Yeonnam-dong Italian restaurant for a risotto-and-pasta date: Hey Joji

Yeonnam-dong has so many pretty cafés and great restaurants tucked along its little streets, so it is such a nice neighborhood for a date. I went to Hey Joji (헤이죠지) with my boyfriend for some delicious Italian food.

An Italian date spot in Yeonnam-dong where you can talk over dinner

When choosing a restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, the atmosphere matters as much as the food, right? Especially when planning a restaurant date here, I tend to look for somewhere that is not too casual and where we can eat comfortably while chatting. Hey Joji was a good date spot, centered on Italian dishes such as pasta and risotto.

It also suited Yeonnam-dong's relaxed, atmospheric vibe, making it lovely to take our time over good food 😆 Rather than ordering just one pasta, I would recommend ordering a risotto alongside it and sharing, since you get to try a wider variety of dishes. We ordered two dishes this time and ate them together, and each had its own flavor point, so it was fun switching between them.

Neat interior

The interior is neat, and aren't the plates so cute?! It is such a nice place for a Yeonnam-dong restaurant date and for eating while talking—I already want to go again 🥹

What does the duck steak cream risotto taste like?

The first dish I want to introduce is the Duck Steak Cream Risotto (₩17,000). Since it lets you enjoy duck and cream risotto together, I was looking forward to it even before ordering.

With duck steak added to a classic cream risotto, it was a satisfying dish for a full meal. Above all, I loved how incredibly soft the risotto was. The cream sauce blended beautifully with the rice grains, so every bite went down moist and smooth, with that rich, creamy flavor coming through nicely too.

Eating it with the duck steak added a meaty depth that went really well with the risotto. Duck has its own savory richness, and it paired better with the cream sauce than I expected. The soft cream risotto and duck steak together were full of flavor and filling, so I was very satisfied. I would recommend it to anyone who usually likes cream risotto or wants to try another kind of Italian dish besides pasta!

The subtle spice of Cajun shrimp rosé pasta

The second dish we ordered was the Cajun Shrimp Rosé Pasta (₩17,000). It comes with homemade Cajun seasoning, shrimp, rosé sauce, and spaghettini. It felt a little different from ordinary rosé pasta because of the added Cajun seasoning.

The soft, rich flavor of the rosé sauce was gently lifted by Cajun-style spice, so it was not bland and had a nice point of flavor. I especially liked that the Cajun aroma was not overpowering—it came through subtly without feeling like too much. It also included shrimp, and the springy shrimp and spaghettini worked well together texture-wise!

The soft rosé sauce, the clean taste of shrimp, and the gentle flavor of Cajun seasoning came together nicely, so I think anyone who likes rosé pasta would enjoy it. Personally, I felt ordering the cream risotto and rosé pasta together was a great choice. Both were based on soft sauces, but the main ingredients—duck steak and Cajun shrimp—were different, so alternating between them never got tiring~!

A satisfying meal with both dishes

I visited Hey Joji because I wanted delicious Italian food in Yeonnam-dong! This time we ordered the Duck Steak Cream Risotto and Cajun Shrimp Rosé Pasta, and I enjoyed both. The risotto was wonderfully soft and easy to eat, while the duck steak made it a savory, filling meal 😋

The Cajun Shrimp Rosé Pasta had the soft flavor of rosé sauce plus the subtle aroma of homemade Cajun seasoning, giving it a charm distinct from typical rosé pasta. I also loved getting to eat those springy shrimp with it.

If you are looking for pasta at a Yeonnam-dong restaurant, or want a date where you can enjoy delicious Italian food somewhere with a nice atmosphere, give it a visit. I especially recommend it to anyone looking for great pasta in Yeonnam-dong. 💕