Tower107 restaurant in Euljiro3-ga for a catch-up lunch: Pyu Euljiro

A day I decided to meet a friend I hadn't seen in a while for lunch in Euljiro. Looking for a good spot, I headed to Pyu, newly opened inside Tower107.

Lunch started in a spacious, stylish room — we ordered charcoal-grilled octopus with romesco and garden tomato risotto. My friend was also on the hunt for a good Euljiro3-ga restaurant, so we took our time over a beer, and on the way back wandered into the Hipjiro alleys.

An afternoon that started with a meal at a good Euljiro restaurant and ended at a new café tucked into the Hipjiro alleyways. A day of catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time.

Where is Pyu Euljiro, and what are the hours?

• Location: 1F, Unit 102, Tower107, 27 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
• About 3 minutes on foot from Exit 9, Euljiro3-ga Station (Lines 2, 3)
• Hours 11:00–21:00, last order 20:20

What kind of restaurant is Pyu Euljiro?

Pyu is a Western dining spot on the first floor of Tower107 in the area now nicknamed Hipjiro. Walk through Euljiro's old alleys and step inside the newly built Tower107, and the mood shifts completely.

Tower107 is fairly large, so the moment I walked in, my view just opened up. The high ceilings and wide interior gave off a completely different atmosphere from the familiar old Euljiro alleyways outside.

The name plate on the reserved table at Pyu Euljiro

Since I'd booked ahead, our table had a small name plate with the reservation name on it. Just seeing my own name there, like the table had been set aside just for me, made me weirdly happy.

Sitting down and looking around, I noticed wood-toned tables blending with the lighting, and some green plants near the windows. Plenty of room to sit across from a friend at lunchtime and just talk.

The moody, atmospheric spaces Hipjiro is known for are great, but if you're after something spacious and airy, Pyu works too. The tables are spaced generously, which also makes it a nice fit for a date.

What's on the menu at Pyu Euljiro?

The menu is fairly wide-ranging, from pastas and risottos to charcoal-grilled dishes and steak.

What we ordered that day: charcoal-grilled octopus with romesco, and garden tomato risotto.

Craft beer with lunch in Euljiro: Cheongdam-dong Daughter-in-law and Neomsabyeok

Since we hadn't seen each other in ages, just eating and parting ways felt like a shame. My friend suggested a beer, so I picked one of Pyu's craft beers — and the names alone were entertaining.

Cheongdam-dong Daughter-in-law and Neomsabyeok ('beyond compare'). I laughed at the names and ordered both, curious what they'd taste like.

Cheongdam-dong Daughter-in-law is a smooth Vienna lager with caramel and toasty cookie notes; Neomsabyeok is a bittersweet hazy IPA with grapefruit and pine notes.

Chatting over a beer with my friend, lunchtime flew by.

Charcoal-grilled octopus with romesco

The first dish to arrive was the charcoal-grilled octopus with romesco — exactly as the name says, octopus grilled over charcoal, served with romesco sauce.

I tried the octopus first — a faint charcoal smokiness comes through first. The outside had a light char, while the inside was tender and chewy without being tough. Paired with the romesco sauce, a spicy note joined the nutty flavor.

Dipping lightly rather than loading up on sauce suited my taste better. With the beer, the lingering spice behind the charcoal smokiness was really good too.

Garden tomato risotto at Pyu Euljiro

Next was the garden tomato risotto. A tomato-based risotto topped with roasted vegetables and garnish — the plate had a totally different vibe from the octopus dish.

One spoonful in, the tomato's acidity comes through first, followed by a softer, rounder flavor. The roasted vegetables add texture, giving the risotto's creaminess another layer.

If the octopus was all about charcoal smokiness, the risotto was about tomato brightness — the two flavors ran in different directions, which made it fun to go back and forth between them. Both were delicious that day, so my friend and I kept scooping from the shared plate in the middle of the table.

A short explanation with every dish

Every time a dish arrived, a staff member explained it to us — what ingredients went in, how best to eat it. Hearing that before digging in made the first bite feel a little more thoughtful.

We'd be deep in conversation, then pause for a moment to hear the explanation, then slide right back into eating and talking. It felt like our lunch time together just kept flowing.

A walk through the Hipjiro alleys after lunch

Instead of parting ways right after the meal, we left Tower107 and walked through the Euljiro alleys. Small shops and signs that weren't visible from the main road started appearing one by one — new shops tucked in among the old buildings.

Normally I'd have a destination in mind and rush through the alleys, but that day we walked slowly with no rush. We took photos, looked at signs, and wandered further in to see if we'd find a café we liked.

A Euljiro lunch that started with a search for a good restaurant, led us to Pyu for delicious charcoal octopus with romesco and garden tomato risotto, and ended with a slow walk through the neighborhood with a friend.