Haebangchon Italian anniversary date, gnocchi & octopus: Villa de Blue

We had an anniversary not long ago, and I agonized for ages over where to go. I wanted somewhere with a good atmosphere and food I could count on. After searching around, I kept seeing one place mentioned as a Haebangchon date-night favorite: Villa de Blue.

🐙 Villa de Blue, a Haebangchon date spot

Villa de Blue (빌라드블루) is an Italian brunch bar and wine dining spot in the Haebangchon alleys, at 30-1 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the first floor. The concept is said to be inspired by Amalfi in Italy, which made me even more curious.

🏠 A space with blue and white striped booth seats

Standing in front of Villa de Blue, the first thing that catches your eye is the 'Villa de Bleu' sign in blue neon. With the blue door and the life buoy decoration, it feels like arriving in a southern European harbor town.

Step inside and a row of blue and white striped cushioned booths stretches along the wall. The tables have a checkered tile pattern, and the spacing between seats isn't very generous. The restaurant itself is small, so the tables felt packed right up against each other. On the upside, that gave it the cozy feel of a little local restaurant in a small European town.

By the window there are also bar-style seats with tall stools lined up. You can see the Haebangchon alley right through the lattice window frames, so it looked like a good spot whether you come alone or as a pair.

Behind the bar counter, wine bottles and glasses are displayed in tiers, and a vintage brick wall adds to the mood.

The walls are covered with photos of Italian coastal towns like Amalfi and Cinque Terre, plus vintage posters.

A vintage cola curtain hangs at the kitchen entrance. It reads 'Enjoy Coca-Cola, My Meal Partner', and vintage Coca-Cola props are blended naturally all around the restaurant. Little details like these added a lot of fun to the space.

🍽 What's on the Villa de Blue menu?

Once seated, you get a menu with a range of Italian dishes, from pasta to steak. The cheese waterfall lasagna seems to be the most famous thing here?

After much deliberation, we ordered the gorgonzola truffle cream gnocchi and the Polpo Mambo, along with two colas.

How do the gorgonzola truffle cream gnocchi and Polpo Mambo taste?

First, the gorgonzola truffle cream gnocchi comes with crisp-fried gnocchi sitting deep in a gorgonzola cream sauce. Bite in and the outside is crunchy while the inside has a rich, true potato flavor.

The cream sauce is quite thick, so even a single spoonful fills your mouth with a heavy richness. Roasted pecans here and there add a nutty note. Plenty of freshly grated Parmigiano cheese on top made it salty and rich.

💡 Gnocchi with that rich cream sauce was the best gnocchi I've ever had.

Polpo Mambo is one of Villa de Blue's signature octopus dishes.

It's a Mediterranean-style octopus dish: the octopus is grilled so only the surface is crisp, laid over romesco sauce, roasted potatoes and peas.

The octopus was cooked tender, not tough, and the savory flavor builds the more you chew. The potatoes were crisp outside and fluffy inside, and went well with the romesco sauce.

The peas gave a fresh pop here and there and helped cut the richness.

💡 Polpo Mambo brings out the natural flavor of the octopus, so I recommend it to seafood lovers.

Both dishes had a clear, true ingredient flavor. The quality was high for the price, and I felt it was a date-friendly option in Haebangchon: not a burden on the wallet, yet reliably tasty. ❤️

📍 Villa de Blue Haebangchon visitor info (reservations, parking, corkage)

For anyone planning a Haebangchon date-night meal, here's the visitor info.

• 📍Location: 30-1 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (1st floor)
• 🕐Hours: Tue–Fri 13:00–23:00 (with a break time), Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00, closed Mondays
• 📅Reservations: available on the Catch Table app
• 🅿Parking: no parking at the restaurant; use the nearby paid public parking lot (Yongsan-gu Office)
• 🍾Corkage: allowed (fee applies)

Parking is awkward, so I'd recommend going by public transport. There aren't many tables, so on weekend evenings it's probably more comfortable to book ahead.

💡 The place turns into a brunch bar by day and a wine bar by night, so I hear the feel differs depending on when you visit.

💌 Who I'd recommend Villa de Blue to

• Anyone looking for a date spot with a good atmosphere in Haebangchon
• Anyone who wants a meal that doubles as hearty wine food, like gnocchi or octopus
• Anyone who wants to enjoy brunch by day and a wine bar by night in one place