Seoul Forest pasta restaurant with kids, parking tips: Billadeubeulleu

Every time I head to Seoul Forest, there's one thing I always agonize over. Where should we eat today? There are so many great restaurants around Seongsu and Seoul Forest that picking just one is actually the hard part.

This time, for a weekday family dinner, I was looking for somewhere with good atmosphere and food that could actually deliver, and I ended up at the Seongsu branch of Billadeubeulleu. Bottom line up front: this is a place I'd want to come back to for pasta and lasagna near Seoul Forest. And if the weather's nice, I'd recommend the outdoor terrace over the indoor seats.

Where is Billadeubeulleu Seongsu? Five minutes from Seoul Forest

Billadeubeulleu Seongsu is about a 5-minute walk from Seoul Forest. The address is 46-10 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 1st floor. It sits near Seoul Forest's main street, so it's a good spot to combine with a stroll around Seongsu before or after eating.

We visited on a weekday evening for a family dinner, and I liked that the overall vibe of the place was clean and just the right amount of upscale.

It's not overly formal restaurant territory, but you can tell care went into the food and the space, so it works for a date just as well as it does for a family meal.

And with the weather turning cooler like it is these days, the outdoor terrace is really nice. Personally, I liked the outdoor atmosphere even more than indoors. You can eat on the terrace and then walk straight into Seoul Forest for a loop — makes for a perfect evening date course.

Parking near Billadeubeulleu Seongsu: the Ttukseom Reservoir lot route

If you're driving to Billadeubeulleu Seongsu, you can use the Seongdong-gu Community Sports Center or the Ttukseom Reservoir Public Parking Lot. Whenever you drive to Seongsu or Seoul Forest, there's something you think about before food. Where do I park? Personally,

I'd recommend parking at the Ttukseom Reservoir Public Parking Lot and walking over. It's about a 10-minute walk from the lot to Billadeubeulleu, and when I used it on a weekday evening there was plenty of space and the parking fee was easy on the wallet. It's much less stressful to park at a big public lot and walk than to keep circling central Seongsu looking for an empty spot.

This is an especially good option if you're planning to visit Seoul Forest too. Ttukseom Reservoir Public Parking Lot → Billadeubeulleu → Seoul Forest is a course that cuts down on parking stress and flows naturally into a walk after the meal. Just keep in mind I visited on a relaxed weekday evening — parking conditions could be different on weekends or event days.

Billadeubeulleu menu: the three dishes we ordered

We ordered three dishes that day.

• Aligot cheese lasagna ₩22,800
• Polpo mambo ₩25,000
• Anchovy carbonara ₩21,000

After trying all three, I think I'd definitely order either the lasagna or the polpo again next time. Both dishes were well worth ordering if you visit Billadeubeulleu.

Don't miss the aligot cheese lasagna at Billadeubeulleu

First up, the aligot cheese lasagna. It's Billadeubeulleu's signature dish, and it catches your eye visually right away.

The cheese covers the lasagna on top like a soft blanket.

One bite in and you first get the soft texture and flavor of the cheese, and then the lasagna underneath joins in and deepens the taste even more.

It's less 'lasagna with a lot of cheese piled on' and more a dish where you're meant to enjoy the texture of the cheese itself along with everything else. If you like lasagna, this is the dish I'd recommend first.

Polpo mambo: the octopus dish our 7-year-old finished

And the dish I was surprisingly most satisfied with that day was the polpo mambo. I've had polpo (octopus) in Spain before, and honestly the octopus here felt even more tender.

The octopus wasn't chewy at all and was nice and soft, but the pairing with the accompanying sauce was really what made it.

And the most telling verdict came from our 7-year-old. I thought this might be a slightly unfamiliar dish for a kid, but she ate it so well that she finished almost the whole plate. If you're visiting with kids, give the polpo a try too. This dish scored very high with our family that day.

Anchovy carbonara, our pasta pick at Billadeubeulleu

For pasta, we ordered the anchovy carbonara. Carbonara itself is familiar territory, but the anchovy here adds an extra layer of umami. It's not so strong that it'll divide opinion — the anchovy flavor blended well with carbonara's signature savoriness.

So even someone who doesn't normally enjoy anchovies could eat this pasta without any hesitation.

If the lasagna and polpo were each dishes with strong personalities, the anchovy carbonara felt like the dish everyone at the table could comfortably share. Ordering all three together turned out to be a pretty good combination.

Lasagna or polpo? Order at least one

If I had to give one tip for Billadeubeulleu Seongsu, it's this: order either the lasagna or the polpo. Personally, those two dishes were what made me want to come back.

Rather than just ordering pasta, I'd recommend also getting the lasagna or the polpo to share.

And if the weather's good, check on terrace seating ahead of time. I liked the outdoor atmosphere much more than indoors. Eat on the terrace on a cool evening, then walk to Seoul Forest, and you've got a full date course without needing to go anywhere else.

Looking for a pasta restaurant near Seoul Forest?

There are so many great restaurants around Seoul Forest that I always end up agonizing over which one to pick.

If you're after somewhere with good atmosphere, clean and well-kept, with food that clearly had thought put into it, Billadeubeulleu Seongsu could be a solid choice. It's about a 5-minute walk from Seoul Forest, so access is easy, and you can head straight into a stroll around the park right after eating.

Parking at the Ttukseom Reservoir Public Parking Lot and walking in cuts down on parking stress quite a bit, so it's a route I'd recommend to anyone driving to Seongsu.

It's a good place for a family dinner with kids like we had, and just as good for a date on the terrace on a nice day. Most of all, if we go back, I think we'll order the aligot cheese lasagna and the polpo again.

If you're looking for a pasta restaurant near Seoul Forest, remember this one: Billadeubeulleu Seongsu, 46-10 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 1st floor.