Yeonnam-dong pasta restaurant for solo dining, no break time: Hey Joji

Today I'm bringing you an honest review of Hey Joji, a pasta spot in Yeonnam, which is perfect for dates and solo outings near Hongik Univ. Station. At lunch a wait is almost a must, it's that hot -! On top of having no break time, you can eat alone comfortably there, which made me like it even more 🍀

Hey Joji location and opening hours

Hey Joji is an American home-style restaurant in Yeonnam-dong at 42-24 Donggyo-ro 46-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor. It's about a 10-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station, on a street packed with Yeonnam's popular restaurants. In midsummer like now you sweat buckets after a short walk, but Yeonnam is still ,,, absolutely full of people 🥵

I visited on a weekday around 3pm, and I'm starting a detailed review covering opening info, parking, the space, the restroom, waiting, the menu, prices, recommended dishes and assorted tips -!

• Hours: daily 12:00–21:00 (last order 20:00)
• Parking: not available
• American home-style restaurant in Yeonnam-dong
• Exotic atmosphere and interior
• Western food spot with steak, risotto, pasta and more
• Pasta spot with no break time
• Solo dining possible 🌟

This is the exterior of Hey Joji, the Yeonnam pasta spot. Unusually, it isn't deep inside but long sideways, haha. There were quite a lot of seats inside too!

American vibes right from the outside at Hey Joji ✨

Is there a wait at Hey Joji on a weekday at 3pm?

There were seats outside Hey Joji for waiting. There's no waiting machine, and no Tabling or CatchTable either, so it seems you just sit in these seats in turn and wait -!

I'd read that a wait is almost a must at peak time, so I went at a very awkward 3pm, but it was full and I waited about 5 minutes ,,, And after I went in, guests kept arriving and the line never stopped. A restaurant with a wait at this hour, haha. I thought it must be rea~lly famous 👍

🌟 Naver reservations are available at 12 noon every day, weekends included, so if you plan to come then, I recommend booking 🌟

Hey Joji interior and seating for solo diners

The inside of Hey Joji is decorated in such a cute way. The cozy, snug mood was lovely even in the daytime, but I think it would be even more atmospheric at night! Doesn't it suit Christmas and year-end vibes too ,,, (talking about Christmas in midsummer 🎅🏻)

Whenever seats emptied out, I took photos diligently

There were two cozy sofa seats for about 2–4 people, and about 8 other tables! There was also a big table seating up to 5, and tables can be pushed together for bigger groups, so it seemed good for gatherings too. Most are two-person tables, so it's a place where you don't feel awkward eating alone 🐣 The restroom is in a building outside the restaurant and is unisex!

You order easily from your phone by scanning the QR code on the table!

Hey Joji menu and prices

As a proper Yeonnam pasta spot, the signature dishes are

• Garlic squid oil pasta ₩16,000
• Jambon butter cheddar pasta ₩16,000
• Cajun shrimp rosé pasta ₩17,000
• Jambalaya rosé risotto ₩17,000
• Duck steak cream risotto ₩17,000
• White ragu truffle cream pasta ₩16,000
• Bocconcini meat chili tomato pasta ₩17,000

Pastas and risottos were in the ₩10,000 range and steak was in the low ₩30,000s, so I thought it was good value for a pasta place -!

For sides to share there were waffle chicken, sweet potato fries, corn ribs and chicken tender Caesar salad, so you can pick to taste! I personally love sweet potato fries, so I was so happy there were sweet potato fries instead of regular fries 🍀🤍

Wine, corkage and drinks at Hey Joji

Corkage for wine at Hey Joji was ₩10,000 per person, but bottles are in the ₩30,000s, so if you want wine I'd recommend ordering a bottle there for better value, haha. They have wine by the glass too, which is nice ...🤍 Ordering alcohol isn't required, day or night, so don't worry -!

Jambalaya rosé risotto and sweet potato fries, ordered solo

What I ordered: jambalaya rosé risotto ₩17,000 and sweet potato fries ₩8,000, ₩25,000 in total.

First, the jambalaya rosé risotto is a risotto in a chipotle and jambalaya sauce, topped with sausage, shrimp and squid!

A risotto with a plump whole sausage on top!

The shrimp and squid were big and there was loads of it, so the toppings felt really generous.

The risotto had a texture where each grain pops as you chew! I prefer risotto where you can feel the rice grains rather than a fake (?) porridge-like one, so the texture was just right for me ☺️ Think of the jambalaya sauce as a tomato and spice based sauce -!

And with chipotle you probably imagine something a bit spicy and sharp, but I didn't taste any spiciness in Hey Joji's risotto, haha. It felt like chipotle plus a less creamy rosé sauce. I can't handle greasy food well, but unlike how it looks, this risotto wasn't greasy and I ate it lightly. Personally, if they made a pasta with this sauce it would be truly amazing ,,, 🫪 If you usually like chipotle sauce, you'll really enjoy this dish!

Should you skip the sauce on the sweet potato fries?

Hey Joji's sweet potato fries were thin fried sweet potato strips with lots of cheese sprinkled on top. The cup was packed with fries all the way down, so it was too much to eat alone ,,, 🤤

The sauce poured over them seemed to be cheddar cheese sauce. If you want your fries sweet and crispy, I recommend asking them to leave the sauce off! Since it comes drizzled on, the cheese flavor felt stronger than the sweet potato. They also inevitably go a little soggy, so next time I'll try the sweet potato fries' own natural sweetness >_<

The plating is so pretty and the interior so cute that I really recommend it as a date spot too 🍀 Yeonnam is especially known as a hotspot for solo outings, and enjoying a brunch alone in comfort made me so happy 🐣

One free drink for a review at Hey Joji

At Hey Joji, you can get one drink if you write a review -! In summer a cold fizzy drink is a must ,,, so write your review and take your drink >_<

That was my honest review of Hey Joji, the Yeonnam pasta spot! I recommend it both to people looking for a solo-dining spot in Yeonnam and to those after a pasta date place. With a wide variety of pastas and risottos and some special dishes, I recommend stopping by when you visit the Hongdae area.