Haenggung-dong, Suwon group seating and seafood pasta: The European

I was really craving Western food after a long while, so I was looking up Suwon restaurants when I found out that The European — the place I used to go to in Gwanggyo — now has a branch in Haenggung-dong too!? I went straight over for pizza and here's my review.

Where is The European Haenggung, and where do you park?

The European Haenggung Main Branch is across from Haenggung-dong's Chicken Street, in a quieter alley that doesn't get too crowded. There's a public parking lot right next door, so parking was easy 🤩 (there's also a private lot nearby).

The main street can get pretty hectic, but this alley has just the right amount of Haenggung-dong charm with a calmer vibe — I love it.

Wood-fired pizza is the main event: what are the signature pizzas?

Since wood-fired pizza is the main event at The European Haenggung, I really recommend ordering one,,❤️✨ The signatures are the jambon truffle fungi pizza and the basil burrata cheese pizza. There are so many pizza types that you can pick to your taste — even just looking at the photos makes me want to eat it again!

The red curtain feels like it's The European's real signature!

Atmosphere and reservations: getting a quieter table

The European Haenggung has an antique, cozy atmosphere, so it's totally recommended for a blind date! A place that's too quiet can feel awkward for a date, but here there are enough customers that you don't have to worry about that! haha

You know atmosphere is everything in Haenggung-dong! It's a great mood for talking, so even without a blind date, you can eat comfortably while chatting. Reservations are possible too, so I'd book through Catch Table before you go! (I made a reservation and they seated me at a quieter table~!)

Can a group or company dinner fit in Haenggung-dong?

When I went further inside The European Haenggung, there turned out to be quite a lot of seating. It seems like groups are welcome too, which is great — there aren't many places in Haenggung-dong that can seat a group ㅠㅡㅠ. This looks like it could work for family meals or company dinners!! I once had a lunch company dinner at a pasta place before and it was really nice haha.

QR code ordering and how fast the food arrived

At The European Haenggung you order via the QR code on the table, and it's prepayment. The basic table setting and cutlery were cute too, haha. And even with a lot of customers, the food came out surprisingly fast! I really appreciated that (impatient Korean here—).

Oh, and they had a good variety of wine and other drinks! I didn't drink any myself, but wine lovers should take note.

Tomato-sauce seafood pasta at ₩30,000s: worth it?

It had been a while since a Western-food date in Haenggung-dong, but I was in the mood for something seafood rather than heavy, so haha, I ordered the seafood pasta. At ₩30,000s it's on the pricier side for pasta here, haha.

The pasta is underneath, but there's a ton of seafood on top! Recommended for seafood lovers — squid, mussels, and shrimp galore.

The pasta sauce is tomato-based, haha. It came out piping hot and the pasta was delicious, and the shrimp and mussels were great too ⭐️

Shrimp garlic pizza with whole shrimp and whole garlic cloves

A wood-fired pizza that came out with whole shrimp and whole garlic on it.

Honestly I'm not a big eater, but the pizza was so good I finished it all,,, The dough was nice and chewy, and the shrimp came whole (a bit tricky to peel, haha), but together with the garlic it was seriously delicious!!!

The visuals are pretty great too, aren't they ㅠㅠ. The wood-fired pizza here is genuinely delicious, and maybe because the chef used to work at the Shilla Hotel, the flavor had a distinct, unique deliciousness, haha. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a Western-food date spot near Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Haenggung-dong 🫶

Take note of the location! It's near the art museum, haha. Make sure to reserve so you can visit without waiting, and definitely order the pizza! Totally recommend it.