Pranzo Italian Restaurant, Gyeongju
One of my few complaints about Gyeongju is that there just aren’t many foreign restaurants here. Sure, Gyeongju has all your usual greasy fast food joints, but you’ve got to go all the way to Daegu to find a TGI Fridays or Outback Steak House. And if you’re itching for Thai or Mexican, just forget it. Luckily we do have a couple of descent Italian joints in town, and the cream (if you’ll pardon the pun) of the crop is Pranzo (프란조).
Pranzo Italian Restaurant, Gyeongju
Pranzo’s already a legend with the local western community and it’s perfect if you’re downtown and just aren’t in the mood for Korean or KFC. The décor is perky and chic. The wait staff is friendly and the menus are in Italian, English and Korean. Not to mention, Pranzo serves excellent food at prices that give the other Italian joints in town a run for their money (sorry, again with the puns).
Pranzo Italian Restaurant, Gyeongju
Pranzo sticks with the basics of Italian cooking, but they do it darn well. They serve variations of pasta and risotto, with tomato, crème or olive oil sauce and most dishes run between 8,000 and 12,000 won. Honestly, I haven’t tried anything here I didn’t love, including the Sepia (squid ink) Risotto. That said, I think my favorite is still the Spaghetti alla Gorgonzolla. My wife usually goes for the Smoked Salmon Salad and Carbonara Pasta. Pranzo also does a mean Thin Crust Pizza at around 12,000 won each.
Pranzo Italian Restaurant, Gyeongju
Directions: Pranzo’s just a stone’s throw from the train station and is fairly easy to find. With the station to your back, go straight down the main drag for 1 block, passing the market on right and post office on your left. Take your first left at the GS25. Go straight for another 2 blocks passing the Asian Food Mart and The Bean Stock coffee shop. It’s on the third block on the right. Just look for the blue awning with “Pranzo” on it.
Pranzo Business Card
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