Restaurant near Hongdae Station Exit 4, Seoul: Oh!set for two at Omil

I was craving pasta in Hongdae so I went to Omil Hongdae. I'd heard the menu comes out really cute so I had to check it out haha

It's close to Exit 4 of Hongik University Station!

Where is Omil Hongdae? Exit 4 and the second-floor entrance

Omil Hongdae is a 2nd-floor restaurant on Yanghwa-ro, close to Exit 4 of Hongik University Station. Right from the stairwell up to the second floor you can see photos of the food, and it made me drool a little haha

What comes in the Oh!set for two at Omil Hongdae?

Omil Hongdae's Oh!set for two lets you pick two main dishes, and it comes with omil soba maki and two drinks. There were already a lot of customers eating inside. While looking at the menu, I decided I didn't just want one pasta that day — I wanted to try a bit of everything — so I ordered the Oh!set for two. Since you get to pick two mains, I went for it and chose rubber duck omurice and gochujang butter pasta, along with the omil soba maki and two drinks.

I grabbed some pickles from the self-serve bar. There were also seats set up with phone charging available!

Rubber duck omurice: a quail-egg duckling and a duck in a float

The rubber duck omurice (omelet rice) came out first, and the presentation caught my eye immediately.

On top of the omurice, a quail egg was shaped like a duckling, and next to it came a little rubber duck wearing a tube. Small touches like this make it a lot more fun to look at than a plain omurice.

I wondered whether the taste could live up to a dish that clearly put so much effort into being cute, but the omurice itself was delicious too.

The egg and rice went together smoothly, and I loved that this wasn't just a pretty-looking dish — it actually tasted great too. The rubber duck comes free with the set, so it felt like a really generous menu item haha

How does the gochujang butter pasta taste?

I picked the gochujang butter pasta because I heard it's Omil Hongdae's signature dish. It was also the dish I was most looking forward to that day. Meat sits on top of the pasta, and gochujang (fermented chili paste) butter is placed on top of that. You mix the noodles and sauce well before eating.

After mixing it thoroughly, the butter coated the noodles evenly and the sauce turned thick and rich. I expected the gochujang to make it very spicy, but it wasn't as intense as I thought — you could taste both the salty tang of the gochujang and the savory richness of the butter.

I tend to like rich, thick pasta so this dish was especially good for me. Even with the butter, it wasn't too heavy, and eating it together with the meat on top made each bite more filling. It tastes a bit different from the usual pasta, so if you're looking for something different when you're craving pasta in Hongdae, this could be a good pick.

Omil soba maki: cold buckwheat noodles, with cucumber inside

Omil soba maki is made with buckwheat noodles, cucumber, burdock root, fried tofu skin, and egg. When I ordered, the staff let me know upfront that the dish contains cucumber. I guess some people can't eat cucumber, so they mention it in advance.

This felt completely different from the pasta. The buckwheat noodles were clean-tasting and the cucumber was crunchy, giving it a nice texture, and the burdock root and fried tofu skin added a subtle sweetness.

I think this would be especially great in the middle of summer. The cold, clean buckwheat noodles with cucumber left a refreshing feeling after eating. Switching to the soba maki midway through the rich pasta felt like a natural shift in flavor, so I was glad I ordered it alongside the mains!

How should two people order at Omil Hongdae?

That day I got to try three dishes evenly: the cute rubber duck omurice, Omil's signature gochujang butter pasta, and the refreshingly cool omil soba maki. Out of the three, the gochujang butter pasta was my favorite!

If you're looking for pasta in Hongdae and want something a little different from the usual menu, Omil Hongdae could be a good option. If you're going with two people, choosing two mains through the Oh!set and sharing the other dishes worked out really well!