Aged wagyu steakhouse in Songdo for a couple's date: Salt Steak

What is Salt Steak by Songdo Central Park?

Salt Steak (솔트스테이크) is an aged wagyu steakhouse on the first floor of Prugio City, right next to Songdo Central Park in Incheon. I hear it has also been on the TV show Live Today (생방송투데이).

Between the kids and work being so busy, I honestly can't remember the last time my wife and I went out to eat just the two of us (T_T). So this time I said, let's do it properly, somewhere with real atmosphere!! After a long search, I found Salt Steak, a Songdo Central Park restaurant. It was a happy day, a couples' date at a really great place. If you're looking for a Songdo Central Park restaurant or a date spot, I really recommend Salt Steak.

• Address: 203 Ateusenteo-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon
• Hours: 11:30–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:30, last order 20:30), closed Mondays
• Reservations recommended!! (Naver, CatchTable)
• Parking available

Let me show you the best steak of my life firstttt~~ lol. I'd heard it was a great aged wagyu steakhouse, so I booked ahead, and… long story short, I updated both my best steak ever AND my best pasta ever at Salt Steak, haha. Seriously.

Salt Steak parking and how to get there

For parking, you use the Prugio City building car park, and by public transport it's about a 10-minute walk from Senteureolpakeu Station on the Incheon Subway. It's right next to Songdo Central Park, so the location is great.

Don't forget to register your parking after the meal!! Access wasn't bad at all. I met my wife straight from work, so I came on foot and she came by car, no problem~~

The menu looks classy too, haha.

Salt Steak's atmosphere: a British classic interior

The inside of Salt Steak is done in a British-style classic interior!!! Warm lighting, wood-toned furniture and calm music, it feels like an old restaurant somewhere in England.

My wife's eyes went wide the moment we walked in, haha. She's actually a total Anglophile. She's watched all the Harry Potter films and going to England is on her bucket list, and as soon as we entered she said, "Is this London?" lol. It's really cozy, and the British classic decor gives it a distinct mood. The view of Central Park outside went nicely with the interior.

Even the menu somehow feels British. They brought bread to start and I wolfed it down, haha. It isn't big, but it's cozy, which made for even nicer, quiet conversation.

Is Salt Steak good for anniversaries and dates?

Salt Steak suits birthdays, anniversaries, blind dates and regular dates. The seats are nicely separated, so I barely noticed the next table, which I liked.

Lots of other reviews say it has the perfect mood for a special day, and I totally agree. It just has a special atmosphere. For a long-overdue couples' date like ours, it's perfect, haha.

The bread they bring first was crispy and delicious too~~

From our bar table seats we could see the whole kitchen. There was beef and pasta that looked like it was meant for us, and I was drooling. (T_T)

Salt Steak's white ragù tagliatelle: is the pasta good at a steakhouse?

Salt Steak's white ragù tagliatelle (ribbon pasta) combines a 12-hour beef bone broth base with wagyu sirloin ragù, a poached egg and fresh tagliatelle. I ordered it on a whim and it knocked my old number one pasta off the top spot, lol.

At first I thought, pasta at a steakhouse? But so many reviews said you have to eat this too, so I ordered it. Can't you feel how much care and time goes into this dish? haha.

At first I thought the pasta was pricey, but considering the portion and the effort, it's a great-value pasta;; My wife keeps saying we have to come back just for this (T_T)

I even craved the white ragù tagliatelle at night.. that's how good it was. The fresh pasta had a really different texture, chewy and soft at the same time. The sauce soaks into the noodles nicely, and since the ragù is made from wagyu sirloin, the meaty flavor is rich and hearty.

Then you break the poached egg and the yolk runs and mixes into the sauce… that moment is the best (T_T) There's no fishy smell or heaviness at all, and the deep, rich savoriness lasts to the end!! The portion is really big, so I left full. I watched my wife scrape up every last strand, lol.

What does Salt Steak's wood-fire wagyu flap steak taste like?

Salt Steak's wood-fire wagyu flap steak (salchi, the marbled flap cut) is grilled over four different kinds of fragrant charcoal, I'm told. The ghee butter petit tender is the signature dish, so I hesitated, but I wanted charcoal-scented meat, so I picked the wagyu flap steak and it was totally my taste (T_T)

The owner explained to us himself that "wood-fire" isn't just grilling over a flame. And the owner is really kind!!

Wagyu flap is a rich cut with beautifully distributed marbling, and Salt Steak says it ages the meat in-house with a special aging process. Carefully aged, hand-picked wagyu, so of course it tastes amazing, haha.

When the steak arrived, even the look was different. The outside hit my nose first with that heavy charcoal aroma unique to wood fire, and the inside was juicy and cooked exactly to the doneness I wanted, so for a moment I went quiet… It was just really beautiful (T_T)

It comes with several different kinds of salt, and they're not just salt. Each has its own flavor, so dipping the steak gives you a different taste every time. The gentle smokiness of the charcoal blends with the rich, savory wagyu, and when salty salt is added on top… I felt like I finally understood what harmony of flavors means, haha.

No exaggeration, it was among the very best of the few steaks I've had in my life. My wife took one bite and just kept eating without a word, lol. Praise shows up as silence.

Aaah, it's exactly the taste you're imagining. The kind that's there and then it's gone~~

Steak sides: carrot rapée, beets and house salad

The carrot rapée (shredded, marinated carrot) and beets served as steak sides go way beyond ordinary side vegetables!? The fresh, tangy pickled carrot rapée steps in right when the richness of the steak starts to creep up, so the balance is the best (T_T)

Eaten with the beets, you get another sweetness and an earthy note, and they go together so well. You can tell this place cares about every single side.

The house salad we had alongside was really good too. You can feel the crunch and freshness of the vegetables.

A Songdo Central Park walk after dinner at Salt Steak

After a meal at Salt Steak, Songdo Central Park right next door is great for a stroll. We went out for a walk patting our full bellies, and it's a perfect route for digesting, haha.

There are lots of great coffee spots around the park too, so finishing the walk with a cup of coffee makes for an ideal course. I'd call it the ultimate date route.

Verdict: would I go back to Salt Steak?

With its cozy British atmosphere, carefully aged wagyu steak and a best-ever pasta, Salt Steak gets a 100% yes for a return visit. Other reviews say "never disappoints every time" and "100% would revisit," and I totally agree!!!

On top of that, the owner was warm and kind in his explanations… Value for money aside, the whole experience was totally worth the money~~~ I think I scored some real points with my wife after a long time, which made me happy too, hahaha. And it was my wife who said first that we should come again ^^