Cheongju pasta restaurant: cream, ragù, rosé and oil sauces at Tove

What is Tove Bokdae like?

Tove Casual Restaurant Bokdae branch is a Western restaurant at 50 Jinjae-ro 109beon-gil, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju. It's open daily 11:00–21:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last order at 20:30.

• Parking: roadside in front of the restaurant
• Reservations: required
• Amenities: reservations, takeout, Wi-Fi, high chairs and more
• Signature dishes: truffle cream potato gnocchi, thick ragù rigatoni, red prawn rosé pasta, plump scallop oil pasta, arugula jambon salad

Tove Bokdae is a place I absolutely want to revisit again and again until I've tried the whole menu.

I really want to keep it to myself, but good places deserve to be shared, right? I was satisfied enough to confidently recommend it to anyone looking for pasta or gnocchi in Cheongju. After eating, I got curious about the other dishes, and I'm already agonizing over what to order next time.

Tove (TOV) Bokdae is a casual restaurant near Jiwell City in Bokdae-dong, Cheongju, a comfortable spot for a meal with friends, a partner or family. This time I ordered the truffle cream potato gnocchi, thick ragù rigatoni, red prawn rosé pasta, plump scallop oil pasta, and an arugula jambon (Korean-style ham) salad topped with cherry tomatoes.

I tried five dishes and each had such a different charm that it was hard to pick just one. Please do order the gnocchi and the salad, though.

Why is Tove's truffle cream gnocchi a must-order?

The first dish I want to recommend at Tove Bokdae is the truffle cream potato gnocchi.

Honestly, you could start by ordering two of these right away. It was memorable enough that I wanted more as I ate. Chewy potato gnocchi with rich cream sauce and truffle aroma is a combination that cream pasta and gnocchi lovers will especially enjoy.

Eating the sauce together with the gnocchi was so good that I felt sad about the sauce left on the plate. If it's your first visit to Tove, please try the truffle cream gnocchi. It's one of the first things I'd order again too.

What does the thick ragù rigatoni taste like?

Next up is Tove's thick ragù rigatoni.

Rigatoni is a short, wide pasta with a hole in the middle and ridges on the surface, so it holds sauce well. Paired with ragù, you get the deep flavors of meat and tomato.

As the name suggests, the sauce has real presence, so even next to the cream-based gnocchi you get a different appeal. If you visit in a group and share, picking pastas with different sauce styles is a good idea.

Red prawn rosé pasta: I was amazed by the prawn size

Tove's red prawn rosé pasta was as impressive as its name promises.

The smooth rosé sauce had a spicy kick, so it felt savory rather than heavy. What surprised me most was the size of the prawns. They caught my eye the moment the plate arrived.

When eating pasta, I care about toppings as well as noodles and sauce, and the big prawns made it satisfying from the first look. I'd recommend it to seafood pasta fans or anyone who likes a spicy rosé sauce.

Who is the plump scallop oil pasta good for?

If you've ordered cream and rosé pastas, you'll want to try Tove's oil pasta too, right?

As the name says, the plump scallop oil pasta uses scallops, so seafood pasta lovers will be interested. It goes in a different direction from the rich cream sauce, which makes it easy to combine when ordering several plates.

Tove's menu names highlight the ingredients, so there's fun in choosing between cream, ragù, rosé and oil styles according to your taste.

The arugula jambon salad with cherry tomatoes is a must too

The dish I'd really like you to order with your pasta at Tove Bokdae is the arugula jambon salad.

When you order several pastas, the flavors of cream, cheese and sauce can overlap, and a salad balances the table much better. The aroma of arugula, the savoriness of jambon and the freshness of cherry tomatoes work nicely between Western dishes.

Personally, I think the arugula jambon salad is a must-order too. It made me realize that what you eat alongside the mains matters as much as the mains.

Should you reserve at Tove Bokdae?

Tove Bokdae is popular, so I recommend reserving. It's a casual restaurant near Jiwell City in Bokdae-dong, Cheongju, with a warm, cozy atmosphere that suits dates, get-togethers with friends and family meals.

When it's busy, it may be hard to eat at the time you want, so check about reservations in advance, especially on weekends or special days.

Tove Bokdae's five dishes in a nutshell

I'd love to keep it secret, but when a place is delicious you want to tell the people around you, don't you? Tove was exactly that kind of place. I'd tell you to order the truffle cream gnocchi two at a time, and I'd strongly recommend the arugula jambon salad too. The red prawn rosé pasta had impressively big prawns, and the ragù rigatoni and scallop oil pasta each had their own charm.

If you're looking for a great pasta restaurant in Cheongju, remember Tove Bokdae. Next time I plan to go back and try everything I haven't tasted yet. Owner, please open a second and third branch so I can eat here even more often!