Yeonnam-dong pasta restaurant: oil, cheese, cream plates at Hey Joji

Hi, this is Pingji!

There are always so many pretty restaurants in Yeonnam-dong that I have trouble deciding where to go, but this time I picked this place — and not just the food, the whole space had a pretty striking vibe (lulu)

It felt like an American restaurant with cute little props added in — hip but also kind of adorable!

The two of us ordered two pastas and one risotto to share (yummy-♡)

Spoiler: everything we ordered was delicious!

We are so lucky

Hey Joji: address, ordering and visit basics

If you're planning a Yeonnam-dong date course that goes from dinner to café, Hey Joji seemed like a solid spot to stop for the meal part!

This was also a day my red-violet hair dye turned out great 💕 Outside there's a photo zone with a full-length mirror — hehe, HEY

What the American-style space at Hey Joji looks like

The moment we walked into Hey Joji, it felt a little different from a typical pasta restaurant!

The interior reminded me of an American restaurant, with cute little props scattered everywhere, so it was fun just to look around

Pingji diligently taking pictures >_<

Overall it's hip but not too heavy or formal, so it works well for a meal with friends, and also suited us perfectly for a Yeonnam-dong date like this!

This place seems better suited to days when you want to enjoy the atmosphere along with the food, rather than a quick eat-and-go restaurant

What two people should order: two pastas and one risotto

Instead of each getting one dish, we ordered three menu items to share and try a bit of everything

Ordering is done via QR code,

You can check menu photos on Naver Place. The garlic squid oil pasta is a clean oil-based dish, the jambon butter cheddar pasta is rich and cheesy, and the duck steak cream risotto is a smooth cream risotto — so the styles of the three menu items never overlapped 👍🏻

Taking turns eating all three meant we weren't stuck on one flavor and could enjoy a variety — I'm the type who's more satisfied the more variety the food has...

Garlic squid oil pasta, 16,000 won

First up, garlic squid oil pasta, 16,000 won

This dish is an oil pasta with a garlic aroma, plus squid

Since it's oil-based, it's cleaner to eat than a cream pasta, and the squid added that distinctive seafood umami!

Squeezing on some lemon added a refreshing note, which was great for resetting your palate between bites!

If you prefer a clean pasta over a heavy sauce, this one will suit you! >3<

Jambon butter cheddar pasta, 16,000 won

Next, jambon butter cheddar pasta, 16,000 won

This is a rigatoni pasta with cheddar cheese sauce, jalapeño, jambon ham, and bacon!

The thick rigatoni noodles combined with the cheddar cheese sauce made for a distinctly richer flavor than a typical oil pasta

On top of that, the salty savoriness of the jambon and bacon comes through, and the jalapeño helps cut through the heaviness of the cheese just enough

I usually love a thick cheesy pasta, so this one was quite to my taste too — Baekkkomi loved it even more than I did, haha. Cheddar cheese has its own charm that's different from the cheese you'd usually expect, and I really enjoyed it. If you like a rich cheese pasta, this is the menu for you!

Duck steak cream risotto, 17,000 won

Last up, duck steak cream risotto, 17,000 won

This is a smooth cream risotto served with duck steak!

Unlike pasta, this one is eaten with rice, so out of the three it felt the most filling

Pairing the smooth flavor of the cream risotto with the duck steak also changed up the texture

I've had duck before somewhere else that had a strong smell, so I was genuinely surprised at how great the texture was here, and how clean and delicious it tasted at Hey Joji! If we had only ordered two pastas, the menu might have felt a bit repetitive, but adding the risotto made the whole lineup much more varied

If you're visiting as a pair, ordering two pastas plus one risotto to share, like we did, seems like a great idea!

Is Hey Joji worth it for pasta in Yeonnam-dong?

• If you want a clean oil pasta → Garlic squid oil pasta
• If you're craving a rich cheese pasta → Jambon butter cheddar pasta
• If you want something more filling too → Duck steak cream risotto

We were able to pick according to our own tastes (satisfied⭐) Above all, we enjoyed all three dishes, so our menu choices were a win! >_<

Hey Joji is known for its cute, hip, American-style atmosphere as much as its food, so it seems like a great fit for anyone looking for a Yeonnam-dong date spot to eat pasta or risotto! Baekkkomi and Pingji had a proper delicious meal in the middle of our Yeonnam-dong date, hehe

Next time pasta comes to mind in Yeonnam-dong, I'd love to try other menu items too (lala~)