Hapjeong lunch spot for cream gnocchi and burrata salad: Riike

Hi, I'm Woorim :) Today I want to introduce a place with genuinely delicious Italian food that turned out to be great for a Hapjeong date — Riike! I'd been craving Italian food and found this place, and everything from the bread to the main dishes was high quality. One very satisfied customer haha.

The atmosphere is cozy and the food is well put together, so I want to recommend Riike as a Hapjeong date/blind date spot near the station. ^^

Where is Riike, and what are its hours?

Riike, a great spot for a Hapjeong date, is located about 200 meters from Exit 8 of Hapjeong Station, so it's very accessible. There's a menu board out front too, which is nice since you can check prices before going in.

Riike is open daily from 11:30am to 10pm, with a break time from 3pm to 5pm — worth keeping in mind. It's closed every Monday, and last order is at 9pm.

We visited around lunchtime, but I'd recommend booking ahead just in case seats aren't available!

What is the dining room at Riike like?

Riike, great for a Hapjeong date, felt really cozy inside. The number of tables was decent and there was a good amount of distance between them, which I appreciated.

We ordered the whole bacon cream gnocchi, gamtae vongole pasta, and a burrata cheese salad.

The atmosphere alone is cozy and warm, so this place already earns points as a date spot... now let's see how the food tastes!

Complimentary grilled bread and truffle spread

The complimentary grilled bread and the truffle-scented spread! Riike's appetizers, for a Hapjeong date spot, were really delicious and clean-tasting — the spread was fantastic.

Crunchy, sweet-and-tangy radish pickles!

Gamtae (seaweed) vongole pasta at Riike

The gamtae (seaweed) vongole pasta we ordered arrived. True to Riike's reputation for pasta near Hapjeong, the noodles and ingredients felt fresh.

There was a generous amount of clams and gamtae in particular, giving it a real sense of quality. It was slightly spicy, which cut through any heaviness nicely.

Whole-bacon cream gnocchi: how is the gnocchi texture?

The whole bacon cream gnocchi at Riike, a nice-vibe pasta spot in Hapjeong! The thick cream sauce and chewy gnocchi went really well together.

Personally, gnocchi can sometimes end up with a bad texture if it's not made well, but Riike's cream gnocchi was chewy without being dense, which made it taste even better. ^^

There was also plenty of whole bacon inside, so eating it together with the gnocchi gave it a salty edge that made the flavor much better. The richness was really the charm of Riike's bacon cream gnocchi!

Is the burrata cheese salad worth adding?

If you're looking for a date spot near Hapjeong Station, definitely order the burrata cheese salad too!

With basil pesto and cherry tomatoes inside, it had a refreshing quality that made it a great pairing to order alongside the other dishes. The fresh, light flavor was really satisfying!

Thanks to the fragrant basil pesto, I ate it so happily that I completely forgot about any heaviness from the other dishes.

And the burrata cheese itself — chewy on the outside, creamy on the inside — is charming; it has just the right dairy flavor and is easy to keep reaching for. Personally, I'd recommend definitely ordering this as a side dish. ^^

Riike, a restaurant near Hapjeong Station I hadn't visited in a while! If you're looking for a pasta/Italian restaurant for a date near Hapjeong Station, I really recommend visiting once. ^^

I was really satisfied being able to enjoy several dishes without any heaviness. Definitely go check it out!