Yeonnam-dong steak spot, weekday noon rush & homemade sauce: Hey Joji

What is Hey Joji in Yeonnam-dong like?

Hey Joji (헤이죠지) is an American home-style restaurant tucked into a Yeonnam-dong alley. Walk the lanes from Hongik Univ. Station and the little restaurant with the light green exterior catches your eye right away. That's Hey Joji.

I finally made a trip out to Yeonnam-dong after a long while. Going on a weekday, when it was quiet, was so healing :) In the daytime the sun pours in through the big glass windows, so it feels bright and warm, and in the evening the cozy lighting makes it soft and moody. A pretty Yeonnam-dong restaurant that's great for a date.

Hey Joji hours, directions and parking

Hey Joji is open every day from 12:00 to 21:00, with last order at 20:00. There's no break time, so it's perfect for a meal at those awkward in-between hours!

It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station. The weather was warm and lovely, so I strolled slowly and looked around like I was out for a walk. It's inside the Yeonnam-dong restaurant alleys, but close to the main road, so it was really quick to find. It's near Mandong Bakery (만동제과) and Café Central Site (센트럴사이트)!

One heads-up: parking is hard in this area. I recommend the nearby Yeonnam on-street public parking lot or a private lot. This neighborhood is notorious for handing out parking tickets like crazy... so please go with a lot.

Is there a wait at Hey Joji even if you go at weekday opening?

I walked in right at the 12:00 weekday opening, and there were already 8 tables eating. During peak meal times, I think you should be ready to wait.

I got there way too early, around 11:50, so I had a coffee at Central Site Yeonnam first. I took some photos in front of Hey Joji, and at 12:00 I went in! I did the opening-time run, and right at 12:00 people came pouring in!! I figured a weekday would be quiet, but a popular place is a popular place. I also saw waiting seats outside.

Wow, so many people. I was genuinely surprised by how many. Even while we ate, people kept coming in, so you could really feel how popular Hey Joji is.

Inside Hey Joji: is it good for a date?

The inside of Hey Joji is much bigger than I expected, with plenty of space, including tables for 4 and tables for 2. It's an open kitchen, so you can watch the cooking, and the sizzling sounds make you even hungrier.

The overall mood is warm and comfortable. With wood-tone tables and warm lighting, it was easy to sit back and chat. It's the kind of place where you can focus fully on the people you're with. It's good for a date, but I think it'd be great with close friends too!

The tables aren't packed right up against each other, so it's a great spot for a blind date or a date. The music isn't loud either, so you can hear each other well, which is a plus.

Hey Joji menu

The Hey Joji menu is varied, from steak to several pastas and risottos, and there are so many unusual dishes that I wanted to try a bit of everything. Personally, I'd like to try the duck steak cream risotto and the bocconcini meat chili tomato pasta. I'll definitely have them when I come back :)

How is Hey Joji's house steak (₩31,000)?

Hey Joji's signature dish, the house steak, is ₩31,000. Maybe because orders were backed up, it took about 20 minutes to cook.

But if you're chatting with your companion while you wait, that's over in no time! And above all, the food quality is so good that I'm happy to wait as long as it takes.

First off, the plating is so cute haha. The house steak comes with flat iron steak, french fries and sweet potato fries, so one plate gives you the meat and sides all at once. Dip it lightly in the sauce and the meat chews softly and just melts. Really good.

It had been so long since I went out for steak that I got excited and took a bunch of photos. I even posted an Instagram story

Medium-well doneness and the homemade sauce

I chose medium-well for the house steak, and it wasn't tough at all, just nicely tender. I thought, they really cooked this well. The juiciness was great and the meat quality was good, so I thoroughly enjoyed my first steak in a while.

It seemed like they make all the sauces themselves, and sure enough it was a homemade steak sauce. The savory depth is really good, so if you go to Hey Joji, please do try the steak! Hey Joji is also famous for its pasta, so next time I visit I'll definitely order pasta too.