Songpa Italian restaurant for jazz live and pasta: Allegro

Bangi-dong Italian dining with jazz performances and pasta

Allegro is a new Italian dining spot in Bangi-dong where you can enjoy live jazz performances and delicious pasta.

Open daily 12:00–23:00 and closed Tuesdays. Break time is 15:00–16:00, and last orders are at 21:30. Parking is available at lunch but not at dinner. Groups of up to six are welcome, and private hire is available. Reservations can be made through Naver Reservation and Catchtable; corkage is ₩50,000 per bottle of wine, up to two bottles. Children are welcome. The first performance runs from 19:30–20:10 and the second from 20:25–21:05. Admission is ₩10,000 per person on weekdays and ₩15,000 on weekends.

Once again, I came to get in early on a promising new restaurant. Allegro was so satisfying that I almost regret my own limited powers of description—here comes the honest review.

I heard an Italian dining spot with both atmosphere and flavor had opened in Bangi-dong, so I ran straight over.

A black-toned space with a live-performance mood

When I walked in, the whole place was neat and the atmosphere was so good. Calm, modern black tones—so this is the mood of a jazz bar... There was a live-performance space right in front of us, which was cool.

There is a monthly performance lineup by the entrance like this. The performers change each time, so even repeat visits can bring a different kind of fun.

Since we were there for the jazz performance, we sat side by side at a round table. Honestly, during the evening performance it might be a little tricky as a first blind-date meeting spot, but it would be perfect for a second date after a blind date—or a second stop!! If you eat delicious food somewhere atmospheric, surely your odds of dating success go up, right?! Haha.

What we ordered before the evening jazz performance

This is how the menu is put together, and here is a useful tip: if you visit at lunch, you can take advantage of lunch happy hour. But we wanted to hear the jazz performance, so we came in the evening. They give you an ordering tablet like this. Even that feels stylish.

Another great thing!! The wine descriptions are written out in such detail. Shy people like me can order a good wine without having to ask the staff.

• Melanzane — ₩19,000
• Sous-vide pork neck steak — ₩33,000
• Carbonara — ₩19,000
• Amatriciana — ₩19,000
• House wine — ₩12,000

We kept adding dishes because they were so good, and the two of us ended up ordering four dishes. We simply could not stop eating.

The wine by the glass and bread arrived first. The bread was crisp yet soft, and the wine was a straightforward, classic red. (Actually, I do not know much about wine, but it was delicious.)

Rich carbonara and dishes with sauce worth finishing

Carbonara

First, the carbonara. I really love carbonara, but not bland carbonara—I love it rich and savory. And Allegro's carbonara was exactly that. This is the flavor I had been looking for!!! Perfectly salty, nutty, and rich; yum yum, gone in no time.

Amatriciana

Since we had ordered the melanzane, I was going to skip the amatriciana because it also has a tomato-sauce base. But after the carbonara, I thought, I need to have more pasta from this place—so I ordered the amatriciana too. This place really is a pasta restaurant. The sauce is delicious, and the pasta is cooked just right.

Melanzane

This was an eggplant gratin with melted mozzarella in tomato sauce. Loading bread with sauce and eggplant was the best... ♡ It was delicious even with just the sauce and eggplant, no bread needed.

Sous-vide pork neck steak

The main dish: sous-vide pork neck steak. It was crisp on the outside and moist and tender inside. And the peppercorn sauce served with it was the key. We did the washing-up for them, scraping up every last bit of sauce. Can you see how tender, juicy, and thick it is?

My first live jazz performance and excellent sound

While we were busily powering through our food, the live jazz performance began. It was my first jazz performance, and I loved it. I had been living without much culture, and it felt like I had filled myself up with some. Above all, the sound was so good. I was amazed that a restaurant could have such excellent audio set up.

When there is no jazz performance, that LP bar plays instead. The vibe is everything.. ♥

From dates to family meals

This Songpa restaurant is wonderful for an unusual date with your boyfriend and also such a nice blind-date venue. There were plenty of tables of families, and children too!! It was so cute seeing the children quietly concentrate on the jazz performance... ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ Allegro is the kind of place that will satisfy anyone you bring. It is 100% going to get busy soon. Get in early while there is no wait!!!