shrimp cream pasta, 18,500 won

Our order arrived. The look and the aroma were both amazing.

The Gamberi Crema shrimp cream pasta is a spicy cream sauce pasta with shrimp and mushrooms bringing out the aroma, and cheese melted in with the heat of the wood-fired oven adding extra flavor. You can choose penne or spaghetti — we went with spaghetti.

Can you see the look of it? A thick, spicy cream sauce with plump shrimp, chewy king oyster mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top — the savory and spicy flavors come together into a really delicious pasta.

The pasta noodles were also cooked just right, perfectly chewy — a texture pretty much anyone would like.

The sauce blended with the cheese into something really thick, but with the spiciness it never felt greasy or heavy, no matter how much you ate.

Since we were eating it alongside the pizza, the pasta cooled down a bit toward the end, but even cold it was still delicious with zero greasiness. Honestly I'm the type who can't eat Western food without pickles, but at Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza I didn't touch a single pickle — that's how not-greasy it was.

Manjo + Crocante half-and-half wood-fired pizza, 25,000 won

Next came the half-and-half Manjo + Crocante wood-fired pizza. Doesn't it look amazing?

The Manjo pizza, piled high with beef, is a bulgogi pizza topped moistly with tomato sauce, beef, onion, and paprika. The tangy-sweetness of the tomato and the sweet-salty beef bulgogi come together beautifully with the soft wood-fired dough and cheese.

The Crocante pizza (shrimp and garlic chip pizza) lets you enjoy a crispy texture from the shrimp and garlic chip toppings alongside the moist texture of the tomato topping, and the umami from the shrimp was really good, haha. The shrimp aroma is strong and the garlic flavor is great, so anyone who likes shrimp and garlic will definitely love this one.

The seasoned beef bulgogi is piled on in whole pieces, so moist and tender that it's just so good, haha.

The Crocante pizza has garlic chips and small pieces of unpeeled shrimp scattered on top, and the crispy-yet-tender texture was fantastic.

The chewy wood-fired pizza and the spicy shrimp cream pasta went so well together — if you're stuck deciding what to order, I highly recommend this combination!

Cheese, honey and the pizza crust ends

Can you see how the cheese stretches? The cheese is so savory and soft, and it pairs so well with the chewy dough.

The savory Crocante pizza has a strong shrimp flavor, and the crispy garlic chips baked shell and all made the texture even better. The honey is meant for dipping the pizza crust, but I dipped the middle part too and it was still amazing — that sweet-salty combo was so good.

The crust ends are really the highlight of wood-fired pizza, right? Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza's crust ends deliver the perfect finishing touch too. Fluffy, chewy, and soft — genuinely delicious. Dip them in the honey they give you and you'll want to just keep eating the crust ends alone.

Can you see how moist the bulgogi looks on the Manjo pizza? The meat is completely tender, and combined with the fresh tomato sauce it tastes so refined. Think of it as the deluxe version of bulgogi pizza.

Is Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza worth a visit?

This restaurant accepts Naver Pay, Kakao Pay, Zero Pay, and more. Today I visited Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza, located between Hapjeong Station and Sangsu Station in Hongdae, and tried their savory, soft wood-fired pizza made with dough fermented using natural yeast and only the freshest top-quality ingredients, baked in a 400-degree oven. Since the dough is fermented naturally, it's good for you and easy to digest along with tasting great, so it's especially good for people who don't digest flour-based food well. I'd say it's easily the best wood-fired pizza I've had. The pasta is also delicious even when cold, and despite being a cream pasta it had zero greasiness — highly recommend it too. Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza comes highly recommended for group gatherings, dates, and family meals alike.