Wood-fired pizza date in Songdo on a rainy day: Pizza257 margherita

Not long ago, after finishing a semi-studio photo shoot with my boyfriend, we stopped by Pizza257 Songdo Branch, a wood-fired pizza place in Songdo. For some reason, the two of us are completely hooked on wood-fired pizza lately.

The shoot had gone beautifully, and I wanted to treat us to something tasty after all that hard work. So I searched for wood-fired pizza in Songdo and made my way to the place with the best reviews and the best-looking food. If you ask how it went, we practically buried our faces in the pizza. It was such a hit that I wanted to write it down right away.

Is parking easy at Pizza257 Songdo Branch?

You can park in the building's basement car park, and the space itself is roomy, so parking was easy for us. That said, the building houses several well-known Songdo restaurants, so there were quite a lot of cars coming and going.

We went on a weekday and it was still like that, so I suspect it could get a bit crowded at weekend peak times. If you're going on a weekend, I'd leave a little extra time to keep things stress-free.

Atmosphere and terrace seating

The inside of Pizza257 Songdo Branch felt homey and cozy. There aren't many tables indoors, but there are separate outdoor terrace seats. Stepping inside, the warm, snug mood really put me at ease.

On a nice, cool day, eating pizza on the terrace in the breeze would be the best. The day we went happened to be rainy, so sadly we sat indoors. But listening to the rain pattering on the window while eating cozily together was romantic and atmospheric in its own way, and I actually loved it.

Ordering house wine and a margherita pizza

Pizza257 Songdo Branch also serves house wine, which is nice for a light drink with wood-fired pizza. I found it while flipping through the menu after sitting down.

We wanted to clink glasses to celebrate how hard we'd worked on the shoot, so we chose two glasses of house wine and ordered a margherita pizza, the most basic pizza and one that can't really go wrong.

After ordering, I glanced around and saw a huge wood-fired oven sitting on one side of the kitchen with real presence. Thinking of the pizza coming out piping hot from that oven, my mouth was watering before we even ate. Before the pizza arrived, I hurried over to the self-bar set up on one side of the restaurant.

What's at the Pizza257 Songdo Branch self-bar?

The self-bar at Pizza257 Songdo Branch has basic tableware such as forks, knives and small plates, crunchy pickles to go with the pizza, and seasonings like hot sauce and red pepper. Everything was very neatly arranged.

At busy restaurants, the self-bar area is sometimes messy with spilled sauce or not refilled in time, which can be a bit off-putting, right? Here, the owner seems to keep wiping things down, and every sauce bottle was clean and not sticky, which was really reassuring. As I picked out pickles and grabbed a knife, I noticed the seasonings that boost the flavor of the pizza were there to take as you like. Just as I got back to our seat, fully prepared, the star of the show arrived at perfect timing.

How does the Pizza257 margherita taste?

The margherita at Pizza257 Songdo Branch has white, soft mozzarella dotted over the dough, and the colors of green basil leaves and red tomato sauce together were really pretty. With the crunchy pickles set out, it arrived looking utterly appetizing.

The tomato sauce is the masterstroke

The heart of the Pizza257 margherita is its tomato sauce. I quickly moved a slice to my small plate and took a big bite, and wow, the tomato sauce here is truly the masterstroke. Instead of the sharp sweetness or artificial taste typical of store-bought sauces, the deep, rich flavor and aroma of real tomatoes spread through my mouth.

With a sauce this deep and good, when it met the nutty cheese and the plain, simple dough, it felt like the quality of the whole pizza went up a level. Fresh from the wood-fired oven, the crust was very chewy and mild, and the harmony of the sweet-tart, hearty sauce with the cheese was honestly moving.

Margherita and white wine pairing

The cool, crisp white wine we drank with it was a perfect match for the margherita too. A bite of pizza and a sip of wine rinsed my mouth totally clean, such a perfect pairing that I felt I could keep eating pizza forever.

Is it a good date course near Songdo Central Park?

Pizza257 Songdo Branch is a good stop when you're planning a nice date course near Songdo Central Park or just want really good wood-fired pizza. My boyfriend kept nodding with every bite, saying we'd really found a great place.

The two of us just kept repeating how delicious it was and cleaned off the whole pizza in no time. We're both so into wood-fired pizza right now that our standards have gotten pretty high, yet we enjoyed it far more than we expected. We're planning to go back again soon, the next time we crave pizza.