Baby-friendly Gwanggyo restaurant, seafood tomato pasta: The European

I went to Gwanggyo in Suwon to take some photos with Kkomi, and found this wood-fired pizza place that's apparently a well-known restaurant near Gwanggyo Lake Park, so I stopped in!

Where is The European Gwanggyo, and where do you park?

The European Gwanggyo

📍Hours Mon–Sun 11:00–21:30 Last order 20:30

The European Gwanggyo is located on the Gwanggyo café street in Suwon! It's also close to Gwanggyo Lake Park, so it seemed like it would make a great date course.

📍Parking info There are about 3–4 parking spots in front of the restaurant, and cars were also parked along the roadside right out front, so you don't need to worry too much about parking.

The 2nd floor main hall and the high chair for babies

Unusually, the 2nd floor here is the main hall! If the 2nd floor is full, they guide you to the 1st floor instead. Even the Naver reservation system noted that if the 2nd floor is full, you'd be booked for the 1st floor.

You climb a staircase lined with antique European-style frames, and you arrive at the 2nd-floor hall,

and right as I got up there, I spotted a baby chair! When you're out with Kkomi, this is the kind of thing you notice first, and I was relieved to see one, haha. We didn't have a folding chair yet at this point, so without a baby chair, either my husband or I would've had to hold her the whole meal, ugh.

To the left as you come up the stairs is the main hall,

and to the right is a private room! You can book it for a minimum of 6 up to a maximum of 8 people. When I visited, it was well past lunchtime, so it looked like they were cleaning up.

The interior was so elegant. It kind of felt like being in a European art museum,, the space is really pretty and has great atmosphere, so it seems like a good spot for anniversaries or dates. Looks like it'd be great for a blind date too, haha.

There are more tables further inside the 2nd floor too, so there's quite a lot of seating!

Ordering arugula jamón pizza (27,000 won) and seafood tomato pasta (33,000 won)

I checked the kiosk to order, and it said The European's chef used to work at the Shilla Hotel. That gave me even higher expectations,..♡

Fitting for a Gwanggyo wood-fired pizza restaurant, The European had a separate menu section just for wood-fired pizzas. Among the pizzas, I went back and forth but ended up ordering the rocket ham pizza (₩27,000)! For the other dish, I was torn between pasta and risotto, weighing lasagna, beef ragu pasta, and seafood tomato pasta, and landed on the seafood tomato pasta (₩33,000).

Kkomi waiting alongside mom and dad for the food to come out,,

The pasta came out first, and it arrived surprisingly quickly! A pasta absolutely packed with seafood💕 The pizza came out soon after the pasta too, piled high with ham and fresh rocket.

They looked so good.. (I still want to eat it again even now while writing this post)

Seafood tomato pasta packed with mussels, clams, squid and shrimp

A lot of places write "seafood tomato pasta" on the menu and then just give you a bit of squid, one shrimp, and a couple of clams, but here!! For real!! This is actual seafood pasta. Everything piled on top of the plate was seafood — mussels, clams, squid, and shrimp. (I think they said the seafood can vary by season.) There were as many mussels as you'd find in a mussel stew, and they were well cleaned of sand. The clams were big and delicious too!!

One thing that really impressed me.. the shrimp had a slit cut into the back, so instead of struggling to peel it by hand, a couple of flicks with a fork and out comes a big chunk of meat..

The biggest reason I always hesitate over seafood pasta is honestly the hassle of dealing with shrimp..? Here, you get three of those big shrimp, and they're all prepped to be easy to eat!! On a date, having to peel shrimp with sauce all over your hands is kind of awkward, but there's no need to worry about that here! The squid was also somehow smoky-tasting and not chewy at all, more moist? chewy in a good way? It's hard to describe the texture, but you really have to try it...♡

Anyway, it's just great.

Digging past the mound of seafood, you find the pasta noodles underneath.. it wasn't the kind of pasta drowning in tomato sauce — it felt like it was made from scratch, with ingredients directly chopped and sautéed🫶🏻

I also tried the pizza my husband ordered — it was topped with plenty of ham and rocket that paired well with the chewy dough, and the white sauce especially was the highlight! Both the pizza and the pasta were generous portions and delicious, so we ate really well and got very full, haha.

Signature dishes to try next time at The European Gwanggyo

What I ordered wasn't even from the signature menu, but it was so good that if I go again, I'd love to try the signature jambon truffle fungi pizza (₩31,000) or the Bolognese fresh lasagna (₩23,000), haha. It was satisfying enough that I want to work my way through the whole menu one dish at a time.

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Seoul, a Gwanggyo restaurant, or a place with great atmosphere for a date, blind date, or anniversary, or if you're craving proper pasta and pizza, I highly recommend this place!!