RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Spill Out's New Jersey-style pizza arguably best in Korea

Eric Wright poses with a pizza at Spill Out in western Seoul's Yeonnam-dong, Jan. 17 / Courtesy of Kevin Grabb

A common complaint among new arrivals to Korea is the lack of “good” pizza, whatever that may mean. Hidden in an alleyway in Yeonnam-dong is Spill Out, arguably the best pizza on the peninsula.

Started a few years ago by the trio of Kevin Carpenter, Scott French and Eric Wright, this restaurant aims to bring “New Jersey-style” pizza to hungry people around the country. What is NJ-style pizza? Head chef Scott explains, “Where a New York pizza is sauce on bottom, cheese on top, Jersey style is cheese on bottom, sauce on top.”

“So what?” you may be wondering. How can this be different? It definitely is. Scott uses less cheese on this pie than a New York-style pizza, and this leaves a lot more of the sauce exposed to the elements of the oven. The taste is extraordinary.

Being a Jersey-style pie joint has also led to a Caesar salad pizza. Wait! Don’t stop reading. I know this sounds bizarre on paper, but trust me. This pizza is a Caesar salad dressing and chicken breast base put in the pizza oven. Once it emerges, it gets hit with fresh lettuce, and it’s spectacular. I have brought many friends and family here and they were very skeptical at first, but every one of them has changed their mind upon trying it.

The Caesar salad pizza at Spill Out / Courtesy of Spill Out

While Scott might be the head chef, Kevin manages the curing of meats for the pizza, as well as the bar selection. He couldn’t find any ham in Korea that met his standards, so he started smoking ham on his rooftop, and that recipe was transferred over to the restaurant. “Now we do full applewood-smoked, one-week cured ham,” he said.

A spicy Italian sausage pizza at at Spill Out pizza joint in western Seoul / Courtesy of Kevin Grabb

Kevin also went to school in Cincinnati, across the river from Kentucky, which nurtured alove of bourbon. “A lot of good bourbons are hard to find here and I know a lot of my American friends are looking for them,” he said.

Spill Out does not disappoint with a rather large selection of premium American spirits. Kevin also makes a homemade rumtopf, a fruit-infused alcoholic beverage paying tribute to his Germanic roots.

Filling out the three amigos is Eric Wright, front of house. Often seen behind the counter mixing drinks and putting finishing touches on dishes, he makes everyone feel welcome. “The proudest thing about Spill Out is that we’ve created a community here," he said. "This place is a second home for a lot of foreigners in this neighborhood.”

Kevin Carpenter, Eric Wright and Scott French, the "three amigos" at Spill Out pizza joint in western Seoul / Courtesy of Kevin Grabb

I can attest to this. I have been here dozens of times and sitting at the bar often leads to a lot of spontaneous conversations with other solo diners and Spill Out staff themselves. The atmosphere is incredible.

Without hesitation, I can say that Spill Out is the best pizza in the country and one of my favorite restaurants in any country on Earth. Highly, highly recommended.

Spill Out opens every day of the week at noon, and closes at midnight Monday to Thursday, at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 p.m. Sunday. Visit spilloutseoul.com for more information.

Kevin Grabb is a Canadian homebrewer and YouTuber. His channel Korea Brewing Adventure covers Korean alcohol from production to consumption.