The Place at Starfield COEX: a delicious spot for a cool beer on a hot summer day!

The Place Starfield COEX branch

Because the weather is hot, when I make plans or go out, I end up looking for places where I can move around indoors. In that sense, COEX seems like a very fitting place.

It’s a place where you can do everything—shopping, food, beauty, culture, and more—so you really can spend time inside COEX without ever needing to go outside.

There are so many different stores, but it can be hard to decide where to go. So I visited The Place, which is widely known as a popular restaurant at Starfield COEX.

Honestly, I can’t deny that the beer festival they were holding played a major role in my decision. Maybe because it’s so hot these days, a cold beer naturally comes to mind.

The Place Starfield COEX branch near Samseong Station is an Italian restaurant with a warm atmosphere created by its wood-toned interior.

The Place is not in the main COEX area but on the Starfield side, near Jamba Juice, A-LAND, and the TOP10 store, so keep that in mind if you’re planning to visit.

I think the reason for the wood-toned interior is probably that they serve wood-fired pizza. I really wanted wood-fired pizza, but there aren’t many places that sell it these days. The Place is one of the few places where I can have it, so I go there whenever I’m craving wood-fired pizza.

Although they serve authentic Italian food, The Place Starfield COEX branch seems even more popular because it reinterprets it with a more modern sensibility. If you visit Samseong Station, there are actually many places to go, but it can still be hard to decide where to eat, and even when you do visit, the food may be disappointing or the price may feel too high. The Place, a well-known restaurant at Starfield COEX, is on the pricier side, but it’s a place where you can enjoy the meal while eating, so I’d recommend it.

If you go for lunch, you can try it at a reasonable price, so it might be a good idea to visit during lunch. Above all, there are a variety of dishes, but not too many, so you can choose without too much trouble. That may be another reason people come to The Place.

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A refreshing drink has arrived.

These days, the weather is so hot that I keep thinking only about cold drinks.

For beer, I ordered Duck Duck Goose IPA, a light beer with pineapple and peach aromas, and a session IPA that adds freshness to a standard IPA. The price was 9,000 won.

It’s a craft beer made by Goose Island. IPA is short for India Pale Ale, and I read that it’s a type of beer created during the time when Britain ruled India. It’s a beer with a high alcohol content and lots of hops, and since it took time to export from Britain to India, it was made as a way to extend its shelf life.

When you know that kind of background and then drink it, the taste definitely feels a little different.

The Duck Duck Goose IPA at The Place Starfield COEX branch has an alcohol content of 4.7%, so it’s not especially strong compared with the usual beer level of around 5%, and you could say it’s about average.

From its color alone, Duck Duck Goose gives off a strong craft beer vibe, and thanks to its fruity aroma, it goes down very smoothly. Even people who dislike fruity aromas may be able to enjoy this Goose Duck Goose beer cold and easily. The aroma is added, but not so strongly that it becomes overwhelming, and I’d say it has a fairly approachable craft beer flavor.

It would be a shame not to try the salad. So I chose the Burrata Caprese, 20,000 won.

Since it’s a salad made only with burrata cheese, cherry tomatoes, and arugula, it’s a light salad that works very well as a palate-cleansing appetizer.

Next is The Place, where you can enjoy pizza baked in a wood-fired oven, and if you don’t eat the wood-fired pizza, that would be a missed opportunity.

If you’re having trouble deciding what to order, half-and-half is the best choice!!

For 24,000 won, the Half & Half Pizza lets you enjoy Cinque Formaggi and Fresh Margherita at once, and it’s said to be one of the best menu items at The Place Starfield COEX branch.

Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Margherita or Formaggio pizza turning out badly. And since these were baked in a wood-fired oven, there’s really no need for words!!

Pizza baked in a wood-fired oven definitely seems to have a chewier crust.

Actually, at The Place, a popular restaurant at Starfield COEX, just the salad and pizza would already be enough for a satisfying meal. But because so much energy gets used up in the hot summer, I also ordered steak to make sure I got some protein.

There’s not much to say about steak!! The doneness was just right, so it wasn’t tough and was easy to enjoy.

Before I knew it, the plate was completely empty.

When did I finish all of this... It was so delicious that even while saying I was full, I kept eating.

The Place, a popular restaurant at Starfield COEX!!

Enjoying delicious Italian food with a cold beer in a cool place feels just like being on vacation.