Gung-dong pizza place, Daejeon: chipotle shrimp, spicy seafood pasta

I was meeting up with a college underclassman after a long time. We debated where to meet, then settled on the area near Chungnam National University where we used to hang out back in school. While searching for restaurants in Gung-dong, one name jumped right out at me. Ciment! Hahaha.

I told my husband, "I'm off to eat at Ciment today," and he gave me the weirdest look. Haha. If you just hear the name, you'd wonder what on earth you're even going there to eat, right? Today I'm introducing Ciment Chungnam National University Branch.

Where is Ciment in Gung-dong, and can you park there?

Ciment Chungnam National University Branch is about a 3-minute walk from the university's main gate, heading toward Gung-dong. It's right on the main street, so it wasn't hard to find.

That said, there's no dedicated parking space. There are a lot of villas behind the restaurant and the alleys are pretty narrow, so I'd recommend public transit over driving.

Inside Ciment: the college-town mood of Gung-dong, Daejeon

It's been... 2...0... years since I graduated college. Haha. Coming back to a university district after so long felt oddly nostalgic. When I walked into Ciment, almost every table was full.

And at a glance, most of them were college students! Not just young-looking — to my eyes now, they honestly just look like babies. Haha.

True to its name, the restaurant has a concrete-style interior that gives off that hip, casual college-town energy.

Sitting in a space like that, I couldn't help feeling like a college student again for a moment. Ugh... is that too much for a middle-aged woman to say? Hahaha.

What we ordered at Ciment, and what it cost

We sat down and browsed the menu on the table tablet. Honestly, I'd had meat yesterday, meat the day before, meat the day before that... I'd been eating meat pretty diligently for almost two weeks straight. Haha. So my one rule for the day was: no meat! Here's what we ordered.

• Half-and-half Special Pizza ₩14,000 (pepperoni pizza + chipotle shrimp pizza)
• Spicy Seafood Tomato Pasta ₩10,500
• Ciment Mini Salad ₩3,500
• Pink Grapefruit Ade ₩4,000
• Cola ₩2,500

Fitting for a Western restaurant in a college area, the pizza and pasta prices were reasonable and easy on the wallet.

You can also grab any extra utensils or pickles yourself.

Ciment mini salad, 3,500 won: bigger than expected

While we caught up on this and that with my old college friend, the drinks arrived first, followed by the food one by one.

First up, the Ciment Mini Salad! The name says "mini," but the portion was more generous than I expected.

Fresh vegetables with cherry tomatoes gave it a nice crunch, and eating it between bites of pizza and pasta did a great job of refreshing the palate.

Since we'd ordered a cheese-loaded pizza and a spicy tomato pasta that day, pairing them with a salad worked out really well. On my visit, I was able to get the salad through a Naver coupon or receipt review event, so if you're planning a visit, it's worth checking whether any events are running.

Half-and-half pizza at Ciment: pepperoni and chipotle shrimp

Once everything arrived, the pizza caught my eye first. That's because I'm a huge fan of thin-crust pizza.

When the dough is thick, I fill up after just a few slices, and on days I overdo it, it doesn't sit well either — so I always prefer a thin crust.

What I loved about Ciment was being able to order the pizza half-and-half. We went with the classic pepperoni and the chipotle shrimp, split down the middle. Getting two totally different flavors on one pizza is perfect for someone like me who wants to try a bit of everything.

When I picked up a slice, the cheese stretched forever~ There was plenty of cheese piled on the thin crust, so the flavor of the cheese and toppings hit before the dough even registered.

The pepperoni pizza had that familiar, keeps-you-coming-back combo of salty pepperoni and savory cheese. Personally, I found the chipotle shrimp pizza even more interesting.

The plump shrimp had a nice bite, and the chipotle sauce added a subtle spicy, smoky depth that paired surprisingly well with the savory cheese. Since the crust was thin, it felt less like filling up on bread and more like really tasting the cheese and toppings themselves — which made it easier to also order pasta without feeling too full.

Spicy seafood tomato pasta at Ciment: how hot is it?

And then, the other dish I'd been looking forward to that day: the spicy seafood tomato pasta. It's a tomato pasta loaded with seafood like squid and shrimp.

My friend took the first bite and said, "Unnie, this is spicier than I thought," so I dove in excited to see for myself. Hmm... by my standards as a spice lover, it was a pleasantly spicy level. Haha.

At first you get that tangy, rich tomato sauce flavor, and then the heat builds afterward. With the seafood adding umami to the sauce, it was a step above your average spicy tomato pasta.

Eating the plump shrimp and chewy squid together with the noodles, you get the seafood's umami, the tomato sauce's brightness, and the spiciness one after another. Especially after enjoying the pizza's rich cheese flavor, a bite of the spicy seafood tomato pasta reset your palate with its kick, making it easy to keep alternating between the two.

Eating along, I found myself thinking... ah, I want a beer. Haha. If I hadn't been driving, I really would've wanted a beer with that pizza.

J-Min's verdict on Ciment, Gung-dong

There was a reason this place is so popular with college students. From the thin-crust half-and-half pizza to the spicy seafood tomato pasta, it was a Gung-dong Western restaurant that delivered both value and flavor.

Getting to catch up with an old college friend after so long, soaking up some of that college-student energy — haha. Maybe it was the college-town setting, but we ended up talking a ton about our old school days.

The food was great, but it ended up being a real trip down memory lane too. Thanks for the meal today. :)