Pangyo restaurant with photo walls and spicy clam risotto: Andover

I went to Andover in Pangyo for dinner.

It's a Pangyo restaurant known for pasta and risotto alongside salads. I'd wanted to visit ever since seeing photos of the black-and-white photo wall and wood-tone interior.

The black exterior with a wood Andover sign stood out even before stepping inside, and there were terrace seats out front too.

Opening the door, the big window and black-and-white photos caught my eye right away.

Where is Andover in Pangyo, and what are its hours?

Andover is about an 8–10 minute walk from Pangyo Station, on the Baekhyeon-dong café street. You can also walk from Suneo Station, but it was a bit closer from Pangyo Station.

• Address: 1F, 10-7 Pangyoyeok-ro 10beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• Hours: Tue–Fri 11:30–22:00, break time (weekdays) 15:30–17:00 / Sat–Sun 11:30–22:00
• Closed: Every Monday
• Parking: 1 hour free with Baekhyeon-dong café street public parking
• Pets: Allowed on the terrace
• Corkage: Available, paid

The black-and-white photo walls inside Andover

Andover in Pangyo is a space where sunlight pours in through a big window, warm-toned wood tables paired with black chairs and large lighting fixtures. Even after sitting down, my eyes kept catching the lights and flowers one by one, so I kept looking around haha.

Where do people get this kind of sense of style? Even the reserved-seat signs were done so beautifully! The moment I walked in, I was mesmerized and kept looking around everywhere.

What really caught my eye was the black-and-white photo wall filling the room! Even after sitting down, I kept craning my neck to look at each photo. Each one showed a different scene, so it felt like eating inside a small photo exhibition. There was so much to look at even before the food arrived, so I stayed busy checking every corner while waiting haha.

Toward the back of the restaurant there was a large lettering wall and an open kitchen.

In a space set in wood and black, the evening sunlight coming through the big window made every angle photograph beautifully. I thought this place would suit a Pangyo brunch just as well, since daytime light must fill the room through that window.

Even these small decor pieces had their own charm, so I spent a long time looking around before the food arrived.

The family story behind Andover

The name Andover is taken from a small city in Massachusetts, USA. The family drew on memories built while living there to create the Andover of today.

They said they designed the interior themselves and chose the furniture and decor pieces. After walking around the restaurant once, I understood why they shared that story.

From the lighting to the photos and flowers, there was something to see in every corner of the space, so I ended up admiring the interior closely even though I'd come to eat.

The Andover sauces worth taking home

On one side of the restaurant there were sauces and ingredients made directly by Andover.

There were several kinds, including bolognese, cream sauce, and basil pesto. I came to eat but ended up browsing here for a while too haha. It made me curious since you could enjoy Andover's flavors at home too.

Especially after eating the ragu that day, I wanted to buy the bolognese sauce and try making pasta at home.

Andover's menu, from brunch to pasta

Looking at the menu, it ranged widely from brunch to salads, risotto, and pasta.

There are signature dishes too, like the Andover lasagna and cod gratin.

Even just the pasta section had so many kinds—anchovy, bisque, cream, tomato—that I spent a long time looking at the menu haha.

After some deliberation, we picked the burrata tomato salad, ragu short pasta, and clam risotto. We decided to get one salad plus one pasta and one risotto and share them.

Ready to eat!

Burrata tomato salad that looked like a Christmas tree

The first dish to arrive was the burrata tomato salad.

The moment it came out, I said 'wait, this looks like a Christmas tree!' haha. There's white burrata cheese in the center of the plate, surrounded by green arugula, various vegetables, and tomatoes. Since it happened to be exactly 100 days before Christmas, having green, red, and white all gathered on one plate felt like an early Christmas. I cut into the burrata and piled arugula and tomato on top all at once. The soft cheese with fresh arugula and tomato felt fresh and light, making it a great opening dish.

Ragu short pasta with celery as the kick

Next up was the ragu short pasta.

Looking at the sauce, it was really packed with ground meat. Taking a bite, there was almost no tomato sourness—just the taste of meat and vegetables simmered for a long time. I usually shy away from ragu when the tomato tanginess is strong, but here the meat flavor came through stronger than the tomato, which suited my taste well.

And every so often, I'd bite into a crunch of celery. The way the celery aroma popped through the rich ragu was the kick of this pasta. Every time I picked up a piece of short pasta, I ended up loading it generously with the meat sauce. Since it tasted like meat and vegetables slowly simmered for hours, it also felt like eating a home-cooked meal made with real care.

The spicy clam risotto we kept going back to

All the dishes at this Pangyo restaurant were delicious, but my top pick was the clam risotto. It came topped with plump clams, and on the first bite I thought, 'wait, this is spicy?' haha.

But right after, the rich seafood flavor from the clams rushed in. It tasted like a deep seafood broth reborn as a spicy risotto. I loved how the spiciness was followed by that distinct clam freshness. Unlike the cream or cheese risottos I usually eat, this one felt more novel with its spicy kick and deep seafood flavor.

We had all three dishes laid out together, but my spoon kept going back to the clam risotto haha.

Is a weekday evening at Andover in Pangyo worth it?

I visited a bit early on a weekday, so it was relaxed at first.

But by around 6pm, reservation guests started coming in one after another and the tables filled up fast.

I was glad I'd made a reservation haha.

If you're going without a reservation, it might be a good idea to call ahead and check for seats.

That day, we slowly shared all three dishes. The rich ragu was delicious, and along with the spicy clam risotto and the fresh salad, taking turns between each different dish, we cleaned all three plates haha.

Above all, every dish we tried this time was delicious, which made me curious about the other menu items too. Next time, I want to come with more friends and order a bunch of things to share.

There are plenty of large tables and generous outdoor seating, making it a good place to visit with a group too. Especially on nice-weather days like these, sitting out on the terrace with several dishes spread out and a glass of wine sounds just right haha.

Eating good food in a space full of photos left both the taste and the atmosphere lingering in my memory—Andover. Next time, I think I'll try even more of the dishes I couldn't get to this time :)