Gwangjin Italian restaurant for family dinner: Osteria Hyeon

I made a reservation at Osteria Hyeon (오스테리아 현), which is said to be a great spot in Gunja, and went for a visit haha. It has been selected for the Blue Ribbon for three consecutive years, so I was super excited haha.

Osteria Hyeon information and parking

It is on the first floor at 237 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

• Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–21:30 (last order 21:00)
• Closed every Monday
• Break time: weekdays 15:00–17:00, weekends 16:00–17:00
• 120 minutes free in the parking lot behind the restaurant

We reserved for a weekday evening and visited, but we did not bring a car, so we did not use the parking. Still, there is parking, so I thought that would be useful to know for anyone driving haha.

My anticipation kept growing before the visit

Outside, there was a Catchtable sign and a certification mark showing it has an officially certified pizza oven from the Naples Pizza Association, so my anticipation was already enormous before eating haha.

Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon restaurant for three straight years, from 2024 through 2026... I could not even imagine how good it would be....

I had been curious because its wood-fired pizza and pasta are famous, and to give away the conclusion first, we ate so well—it was all delicious haha.

Weekday evening reservation and restaurant atmosphere

We reserved for four people—three adults and one child—and when we arrived at our reservation time, the table had already been set according to our group size, which was so nice haha. In the evening, it had such a lovely mood and looked sooo coolㅠㅠ

There were already all kinds of guests inside—groups, friends, families—so I thought, ah, this really is a popular Gunja restaurant.... haha.

What we ordered

Once seated, we looked at the menu. There were so many options, including salads, wood-fired pizzas, pasta, and pilaf, that we deliberated for quite a while.

After thinking it over, we ordered.

• Prosciutto cotto arugula pizza ₩38,000
• Porcini mushroom cream pasta ₩28,000
• Sous-vide black pork neck steak ₩49,000

Those were the three dishes we ordered haha.

They also had many kinds of alcohol and a wine menu, so that may be useful for anyone wanting drinks with their meal!! I had to drive, so I did not order any, but looking around, lots of people at nearby tables were having wine haha.

Bread and olives before the meal

After we ordered, they brought bread before the meal, along with olives, olive oil, wet wipes, and the bread. They told us to be careful because the olives have pits!!

The bread and olive oil were light, while the olives were salty, and they went really well together haha.

The bread before the meal was chewy and delicious, and while we were enjoying it, the pizza came out first haha.

Just how chewy was the prosciutto cotto arugula pizza?

They gave us three accompaniments with the pizza: basil pesto, grated cheese, and spicy oil. I was so curious, and it felt a little fascinating, to see how each would taste with it haha. (They explained each one, but other than the basil pesto, I forgot all their names..ㅠ)

The wood-fired pizza had prosciutto puffed up over the top, with plenty of arugula tucked inside!!! The pizza was very thin and loaded with toppings, so it made my mouth water and I wanted to eat it right awayㅠㅠ

It was thin, but the cheese stretched as I ate it with the arugula and prosciutto. The arugula's fragrance and crisp texture, the rich cheese, the salty umami of the prosciutto, and the incredibly chewy dough were so delicious that I was surprised!!!!

Honestly.... it was the chewiest wood-fired pizza I have ever had in my life. It was chewy almost like injeolmi (chewy rice cake), which really surprised me. My family members were all amazed too, saying it was so chewy and delicious haha.

The dough was thin and light, yet springy like injeolmi, so I could not stop eatingㅠㅠ I thought, as expected, the Blue Ribbon does not disappoint, and that official Naples-certified oven sign, too... so impressive haha.

With basil pesto, the basil aroma came through more; with the grated cheese, the cheese flavor became richer. Personally, dipping it in the spicy oil was really delicious because it added a kick after the pizza flavor!! (What was your name again? You are totally my style.)

Porcini mushroom cream pasta with thinner noodles for the child

As we were eating with admiration, the porcini mushroom cream pasta arrived, and this was delicious tooㅠㅠ When we ordered, they asked whether they should switch to thinner noodles so it would be easier for the child to eat. That consideration was really... so thoughtful, and I was grateful haha.

It came made with slightly thinner noodles. The cream was thick and rich, and the pasta was full of mushroom flavor, so it paired very well with the pizza and was truly delicious!!!

The child ate enthusiastically too, and we even used the bread from earlier to scrape up every last bit of cream sauce from the plate....... It was that delicious haha.

Sous-vide black pork neck steak

Finally, the sous-vide black pork neck steak arrived, served with Gorgonzola cream sauce, a spinach garnish, and sous-vide black pork neck.

The cross-section looked full of juices and incredibly tender, and it actually had the soft texture of boiled pork, while the grilled exterior added a savory flavor and a slight crispness!!

It was tender and soft inside, and the black pork's meaty flavor was gently wrapped in the Gorgonzola cream sauce, so this too... was really deliciousㅠㅠ (Everything was just delicious...)

Finishing the meal for three adults and one child

I saw in other reviews that the grilled octopus is tasty too, so I would like to try that next time haha.

Three adults and one child ate together, and the amount was just right—we left full and happy!!! The food also came out quickly without a long wait, so we could enjoy a comfortable meal haha.

The atmosphere and food were more than worthy of a popular Gunja restaurant, so I plan to come back again haha.