Cheoin-gu wood-fired pizzeria in Yongin: ricotta pizza, Bonaricetta

I went to visit a friend who lives in Yongin and ended up discovering a proper hidden gem near Yongin HUFS (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies).

I'm not usually someone who goes out of my way to chase pizza, but if you're into wood-fired pizza, this is a place I'd tell you to try at least once!! The place I visited was Bonaricetta in Cheoin-gu, Yongin. I heard it placed third in a national pizza competition, so at first I was curious just how good it could be.

Once I actually tried it, it wasn't just the toppings that were good — the dough itself was clearly different!!! I normally don't eat the crust end of a pizza, but this time I ate it all the way through. If you're looking for good pizza or a nice date spot in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, I'd recommend this place!!

What is Bonaricetta? Location in Mohyeon-eup and opening hours

Bonaricetta is a wood-fired pizza restaurant on the 2nd floor of 13 Baegokdae-ro 2402beon-gil, Mohyeon-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. It's open Wed–Mon 11:30–21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00, and closed every Tuesday. I found out about Bonaricetta thanks to a friend who lives in Yongin — I was visiting her place and we decided to grab food nearby, and she mentioned there was a place famous for pizza around there.

Looking it up, it turned out to be a well-known spot near Yongin HUFS, especially for its wood-fired pizza. On top of that, it had placed third in a national pizza competition, which would pique the interest of any pizza lover. Hearing that bumped up my expectations a bit.

Of course, just because a place has won an award doesn't automatically mean it'll suit my taste, right?? So I wanted to try it myself and judge, and in the end, this was a place I'd want to visit again. Not just the pizza, but the shrimp aglio e olio we ordered alongside it was also delicious, so I felt like my whole meal was a job well done haha.

Parking at Bonaricetta and a seat facing the wood-fired oven

Bonaricetta has convenient parking, which made it easy to visit by car. Parking is honestly something I pay close attention to when choosing a restaurant. Especially outside of Seoul, in areas like Yongin where people tend to drive, no matter how good the food is, if parking is a hassle, I hesitate to go back. When I visited with my friend, we didn't stress about parking at all — we just parked and walked right in!

Walking inside, the first thing that caught my eye was the wood-fired oven. It's not just a place that says 'wood-fired pizza' on the sign — you can actually see the oven, which got me even more excited.

I personally love restaurants where you can see the oven. When you can watch the space where the pizza is being made, waiting feels less boring, and eating a pizza that just came out of the oven feels so much more real!!

Margherita or ricotta pizza? Choosing from the Bonaricetta menu

What I agonized over most on Bonaricetta's menu was, of course, the pizza. At first I thought about going with the most basic option, margherita.

People often say that ordering margherita on your first visit to a wood-fired pizzeria tells you a lot about the restaurant's fundamentals.

But the ricotta pizza also looked so good that after a lot of back and forth, I ended up choosing ricotta. Even if I went back right now, I think I'd probably order the ricotta pizza again. For pasta, we ordered shrimp aglio e olio. Since the ricotta pizza already had cheese, I wanted to balance it with something a bit lighter, so I picked the shrimp aglio e olio!

How the ricotta pizza tastes: vegetable and fruit toppings and the dough

The menu I was most looking forward to that day was Bonaricetta's ricotta pizza.

The moment the pizza arrived, what struck me was how fresh the ingredients looked. It came topped with both vegetables and fruit, and the overall color made it look really appetizing. When I actually tasted it, it wasn't just fresh-looking — the vegetables had a real crunch, and the fruit was refreshing and paired well with the ricotta cheese.

A cheese-heavy combination like this could easily get too heavy or greasy, but with the vegetables and fruit mixed in, it actually felt light and easy to eat. And what surprised me here was the dough. I usually only like the topped part of the pizza and don't eat much of the crust — it's usually the first thing I leave behind when I'm full.

But at Bonaricetta, my hand kept reaching for the crust too. I don't often feel like the dough itself is delicious when eating wood-fired pizza, but here I enjoyed even the end piece. This is where I understood why it's such a well-known pizza spot near Yongin HUFS.

Rather than a pizza that relies on flashy toppings for flavor, it felt like they'd paid real attention to the basics — the dough itself. I'd heard it placed third in a national pizza competition, and once I tried it myself, I could understand why it got such good reviews! The combination of ricotta cheese, vegetables, and fruit in one bite was especially delicious.

Shrimp aglio e olio at Bonaricetta: plump, meaty shrimp

Bonaricetta's shrimp aglio e olio starts strong with plump, juicy shrimp!!! At first I assumed that since the place is known for wood-fired pizza, pizza would be the main event and the pasta would just be average. But I love aglio e olio, and I tend to get bored quickly if the seasoning is too strong or too bland — here, the seasoning was spot on.

And most of all, I loved the shrimp. There are plenty of aglio e olio dishes where the shrimp are small and forgettable, but the shrimp aglio e olio I had here had plump shrimp with real bite to them. The garlic aroma and the flavor of the oil paired well with the shrimp too.

Taking a bite of pizza, then pasta, then going back to the pizza again was such a great combination. If I'm visiting with two people, ordering one pizza and one pasta to share is the perfect setup!! hahaha Especially since the ricotta pizza was relatively light, it paired really well with the aglio e olio.

Final verdict: would I return to Bonaricetta on my next Yongin trip?

I ended up at Bonaricetta by chance thanks to my friend who lives in Yongin, and I left far more satisfied than I expected. The ricotta pizza we ordered had fresh vegetables and fruit, and it paired wonderfully with the ricotta cheese. Most of all, the fact that even I — someone who usually doesn't eat the crust — finished the whole dough is what stuck with me most! And my friend did the exact same thing....

The shrimp aglio e olio was also delicious — plump shrimp and perfect seasoning meant it didn't get overshadowed by the pizza at all. I went in with high expectations after hearing about the third-place finish in the national pizza competition, and the pizza that took on all my expectations... it was genuinely great!

If I visit my friend in Yongin again, I'd definitely go back. If you're looking for good wood-fired pizza in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, or a restaurant with a nice atmosphere near Yongin HUFS, I recommend Bonaricetta!!!