Family dinner in Mapo, Seoul: vongole pasta and BBQ set, Raccoon Pizza

Whenever my kids say they want pizza, one place comes to mind almost automatically: Raccoon Pizza Mapo Station branch. We've been so many times it's not funny — the kids love it so much we end up going about once a month. But pizza alone wouldn't get us back that often. The pizza is good, the pasta is good, and ordering the set makes it decent value too, so it quietly pops into my head whenever we're planning a family meal out. This time the kids were on about pizza again, so off to Raccoon Pizza we went, no debate needed.

Where is Raccoon Pizza Mapo Station branch, and what are the hours?

• Location: 307 Tojeong-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Daily 11:00–24:00

Why this family returns to Raccoon Pizza once a month

Raccoon Pizza Mapo Station branch is just a five-minute walk from Mapo Station, so it's easy to get to. Walking in, the first thing you notice is the casual vibe, like an American pizza joint. It's not too crowded or intimidating, which makes it comfortable for a family meal with kids, but also fine for grabbing pizza and a beer with friends.

With pizza, pasta, BBQ, various sides and beer on the menu, it seems like a good spot in the evening for people looking for a bar near Mapo Station too. We mostly come with the kids though, so it's always a meal for us, haha.

What comes in the pizza + spaghetti + BBQ set

This time we ordered the pizza + spaghetti + BBQ set. Ordering as a set lets you try several menu items at once, which makes it pretty good value when coming as a family.

Even though it was the R size, the pizza could still be ordered half-and-half. We went with double cheese and bulgogi.

Cheese pizza is basically a staple for our family. Raccoon Pizza's cheese quality is great, so the cheese-loving kids eat it right up. Some days it's the cheese waterfall pizza, other days it's the double cheese pizza, but one cheese item always makes it onto the table. If you're visiting Raccoon Pizza, a Mapo Station favorite for pizza, I really recommend the cheese options — strongly recommend.

The bulgogi half: pizza topping worth eating on its own

This time, because of the kids, I tried the bulgogi pizza for the first time. And wow — the meat on top was legit. There's quite a lot of it. But it's not just a case of piling on toppings; the meat was tasty enough to eat on its own, picked straight off the pizza.

It had a slight smoky char, salty and savory, so it almost felt like eating a bulgogi (marinated beef) dish rather than a pizza topping. I ordered it for the kids but ended up eating more of it myself. And the crust here is genuinely delicious too. Plenty of people leave the crust behind, right? At Raccoon Pizza I sometimes eat the crust first.

Dip it in the garlic sauce, then in the condensed milk — the sauces are stocked generously, so you don't have to feel shy about grabbing plenty and dunking the crust over and over. It's a proper fun addition.

Vongole pasta at a pizza restaurant: worth ordering

Honestly, at Raccoon Pizza I love the pasta as much as the pizza. Last time I had the rosé pasta and remembered it being delicious, so this time I figured I'd try something new and ordered the vongole (clam) pasta. Another win.

There's a good amount of broth, so it's not the type of dish where you're done once the noodles are gone — I kept spooning up the broth after. The shrimp were plumper than expected, and the seasoning was just right, not too strong or too bland. It's good enough to make you go, 'Wait, this is a pizza place, right?'

I'm planning to order a different pasta I haven't tried each time I come back. It's also great for a lunch of pizza and pasta together, so it seems like a solid pick for anyone looking for lunch near Mapo Station.

BBQ chicken and garlic potatoes: light for adults, a hit with kids

The BBQ chicken that came with the set was a bit different from the usual crispy, dripping-with-oil fried chicken. Somewhere between grilled and fried, maybe? It wasn't greasy and had a light, clean taste, which actually made it good for feeding to the kids. I actually wanted to try the crispy hot spicy chicken, but skipped it worrying it'd be too spicy for the kids — though the table next to us ordered plenty of hot spicy chicken. Now I'm curious. Very curious.

The garlic potatoes are also the kids' favorite. When fries have that heavy, soggy oil smell, I don't reach for them much, but here it always feels clean whenever we visit. By the time you work through pizza and potatoes, you start thinking 'did we order too much today?' — but somehow there's not much left on the table.

Is Raccoon Pizza Mapo Station branch worth a family dinner?

A good restaurant matters, but I think a truly great one is the place you keep going back to. Raccoon Pizza is that place for our family. The kids ask for it first whenever they want pizza, I get to enjoy trying pasta, and my husband eats everything happily too, so there's never a disagreement over where to go. Best of all, ordering the set means it's never just pizza — we get pasta and chicken all at once, which makes it quite satisfying for a family meal out. We left well fed again this time. I bet the kids will be saying 'let's go get pizza!' again sometime next month — and when that happens, I'm planning to try yet another new pasta I haven't had before.