Shrimp oil pasta and fist-sized gnocchi in Ilsan: Upstairs Kitchen

Hi hi everyone! Today I'm bringing you a review of a Bamridan-gil restaurant a close friend of mine raved about several times. She really knows the good spots around Jeongbalsan-dong, and she'd been asking me to go together for a while — finally made it happen today haha.

If you're looking for a steak or pasta restaurant in Ilsan, this one's worth keeping in mind. The atmosphere works for dates, blind dates, anniversaries, family gatherings — basically any special occasion. I went here for dinner today with three friends before heading to a bridal shower. If you're searching for a nice-vibe Western restaurant in Ilsan with steak, pasta, risotto and gnocchi all on the menu, let me introduce Upstairs Kitchen.

Where is Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch, and what about parking and hours?

Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch is at 1F, 5-25 Daesan-ro 11beon-gil, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi — diagonally across from Deungchon Kalguksu's main branch, right next to the rear gate of Jeodong Elementary School.

[By public transit] Get off at the Jeodong Elementary School stop.

[🚘 Parking] Parking spots are limited, so use the area around the restaurant or the Jeongbalsan temporary public parking lot.

Details

• Name: Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch
• Address: 1F, 5-25 Daesan-ro 11beon-gil, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• 🚘 Parking: nearby alternative parking lots
• ⏰ Hours: Sun-Wed 11:30 - 21:20
• Break time: 15:00 - 17:00 / Last order: 20:30
• Thu (9/24) - Fri (9/25): Closed for Chuseok holiday
• Sat (9/26): 10:00 - 20:00 (shortened hours)

Outside the restaurant

Even before walking in, I loved the clean, warm vibe. From outside, warm-toned lighting glows softly through the big windows — it kind of gave me end-of-year, Christmassy feelings? Like the warm light from the neighbor's window that the Little Match Girl envied haha.

Inside the dining room

The interior is clean and pretty quiet overall — not the rowdy eating-out vibe, more the kind of place for a day you want to feel a little special, chat calmly and enjoy the meal, like an anniversary or date.

What four of us ordered at Upstairs Kitchen, and what it cost

There were four of us that day, all women. Here's what we ordered at Upstairs Kitchen:

• 300g sirloin steak - ₩54,000
• Bacon cream gnocchi - ₩23,000
• Shrimp oil pasta - ₩21,000
• And the eternal soulmate — zero-sugar Coke, of course

For four of us it would've been just right to order one more dish, but since we were heading to the bridal shower for dessert afterward, we kept it to this without being greedy.

300g sirloin steak with the chef's homemade whole-grain mustard sauce

Of everything, the steak came out first — and wow, the cut was way more substantial than I expected.

At Upstairs Kitchen, the chef makes the whole-grain sauce that comes with the steak himself. Instead of using store-bought whole-grain mustard as is, he apparently simmers it from the mustard seeds up. A chef who doesn't cut corners on anything, not even the sauce — no wonder it tasted so good haha.

The meat's juices, the buttery flavor, and that homemade whole-grain sauce all together — what is this, is it my birthday today?? Haha.

The broccoli on the side was also cooked just right. Not that limp, overcooked texture — it still had a nice crunch, so even the vegetable was delicious alongside the steak haha. I ended up thoroughly chewing through every last piece of broccoli, piggy that I am.

So if you're looking for a steak restaurant in Ilsan, this one's worth trying. The meat itself was substantial, and I loved that they make the sauce from scratch.

How was the shrimp oil pasta?

Next up came the pasta and gnocchi! And this place... is a pasta restaurant too?? The shrimp oil pasta had the sauce and noodles working so well together, ugh, so good I nearly cried. The clean flavor of oil pasta with real depth of umami, and the shrimp — why were they so plump???? Bouncy shrimp with that snap when you bite in, proof of freshness!! The sauce coated the noodles well too, so every bite delivered that umami hit.

I've eaten around enough Ilsan pasta places that most pasta doesn't feel special to me anymore, but this one really stood out. Bamridan-gil has so many Western restaurants that my standards have gotten pretty high haha. Usually even when the steak or pasta is good, I just think 'oh, decent' and move on — but here, I found myself wanting to come back and try other dishes.

Fist-sized bacon cream gnocchi

And now, the moment we've been waiting for — the gnocchi!!! I'm honestly a gnocchi fiend. (Not because my nickname doeggi is short for 'pig gnocchi' or anything haha.) I've even gone on gnocchi-hunting trips before because I love it that much, and Upstairs Kitchen's gnocchi was on a whole different level?? First of all, the size is no joke. Super-sized gnocchi haha.

Usually gnocchi dough balls are about thumb-sized, but here each piece is about fist-sized haha. When the dough is that big, it can end up bland or taste like you're just eating flour dough — but here they nailed both flavor and size.

That rich, melty flavor I love! Both the gnocchi itself and the sauce were rich and creamy, exactly hitting the spot for someone who's obsessed with that kind of richness haha. But it's not heavy or greasy or throat-clogging rich — more like it melts away smoothly in your mouth. Anyway, it's incredible. Better to just try it than have me explain it haha.

Since it was bridal shower day, we started out eating somewhat elegantly? But by the end, my friends and I were scraping the bowls clean — practically doing the dishes for them haha. Once we'd scraped up every last bit of gnocchi sauce, we all started eyeing each other going, 'wait, was that not enough food?' 'should we order one more?' — debating an extra order like we'd been starving for three days, but we looked at each other's stomachs and held back out of conscience.

And isn't it better to leave something you still want to eat, so you have a reason to come back next time? Haha. Now I totally understand why my friend called this her favorite restaurant and why her family visits regularly. Especially for gnocchi — whenever I get a craving, this is where I'm headed from now on haha.

Final verdict on Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch

Bamridan-gil has no shortage of Western restaurants, but if you're looking for somewhere with a good atmosphere plus a variety of steak, pasta, and gnocchi, Upstairs Kitchen is worth a visit.

When we paid at the end, there was even sweet caramel waiting at the counter. From the meal to this not-quite-dessert dessert, Upstairs Kitchen was perfect! I officially certify this as my friend's true go-to spot haha. Seriously, genuinely delicious! Another one saved to my food map today ❤️