Family lunch at a pizza restaurant in Dongjak, Seoul: Raymond Isu Branch

When you wake up on a weekend morning, doesn’t everyone start the day with, “What should we do with the kid today!?” Haha. After playing our hearts out, it naturally turns into, “So what should we have for lunch!?” I think that’s the unavoidable weekend routine for us parenting moms and dads. Haha. Last weekend, we headed out early with our two-year-old daughter by the hand to a kids’ café near Isu Station. After burning off all that energy and working up a serious sweat, the whole family got hungry fast, so we started furiously searching for a pizza lunch near Isu.

Then one spot jumped right out at me: Raymond Isu Branch, known as a pizza-and-beer hotspot near Isu where you can enjoy American-style pizza alongside high-quality craft beer!

An American-style space that was easy to visit with a child

There is no dedicated parking, so we parked our family car safely at a nearby public parking lot and walked over without a worry.

The moment we stepped inside, the hip, stylish interior caught my eye—it really felt as if we had landed in a local American pub. Honestly, because the vibe was so hip, I cautiously wondered whether it might be a no-kids zone. But no! A staff member welcomed our daughter with a huge smile, then quickly and kindly set us up with adorable children’s tableware and a sturdy high chair without us even asking!

That thoughtful care made my heart feel so warm from the very start of our meal out with our child. Finding such a comfortable, genuinely kid-welcoming spot among the restaurants and bars in Sadang-dong felt like discovering a hidden gem.

The Raymond Set filled the whole table

Reviews said the signature menu was an absolute must here, so we boldly ordered the Raymond Set without hesitation. My husband, who studied in the U.S. for more than 10 years, took one look over the menu and the room and said, “This really nails the feel of a local American pizza place!” He was so excited, haha. Soon the set arrived at our table, and both of us were speechless at its overwhelming scale.

There were four enormous slices from a 20-inch half pizza, plump juicy sausages, boneless fried chicken that was crisp outside and tender inside, fragrant truffle fries, and all kinds of sauces! The spread was so generous it filled the wide table without a gap—a perfect set that delivered both great value and pure satisfactionㅠㅠ

American-style pizza in four flavors

This giant pizza came in four satisfying flavors, so it was so fun choosing what to try. The first, the cheese pizza, was generously covered edge to edge with 100% natural mozzarella, cheddar, and Grana Padano. One bite filled my mouth with such savory richness and deep flavor—it was honestly art.

The second, pepperoni pizza, was not an imitation at all: genuinely salty, savory pepperoni met Italian tomato sauce for a hearty umami flavor that stayed true to the basics.

The third, bacon Hawaiian pizza, paired sweet-and-salty bacon with pineapple whose sweetness had been intensified by the heat. It truly made my taste buds dance with happiness.

Finally, the one that made us most curious: the mac and cheese pizza! It had loads of real, savory, thick and creamy mac and cheese as a pizza topping. The chewy crust and creamy macaroni blended softly in my mouth, showing off a distinctive, intense charm unlike anything I’d had beforeㅠㅠㅠ

Tomato spaghetti our two-year-old ate so well

For our noodle-loving daughter, we also ordered tomato spaghetti. It came with plenty of tangy, rich tomato-based ragù sauce, and she devoured it in no time at all.

She got adorable red sauce all around her mouth while expertly twirling it onto her fork! Our daughter focused on her favorite tomato spaghetti, then kept sampling slices of the savory, soft mac and cheese pizza and crisp boneless fried chicken too. She put on quite an impressive eating show, haha.

It suited our child’s palate perfectly, and every single menu item was so delicious for my husband and me too—nothing was a miss. The whole meal, we couldn’t stop saying, “We found such a good place, haha!”

IPA beer with pizza

With such wonderful pizza, chicken, and fried food piled up like a mountain in front of us, skipping a cold beer would be unfair, right? Since we had come to a pizza-and-beer specialist near Isu, I confidently ordered a glass of India Pale Ale (IPA).

Apparently, this beer has won 16 awards at international beer competitions. Its gently bitter yet fragrant hop aroma brushed past my nose, and its refreshing fizz thrillingly washed over my throat, neatly cutting through the rich, oily cheese.

Sadly, my husband had to drive right after lunch, so I was the only one who got to cheekily sip this fantastic beer. He looked at me taking cold swigs right in front of him with such resentful envy! In the end, we firmly promised that next time we would leave the car behind, come for a proper restaurant-and-bar date in Sadang-dong, sit side by side, and enjoy as much beer as we wanted. Haha.

Raymond Isu Branch was perfect for enjoying filling American-style pizza with a child in a comfortable yet hip atmosphere on a weekend afternoon, and just as wonderful for sharing a cold beer with a partner or friends in the evening! If you’re looking for a hot spot approved by my study-abroad husband as a truly local-style restaurant, and enthusiastically devoured by our picky two-year-old, I recommend it for your upcoming weekend pizza lunch near Isu!