Yeonnam-dong pasta restaurant for lunch before an alley walk: Hey Joji

Hey Joji Yeonnam-dong pasta restaurant

I was in Yeonnam-dong and really wanted good pasta that day. Every alley in Yeonnam-dong is packed with restaurants and cafés, so I'm always torn about where to eat. This time pasta kept coming to mind more than anything else, so I searched for pasta restaurants in Yeonnam-dong and ended up at Hey Joji.

Where Hey Joji is and when it opens

Hey Joji is at 42-24 Donggyo-ro 46-gil, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's open from 12:00 to 21:00, last order at 20:00, with no break time. It offers group seating, Wi-Fi, and mobile payment.

Inside Hey Joji: a cozy American home-kitchen look

The atmosphere felt cozy from the moment I walked in. The interior evokes an American home-style restaurant, giving it a slightly different feel from a typical pasta place. The cute little props and the overall vibe of the space worked well together, making it a comfortable place to eat. It wasn't too formal, so it's a fine spot to swing by for a casual meal too.

Ordering at Hey Joji by table QR code

Once seated, you order by scanning a QR code at the table. These days more places let you order directly from your seat like this, and honestly it's convenient. I took my time browsing the menu and picking what I wanted. Hey Joji's signature menu is pasta and steak based on American comfort food, and there were menu items with a slightly different twist on familiar dishes, which made choosing kind of fun.

We ordered the garlic squid oil pasta and the Cajun shrimp rosé pasta. Both are pastas but head in different flavor directions, so we picked one oil pasta and one rosé pasta, and eating them together turned out to be a good combination. Since these were the dishes I'd chosen while searching for pasta restaurants in Yeonnam-dong, I had some expectations, and I was happy they came out more generous than I'd imagined.

How does the garlic squid oil pasta taste?

First, the garlic squid oil pasta lived up to its name, with a nicely pronounced garlic flavor. Oil pastas can sometimes end up feeling bland, but this one was rich with garlic flavor so it never felt that way — it was delicious.

It also had chewy squid in it, which gave a nice texture when eaten together with the noodles. The squid wasn't tough — just chewy enough — and paired well with the pasta. If you like garlic, this is a dish you could enjoy without any worries.

Cajun shrimp rosé pasta, with four large shrimp

The Cajun shrimp rosé pasta was personally my favorite of the two. It came loaded with four large shrimp, which made it look generous even before tasting it. The shrimp weren't chopped into small pieces but left whole and plump, so it was fun to eat them one by one. Above all, the rosé sauce was really delicious. It was smooth and rich, and blended beautifully with the noodles, so I kept going back for more.

When I'm searching for pasta restaurants in Yeonnam-dong, I tend to care a lot about the sauce, and this rosé sauce especially stuck with me. It wasn't too sharp or heavy, but it had just the right richness, so I never felt like the pasta was lacking sauce as I ate. Paired with the shrimp, it added a savory note that worked really well.

Why ordering two different pasta styles worked

I was glad we ordered both dishes together, since the flavors were clearly different. The garlic squid oil pasta was centered on the flavor of garlic and squid, so it felt relatively clean, while the Cajun shrimp rosé pasta felt a bit heartier thanks to its smooth, rich sauce. If you're searching for pasta restaurants in Yeonnam-dong and can't settle on just one dish, ordering two different styles seems like a good idea.

A walk through the Yeonnam-dong alleys after lunch

Yeonnam-dong is also a great place to walk around the surrounding alleys after a meal, so it was a nice way to spend time before and after eating. Between the good food, checking out cafés, and slowly walking the alleyways, the day went by quickly.

So when coming to Yeonnam-dong, it seems like a good idea to pick your restaurant first and then explore the area around it. If you're looking for pasta restaurants in Yeonnam-dong, Hey Joji is a place worth stopping by.