Powder room and chamomile tea at Bologna, a Daejeon Italian restaurant

Craving pasta and gnocchi on the weekend, I went looking for a nice-atmosphere Italian restaurant and ended up at Bologna, a well-known spot near Daejeon City Hall Station and in Dunsan-dong. With a wide range of Italian dishes — pasta, steak, pizza, risotto — and a refined, clean interior, it's great for a family meal, going with kids, or a date. Let's get into it.

• 1449 Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon
• Daily 11:00–21:30
• Last order 20:30
• Break time 15:00–17:00
• Parking available
• Reservations available, group bookings possible
• Waiting area and high chairs available

Where is Bologna Daejeon Dunsan Branch, and where do you park?

Bologna is a well-located restaurant within a 5-minute walk from Exit 7 of City Hall Station. There are plenty of good restaurants near City Hall Station, but Italian places are hard to find among them. Bologna is popular enough to have waits.

Parking is free for up to 2 hours at Daedeok Plaza parking lot and the Hyeongseong parking lot right next door. Both have elevators and are large, so you can visit without worrying about parking.

Chamomile tea and water while you wait outside Bologna

Since this is a waiting-list restaurant, water and chamomile tea are set out outside for waiting guests. I've seen restaurants with waiting seats before, but this is the first time I've seen tea prepared too — I was impressed by the thoughtfulness, haha. If you'd rather skip the wait, you can reserve ahead through Naver Reservation.

Inside Bologna: seating and the restroom powder room with a Dyson styler

The interior of Bologna is done in clean wood tones. Various framed pictures hang on the walls, giving it the feel of a restaurant abroad.

There are tables for 2, 4, and up to 8 for groups, making it great for group gatherings as well as dates.

The restrooms are inside, separated by gender, and the women's restroom is really well equipped.

It's clean and pleasant! There's a Dyson styler, plus mouthwash, cotton swabs, blotting paper, a comb, and hair ties — a whole separate powder room. Having this inside the restroom means you can touch up your makeup comfortably without worrying about others noticing, and it's a great spot to look put-together before heading out — perfect for a blind date or date in Dunsan-dong.

What's on the menu at Bologna Daejeon Dunsan Branch?

Once seated, each table has a tablet, with plates and utensils already set. The basic tableware setup gives it the feel of a fine-dining restaurant, which makes for a pleasant meal.

There are set menus and à la carte options. The Gnocchi Set comes with salad, one pasta, and truffle cream gnocchi — great if you love gnocchi. The A Set with salad, pasta and risotto is the best choice for two people. The B Set with salad, pasta, risotto and pizza is good for groups of two or more. With lasagna, gnocchi, various pastas and risottos, pizza, salad, and steak, there's something for everyone.

They also sell world beers, ades, and coffee separately, so you can enjoy dessert after your meal too. The best part about Bologna is that kids' risotto and kids' vitamins are provided as a complimentary service. With plenty of kids' tableware and high chairs, it's a great Italian restaurant to visit with children. Allergy-triggering ingredients are noted separately on the tablet, which is handy for anyone with allergies.

There's a Naver coupon offering a free glass of wine for evening visits — check before you go! There's also a review event offering gelato, great as a dessert.

Bread and soup first, then the food in 10 minutes

Pre-meal bread and soup come out first. Warm soup with ciabatta bread, warmed up and served with balsamic sauce.

Even though cooking starts right when you order, the food came out in under 10 minutes! It's great that it arrives so fast.

Truffle cream gnocchi at Bologna

I tried the truffle cream gnocchi since it's Bologna's signature dish. It's a rich, thick sauce paired with potato dough, walnuts, mushrooms, truffle oil, and bacon. The gnocchi was crispy outside and chewy inside, and with the savory, creamy sauce, the umami was on another level.

There's also a sprinkle of cheese on top, doubling the savoriness, and the subtle truffle aroma means even people who aren't big truffle fans could enjoy it without complaint.

I always order gnocchi at Italian restaurants, and the combo of crispy-outside-chewy-inside potato and truffle cream here was excellent.

Shrimp and scallop aglio olio

The shrimp scallop aglio olio is piled high with scallops and shrimp over aglio olio. The noodle portion isn't small either, so pasta lovers will absolutely love it! It's a pasta with plenty of umami from the aglio olio, combined with fresh vegetables, shrimp, and scallops, nailing both texture and aroma.

The subtle garlic aroma, clean-tasting shrimp, and chewy scallops added up to incredible flavor. This was my first time having pasta with scallops, and the combination was really good.

Cube steak cream risotto

As a Korean, I need rice! So I ordered the cube steak cream risotto. The risotto has a texture as if the raw rice were sautéed — the grains still have bite. At other Italian restaurants, risotto often turns out like porridge, but Bologna's keeps its texture.

Each grain of rice stays distinct, and the combination of cube steak and cream is a flavor kids will love too. It has pepperoncino in it for a bit of a kick, so if your child can't handle spice, choose the kids' risotto and they'll make it without the pepperoncino. The rich, thick cream sauce with steak is an unbeatable combo, haha.

Is Bologna Daejeon Dunsan Branch worth the weekend wait?

Bologna, a well-known spot near Daejeon City Hall Station, is an Italian restaurant in Daejeon that handmakes everything from the interior to the food, all to deliver a genuinely Italian taste and atmosphere. They start every day before dawn by simmering the sauce for four hours — how could the food not be good?

With ample parking, you can eat in Dunsan-dong without worrying about where to park, and the spacious dining room makes it perfect for group gatherings, family meals, visits with kids, or a couple's date. If you're looking for a good restaurant near City Hall Station, a good Italian spot in Daejeon, or a date restaurant in Dunsan-dong, give Bologna a try.

It's a lovely touch that they serve herb salt after your meal is finished! On weekends there's a wait starting from 12:30 pm, so keep that in mind before you visit.