Eat, drink, dance: Pizzeria Monday Off Please
By Sean D’Angelo
What do you get when you mix pizza with jazz? Pizzazz. If you have been in Gwangju over a year, then you may already know Monday Off Please for its modern aesthetic and simple but smashing menu of Neapolitan-style pies, glistening with freshly drizzled olive oil. It is a restaurant at the cutting edge of Korea’s love affair with authentic European cuisine. Moreover, Monday Off Please is rather atypical among Italian fusion joints outside the capital. The focus is threefold: good pizza, good ingredients, and great atmosphere. Now with a new space in Dongmeungdong, owner Park Jaeman is updating his restaurant, creating a venue that combines café, restaurant, club, and bar. Park has big dreams for this rising cultural hub, and it all starts with his slogan “Eat, drink, dance.”
A music school graduate with a passion for Euro lounge, street culture, and everything chill, Park is omnipresent in his little restaurant. With an open kitchen, open walls, and a massive open patio, you get to see every move Park makes no matter where you sit. About the only thing more open than his kitchen is the ever-jovial Park himself. Alternating between spinning sizzling pies behind the counter and spinning cool tracks on the weekends, he works double-time to bring his own affable rhyme and rhythm to the table with every meal; fostering an environment conducive to fun, laughter, and perhaps even love… crispy, cheesy love.
At first glance, the place looks like a pizza-by-the-slice pit stop – a good place to grab a bite to go. This illusion of the common is complete with self-service pickup at the bar, a menu of generic beers served in clear solo cups, modestly priced pizzas at 12-18,000 won, and sides like fries, wings, and hot dogs. Upon closer inspection, the modern décor, candlelit patio, selection of fine wines, imported moonshine, and hip, youthful clientele, bespeak a haven built for the socially mobile, artistic elite. One of Gwangju’s most venerable expats dubbed it “the Starbucks of Pizza”, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more apt analogy. The staff’s attention to culinary excellence — from the daily ritual of making fresh dough, to the crisp fresh ingredients and homemade sauces — is a cut above professional. This is a restaurant that caters to all tastes and budgets, from the aspiring student artist to the upper crust business professional. And that is all part of Park’s grand vision: affordable food, lasting friendships, priceless memories.
But what about the food? Much like you would expect at an Italian trattoria, the pizzas are small, liberally sauced with a scattering of toppings, the polar opposite of the Chicago deep dish. Like a tortilla, the crust holds the sauce, and one pizza per person is a good rule to follow when ordering; or sample them all as a group. Park has been perfecting his version of the Neapolitan close to seven years now, and has honed his menu to the essentials. Cheese, margherita, diavola, and carbonara pizzas hearken their classical roots. While, Hawaiian, jalapeno, and spinach salami pizzas are the international crowd-pleasers. The Gorgonzola pizza is pure deliciousness with no honey drizzle or cranberries in sight. And, for a touch of humor there is the bacon potato, but loaded with fries and bacon bits instead. Paired with an affordable 5,000 won glass of table wine (or a 130K bottle of Moet & Chandon if you prefer), any of the pizzas would make an admirable lunch or late evening affair with the ladies. Or, just order a Heineken and a slab of bacon steak with your buddies.
Indoor seating is limited, so visit during the warmer months to take full advantage of the patio. Though the restaurant’s cozy charm is its defining feature, take-out is also an option for those willing to order forty minutes in advance. To find the new Monday Off Please, head to the back of the Asian Culture Complex near the huge solar array; cross the street towards Kunst bar; enter the alley near the curvy street art; and then, take the first little turnoff to your left.
Address: 광주광역시 동구 장동로 7
Open Tuesday-Friday 3pm-1am, Saturday and Sunday 1pm-1am.
Reservations and takeout available, 010-4415-0084.
On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram #mondayoffplease.