Hongdae restaurant with sizzling cheese cutlet: Omil Hongdae

I suddenly had such a craving for chewy gnocchi, so while looking up good places to eat, I went to Omil Hongdae (오밀 홍대), a Hongdae pasta spot I’d had my eye on for ages. The menu looked so charming and cute that I’d really wanted to visit at least once, so... I used my gnocchi craving as an excuse and went.

A charming space right beside Hongik Univ. Station

It is on the building’s second floor, and even the exterior feels cute and charming. It is right next to Hongik Univ. Station too, so getting there is very easy.

Even on a weekday evening, it was bustling with diners and nearly full except for the four-person tables. It is such a popular place that I could only manage to take photos after we had finished eating and a few seats had finally opened up.

The space was clean and neatly arranged, so it would be lovely for coming with friends or enjoying a brunch with a little atmosphere. You can pick up tissues, water, pickles, and more at the self-service bar.

Omil Hongdae menu and our order

Once seated, I looked over the menu and found all sorts of things, including set menus. There are loads of delicious Western-style dishes: steak, sizzling cheese cutlet, many pastas, omurice, gnocchi, and risotto. Side dishes include soba maki, fried corn, and fries. The drink list is varied too, from ade to highballs, and several review events were underway.

• Sizzling cheese cutlet ₩19,900
• Omil soba maki ₩12,900
• Salmon steak gnocchi ₩19,900
• Total ₩52,700

Before the food arrived, I brought over some crisp cabbage pickles from the self-service bar. They were nicely sweet and tart, perfect for refreshing the palate between bites.

The dishes came out in a quick stream, almost all at once, and they looked so pretty.

Sizzling cheese cutlet

₩19,900

The sizzling cheese cutlet came first, overflowing with creamy goodness even in its looks. Once it arrives, a staff member pours warm sauce all over the top.

There is plenty of cheese inside the cutlet, plus a generous layer of cheese sauce outside, so this is truly the best for anyone who loves cheese and cream. It hit my taste buds right on target. It comes with one each of corn, broccoli, and cherry tomato, with onions laid underneath the cheese cutlet too.

It was not overly salty, but full of nutty, soft flavor, and I found myself scraping up every last bit of sauce. It has exactly the deep cheese flavor it looks like it would have—the kind that makes dopamine explode in your mouth. Maybe it is because I love rich food so much, but it did not feel heavy at all to me.

Just looking at cheese flowing out from inside fried meat makes it impossible for it not to be delicious, right? It is rich but not burdensome, and the kind of flavor that keeps you reaching for more.

Omil soba maki, made with buckwheat noodles instead of rice

₩12,900

Next came the soba maki, which seems to be one of Omil’s signature dishes. Unlike ordinary maki, it uses buckwheat soba noodles instead of rice, so each bite feels soft and easier to digest. At first I thought it might taste a little plain, but the special sauce inside was pleasantly sweet and tart and really brought up the savory depth.

The combination of crisp and soft fillings—burdock root, cucumber, and egg—was really good too. Add a little wasabi and it becomes even cleaner-tasting, making it a very satisfying, easy side to share with the meal. Maybe because it was buckwheat, it went down much more easily than gimbap (seaweed rice roll), and we demolished it in no time.

Smoky salmon and chewy salmon steak gnocchi

₩19,900

The salmon steak gnocchi arrives with a whole nicely seared salmon steak on top. The rosé sauce base seemed to have meat in it too. With little bits to chew on, deep savory flavor, a gentle kick of spice, and creaminess all together, it was incredibly flavorful.

The gnocchi itself was wonderfully chewy, with an appealing soft texture. The whole salmon steak had a gentle smoky aroma and a tender bite, pairing exceptionally well with the rosé sauce. It also went well with the vegetables on top, so I was scooping up this sauce like crazy too...

Every element—the salmon, sauce, and gnocchi—worked together quite beautifully. The seasoning was just right overall, so even the sauce by itself was delicious... that was how it was.

In the end, we cleaned every last bit off the plates.

Omil Hongdae, a great Hongdae pasta spot! The sizzling cheese cutlet has deep, nutty cheese-and-cream flavor that makes your dopamine explode; Omil’s buckwheat soba maki combines crunchy fillings and sweet-tart sauce with noodles instead of rice; and the salmon steak gnocchi brings together gently smoky salmon, chewy gnocchi, and savory rosé sauce. Every dish was genuinely delicious! The flavors across the dishes also went very well together, and both the atmosphere and food were so charming and pretty, so I highly recommend it if you are looking for a Hongdae pasta restaurant!