Ilsan Western restaurant with guacamole salad: Upstairs Kitchen

Wanting a nice meal out with my family after a while, I found a Western restaurant with great vibes on Ilsan's Bamridan-gil and ended up visiting Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch. Matching everyone's menu preferences when eating with family is always a bit of a headache, but this place has everything from pasta to steak, so it seemed like a good spot for everyone to pick what they wanted and share~

Visiting in person, I found that not just the food but the space itself was warm and cozy, so it seemed like it would work well not just for family dinners but also for dates in Ilsan or group gatherings of all kinds~ So let's get into the story of Upstairs Kitchen, the Bamridan-gil restaurant I visited with my family!

Where is Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil, and what are its hours?

Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch is located at 5-25 Daesan-ro 11beon-gil, 1st floor, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Hours are 11:30–21:20, with a break time from 15:00–17:00 and last order at 20:30.

• Groups, reservations, WIFI, takeout, delivery, and parking available
• Parking: limited spaces in front of the restaurant (overflow at Jeongbalsan temporary public parking lot when full)
• Reservations available via Catch Table

It's located diagonally across from the main branch of Deungchon Kalguksu, right next to the back gate of Jeodong Elementary School, so it wasn't hard to find. The teal-tiled sign outside stood out, and the exterior had an exotic feel that really said 'Western restaurant' from the start haha.

It was raining that day so the outdoor tables and chairs had been brought inside, but on a nice day it looked like you could have a lovely meal at the outdoor tables out front! With the teal tiles and the outdoor tables together, it felt like it could pass for a little restaurant on a French backstreet, so I wanted to come back on a sunny day too~ Upstairs Kitchen, a Bamridan-gil restaurant whose atmosphere I liked from the outside already! Now let's head inside :)

Inside Upstairs Kitchen: seating for 2 to 6 and the room's mood

The interior of Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch is a wood-and-brick space with seating from tables for two up to six. Each table has a little yellow moon-shaped light hanging above it, and the moment I walked in I thought 'the atmosphere here is really nice!' haha.

With the soft light coming in, the whole space felt really atmospheric ,,,(❁´◡`❁) The combination of wood and brick worked especially well together, giving it that Instagram-worthy feel everyone talks about these days! It was raining that day, and seeing the raindrops on the glass made the mood even more romantic lol,,, So I think this place would be great not just for meals but also for anniversaries, blind dates, or wedding-invitation gatherings.

The seating was also more generous than I expected, ranging from tables for two up to six, which makes it well-suited for blind dates, couples, family dinners, and larger group gatherings alike,,, If you're looking for a nice-atmosphere restaurant recommendation on Ilsan's Bamridan-gil, Upstairs Kitchen has a clean interior with a great vibe that I think anyone you bring along would love,,,

Since Upstairs Kitchen serves everything from steak to pasta, there's a nicely arranged fridge dedicated to wine and drinks! There's a fairly wide range from sparkling to sweet wines, so it seemed like a good spot to enjoy a glass of wine in a nice atmosphere in the evening,,, Toward the back there's a semi-open kitchen, so you can see the chefs cooking behind the counter.

Once we sat down, we were served cold lemon water along with plates and cutlery, all set up nicely! Even just the cutlery, plates, and water glass looked great together lol,,,

What three people ordered from the Upstairs Kitchen menu

On the menu, the Upstairs Share Course caught my eye as something good for a group visit. It comes with bruschetta, pasta or risotto, a sirloin steak, and a drink included for ₩82,000, and it looked like great value with plenty of variety! There was also a bacon cream gnocchi listed as the dish of the day, which suggests the daily special changes from time to time,,(ง •_•)ง

There were three of us that day, and we ordered three dishes: the guacamole salad (₩17,000), mushroom cream pasta (₩21,000), and sirloin steak (₩54,000)! The one I was most looking forward to (surprisingly lol) was the guacamole salad!! I'm a huge avocado fan, so,,,haha the moment I saw it on the menu I picked it right away! So let's see if it lived up to the hype~

Guacamole salad, 17,000 won: the standout dish at Upstairs Kitchen

Upstairs Kitchen's guacamole salad is ₩17,000, a starter with avocado, grilled corn, onion, and tomato, topped with smoked paprika powder. Of the dishes the three of us shared, this was the most impressive.

The dishes started coming out one by one, and the first was of course the salad — the guacamole salad (17.0)!!! The guacamole salad was seriously insane (p). The moment I took a bite,,, it was so good I could've cried lol!! With the smoked paprika powder on top it had a nicely salty, savory depth, and the soft avocado combined with grilled corn and onion worked so well together! Especially the nutty, poppy texture of the grilled corn alongside the soft avocado, plus the bright tomato on top,,, I couldn't stop eating!!!

Personally, of everything we ate that day, this was the standout, so if you visit Upstairs Kitchen, definitely try the guacamole salad!!! With avocado in it, it was hearty even as a salad, and I felt light and comfortable afterward — perfect for whetting your appetite before the main course~ It felt less like a light salad and more like eating something delicious and healthy, which made it a great starter for a group meal.

Mushroom cream pasta, 21,000 won: for thick cream sauce lovers

Upstairs Kitchen's mushroom cream pasta is ₩21,000, a cream pasta loaded with whole bacon and mushrooms. The sauce isn't watery — it clings thickly to the noodles — so I thought it would suit anyone who likes a rich, thick cream sauce.

Second came the mushroom cream pasta (21.0) I'd been looking forward to as an Ilsan pasta dish~ A whole strip of bacon was cut into nice bite-sized pieces, and there were plenty of mushrooms too,,, but one bite in — wow, the cream sauce was the real deal!! The sauce wasn't a watery cream feel but thick and rich, clinging properly to the noodles. The aroma of the mushrooms and the salty flavor of the whole bacon added to it, and the overall flavor was really good.

I'm honestly not someone who loves rich, heavy food, but maybe because of a slight pepper kick at the end, it wasn't heavy at all, and in the end,,, I ended up wiping the sauce clean lol. If you like cream pasta, I hope you try this one too. Especially if you're looking for Ilsan pasta with a thick, rich cream sauce, the mushroom cream pasta should be right up your alley. There was plenty of mushroom and bacon too, so the portion was good for three people to share!

Sirloin steak, 54,000 won: medium rare with house-made whole grain mustard

Upstairs Kitchen's sirloin steak is ₩54,000, made with US prime sirloin and served with broccoli in anchovy dressing, potatoes roasted in duck fat, house-made whole grain mustard, and gochu wasabi. I ordered mine medium rare.

I ordered the meat medium rare that day, and it was cooked just right, soft and easy to eat. What I personally liked most was the house-made whole grain mustard — I was curious how a 'house-made' version would taste, and it really did have a nice pop of texture and a pleasant spiciness that paired well with the meat. The gochu wasabi on the side also had a bit of a kick, which kept the richness of the steak from feeling too heavy the more I ate.

Switching between sauces bite by bite, the same steak kept tasting different in a fun way! The broccoli and potatoes on the side were delicious too, especially the potatoes roasted in duck fat, which had that distinctive nutty richness that paired really well with the steak~

The thickness of the cut was just right for women to eat comfortably — not too thin, not too thick~ The surface was cooked just enough, and the inside was a perfect medium rare with a soft texture. The sirloin itself was tender with good meaty flavor, and I thought 'this place really knows how to do steak too!' haha. It's not just a Western restaurant that's good at pasta — from salads to Ilsan steak, the whole menu lineup felt solid, which made it great for the three of us to order a variety of dishes.

Is Upstairs Kitchen a good spot for a family dinner in Ilsan?

Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch made for a great composition for three of us to order several dishes and share, making it well-suited for family dinners or group gatherings. The overall atmosphere was great and the food was delicious, so it was a pleasant Bamridan-gil restaurant to eat out at with family haha.

From the guacamole salad to the thick cream pasta and the tender sirloin steak, every dish was great~ If you're looking for a nice-atmosphere Ilsan pasta restaurant or an Ilsan steak spot, give Upstairs Kitchen Bamridan-gil Branch a try~ Next time, I'd love to come back on a nice day and enjoy a relaxed meal at the outdoor tables!