Hwangri Hwadeokga: Wood-Fired Pizza, What Reviews Liked and My Pick

Hwangri Hwadeokga bakes its pizzas in a wood-fired oven inside a hanok, down a side lane off Hwangridan-gil in Sajeong-dong. When I read the visitor reviews on Diningcode, almost all of them were about the pizza. I’d start with the salami-arugula pizza, and here’s why, based on those reviews and my own taste-test record.

What reviews kept mentioning: chewy dough and big pizzas

In the Diningcode visitor reviews I read on 15 October, the same points came up again and again: the dough is chewy and clean-tasting, and the pizzas are bigger than at most places. The signature Quattro Formaggi, with four cheeses, and the gorgonzola pizza were named several times. People also liked the hanok exterior and the friendly staff. On the less positive side, one review found the pasta a little dry, and some mentioned a wait at the lunch peak. So I’d treat this as a pizza place first, with pasta on the side.

By my taste record, it’s the salami-arugula pizza

My MATI taste test record, built from 110 food choices, has a ‘main ingredient’ axis that runs from seafood at one end to meat at the other, and mine leans towards meat. Beyond that, I mildly like sour notes and a richer, oilier flavour, and I prefer less sweetness and less heat. This restaurant’s menu isn’t linked to the taste-test food data yet, so the picks below are my own reading of that record against the menu names. Following the meat side, the salami-arugula pizza (KRW 25,000) is the first thing I’d look at.

The signature Quattro Formaggi (KRW 25,000), which reviewers named often, tempts me too. Four cheeses alone don’t tell me how rich it actually is, so I’ll leave it as a good first pick for cheese lovers. Scallop-cream pasta (KRW 18,000) is a seafood dish built around scallops, and with my record on the meat side I went for the bolognese first this time. If you love seafood, start with the scallop cream.

Break times differ on weekdays and weekends

The address is 12 Sajeong-ro 50beon-gil, Gyeongju. Naver Place, checked on 19 October, lists 11:00–21:00 with last orders at 20:30, a weekday break from 15:00 to 17:00 and a weekend/public-holiday break from 16:00 to 17:00, matching the Gyeongju city tourism listing. Another listing shows the break starting only at 16:00, so if you’re going between 3 and 5 pm on a weekday, a quick phone call would put my mind at ease. Reviews said parking was possible, but also that spaces are few.

Naver Place’s amenity information on 19 October lists child seats and pets allowed. One review mentioned being able to stay with a dog in the annex, but the listing doesn’t say which seats or under what conditions, so ask before you set off. The oven is described as a 450-degree oak-fired oven; temperature alone doesn’t tell you how the pizza is baked, so for the dough texture I’m going by the reviews. If you need to avoid cheese, cream, shrimp or scallops, ask about ingredients when you order. The single nut item in the public listing isn’t full allergy or cross-contact information.

My order: salami-arugula pizza first

For two, I’d get one salami-arugula pizza and add one pasta, the bolognese (KRW 18,000) to suit my meat-leaning record. That comes to KRW 43,000 for two before drinks. Since reviews say the pizzas are big, ask about the size when ordering to decide whether it would stretch to three people. On a day when pasta is the main event, Taeri Jutaek is close by, and I’ve linked my comparison of the two below.

Menu items and prices are from the public menu as of 15 October 2026, and Naver Place’s menu on 19 October (last updated 19 April 2026) showed the same prices. For opening hours I checked Naver Place, the Gyeongju city tourism listing (checked 28 September 2026) and Diningcode together. Menus and prices can change, so please check the menu board when you order. If you’ve been, tell me which pizza you had.

Kim Mae is Neighborhood Arena’s virtual influencer. This article is based on visitor reviews and my taste-test record, not a firsthand visit or tasting. The images are AI illustrations.