Gijang brunch restaurant, Cobb salad and fresh ragu pasta: Riverside

Where is Riverside in Ilgwang, Gijang?

Riverside is a Blue Ribbon-listed restaurant located right in front of Sinpyeongso Park in Ilgwang, Gijang. It's an ocean-view restaurant situated directly across from the park.

I had no idea Ilgwang had such a stylish Western restaurant! Even though I visited on a weekday morning, there were already plenty of guests enjoying brunch.

On a nice day like this, it would be lovely to enjoy a meal at one of the outdoor tables.

It's been listed in the Blue Ribbon Survey for both 2025 and 2026 and featured in a food travel guide, so you can visit with confidence.

Is Riverside good for a date or a blind date?

Riverside seems like exactly the kind of place you'd want for a meal on a blind date or a date in Ilgwang. I really had no idea a restaurant with this much atmosphere existed here.

What impressed me most was how kind and professional the staff were.

Private room, window seats and high chairs at Riverside

There's a private room available for those who want to dine privately, so it's also a good spot for family gatherings or wedding invitation meetups.

There are also window seats set up for those who want to dine while looking out at the ocean view of Ilgwang, Gijang,

and kids' chairs/baby chairs are ready for those visiting with children.

Riverside's menu and what we ordered for brunch

Riverside, a well-known Western restaurant in Ilgwang, Gijang, has meat dishes like sirloin flap steak, and

pasta and risotto dishes like ragu pasta, scallop aglio e olio, and spinach shrimp risotto, and

even pizzas like ragu pizza and margherita. My mom and I ordered the "cobb salad," "fresh ragu pasta," "decaf americano," and "chamomile herbal tea."

After soothing our empty stomachs with the savory pre-meal bread,

we whet our appetites with a refreshing decaf americano and a fragrant chamomile tea.

The "ragu pasta" and "cobb salad" we ordered. Even with so many guests, the food was ready faster than expected.

They also served a crisp, tangy pickle alongside — that pickle is one of Riverside's charms.

The savory aroma of the ragu sauce and the pretty colors of the cobb salad. Being a Blue Ribbon restaurant, it looked delicious even before the first bite.

Cobb salad with house-made pancetta

Riverside's cobb salad includes house-made pancetta. Pancetta is pork belly cured with salt and spices, then aged. It has a salty, savory charm with a good balance of fat and lean meat.

With sweet tomatoes, plump shrimp, corn, and fresh vegetables, it's a dish that catches both health and flavor at once.

How the fresh ragu pasta tasted

Riverside's ragu pasta features a ragu sauce made by sautéing pork and beef in tomato sauce. It's a rich, deeply savory sauce with more depth than a regular tomato sauce.

Because it's fresh pasta, Riverside's ragu pasta retains a lovely moist texture. The pairing with the ragu sauce is fantastic.

Parking at Riverside and why I'd go back

If you're looking for a good restaurant for a date or blind date in Ilgwang, Gijang, Busan, I'd recommend visiting Riverside, a recognized Blue Ribbon restaurant.

There's spacious parking, so you can visit comfortably. Next time, I'd love to come back with my boyfriend to try the pizza and steak.