Isu pizza pub weekend lunch: Bulbeok slice and oven spaghetti, Raymond

What is Raymond Isu Branch?

Raymond Isu Branch is an American-style pizza slice pub, a go-to Isu spot for pizza and beer, serving huge American-style slices alongside fresh, world-champion craft beer.

To serve the best pizza with fresh ingredients, the restaurant makes only a limited number of pizzas each day: 20 on weekdays and 30 on weekends. I wanted to try a variety before they sold out, so I booked on Naver and visited for a weekend lunch.

The owner started Raymond because he missed the pizza slices he loved eating while studying in the US. Besides the premium American-style slices, the lineup is pretty solid: Artmonster, a world-class craft beer, and Gourmet Chicken, made with a chicken master's recipe.

How to get to Raymond Isu Branch and opening hours

Raymond Isu Branch is a 3-minute walk from Isu Station Exit 9. Keep McDonald's on your right and go straight, and you'll find it on the left, on the first floor of a white standalone building.

• Restaurant: Raymond Isu
• Main menu: set menus, pizza, chicken, craft beer
• Hours: 11:30–23:00, last order 22:30
• Address: 33 Dongjak-daero 23-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st floor)
• Takeout, reservations, Wi-Fi, high chairs, group seating, simple payment and pets allowed

The blue-and-red combination and the simple logo give off a real American pizza pub vibe. The large American pizza is overwhelming just in size. It's apparently a whopping 50.8cm.

How much is the weekday lunch set at Raymond Isu Branch?

The weekday-only lunch set starts at ₩9,900! It comes with one jumbo pizza slice, fries and a drink, so it's a great lunch option at a friendly price.

Interior and seating at Raymond Isu Branch

The inside has a vintage, retro feel. It felt familiar and cozy, yet the menu is totally American style, so it was both unfamiliar and new to me.

The seats are plush and the tables are fairly wide, so it felt like a hideout where close friends could chat comfortably!

Popular menu: what comes in the Raymond Set

The staff told us the most popular item is, without question, the Raymond Set. For ₩54,900 you get 4 slices (one of each pizza), sausage, boneless fried chicken, truffle fries and assorted sauces.

It's a generous spread for 3–4 people and cheaper than ordering à la carte. If I came with a big group for a company dinner, I'd definitely order it.

Limited pizzas and boneless chicken only at Raymond

The American pizza menu at Raymond Isu Branch includes limited pizzas you can only taste at Raymond.

Spicy Fusilli, American Bulbeok, Dumpling Curry and Soblique pizzas were unique menu items that made me curious. The chicken, the classic perfect match for beer, also caught my eye.

The chicken comes as boneless fried, boneless old-fashioned seasoned (yangnyeom) chicken, boneless Cheongyang mayo chicken and boneless spicy soy chicken. I liked it even more because boneless means no fuss picking meat off bones, and you can elegantly pop pieces into your mouth.

We looked at the menu on the kiosk and placed our order. The craft beers come with detailed descriptions so you can choose to your taste. The menu was so much my style that choosing took quite a while. Each craft beer is distinctive, so I'd also recommend trying a sampler of 5 beers.

What we ordered for weekend lunch, with prices

At Raymond Isu Branch I ordered 2 pizza slices, pasta, drinks and a craft beer, picking a variety of things I wanted to taste.

• Bacon Hawaiian pizza slice ₩8,200
• American Bulbeok pizza slice ₩9,200
• Tomato spaghetti ₩12,900
• Coca-Cola Zero, 2 cans ₩8,000
• Vienna lager craft beer ₩7,500

These slice prices include the extra charge for choosing garlic sauce as an option when ordering. Be sure to add the garlic sauce.

Vienna lager craft beer at Raymond Isu Branch

The Vienna lager came out first! It went down smoothly and felt refreshing, like it cleared my stomach. Tasting fresh craft beer was a big part of the fun.

How big is a pizza slice, and the pizza cutter

The piping hot pizza and pasta were served quickly. Like American-style slices, they were seriously big. Just one slice leaves you full.

We cut our 2 slices in half and shared half of each on our plates. Cutting them ourselves with the round pizza cutter was fun, too.

Raymond's pizza is generously loaded with toppings, sauce and cheese, so the rich, deep flavor really hits you.

It uses Italian tomato sauce and cold-aged dough, so the honest flavor of the ingredients themselves is the point.

How does the bacon Hawaiian pizza slice taste?

The bacon Hawaiian pizza has bacon, pineapple, natural mozzarella, cheddar and Grana Padano cheese, and it was fresh and delicious.

I grabbed hot sauce from the self-serve bar and sprinkled it on, and it tasted even cleaner and better.

How does the limited American Bulbeok pizza taste?

The limited-quantity American Bulbeok pizza has bulgogi topping, onion, jalapeño and cheddar, so it's bold, salty and spicy.

It's made with ingredients Koreans love, so I think anyone would like it, no matter their taste.

Tomato oven spaghetti at Raymond Isu Branch

The tomato pasta at Raymond Isu Branch is oven-baked spaghetti topped generously with pepperoni and mozzarella. The tomato sauce was tasty, and eating the pepperoni and cheese together made it feel like eating pizza.

Verdict: weekend lunch at Raymond Isu Branch

We left having enjoyed a variety of pizzas, pasta and craft beer.

Raymond Isu Branch is a great pizza-and-beer spot near Isu Station. Do try the Raymond-only limited pizzas!