Euljiro3-ga dinner with wife: smoked tomato and mackerel pasta, Pyu

This time my husband and I went to Pyu Euljiro (퓨 을지로, PHEW) for dinner in Euljiro. I'd wanted to go for a while, and once I got there, the place was even bigger and prettier than it looked in photos. We ordered the smoked tomato and mackerel pasta, plus a beer and a glass of wine. Let me show you the food we tried and the vibe of the space :)

Pyu Euljiro's location, hours, and parking

• Address: 27 Mareunnae-ro, 1st floor, Unit 102, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00 ~ 21:00

Driving in Euljiro always makes parking a bit of a worry, but Pyu has building parking. Just search 'Tower107' or 'Pyu' in your navigation to find it.

Getting there

Pyu Euljiro is walkable from Euljiro3-ga Station. Since the restaurant is tucked inside the building, it's easier to find with a map if it's your first visit. As soon as we arrived, we spotted the PHEW sign at the entrance and went in.

Interior vibe — a wide, quiet hall

Once inside, the space felt much bigger than it looked from outside. The wood-tone tables and chairs paired with beige accents gave it a clean, calm feel overall. There's a long table in the middle that fits several people, plus seats along the wall and by the windows. The tables weren't packed too close together either, so it was easy to talk while eating as a couple. Overall it felt quiet enough to work for a date in Euljiro, or even a blind date.

Can you visit without a reservation?

I'd recommend making a reservation before you go. When we visited, every table had a card with the reserved guest's name on it, and walk-in customers without a reservation genuinely had trouble getting seated. You might make a wasted trip if you just show up, so it's worth booking through Naver reservations ahead of time.

The menu and what we ordered

The menu ranged from starters to pasta, risotto, grilled dishes, sides, and dessert. What we ordered was

• Smoked tomato — ₩20,000
• Mackerel pasta — ₩23,000

those two dishes, plus a beer and a glass of wine. The smoked tomato was Pyu's signature menu item, and the mackerel pasta was also marked as a signature, so since it was our first visit, we decided to try both.

Wine & beer

Our drinks came out before the food. Wine for me, beer for my husband! I usually don't order alcohol even when we go out for dinner, but something about the atmosphere that day made me want a drink. Thanks to that, we got to slowly enjoy dinner and drinks together for the first time in a while :)

Smoked tomato — best eaten piled onto the bread

The first dish to arrive was the smoked tomato. It had roasted cherry tomatoes and cheese on top, with plenty of sauce underneath, and bread came alongside it separately.

At first we tried each part separately, then piled the tomato, cheese, and sauce all onto the bread — and I found that way of eating it much tastier.

The roasted tomatoes had a hint of sweetness, and with the soft cheese and sauce added, the bread kept disappearing. It looked like a slightly small portion at first, but with the bread included, it was plenty for the two of us to share.

Mackerel pasta — thick mackerel and rocket

Next was the mackerel pasta! Rocket was piled generously over an oil pasta, topped with a large piece of grilled mackerel. The menu described it as marinated mackerel with an oil pasta carrying a subtle kick of cheongyang chili salt.

I was surprised at how thick the mackerel was — once I cut into it, the inside was moist and tender while the outside was golden and well-grilled.

Cutting the mackerel into small pieces and eating it with the noodles and rocket, the fish went surprisingly well with the oil pasta. This was actually the first time I'd had a pasta topped with fish, so maybe that's why the mackerel pasta was the dish that stuck with me most from this meal.

Our honest review

Pyu Euljiro was a great spot for a slow dinner and a drink with my husband after a while. When we visited, walk-in guests without a reservation had trouble getting seated, so if you're planning to go, I'd recommend booking through Naver reservations ahead of time. If you're looking for a good Euljiro restaurant for a quiet meal with a glass of wine, Pyu Euljiro is worth checking out :)