Jongno pizza bar with garlic butter cheese balls: Backstreet Pizza

I went to Jongno 3-ga for a date with my partner. I thought about hitting the Jongno pub alley, but I'd been craving pizza and beer, so I went looking for a good pizza-and-beer spot instead.

When you're eating pizza alone or with just one other person, you've probably felt the same frustration I have — it's hard to try a variety of flavors. But I heard there was a Jongno pizza place where you could enjoy four different flavors on a single pie, so I went straight there.

Where is Backstreet Pizza, and when is it open?

Backstreet Pizza is 122m from Exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga Station. You have to head into a small backstreet near Jongno pub alley to find it — true to the name, it really is on a 'backstreet,' so keep that in mind and follow the map closely!

It's open daily from 12:00 to 24:00 (closed during Chuseok holidays).

A red door and basement stairs: finding Backstreet Pizza

A striking red door greets you, the kind that looks like it leads to a parallel universe. It has a hip vibe that's a real contrast to the bustle of Jongno pub alley.

Open the door and you'll find stairs leading down to the basement. The steps are pretty tall, so watch your footing going down.

Inside Backstreet Pizza: seating and atmosphere

The interior isn't huge, but there's a good mix of 4-top and 2-top tables. If a group of 6 or more comes in, they'll push tables together for you. It works for a date, and it works for a group get-together too.

The lighting is dim overall and soft. Medieval-style lamps and framed art create a hip atmosphere. It seems like a great spot for a distinctive, hip date.

My own photos are nowhere near hip, but... there are plenty of mirrors where you can get a good shot.

The Backstreet Pizza menu: what is a Quarter Street?

I love that there's a pizza where you can taste a variety of flavors on one pie. It's called Quarter Street pizza. Quarter Street is this ridiculous thing where you get to try all four signature pizzas on a single pie.

Order Quarter Street and you get all four signature menu items — Shrimp Gangster, Cheese & Patty Night, Potato Killer, and Pepperoni Shotgun. Even the signature menu names are hip.

We ordered the Quarter Street R size (₩38,000). Worried it wouldn't be enough, we also ordered five cheese balls (₩6,000).

Kozel Cinnamon and Red Rock: starting the pizza and beer

No pizza-and-beer spot is complete without beer. We got Kozel Cinnamon beer (₩8,000) and Red Rock (₩6,000). The Kozel beer glass comes coated in cinnamon powder around the rim. Its charm is a slightly bitter yet nutty flavor that spreads across your palate.

When eating intense food like pizza, pairing it with the slightly bitter Kozel beer is great because it keeps resetting your palate. That means you can keep eating endlessly.

Five cheese balls for 6,000 won with garlic butter sauce

Next up, the cheese balls. Inside a thick, chewy flour dough shell is a ton of nutty mozzarella cheese. Dip them in the butter garlic sauce that comes with them, and they're the perfect beer snack.

Quarter Street R size: all four flavors on one pie

Here comes Backstreet Pizza's main menu item, the Quarter Street pizza. With four signature menu items packed onto a single pie, its presence is tremendous.

I was excited before even taking a bite, because the toppings piled onto the four pizzas were seriously generous. Cheese, pepperoni, shrimp, and fried potatoes were layered on thick. Backstreet Pizza definitely doesn't skimp on ingredients.

Cheese & Patty Night, the favorite of the four

The first signature menu item was Cheese & Patty Night. True to the name, the appeal is how the cheese stretches endlessly.

First off, Backstreet Pizza's dough is really thin. The toppings are actually thicker than the crust. And yet the crust ends are crispy. The bread itself was delicious.

This signature item, Cheese & Patty Night, became my favorite menu item. Alongside the full-on cheese flavor came the smoky char of the bulgogi 'patty.' There was also a hint of tomato sauce, and I loved how these three flavors came together in harmony.

Shrimp Gangster

Backstreet Pizza's second signature menu item is Shrimp Gangster. I loved the generous pile of plump shrimp on top. The flavor was less intense than I expected — more like eating a shrimp tomato stew together with bread.

Potato Killer

Backstreet Pizza's third signature menu item is Potato Killer. The potatoes really do 'kill' the dough with how many there are. Each piece of potato is crispy and quite sweet. Even the white powder sprinkled on top is sugar powder. It's the most intense in flavor of the four, making it the best pairing for pizza and beer.

Pepperoni Shotgun

Backstreet Pizza's last signature menu item is Pepperoni Shotgun. The pepperoni slices are very thick yet still soft. It's salty, and paired perfectly with Potato Killer — also great with beer.

Verdict and one tip for Backstreet Pizza

If you're looking for a hip pizza-and-beer spot near Jongno pub alley, I recommend Backstreet Pizza. What I loved most was getting to taste four pizzas — and signature ones at that — all on one pie. It works well for a date, and it's great for a stylish group dinner too.

One tip: the garlic butter sauce that comes with the cheese balls is seriously delicious. Dip the pizza crust ends into it and it's a hidden gem. That's it!