Squid ink pasta with two squid heads at MooDoo, a Gwangju pasta

MooDoo Cheomdan basic info

• Address l 5 Cheomdangangbyeon-ro 87beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea, 2nd floor
• Hours l Daily 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:30)
• Parking l Yastech Tower parking lot (2 hours free)
• Main menu l Brunch plates, pasta, pizza, soufflé
• Restroom l Separate for men and women, inside the building
• Meal time l About 1 hour

I went to Cheomdan today for a date, and I want to introduce a hidden favorite of mine with genuinely great vibes. This is my first post about it, but I've been coming here on and off for years — let me share this hidden gem.

Locals in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju probably already know this brunch restaurant well. During lunch and dinner peak hours you might have to wait without a reservation, so please book ahead! Now let me share my real review from a dinner date visit. Let's get going!

The restaurant's exterior and how to get there

Since it had been a while, I parked on the street and walked over. If you walk around the building, you'll find a barrier gate — that's the entrance to the building's parking lot.

Even from a distance, you can see the high ceilings and curtains on the 2nd floor above the 1st-floor café's vibe — that's MooDoo Cheomdan. Facing the building, the entrance is to the right, and once you take the elevator up, the restaurant is right there on your right.

What's the atmosphere like inside?

Here's the inside of the restaurant. Even though I went on a weekday around 8–8:30 PM, about half the tables were occupied. It has a cozy mood that also feels connected to nature.

The high ceiling gives a wide, open feel, and the modern objects and plants make it feel stylish. It's an open kitchen, so you can watch the cooking from outside too. There's no separate room, but the window seats are the best spot, letting you eat in a quiet atmosphere.

I'd recommend MooDoo Cheomdan for anniversaries, dates, gatherings — any day you want a nice atmosphere.

What we ordered, prices, and the Naver receipt event

Here's the MooDoo Cheomdan menu. We ordered the steak galbi cream risotto (₩19,500), squid ink pasta (₩19,000), and seafood pasta (₩18,000)!

The squid ink pasta is the signature menu, so I order it almost every time I come. This was my first time trying the steak galbi cream risotto — it just looked so good in the photo that I had to order it haha.

[Naver receipt event] If you take part in the Naver receipt event, you get a drink (various fruit ades, mojito, etc.) or a highball, so I'd definitely recommend joining! We didn't participate since we were heading to a café afterward.

Steak galbi cream risotto

The table set with water.

Side dishes of radish, jalapeño, and cucumber pickles, small portions but nicely varied.

The steak galbi cream risotto. The smell alone was insane. The rich cream sauce combined with mushrooms, bacon, and galbi steak made for an amazing feast of aromas.

Eating it with a bite of steak is pure bliss. T_T It was so delicious, and I highly recommend this dish. Not the slightest bit greasy — clean, well-seasoned, and the finely diced vegetables were evenly sized so everything blended perfectly in the mouth.

Honestly, whenever I order risotto I usually leave some because I'm too busy eating the pasta, but this time I finished the whole thing, no joke.

How does the seafood pasta taste?

The seafood pasta. You can see the moist broth — it looks like vongole but isn't quite, with a spicy kick instead. Last time I had it, it was so-so, but this time — wow — the noodles were cooked perfectly and the seafood had zero fishiness, winning purely on cleanness of flavor.

I served myself a portion and tried it while still warm. Nicely seasoned and very tasty. I expected it to be a bit salty, but it wasn't. My take is it's like an aglio e olio pasta with peperoncino added for spice, seafood as the base, and just a bit of broth-like sauce, giving it a refreshing, clean flavor.

The combination of skate, shrimp, and olives was really good.

The signature squid ink pasta, with two squid heads

The moment we've been waiting for — the squid ink pasta. Just look at that visual. The undisputed champion of today's meal. Two plump squid heads are in there... other places usually only give you one small squid haha.

I think last time I came it was also just one squid — not sure if they added a second one because the size got smaller, or if the recipe changed. Either way, two is twice as good haha.

They give you a good pair of scissors, so I cut it into big chunks. Shape doesn't matter when cutting squid — taste is what matters.

I served myself a plate and dug in to my heart's content.

This is exactly when you'd say 'lives up to its reputation.' As always, it's delicious every time I come here, and it was delicious again this time. My mouth turns into the Grim Reaper's, sure, but we've got tissues and wet wipes for that haha.

So delicious. The finely chopped onions look a bit like jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles), but they have nothing to do with it — they're made with squid ink, and the pasta just tastes like great pasta. I can't think of anything quite like it. It's unique yet familiar somehow, and delicious haha. We had a really enjoyable meal and left happy.

Final thoughts

I've shared my hidden favorite spot with you. It's a restaurant that works perfectly for dates, family gatherings, any kind of meal. With full parking available in Cheomdan, it's even more accessible.

Besides pasta, there's a wide variety of brunch options too, so it's worth visiting for lunch, not just dinner — like a café. I expect anyone who visits will be satisfied, and I strongly recommend MooDoo Cheomdan.

Lives up to its reputation — it's delicious every time I come here, and it was delicious again this time.