Songdo dinner date spot for avocado bean salad and gnocchi: Cenacolo

Where is Cenacolo Artfore in Songdo?

Cenacolo Artfore is an Italian restaurant on the 2nd floor of Artfore Building C in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. I was looking for somewhere to eat in Songdo and found this place — doesn't the name sound really fancy? But it's so hard to remember, haha...

Walking down Artfore street, the atmosphere is so European and exotic that it's hard to believe you're still in Korea.

While waiting at the crosswalk before going into the restaurant, the street looked so pretty that I snapped a photo. The buildings and the vibe of the street are a bit different from your typical shopping strip, so just walking around felt like being on a trip. Thinking I was about to eat a meal in a street like this got my expectations way up before I even went in ~

Just seeing all the Blue Ribbon Survey labels plastered by the door tells you why this restaurant is famous in Songdo.

Cenacolo Artfore hours, break time and prices

• 📍 Location 257 Incheontawer-daero, Artfore Building C, 2F Unit 211, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea
• ⏰ Hours Daily 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• 🚗 Parking In-building parking (free for 2 hours)

What is the atmosphere, seating and wait like?

Walking into Cenacolo Artfore, the first things I noticed were the upscale wooden tables and the overall warm, calm atmosphere. The interior matched the European feel outside really well and definitely gave off Italian restaurant vibes.

It's not a restaurant decked out in flashy decor — more of a comfortable yet upscale mood centered around wood furniture, which felt right for a date or a special-occasion meal where you want a bit of atmosphere.

The place isn't huge inside. It's cozy-sized, but with a variety of table sizes so it seems like it could accommodate different group sizes.

We got there a bit early for dinner so there were still seats, but by around 7pm the tables were completely full and people had to wait.

What we ordered at Cenacolo Artfore and what it cost

• Avocado bean salad ₩19,000
• Basil pesto pasta ₩21,000
• Mushroom cream gnocchi ₩24,000

Those were our three dishes. At first I was only thinking pasta and gnocchi, but we ended up adding a salad too. In the end, the salad was way tastier than expected and actually turned out to be the dish I remember most.

How did the food taste?

Bread and olives came out before the meal. The bread was baked crisp on the outside, and dipping it in olive oil made it even better. Crisp outside, moist inside — exactly the kind of pre-meal bread I like. The color of the olives was pretty too, right? ^^

Avocado bean salad: the surprise of the meal 🥗

The avocado bean salad (₩19,000) was personally the biggest surprise of the meal. I'm not really a fan of beans, to be honest. So I ordered this thinking it would just be a healthy bean thing (there wasn't much variety in salads anyway, lol), but it turned out to be way more delicious than I expected!!

It was almost surprising that beans — something I don't even like much — could be turned into such a tasty dish.

What stood out especially was the lightly grilled romaine topped with cheese, which gave it a totally different feel from a salad of just raw vegetables.

The soft texture of the avocado, the plainness of the beans, and the grilled romaine with cheese all came together so that a single plate had a lot of variety in flavor and texture. I think I'd order this again if I came back. Even someone who doesn't usually like beans enjoyed it this much, so if you go to Cenacolo, I highly recommend this salad!!!

Mushroom cream gnocchi, the signature dish

The mushroom cream gnocchi (₩24,000) is one of the must-try signature dishes at Cenacolo Artfore. Honestly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I went to Cenacolo Artfore just to eat this gnocchi.

The chewy gnocchi paired with the soft mushroom cream sauce gave a savory yet mellow flavor. Even though it's a cream sauce, it wasn't overly heavy or greasy, and the gnocchi's signature chewy texture really came through. If it's your first visit, I'd say definitely order this one, haha.

Basil pesto pasta: light and mild

The basil pesto pasta (₩21,000) was pretty light overall. It's a style that lets the natural taste of the ingredients come through, so for my taste — which leans toward bolder flavors — it felt a bit plain. On the other hand, if you prefer clean, light flavors over overly salty or intense pasta, this would suit you well.

With all three dishes side by side, the salad, gnocchi, and pasta each had such distinct flavors that it was nice to share and mix between them.

Verdict: is Cenacolo Artfore a good Songdo date course?

Cenacolo Artfore is a place where you can enjoy not just the food but also the European-style Artfore street and the restaurant's atmosphere together. Personally, the avocado bean salad and mushroom cream gnocchi stood out the most, and the basil pesto pasta would work well if you like light flavors.

Above all, the area around the restaurant has such an exotic feel that it's nice to walk around before or after the meal, and it seemed like a good spot to pair with other Songdo date locations.

If you're looking for a nice-atmosphere Italian restaurant near Songdo Central Park, or somewhere to enjoy both pasta and gnocchi, I strongly recommend Cenacolo Artfore. I'm planning to go back with my husband on Christmas Day. Since a lot of couples will probably pick it for a Christmas date, I imagine reservations will be pretty competitive that day, haha.