Yeonnam-dong American-style brunch spot for a cheat day: Hey Joji

What is the vibe at Hey Joji, the Yeonnam-dong brunch spot?

Hey Joji is a restaurant in a Yeonnam-dong alley with an American home-meal brunch feel. I found it while hunting for a Yeonnam-dong place to eat. The name sounded kind of cute, but once I got there, everything from the exterior to the interior had a really definite American home-meal brunch vibe.

The mood starts with the AMERICAN HOMEMEAL sign out front. With green accent colors and vintage props, it felt like I'd suddenly stumbled onto an American neighborhood brunch place in the middle of a Yeonnam-dong alley.

That day I ordered the waffle chicken (₩15,000) and the white ragù truffle cream pasta (₩16,000). Rather than a light brunch, I wanted a properly rich cheating-day meal, and Hey Joji was exactly right for that.

Is the interior at Hey Joji good for photos?

Inside Hey Joji, green walls, wooden tables, vintage lighting, and posters and props on the walls come together in a cute American-style interior. I really loved the interior here.

It didn't feel flashily decorated; it felt more like a cozy American home-cooking restaurant where you'd want to linger. The tables didn't look cramped, and the props dotted around made nice photo spots.

Even small details like the plates and mugs matched the Hey Joji mood. The text on the yellow plate is cute, and the Heinz ketchup mug on the table adds to the American feel, so I kept taking photos before the food even arrived.

Yeonnam-dong has plenty of pretty restaurants, but Hey Joji isn't just pretty; its concept is clear, which made it more memorable. If you like cute, vintage American interiors, you'll probably love it the moment you walk in.

How does the white ragù truffle cream pasta taste at Hey Joji?

Hey Joji's white ragù truffle cream pasta costs ₩16,000 and is a rich cream pasta with ragù and truffle aroma on a cream base. It was the first dish to arrive, and just from the name I was expecting a deep, rich flavor.

The pasta is generously topped with cheese, and an egg yolk sits right in the middle, so it looked delicious from the start. When I popped the yolk and mixed it in with the noodles, the cream sauce became even nuttier and smoother. This is less a light, clean pasta and more a rich cream pasta that fills your mouth with flavor.

The ragù keeps the sauce from being one-note, and the meaty flavor was well mixed between the noodles, so every bite was satisfying. The sauce clung to the noodles well, and I liked the combo of mushrooms and ragù in the same bite. The truffle aroma also went nicely with the creaminess, so overall it tasted like "today I'm eating properly."

It suited a cheating-day brunch especially well. It's not a dish that just fills your stomach; one plate leaves you happily full.

What comes with the waffle chicken at Hey Joji?

Hey Joji's waffle chicken is ₩15,000: chicken, cheese and sauce on a waffle, served with corn, salad and cherry tomatoes, a sweet-salty-savory brunch dish. Even among brunch items, the name alone screams American, so I had high hopes, and the look of it when it arrived was pretty striking.

It was chicken, cheese and sauce on a waffle, with corn, salad and cherry tomatoes on the side.

The pile of yellow cheese was cheating day in a nutshell. One bite gives you the soft texture of the waffle, the heft of the chicken and the nuttiness of the cheese together.

When you say brunch, you usually think of something fresh and light, but Hey Joji's waffle chicken was much more filling and rich.

The cross-section shows how packed it is, and eating it bite by bite was just as satisfying. With sweet waffle, salty chicken and rich cheese together, I think it suits anyone who likes the sweet-salty-savory combo.

The corn on the side was good too. It's nutty when you nibble it between bites, and the salad and cherry tomatoes help balance out the rich main.

Why Hey Joji feels like a New Yorker brunch

What I liked most about Hey Joji is that the food and the space don't clash. Eating New York-style brunch dishes in an American-style interior made me feel, just for a moment, like I was sitting somewhere in New York rather than Yeonnam-dong.

The white ragù truffle cream pasta was thick and rich, and I'll remember it as a great pasta spot, while the waffle chicken let me really feel American brunch vibes. Both are on the rich side, so they suit a day when you want to eat properly rather than have a plain meal.

Personally, I'd recommend Hey Joji as a cheating-day brunch spot. The combination of cream, cheese, ragù, waffle and chicken is reliably satisfying, so it's perfect for a day when you think "just today, I want something filling and delicious."

Good to know before visiting Hey Joji

With its pretty mood and good-looking food, Hey Joji is a decent Yeonnam-dong brunch place for a date or a get-together with friends. There are lots of photo spots, and the menu is a bit richer and more distinctive than ordinary brunch, so it should suit anyone looking for a different brunch spot in Yeonnam-dong.

• The dishes are rich overall, so if you want a very light, fresh meal they might feel a bit heavy. But if you like bold flavors like cream pasta, cheese and waffle chicken, that may well be Hey Joji's biggest charm.
• Parking, reservation and waiting info can vary by time of day, so it's best to check before you go.
• This being Yeonnam-dong, it can get crowded on weekends and at mealtimes, so I recommend going with time to spare.

Final verdict: a cute cheating-day brunch in Yeonnam-dong at Hey Joji

Hey Joji was a Yeonnam-dong spot where a cute American interior and flavor-packed brunch dishes go well together. From the exterior to the props inside, the plates and the look of the food, the concept is clear throughout, so it stayed in my memory.

The white ragù truffle cream pasta, with its thick cream and ragù flavor, made the trip for pasta worthwhile, and the waffle chicken was a cheating-day brunch dish with an appealing sweet-salty-savory combo. If you're looking for a brunch place with a good mood in Yeonnam-dong, or a hearty meal in a cute American-style space, Hey Joji is worth a visit.

In one line:

I went to Hey Joji for pasta and came back feeling like a New Yorker: a great cheating-day brunch spot in Yeonnam-dong.