Gangnam Western restaurant for a blind date, weekend buzz: Eulji Darak

When people think of dates, brunch and blind dates in Seoul, Gangnam Station is the first place that comes to mind. Go out there on a weekend or a weekday evening and it's packed with people on blind dates. I recently visited Seongsu Darak, and their signature omurice was so good it kept floating around in my head. So this time I took my mom to the famous Gangnam Station pasta restaurant, Eulji Darak Gangnam Station (을지다락 강남역), for a weekend meal. I'll walk you through the atmosphere and menu recommendations from my visit!

Where is Eulji Darak Gangnam Station, and what about parking?

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station is right in the middle of the Gangnam Station restaurant street (22 Gangnam-daero 96-gil, 2nd floor), so it's easy to find from either Gangnam Station or Sinnonhyeon Station. Sadly, the restaurant has no parking of its own, so if you drive you'll need to use a nearby lot.

Gangnam Station hosts countless meetups and wedding invitation get-togethers every day, so access is everything. If you're driving to a Gangnam Station date, don't wander the confusing back alleys. Search for the paid public lot 'Yeoksam Cultural Park Public Parking Lot No. 1' (21 Teheran-ro 7-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) and head there! The spaces are surprisingly wide, so even beginner drivers can park comfortably.

Is Eulji Darak Gangnam Station good for a blind date?

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station is a Western restaurant with soft lighting and warm, stylish interiors, and on weekends it gets pretty loud and lively. Thanks to that moderate noise, you can actually talk without worrying about the next table, which made it a decent spot for a first blind date.

Step inside and the soft lighting and warm, stylish interior stand out. The window seats in particular get bright sunlight, so they make a great photo spot. That said, when I visited on a weekend it was full of couples having brunch, groups of friends, and people holding wedding invitation meetups (청모), so the place was pretty noisy and energetic!

Why the noise is actually a plus

Here's the fun twist. When choosing a blind date spot near Gangnam Station, a lot of people say, "If it's too quiet, it's embarrassing when the conversation stalls," or "I worry the next table will overhear everything," right? At Eulji Darak Gangnam Station, every table is absorbed in its own conversation with just the right amount of noise, so nobody pays attention to yours! The awkward air gets buried, and it's perfect for a private, focused chat. I thought it would work really well for a first-impression blind date or a casual lunch.

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station recommended dishes and prices

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station centers on pasta, with risotto, gnocchi, steak and other Western dishes at reasonable prices, so it's good value too.

The top 3 dishes we ordered that day were the Darak omurice, the chop pork neck steak and the spicy crab risotto.

🍛 Darak omurice (₩17,000)

The Darak omurice (omelet rice) is Eulji Darak's one-of-a-kind signature dish! A plump, soft Japanese-style omelet sits on top of European-style rice fried until nutty and savory. As soon as it arrives, a staff member gently slices it in half with a knife, and the sight alone makes you gasp.

Scoop up the tender, moist egg soufflé with plenty of Darak's housemade sauce and it melts in your mouth. Pure bliss. My mom said it was so soft and enjoyed it a lot too!

🥩 Chop pork neck steak (₩24,000)

The chop pork neck steak is a premium steak of quality grilled pork neck cut into bite-size pieces, served with colorful grilled vegetables and soft mashed potatoes.

The meat isn't tough and is full of juice. A date-night regular that goes perfectly with a glass of ade (fruit soda)!

🦀 Spicy crab risotto (₩19,000)

The spicy crab risotto is the relief pitcher that wipes out the heaviness typical of Western food. It's a risotto built on vegetables fried in chili oil, flavored with fresh, tender crab meat.

The mild, tingly spiciness soaks into every grain of rice, so alternating bites with the omurice and the steak was a perfect match.

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station: final thoughts

Eulji Darak Gangnam Station was a place to casually enjoy well-made pasta and Western dishes with solid fundamentals in a soft, warm space.

The moderately lively mood can blow away the awkwardness of a first blind date, and it's a place everyone can be happy with, no strong likes or dislikes, for a small wedding invitation meetup or a weekend date. If you're stuck choosing a blind date spot, give it a look!