Crab rose pasta and hangover pasta dinner: Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park

Looking for a pasta spot near Dongtan Station? Try Paol. The pasta is genuinely delicious...

My husband went to Paol first when it originally opened and said the pasta was great, so we went together, and the crab rose pasta I had that time stayed in my memory for a long while. (We're normally a Korean-food couple, haha.)

Visiting again this time, even the interior atmosphere — which I'd felt was a bit lacking before — has improved a lot, so I'd recommend it as a date spot too!

• Location, parking
• Interior atmosphere
• Menu
• Review
• How to reserve

Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch: location and parking

Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch sits right near Dongtan Yeoul Park — about a one-minute walk to the park, so it's great to take a walk after your meal. Pairing a dinner pasta with a loop around Yeoul Park makes for a solid date route.

For parking, use the building's basement lot; you get 2 hours free with a store purchase.

What's the interior atmosphere like?

Even though the store isn't large, the high ceilings and appropriate table spacing meant it never felt cramped. The quiet, cozy mood made it easy for my husband and me to chat comfortably.

There's soft indirect lighting, and each table has a little orange mini-lamp, giving it a warm, relaxed feel.

Actually, when I visited a few months ago, the lighting overall was a bit bright and the table spacing/layout felt slightly awkward. The food was delicious, but the space itself left something to be desired.

But visiting again today...! Everything I'd found lacking had changed — the lighting, the table spacing, even the entrance interior. It really left the impression that the owner cares about this place and keeps improving it, haha.

To sum up: the atmosphere is great for a date, and it also works well for a meal with 3–4 people. There are two 6-person tables too, so it looked fine for a small group dinner.

Menu, set options, and prices

There are set menus available, so if you're visiting as a couple, the set menu is a good option.

• Set A (Pasta Set) ₩39,000 — includes 2 pastas (your choice), salad, 1 drink
• Set B (Steak Set) ₩59,000 — 1 steak + 1 pasta (your choice), salad + 1 drink
• Ricotta Cheese Salad ₩12,000
• Spicy Crab Rose Pasta ₩23,000
• Cheongyang Cream Ravioli ₩22,000
• Clam Vongole Pasta ₩20,000
• Whole Bacon Carbonara ₩20,000
• Hangover Pasta ₩21,000
• Ragu Pasta ₩20,000
• Steak Risotto ₩23,000
• Sous Vide Flat Iron Steak ₩40,000

Pasta prices are in the ₩20,000s.

This time I ordered the pasta set with added bread — crab rose pasta, hangover pasta, salad, extra bread, and an Orangina. It came to ₩47,000 total (₩39,000 + a menu-change surcharge).

Paol has a wide range of Western dishes beyond pasta — steak, risotto and more — so if you're visiting with several people it looks great for sharing. The corkage fee is only ₩10,000 too, so bringing your own wine works well.

My review after eating the crab rose pasta and the hangover pasta

The table setting is simple — cold water, pickles, and small plates with utensils.

The rose pasta and fruit salad came out first — the salad's vegetables were fresh with a bright, tangy taste that whetted the appetite perfectly.

Crab rose pasta

If it's your first visit to Paol, I'd recommend starting with the crab rose pasta. It was delicious back when I first tried it, and it was still just as satisfying this time. The sauce wasn't too thick or too thin — just enough to coat the noodles nicely.

You get the bright acidity of the tomato sauce alongside the nutty, gentle sweetness of the cream sauce, plus a touch of spice at the end — I never got tired of it, even eating steadily. The crab flavor layered on top made the crab-and-rose-sauce combo work really well.

The crab body meat was prepped to be easy to eat, and it was wonderfully soft and nutty. The noodles were cooked just right — neither too firm nor too soft.

The sauce was so good that I added extra bread and dipped it in — that combo worked great too. I practically emptied the bowl... haha, cleaned it right up. Strongly recommend adding bread!

My husband picked the crab rose pasta as his top choice too, haha. If I visit again, I think I'd order this one again as well.

Hangover pasta

For the other dish, we ordered the new hangover pasta. It turned out to be quite different from a typical oil pasta. With bean sprouts and a broth base, it reminded me a bit of Nagasaki champon (spicy seafood noodle soup), with a subtle smoky char flavor too.

It was also spicier than I expected. But it's not just heat — the savory depth from the clams, shrimp, and crab soaked into the broth kept me coming back for more. I had my face buried in the bowl...

It also made me crave a drink alongside it...

If the crab rose is on the soft, nutty side, the hangover pasta is sharp and savory-forward — ordering both together made for a great pairing.

One note: both pastas contain Vietnamese chili peppers, so be careful not to bite into one directly. I didn't know and bit into one — I was fanning my mouth for over a minute, haha.

Anyway, despite that, we cleaned both plates happily.

How do you make a reservation?

Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch takes reservations through Naver Reservations. Even on my weekday visit (6:30pm), the seats were nearly full and people kept coming in. The store isn't huge, so if you're visiting on a weekend evening or for a date, I'd recommend booking ahead on Naver.

To sum up

If you're looking for a great pasta spot in Dongtan, you have to visit Paol. It's genuinely delicious... and with the upgraded interior atmosphere too, I'd confidently bring anyone visiting Dongtan here.

P.S. — Paol is close to Yeoul Park, so pair your meal with a walk afterward, haha. The park's walking trails are really well maintained.