Pizza and beer with kids in Dongjak, Seoul: high chair at Raymond Isu

A while back I went to a hip pizza-and-beer pub near Isu Station with my kids. It's called Raymond Isu Branch.

At first I wondered if the vibe was too hip to bring kids to, but once we got there it was actually really comfortable to eat, and the kids devoured the pizza — turned out to be a great spot for a family meal!

But honestly, the highlight of the day was... mom got to have a solo drink haha. Sipping a beer while juggling the kids somehow tasted amazing!!! It's a pizza pub that's won craft beer competitions, so the beer was seriously good too.

Where is Raymond Isu Branch, and what are the hours?

• Location: 33 Dongjakdae-ro 23-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: Mon–Sun 11:30–23:00 (last order 22:30)
• Parking is a liiiittle tricky, ㅠㅠ

The storefront and the 9,900 won lunch set

Raymond Isu Branch is hip from the outside, seriously hip. Apparently the owner started this place out of a craving for the slice pizza they loved while studying in the US! And the sandwich board said the lunch set is ₩9,900 including a drink? A full meal for under 10,000 won.

Is Raymond Isu Branch comfortable with young kids?

The moment you walk into Raymond Isu Branch it feels like an American-style slice pizza pub, and the wallpaper is pretty, the floor is pretty, the chandelier is pretty — the interior was super stylish and totally hip and casual.

And there were a lot of couples on dates and young people's meetups. So at first I thought, can an old-timer like me even come here? Let alone with kids?

B U T once we actually sat down, the atmosphere wasn't intimidating at all, and since there's a high chair, it turned out to be a great spot for a family meal too!

Wherever you sit, you get a good view of the TV mounted up top, so on days with a soccer match it looked like it'd be fun to watch as a group. Apparently on match days they even announce an earlier opening for group viewing!!

They've won awards at an international beer competition, so I was really curious what kinds of beer they had.

The pizza is a faithful recreation of the slice pizza the owner loved while studying in the US, and to keep everything made with the freshest ingredients, they sell it in limited quantities — 20 pies on weekdays, 30 on weekends.

Menu at Raymond Isu Branch: what a family of four ordered

Since it's known for pizza and beer, those were the main menu, but they also had a lot of gourmet chicken options and a wide variety of sides. Since we're a family of four and pizza alone wouldn't give the kids enough protein, we ordered the Raymond Set, which comes with chicken, sausage, and fries too!

Signature Raymond Set for 54,900 won: 4 slice pizzas, chicken and truffle fries

I was shocked seeing how it looked!! I had no idea it would come out so lavish — the moment it arrived, the kids went 'whoaaa' and dove right in.

Each pizza slice was huge, and we got 4 slices, each a different flavor. Bacon hawaiian pizza, pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza, and mac and cheese pizza. Truly authentic American-style slice pizza — there are plenty of great pizza spots these days, but Raymond's pizza had a familiar yet slightly different feel to it. Especially the American-style pizza — it felt on another level, honestly if you have a soft spot for that, Raymond is the place to come.

With the chicken, sausage, and truffle fries all piled on, it was such a happy dilemma figuring out what to eat first~!!!

There were 6 different dipping sauces too — ketchup, mustard, cheese, spicy mayo, and more — so we got to enjoy a whole variety of flavors.

One fruity craft beer for mom

Since it's known for craft beer, I debated what to order, but being a lightweight, I just picked whatever was labeled as having a fruity aroma.

Honestly it had been ages since I'd had a daytime drink, so I took one sip and wow.... it was so good!!!!! haha With the beer it paired really well — take a bite of pizza, a sip of beer... yeah, this is what pizza and beer is supposed to taste like!

I didn't get to try many different beers, but even with just one glass as the mom, pairing it with the pizza put me in such a good mood.

When you're raising kids and eating out with them, it's often hard for mom and dad to actually enjoy the meal — so a place where the kids can eat pizza while mom gets to have a delicious craft beer, I really loved that combo haha. If you love American-style pizza, or you're planning a pizza-and-beer date in Isu, definitely check out Raymond Isu Branch!!