Wood-fired pizza in Suwon: The European Haenggung Main Branch

A brick house that appears when you enter the craft-studio street right in front of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. I’ve been obsessed with wood-fired pizza this year, so wherever I go, I seek it out like a bakery pilgrimage—more like a wood-fired-pizza pilgrimage.

Today it was The European Haenggung Main Branch (더유로피언 행궁본점), with its welcoming green roof down a Haenggung-dong alley. I was even more curious because I heard it is run by a chef with 10 years of experience at Seoul’s Shilla Hotel. It is a good restaurant near Suwon Hwaseong Fortress for dinner after looking around Hwaseong Haenggung Palace.

The European Haenggung Main Branch: visitor information

• Daily 11:00–21:30 (last order 20:30)
• Naver Booking and Catch Table reservations available
• Ask the restaurant about groups and private hire
• After getting off at Suwon Station, it is a 5-minute walk from Paldalmun and Ian Eye Clinic
• Use public parking

There were stacks of firewood for the hot flames in the wood-fired oven beside the entrance, and sacks of the flour used for the pizzas just inside.

Inside, I could see the open kitchen and red wood-fired oven. We ordered by QR code at the table, then waited while watching the chandeliers and pizzas constantly going into the oven.

The signature pizza topped with jamón and burrata

Signature arugula, jamón and burrata cheese pizza (₩31,000)

It was actually my first time trying jamón, so I was half excited and half worried about whether it would work on pizza. But the pizza topped with arugula, jamón, and burrata looked delicious with its bright red tomato sauce.

The cool, clean burrata gently wraps around the salty flavor of the jamón.

The jamón was a little more seasoned than I had expected. I had eaten pizzas and sandwiches topped with jambon before, but jamón was a new flavor for me. Before eating, I looked up the difference between jambon and jamón, and there really was a clear difference. Putting both jamón and burrata on one slice gave the saltiness and soft cheese a nice balance.

What stayed with me as much as the burrata was definitely the dough ⭐️. Baked in the wood-fired oven, it barely had that distinctive flour taste. It was chewy yet fluffy—no, super fluffy. Trying jamón for the first time was so interesting, and next time I want to try another signature pizza too.

Truffle cream gnocchi with a poached egg

Truffle cream gnocchi (₩23,000) ⭐️

Truffle cream gnocchi with a poached egg sitting in the middle of the thick, rich sauce. Break the soft yolk and eat it with the sauce, potato, and gnocchi all at once, and the nutty flavor becomes even deeper.

It was not crumbly like steamed potato; the texture had a lovely softness to it. It was not just soft, either—coated generously in sauce and eaten with the gnocchi, it kept drawing my fork back.

The seasoning was not too strong, and the different textures of potato, sauce, and egg came together in exactly the way I like.

The complimentary side was not pickles but carrot râpée. I already love carrot râpée, and its tangy crunch suited the wood-fired pizza even better than pickles. Taking a bite now and then while eating the rich gnocchi refreshed my mouth again.

European-style interior with a private room and wood-fired oven

A huge yellowish cylinder catches your eye inside—oh my, what is that? Even the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wheel standing proudly in the kitchen says they are serious about their ingredients. When hot pasta is placed on a halved cheese wheel and rubbed around, the cheese on its surface melts and clings to the pasta. I have seen it so often on YouTube, so I was curious to see it happen in real life.

There is also a room farther inside, separated by a door,

and red curtains, chandeliers, and red pizza boxes fill the space here and there.

It had the European-style atmosphere of a restaurant.

The shelves are full of wine bottles and wine glasses. I wondered if this is what it feels like to be a sophisticated adult, having a glass of wine with pizza and Italian-style food.

Beyond wood-fired pizza, there are gnocchi, fresh pasta, and steak, so there are plenty of choices even if you cannot eat pasta. If you find this restaurant near Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and feel it would be a shame to have only pizza, it is great for family meals or group gatherings where everyone can order a variety of dishes.

Reservation, review event, and visitor notes

There is an event where you receive a Sprite when you make a Naver Booking reservation or write a receipt review.

We cannot eat Italian-style food without something fizzy either, so we left a review and drank it. I really, truly cannot live without carbonation.

You need to ask the restaurant in advance about group visits and private hire, and outside food is prohibited. Cakes are allowed, including candles, but plates and forks are not provided.

They also offer delivery. While we were eating, delivery pickups came and went twice. Corkage is listed at ₩20,000 per bottle.

Parking and directions near Hwaseong Haenggung Palace

Because it is right in front of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, the location is ideal to pair with Hwaseong Haenggung Palace or the craft-studio street. Hwaseong Haenggung street public parking is the closest, about a 3-minute walk away. It costs ₩2,000 for the first 3 hours, plus ₩200 per 10 minutes; Hanwoomul private parking and Jangan-dong public parking are nearby too, so just use whichever is closest.

My take on an Italian-style date meal in Haenggung-dong

I have had so much fun seeking out wood-fired pizza this year, and this time I discovered another new menu item. I am already excited to see where my next wood-fired-pizza pilgrimage will be. Should I try the Gwanggyo branch?