Sunhwa-dong pasta restaurant in Daejeon with a 40-minute wait: Plate

Today I wanted delicious pasta in a nice atmosphere with Jun, so we headed to Plate, a well-known spot in Sunhwa-dong. Along with the vibe, I heard they make their own fresh pasta noodles in-house, so I went in with high expectations.

Where is Plate in Sunhwa-dong, and what are its hours?

Plate's Sunhwa-dong location is at 30 Jungang-ro 121beon-gil, 1st floor, Jung-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. It's open Monday through Sunday from 11:00 to 21:30.

How long is the wait at Plate at 5:30 pm on a weekday?

True to its status as a popular pasta spot in Daejeon, there's a CatchTable kiosk at the entrance so you can register for the wait easily. Jun and I arrived around 5:30 pm on a weekday and were second in line. Since it was dinnertime, we ended up waiting about 40 minutes.

Here's the entrance to Plate, decorated with warm lighting and pretty details. With a cute tent and wine bottle objects added to the exterior, the entryway makes for a great photo zone!

Here's Jun taking photos while we waited.

Once you step inside, various wine bottles are stylishly displayed along the wall, and it made me think this would be a great place to enjoy a glass of wine while soaking in the atmosphere.

The Plate menu: pasta, risotto and prices

Choosing your fresh noodle at Plate: spaghetti, tagliatelle, pappardelle or pici

Plate's most special feature is that you get to choose your own pasta noodle! Looking at the menu, you can pick between fresh noodles, dried noodles, or risotto depending on your taste.

Types of handmade fresh noodles

• Basic spaghetti
• Subtly flavored spinach/squid-ink spaghetti
• Flat tagliatelle
• Pappardelle, with a texture like wide handmade dough sheets
• Firm pici noodles, and more

With a wide wine list of red, white, and sparkling & rosé options available by the glass or bottle, it's great to sip something light alongside pasta or steak. Since this is a pasta specialty restaurant using handmade fresh noodles, the texture was on a completely different level from ordinary dried-noodle pasta.

Jun and I ordered the bacon cacio e pepe and the steak cream ragù.

Pre-meal bread and corn soup at Plate

We also ordered a pre-meal bread and soup each! The corn soup topped with nutty almond slices was delicious and perfect for whetting the appetite before the meal. Jun had a satisfied look on his face spreading the soft, sweet butter cream onto the warm bread. 😄

What is the fresh-noodle texture like in Plate's bacon cacio e pepe?

Our pasta arrived. The bacon cacio e pepe is a cream-based fresh pasta piled high with salty bacon and rich cheese powder.

True to being fresh pasta rather than ordinary dried noodles, the sauce didn't slide off the strands at all — it clung to them, and the umami filled my mouth completely. It had a nutty, savory-salty flavor that kept me reaching for more. Jun ate more of the bacon cacio e pepe than I did!

Plate's steak cream ragù

The steak cream ragù is a steak pasta combining juicy beef steak, finely chopped scallions, salty ragù, and cheese all together! The meat was really tender and moist. The combination of the light fresh noodles, savory meat juices, cheese, and ragù was truly a work of art.

Dipping bread into the cream ragù sauce was incredibly good too!

Heart-shaped notes and a full-length mirror: why Plate works as a date spot

One side of the restaurant is packed with heart-shaped notes bearing cute messages from past customers! There's also a large full-length mirror nearby, making it a great Daejeon date spot for taking pretty photos with a partner or friends.

If you're looking for a delicious Daejeon restaurant or a great-atmosphere spot in Sunhwa-dong for a special occasion, don't hesitate — visit Plate in Sunhwa-dong! You'll be 100% satisfied with the chewy fresh pasta and the wonderful atmosphere.