Apgujeong Rodeo restaurant with yolk-topped perilla pasta: Eulji Darak

The area around Dosan Park in Apgujeong Rodeo has quite a few trendy cafés and restaurants. Among them, I visited Eulji Darak Dosan, a place with a unique concept that's already gone viral on Instagram.

Where is Eulji Darak Apgujeong Dosan Park, and what are its hours?

• 📍 Location: 25 Eonju-ro 168-gil, 2nd floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🕖 Hours: Mon–Sun 11:30–21:15
• Break time: 15:15–16:30

The bookshelf door you push to get in

At Eulji Darak Dosan, the entrance is a bookshelf — you have to pull it to get inside. When I first went looking for the place, I kept wondering, 'Is this really it?' and searching for the door.

Turns out the bookshelf was the door the whole time. Push it open and you're connected straight to the inside. The unusual entrance made Eulji Darak Dosan pretty fun.

The interior was clean, done in wood tones and white. A sleek, Western-restaurant kind of vibe.

There were more foreign visitors than Korean guests at Eulji Darak Dosan. Looks like tourists of all kinds of nationalities have heard about this place and come to check it out.

Eulji Darak Apgujeong Dosan Park menu prices

• Darak Omurice ₩17,000
• Darak Rose Pasta ₩19,000
• Spicy Crab Risotto ₩19,000
• Pork Collar Steak ₩24,000
• Corn Gnocchi ₩19,000
• Chadolbagi Perilla Pasta ₩19,000
• Spicy Cream Pasta ₩19,000
• Katsu Sando ₩12,000
• Eulji Ade ₩6,900
• Darak Ade ₩6,900

✔️ We picked out just the signature menu items to order.

Chadolbagi perilla pasta: burst the yolk and mix it through

We started with the fusion pasta, chadolbagi (beef brisket) perilla pasta (₩19,000). It comes piled high with julienned perilla leaves, sitting over a pasta tossed in nutty perilla powder and a rich oil-based sauce.

Popping the egg yolk lightly resting on top and mixing it in made it genuinely delicious. The rich, fatty smoothness of the yolk blended with the thick sauce and the nuttiness of the perilla, making everything taste even softer.

Fusion pastas can easily go wrong — the sauce can be too heavy and leave the noodles soggy, or the seasoning can sit awkwardly separate from stiff noodles — but Eulji Darak's pasta had the noodles cooked just right. Twirling them onto a fork and taking a bite, the outside held the sauce softly while the core stayed springy and chewy. My mom, who came with me, said it was really delicious too!

Katsu sando with a thick pork loin cutlet, 12,000 won

The Japanese-style katsu sando (₩12,000). Even just looking at it, the thick slices looked incredibly appetizing.

It uses a thick pork loin cutlet, fried crisp outside and juicy inside. Bite into it and there's no dryness at all — the juices flow out, the meat is tender, and it pairs beautifully with the soft, moist bread.

Adding the accompanying sauce on top cuts through what could otherwise be a slightly heavy pork cutlet flavor and keeps it clean and light.

Darak omurice, cut open at your table

The Darak Omurice (₩17,000) comes with a thick, fluffy egg blanket draped over the rice. A soft-looking yellow egg omelet is gently laid on top, and a staff member comes by to slice open the center of the omelet with a knife right at the table.

The moment the knife touches it, the egg blanket unfurls softly like a swirl. It looked like it would melt in your mouth.

Eulji Darak's signature, rich, umami-packed special omurice sauce is a flavor that pretty much everyone can enjoy without complaint.

The omurice rice itself is stir-fried loose and fluffy with ground meat, vegetables, and a special sauce. The rice is seasoned well enough on its own that it's delicious even without the egg. The sauce carries the brightness of tomato sauce, the heavy umami of demi-glace, and a hint of Japanese hayashi rice flavor.

Is Eulji Darak good for a date or a group meetup in Apgujeong?

For anyone looking for a nice spot for a meetup near Apgujeong, I'd recommend Eulji Darak Dosan! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and every single dish was delicious — a place that should satisfy just about anyone.