Gijang restaurant with fresh pasta and limited ragu pizza: Riverside

On weekends when I want to heal my soul by the blue sea, I always end up heading to Gijang. I'd found this place while searching a few days earlier — the wide-open ocean view was so appealing I'd saved it in my heart for later. If I could look at a pretty sea while eating good food, what more could I want? So on this weekend I headed over with a fluttering heart. This is definitely going to be the first place that comes to mind whenever I want a meal with a great atmosphere.

Where Riverside is, opening hours and parking

• Name: Riverside
• Hours: Daily 10:30 AM – 8:30 PM
• Address: 582-44 Ilgwang-ro, Ilgwang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, South Korea (1F)
• Parking: Available in front of the restaurant

Located in Ilgwang-myeon, Gijang-gun, Busan, this place is open daily from 10:30 AM to 8:30 PM, so there's no pressure about timing a visit.

The private parking lot is also very spacious, which was a huge plus for me as a nervous new driver — and honestly, it makes a great date spot too.

There's a gorgeous sea stretched out in front of Riverside, and it's great for a stroll before or after the meal.

Ocean views through floor-to-ceiling windows and terrace seats

Riverside's interior is clean and the tables are spaced out generously, which makes it easy to have a conversation. The moment you walk in, sunlight and ocean scenery pouring through the huge windows calm your mind right away. On a nice day, eating on the outdoor terrace with the sea breeze on your face would be incredibly romantic.

What we ordered at Riverside and what it cost

Being an Italian restaurant, the menu covers steak, pizza, risotto, and pasta. The biggest feature here is that the pasta is handmade with fresh noodles.

• Abalone Risotto: ₩22,000
• Gimmyeongran Pasta (handmade noodles): ₩19,500
• Ragu Pizza: ₩22,000

After ordering, the pre-meal bread came out first. Dipping the freshly baked bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar was the perfect way to get the appetite going.

Signature ragu pizza: only a set number made each day

Finally, our order arrived. I'd been curious about the taste of the ragu pizza, this place's signature dish, so I ordered it the moment I saw it on the menu.

Taking a bite of the warm ragu pizza, the rich meat sauce's flavor blended so perfectly with the dough that I let out an involuntary sigh of admiration. It's made with ragu sauce, mozzarella cheese, and garlic sauce, and it was genuinely delicious. They hand-knead about 40-60 doughs on weekdays and 60-80 on weekends, so once they're sold out, you can't get it no matter how much you want it. Maybe because the dough is hand-kneaded, it had a chewy, savory texture that paired wonderfully with the ragu topping.

Abalone risotto, 22,000 won: how big is the abalone?

This is the abalone risotto. Full of ocean flavor, it was so savory and clean-tasting that I couldn't put my spoon down. Can you see the size of the abalone? Cut into big chunks, it really announced itself, like, 'I am abalone risotto' haha.

Fresh-noodle gimmyeongran pasta, the best dish of the day

Next up is the Gimmyeongran Pasta (gim and myeongran/pollack roe pasta). This was one of the dishes I enjoyed most that day. Made with gim (seaweed) and myeongran (pollack roe), it uses Riverside's special handmade noodles, so unlike regular pasta, the chewy, springy texture was outstanding. The cream sauce was rich and delicious too. Topped generously with fresh ingredients like asparagus and shrimp, it was even better.

Would I go back to Riverside?

Eating until full and then catching the sea breeze — I thought there's no better healing than this. I'm already craving the ragu pizza and the handmade pasta; both the taste and the atmosphere were exactly my style. Next time I plan to bring my beloved family or friends to try it again. If any of you are planning a trip or a drive out to Gijang, I definitely recommend stopping by.

Eating carefully prepared food while looking at a gorgeous ocean view felt like it washed away a whole week's worth of fatigue and stress. The food was excellent and the staff were kind, so I had a really pleasant meal — 100% would go back.