Urban GardenA Western Restaurant on Jeongdong-gil Where the Atmosphere Comes First

A restaurant with its own garden — the setting is different from the start

The old brick building has plants and décor tucked into every corner, so the place is a pleasure to look at from the moment you walk in. The decorations seem to change with the season — when I went, it was in full Christmas mode. There's also a separate lunch set, good for a lighter visit.

I ordered steak and pasta

This time, instead of the lunch set, I ordered steak and pasta. The steak came with mushrooms, potatoes and mustard on the side; the pasta was a cream sauce topped with scallops.

What it looks like

One plate holds a thick fillet steak with grilled king oyster mushrooms, zucchini, small roasted root vegetables, a white purée and whole-grain mustard. On another wide plate, thin pasta is coiled like a nest, topped with round white seafood pieces that look like scallops, with parsley and cheese scattered over it. The sauce looks like a yellowish butter sauce.

Menu words

• Ansim (tenderloin) is the soft cut from inside the sirloin, commonly used for steak
• Mustard is a sauce made from mustard seeds, served with meat

The setting comes before the taste

Honestly, the food itself isn't the kind of thing you'd rave about elsewhere. But the atmosphere is good enough that almost anything would taste good here, so overall it was still an enjoyable meal. If you're after a nice setting more than a must-eat dish, this will land better for you.

A walk along Jeongdong-gil and Gwanghwamun afterward

Jeongdong-gil runs right outside, good for a walk after the meal, and a short walk further gets you to Gwanghwamun. A good route to pair with a date or a casual meetup.

The menu and prices at a glance

The pastas are truffle mushroom at ₩23,500, shrimp roe rosé at ₩25,000 and crab meat at ₩29,900, and the steak (350 g) is ₩69,000 (as of Sep 2026). On your own, the pasta side of the menu is the lighter fit; with company, sharing the steak matches the price and portion better. I ordered the steak and the truffle mushroom pasta.

A walk along Jeongdong-gil

Jeongdong-gil, where the restaurant sits, runs into the Deoksugung stone-wall road, and both Deoksugung Palace and Jeongdong First Methodist Church — known as Korea's first Methodist church — are within walking distance. It is a 4-minute walk from Seodaemun Station (Line 5), and since the restaurant has no parking of its own you would use a nearby public lot (discounted for weekday lunch visits, 11:30 AM–5:30 PM). From here, Dozo Coffee Donuimun (5 minutes from Seodaemun Station) is an easy next stop in the same Seodaemun–Gwanghwamun area.

Before you go

• The setting is the strength here — recommended if you like taking photos
• There's a lunch set too — check the set menu if you want a lighter visit
• Pairs well with a walk along Jeongdong-gil and on to Gwanghwamun afterward
• About a 4-minute walk from Seodaemun Station (Line 5)
• Prices and hours can shift by season — check before you go