Pub near Isu Station with American Bulbeok Pizza and witbier: Raymond

What kind of pub is Raymond Isu Branch near Isu Station?

Raymond Isu Branch is a pizza and craft beer pub at 33 Dongjakdae-ro 23-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, close to Isu Station. It's open daily from 11:30 to 23:00, and there's no parking available.

Even Raymond Kyuhyun would love this place…

Wait, am I really the only one who gets that old meme..? I'll worry about that while I start this post, haha.

Half-moon window frames that look even prettier in the rain

I'd already been chuckling to myself about that meme before I even visited, but Raymond Isu Branch turned out to be a genuinely gorgeous brunch spot slash bar with a great vibe — a butter-toned ivory background with vintage red accents that just works so well.

It rained on the day of my reservation, and I worried the pretty details of Raymond Isu wouldn't photograph well, but the exotic half-moon shaped window frames on the storefront actually stood out even more against the rainy scenery and felt so atmospheric — I got emotional, haha.

The interior looks like it popped out of a foreign film, and I loved it. I always dream of traveling abroad but actually going always feels like such a huge, bothersome undertaking — so this kind of vibe in the middle of Seoul is very welcome. Raymond Isu was the easiest 'day trip to America' I've ever had…

Why we chose Belgian Wit Ale from Raymond's award-winning beers

I ordered beer without hesitation, and it was so good… Raymond Isu Branch has a wide range of beers with impressive international beer competition wins, and among them I chose the Belgian wheat beer, Belgian Witbier!!

It felt like a brighter, more fragrant version of Hoegaarden, which I already love, so I was very satisfied. From the very first sip, the creaminess is truly, truly smooth, and there's nothing watery about it — deep flavor all the way through. Plus the portion was generous ><

American Bulbeok Pizza, the season-limited slice

I loved that Raymond Isu Branch sells pizza by the slice as well as whole pies, and the set with 4 slices plus sausage or chicken and fries was amazing value — but I decided to order menu items I'd never seen combined anywhere else, a world-first as far as I know!!

I was really curious about the spicy fusilli pizza, but sadly it was sold out the day I visited. So instead I picked the season-limited American Bulbeok Pizza, which combines bulgogi pizza and a bulgogi burger into one.

First things first, the size gets a pass ^^👏🏼

Genuinely so good. Unlike the trendy pizzas these days that are piled sky-high with toppings, this one looks relatively thin, but the flavor is intense. It's bulgogi, so I think pretty much anyone would love it — highly recommend.

Brown Potato pizza, better known as the Lotus pizza

Brown Potato, aka Lotus pizza. I mean, with a name like that, you'd be guilty of a crime if you didn't try it 💦

I simply assumed it would be really sweet, but surprisingly you can still taste the full flavor of a classic pizza, with a sweet cookie-like note at the very end that pairs really well. You have to try it!! The fact that you don't crave dessert afterward feels like a total win ^^

On top of that, there were two huge scoops of potato salad piled on, making it an even more can't-lose flavor combo.

Rosé tteokbokki with Chinese glass noodles, plus truffle fries

Raymond Isu Branch has all three of the classic beer-pairing heavy hitters — pizza, chicken, and tteokbokki — so after debating with the boneless cheongyang mayo chicken, I ordered the rosé tteokbokki. Chinese glass noodles come included as a basic topping, and it genuinely showed that whoever made this menu knows what they're doing — zero regrets.

The glass noodles are cut into short pieces, which makes them easy to eat, and for some reason it reminded me of how people cut naengmyeon (cold noodles) with scissors as a soju side dish and scoop it up with a spoon, haha.

I usually don't like the crust ends of pizza and always leave them, but here the crust is tasty even on its own, and when I dipped it into the rosé sauce it was such a perfect match that I devoured the whole thing.

The truffle fries were fried thin and crispy, with an insane texture, and the rich, wafting truffle aroma is so addictive that you keep reaching for them even when you're already full.

How many pizzas Raymond Isu Branch sells each day

To keep using fresh ingredients, Raymond Isu Branch limits how many pizzas it prepares each day — 20 pies on weekdays and 30 on weekends — which is exactly why the quality stays so high. How about pizza and beer at Raymond Isu Branch tonight?