Hongdae restaurant for solo steak and smile-shaped fries: Hey Joji

Where is Hey Joji in Yeonnam-dong?

Hey Joji is an American home-style restaurant in Yeonnam-dong. Walk about 500 meters from Hongik University Station toward Yeonhui-dong, then turn into an alley, and you'll find it.

I've been working out pretty hard around Hongdae lately. This time I decided to get my post-workout protein from beef steak.🥩 I heard there's an American home-style restaurant in Yeonnam-dong with great vibes and great food! That's Hey Joji.

An American-home interior with a fireplace

Open the door and the first thing you notice is the warm atmosphere, reminiscent of an American home. The fireplace on one side of the space was especially striking.🔥

Even the tableware is pretty piece by piece, and with soft natural light coming in through the windows, the whole place feels comfortable and cozy! The kind of atmosphere that makes you want to sit for a long while.☕️

QR ordering at Hey Joji, and the wine list

Ordering at Hey Joji is simple via QR code. Looking at the menu, there were way more pasta and risotto options than I expected.🍝 Apparently this place is also famous as a Yeonnam-dong pasta spot. I'd decided on steak from the start since I was dining solo, but there were so many delicious-looking pastas and risottos that I agonized for a while.😂

After some serious deliberation, I stayed true to today's mission and ordered the house steak.🥩✨ By the way, Hey Joji also offers wine by the bottle at pretty reasonable prices, and they even have orange wine.🍷 Once I'm done breastfeeding, I definitely want to come back and try the wine too.😄

The house steak and its smile-shaped fries

Hey Joji's house steak comes medium-rare by default.🥩 And there was one thing that instantly put me in a good mood the moment the food arrived: the playfully smile-shaped fries.😆🍟

Can a fry really be this cute? Haha. But it wasn't just cute — cutting one in half, it was actually pretty thick. Crispy outside, fluffy inside, and great to eat alongside the steak.👍

Cheese-topped sweet potato fries as a standard garnish

And here's the other one — sweet potato fries!!🍠🧀 Hey Joji sells these separately as a popular menu item too, but they come as a standard garnish with the house steak. At first I expected just plain fried sweet potato, but no — they're coated in a sweet-and-salty seasoning with cheese piled generously on top.🤤 One bite and my appetite instantly perked up! A bite of steak, then a sweet potato fry, then another… I couldn't stop reaching for them.😂

Writing a Naver review gets you a free soda, so I picked Sprite.🥤 After the steak, fries, and sweet potato fries, a sip of soda left my post-workout hunger thoroughly satisfied.😋

Open kitchen, and the pasta and risotto to try next

Hey Joji's kitchen is open, so you can watch the food being made right in front of you.👀 Watching the dishes come together in the kitchen was surprisingly fun. I only had the house steak this time since I was dining solo, but I kept eyeing other dishes on the menu the whole time. Next time I want to come with family or friends, order a pasta and a risotto, and share a few different dishes together.🍝🍷

I went in using post-workout protein as my excuse, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying a great meal at Hey Joji, this American home-style restaurant in Yeonnam-dong. It's the kind of place I'll think of again whenever I want good food in a cozy setting.😊

It's great for meals with family or friends, but it also seems perfect for a couple's date spot.💚 Another delicious meal enjoyed today.🥩🍠🍝