Italian pub in Songpa, Seoul for wood-fired pizza: Hope So

The weather lately has been just perfect for a picnic (˵• ̀⩊•́˵) After walking around Olympic Park for ages, taking in the beautiful scenery and having fun, by dinnertime I was absolutely craving a good meal and a cold beer. I found just the place for that! Let me introduce Hope So (홉쏘), an Italian pub in Bangi-dong that is also known for its wood-fired pizza!

Hope So welcomes you with evening neon and an open feel

Visit in the evening and Hope So's glowing neon sign welcomes you.

As summer is winding down, it had that open-air feeling of having a drink somewhere cool outside. The ceilings are high and the tables are well spaced too, so it made for a very roomy, comfortable meal.

• A 1-minute walk from Bangi Station
• Parking available in front of the venue
• Paid parking available at Wiryeseong-gil Public Parking Lot across from Olympic Park
• Monday–Saturday, 4:00 AM–1:00 AM; last order at 12:00 AM
• Regularly closed every Sunday

A wide-ranging menu, from wood-fired pizza to soup dishes

The menu is seriously varied, which made it even better because everyone can eat to their own taste 👍🏻 And you absolutely cannot miss the wood-fired pizzas, baked golden in a 350°C oven (ᵒ̴̶̷᷄﹏ᵒ̴̶̷᷅)

The wood-fired pizzas and pasta naturally caught my eye first, but as I slowly worked my way down the menu, I found an impressively broad selection: risotto, gambas, fries, cheese plates, and other pub-style dishes, plus warm broth dishes such as odeng-tang (fish cake soup)! There were also dry snacks like nachos, nuts and jerky, pineapple sherbet, dried cuttlefish, and oven-roasted dried pollack, so it felt even more perfect for a pleasant light drink 𛰙᭜𖫴𖫰𖫱𖫳𖫲𖫲𖫳𖫴𖫰𖫱꛰ ᭜𖫴𖫰𖫱𖫳𖫲𖫲𖫳𖫴𖫰𖫱꛰ʕᨦ

There were so many things I wanted to try that it felt less like a restaurant to visit once and more like one to return to repeatedly and check off menu items.

A pub made for draft beer and wine

Draft beer, highballs, wine, and corkage available

You can have so many well-known draft beers here—Cass, pale ale, Blanc, Paulaner, Guinness, Kozel Dark, Pilsner Urquell, Asahi, Goose IPA, and more! I do not come across dark beer all that often, but Hope So even has it on draft, so order placed ✔️

Corkage is ₩20,000. The atmosphere itself is one where you can comfortably chat with friends or family.

Hope So is built so openly that you can clearly see inside even as you walk past! It is indoors, but the outdoor pub atmosphere is way up ⬆️ On lovely days like these, it was nice to talk comfortably while feeling the cool autumn night air. I visited on a weekday evening, and the first floor was already bustling with guests, with lots of people heading upstairs too! The second floor was decorated more sweetly than the first, with wood interiors that really stood out +_+

The wood-accented second floor

Along one wall, you can see wines stored like this.

Once I went upstairs to the second floor, the wooden interior gave it a completely different mood from the first floor! The tables are very large, and some are connected, so I thought it would also be excellent for a large company dinner!

There was also a notice listing Hope So's event!

From Monday through Thursday, 4:00–7:00 PM, you can have a different pasta depending on the day for ₩14,900, so keep that in mind if you are interested ☺️

Water was freely available from this self-service corner.

The Margherita and creamy jjambbong I ordered

What I ordered! Margherita ₩22,000, creamy jjambbong ₩19,000, Kozel Dark (cinnamon) ₩8,000, and peach iced tea ₩4,000.

While I was eating the salty complimentary pretzels, the Margherita pizza arrived!

A Margherita kept warm with a candle

At first I had no idea they would even prepare a candle, but they lit it first and then placed the pizza on top! It was so nice that the pizza stayed warm even as time passed 🔥

The Margherita is topped with fresh mozzarella and basil. It is not just because I love basil—the basil + mozzarella combination is genuinely the kick. With tomato sauce as its base, the pizza begins with tomato's clean, mild flavor, but then the basil pops in between as if shouting, “I’m here!!” and adds little changes along the way. It was a lovely combination and an overall refined wood-fired-pizza flavor! The edges were crisp too, which added another fun texture 🍕 A nutty, clean Margherita pizza.

There were chunks of mozzarella scattered all over it like this! Such an appetizing look too ✨

For anyone who loves wood-fired pizza, this seems like an even better choice because Hope So has plenty of pizzas beyond the Margherita to suit different tastes.

Creamy jjambbong that was filling without becoming too rich

Honestly, the creamy jjambbong impressed me as soon as I tried it. First, even though it could have been rich because of the cream, it was not cloying at all!!

Second, look at these substantial shrimp!!! (Delicious.) There was not just one or two; they were generously piled in.

The shrimp texture was so good, and the shrimp, broccoli, bok choy, and other ingredients all tasted fresh, which made it even more delicious.

A staff member said it tastes best eaten with the broth, and dipping it in here and there as I ate really did make it better. (As expected, it pays to listen to someone experienced.)

It was not just noodles either—there were sujebi (hand-torn dough flakes) in it too, making it a more filling meal. (The noodles were seriously chewy and delicious.)

I totally recommend the creamy jjambbong. It was not as spicy as I expected, so even people who cannot handle much spice can eat it!! You will regret not trying it—highly recommended.

Kozel Dark with a cinnamon aroma

I am the type who tries dark beer whenever it is available… It came sprinkled with cinnamon powder, so the cinnamon aroma was strong as soon as it arrived, and having it with the beer was fascinating.

I recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy dark beer's flavor with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon powder 👍🏻

From Olympic Park dates to Bangi Station gatherings

• People looking for a date course near Olympic Park
• People who love open spaces and pubs with a strong outdoor-pub feel
• People looking for a company dinner or group gathering venue near Bangi Station
• People looking for a good place for a light drink or beer after work