Gwangju Italian restaurant for paella and pistachio pizza: Camel Orzo

Today I visited Camel Orzo in Gwangju's Sangmu district. I had been looking for a lovely Italian restaurant, and apparently they have new menu items this time: red shrimp paella and pistachio burrata mortadella pizza!

Both dishes looked great, but I was satisfied with the flavors overall too—this isn't just a place with a nice atmosphere; the food is properly good as well. I was especially excited for the pizza because it was the runner-up in a world championship, and it had both a unique way of eating it and a wonderful flavor combination. Let me introduce it to anyone looking for distinctive Italian food in Gwangju or an atmospheric restaurant in Gwangju's Sangmu district.

Camel Orzo catches your eye from the atmosphere alone in Sangmu district

It is on the first floor of Urban Peak Sangmu, about 950 m from Exit 3 of Uncheon Station, so it is easy to get to.

Parking is free for up to 2 hours in the building, and you can use another parking lot if it is full.

From the entrance, Camel Orzo has an atmosphere a little different from a typical Italian restaurant ✨ It is clean yet feels like a European restaurant, making me want to take photos before even going in.

A spacious, atmospheric Italian restaurant in Sangmu district

The tables are spaced so it never feels cramped, and the lighting and interior are clean overall, making it a comfortable place to eat.

I went after 1 p.m. on a weekday and got seated right away with no wait ✨

They also have high chairs.

There was children's tableware too!

There is a wide variety of dishes and plenty of set menus, so I had a hard time deciding what to order. (I only photographed some of them.)

Mediterranean-style paella with red shrimp and clam broth

The first dish I tried was the red shrimp paella! It was softer and moister than the paella you might usually imagine—think Mediterranean-style paella with an Italian touch, almost like seafood risotto.

Made with a clam-broth base, the grains of rice had absorbed the distinctive savory flavor of seafood, and eating it with the red shrimp on top made the flavor feel even richer!

Seafood dishes can be hard to eat if they have too much of a fishy taste, but this had none of that.

With lots of olives, octopus, and seafood in it, it was the kind of flavor that kept me eating without any side dishes. It felt like an upscale seafood fried rice.

Pistachio burrata mortadella pizza, a world championship runner-up

The pistachio burrata mortadella pizza was the one I was most looking forward to! I wondered what a world championship runner-up would taste like, and even its appearance differs from an ordinary pizza.

A whole burrata cheese sits in the center of the pizza. You cut the cheese first, then eat it together with the pizza.

The soft, mild burrata cheese went so well with the salty mortadella. Dipping it into the honey with sweet pistachios made for that perfect sweet-and-salty pairing ✨

Even though it is one pizza, the flavor changes a little depending on how you eat it, and the crust is incredibly soft. It is completely different from the pepperoni or cheese pizzas I usually eat, so anyone searching for great pizza in Gwangju should try it at least once!!!

Camel Orzo: overall thoughts

Camel Orzo isn't an Italian restaurant that is only pretty—the menu itself is a little special! Ordering the paella and pizza together worked really well: one offered deep seafood savoriness, while the other brought out the nutty richness of cheese and pistachio.

For two people, I would recommend ordering one paella and one pizza like this to share. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a special pizza in Gwangju, or a date-night restaurant or Italian restaurant in Sangmu district.

• People looking for great pizza in Gwangju
• People looking for an atmospheric restaurant in Sangmu district
• People who want a special pizza rather than an ordinary one
• People who enjoy red shrimp and seafood paella