Couples date at a Haebangchon Mediterranean restaurant: Villa de Blue

How we found Villa de Blue on a Haebangchon date

Villa de Blue Haebangchon is a pasta and lasagna restaurant on the 1st floor of 30-1 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and I went there on a date with my girlfriend. Now that the weather's getting nicer, I wanted to go wander around Haebangchon again after a while.

Maybe because the Jameson highball I had in Haebangchon ages ago is still burned into my memory as amazing, I've kind of always trusted this neighborhood to meet expectations, haha. So while looking around for what's nearby, I found this Haebangchon pasta spot everyone raves about — 'Villa de Blue.'

Villa de Blue's signature menu is the aligot cheese lasagna — lasagna topped with poured aligot cheese sauce! There's also a butter sizzling steak and a polpo mambo or something? Not sure, but I ate the abalone squid ink risotto and it was genuinely the real deal. Here's our review of Villa de Blue, the Haebangchon pasta spot my girlfriend and I visited.

Villa de Blue Haebangchon hours, break time and reservations

• Address: 30-1 Sinheung-ro, 1st floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 12:00–22:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Corkage available
• No parking
• Reservations available

Aligot cheese lasagna and abalone squid ink risotto

At this Haebangchon favorite, we ordered the signature aligot cheese lasagna, plus the abalone squid ink risotto that I suddenly craved. Plus a lemonade!

The totally sweet-and-tangy lemonade came out first, and after the lasagna arrived, they poured cheese over it to complete the aligot cheese lasagna.

I'm a bit obsessed with cheese, so I spotted the sexy-food vibe with my eyes first, haha. It wasn't the kind of cheese that stretches in long strings — it felt more like it added nuttiness and softness, which I found interesting.

The way to eat it: cut into bite-sized pieces and pop them straight into your mouth! With the flavorful cheese piled on top of the tomato-based lasagna, the flavor is genuinely rich (?).

For fellow cheese lovers, there's really nothing to think about — just try it. It's kind of like pizza... kind of like pasta... anyway it's rich, soft, spicy-sweet... just a really full-flavored dish!

Why the abalone squid ink risotto steals the meal

But honestly, this one beats it on flavor,, please, please order the 'abalone squid ink pasta.' Seriously, just please. This is basically the boss-level dish. In terms of taste, this was truly the real deal!! There's something deep and layered going on.

The rice grains had proper texture and bite. The risotto sauce was insane. The chewy abalone foam was out of this world. No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out why this isn't the signature menu.

Where Villa de Blue is and what the Santorini-style room looks like

You can easily get to this Haebangchon favorite, Villa de Blue Haebangchon, from anywhere by taking the Yongsan02 bus. Should I say it's across from the Namsan Daerim Apartments?

True to its reputation as a Haebangchon pasta favorite, the interior is really pretty. There's a Santorini-ish feel to it, like a little trip to the Mediterranean?

The interior isn't very large, so waiting can happen — booking ahead would personally help a lot. Especially if you're going as a couple, definitely make a reservation before the mood turns awkward ^^

Is Villa de Blue Haebangchon worth a date night?

That's my review of eating aligot cheese lasagna and abalone squid ink risotto at Villa de Blue, a Yongsan Haebangchon pasta favorite. The aligot cheese lasagna looks great and is a crowd-pleaser most people will like. The abalone squid ink risotto has really nutty, well-developed flavor and the abalone was tender! The interior and exterior are both pretty, true to a Haebangchon pasta favorite, so I'd recommend it as a date course~