Yeonnam-dong American eatery, cheese-draped waffle chicken: Hey Joji

Today I'm introducing Hey Joji, a Yeonnam-dong restaurant where you can really feel the American vibe. You get pasta and steak, plus waffle chicken with an explosive sweet-and-salty charm. Let's jump right into the review~

Hey Joji opening hours, reservations and parking

Hey Joji in Yeonnam-dong is open daily from 12:00 to 21:00, and you can reserve through Naver. There's no parking, so I'd recommend going by public transport.

• ⏰️ Hours: daily 12:00–21:00
• 🗓 Naver reservation ⭕️
• 🚗 No parking ❌️

How long is the weekend wait at Hey Joji?

I got to Hey Joji 5 minutes before the Saturday opening at 12:00, and 2 groups were already waiting. Several more groups lined up behind me in no time, so you can really tell this is a popular Yeonnam-dong spot.

The signature red motorcycle parked in front of Hey Joji and the cute little decorations made the wait fun, since there was plenty to look at.

Inside Hey Joji: interior and seating

At 12:00 sharp, Hey Joji started seating people in order. On the left of the entrance there are cozy sofa tables for 3–4 people, and on the right, tables for 2–5.

The inside is decorated with cute character frames and American cereal boxes, so it feels like you've been invited to an American family home. We were shown to a 2-person table by the open window.

The tomato ketchup cup on the table, the cute water bottle, the plates — every little prop at Hey Joji was adorable!

Hey Joji menu and how to order

You order at Hey Joji with the QR code on the table. There's a wide range of dishes, including pasta, risotto, steak and waffle chicken.

Here's what we ordered 👇👇👇

• Cajun shrimp rosé pasta ₩17,000
• Waffle chicken ₩15,000
• Sweet potato fries ₩8,000

Now let me introduce the dishes we ordered one by one.

Cajun shrimp rosé pasta: taste and portion

First up is Hey Joji's Cajun shrimp rosé pasta (₩17,000).

First of all, I liked that the rosé pasta came with a generous amount of sauce.

The rosé sauce was smooth yet rich, just right for my taste. It was so good that I thought dipping bread in it would be even better.

The Cajun shrimp rosé pasta had as many as 4 plump, meaty shrimp, and the portion was pretty generous too.

Pasta can get just a tiny bit heavy as you eat, and when it does, the crunchy pickled radish (pikkeul-mu) lets you keep going endlessly.

What is Hey Joji's waffle chicken like?

Next is Hey Joji's showpiece dish, the waffle chicken (₩15,000).

The top of the waffle chicken was covered wide with a cheese blanket. Under the soft cheese blanket hid 4 pieces of crispy chicken tenders, and below them lay 2 thick waffles.

How to eat the waffle chicken

First, cut the waffles and chicken tenders into bite-sized pieces! Then drizzle the waffle syrup that comes with it over the waffle chicken as you like!

Hey Joji's waffle chicken was the textbook sweet-and-salty: crispy, savory chicken meeting sweet waffle plus syrup. It also paired well with the Cajun shrimp rosé pasta, so it was an excellent choice!

And the seasoned corn that comes as a side with the waffle chicken was a real treat too.

Sweet potato fries: should you order the side too?

The last dish was the sweet potato fries (₩8,000), ordered as a side. Hey Joji's sweet potato fries had a unique look, like overflowing dirty coffee.

Sweetly fried sweet potato topped with plenty of salty, nutty cheese sauce, so it had that sweet-and-salty charm again.

I ordered the fries as a side because I worried 2 dishes wouldn't be enough, but I got so, so full. If two of you visit Hey Joji, I think 2 mains would be enough!

On the way out after paying, there was even oatmeal candy, the one famous as "human chow", which made a perfect finish.

Hey Joji in Yeonnam-dong: overall verdict

From the cute interior to the American-style menu, Hey Joji let us feel an authentic American atmosphere! Both the waffle chicken and the Cajun shrimp rosé pasta we ordered were generous in portion and tasty. If you're looking for a good Yeonnam-dong restaurant or pasta spot, I recommend Hey Joji for American home-style food~