Seongdong Italian restaurant with shrimp crumble pasta: Sedici

For this post, I visited Sedici, which has been getting lots of buzz in Seongsu lately. To give you the conclusion first: this is absolutely one to save..! It nails both the atmosphere and the food, so I immediately understood why it is popular.

Sedici TUE–FRI 11:30–22:00 SAT–SUN 12:00–22:00 B.T. 15:00–17:30 / 15:30–17:30 Closed every Monday

It is just a short walk from Seongsu Station toward Konkuk University Station. Rather than being in an area as crowded as Seongsu’s main street, the neighborhood around it was fairly quiet, which I actually liked. I made a Naver reservation in advance.

What is the atmosphere like at Sedici in Seongsu?

The exterior immediately looked like an Italian restaurant, and once inside, the vibe was just really nice. It was not too loud, and it felt appropriately trendy yet comfortable—great for a date, friends, or really anyone. There was plenty of space between tables too. I went at an in-between time on a weekday, but people kept subtly coming in, and I thought, “Ah, this place is the real deal.”

Choosing from Sedici’s menu

I photographed the menu too, and everything was arranged so neatly that choosing was not difficult. From appetizers such as beef tartare to gnocchi, pasta, and steak, it was largely made up of dishes that work well as a main meal, so it was easy to choose based on your taste. As you can see, the prices were not overly burdensome by Seongsu stylish-restaurant standards, so it was nice for ordering several dishes to share. Other tables were having daytime wine, and if I had not driven, I think I would have started with a glass of wine too, haha.

I picked dishes I personally love.

• Beef tartare
• Chodang corn fried gnocchi
• Shrimp crumble pasta

Beef tartare with brioche

The beef tartare was a dish that made me think, “Wow, this is properly done.” It came with rib cap and top round, gim (seaweed) pesto, pickled shallots, and chives. I ordered it because it was something I had not seen elsewhere, and the freshness was on another level. It melts softly in your mouth while the beef flavor really comes alive. The seasoning was not excessive, which made it feel even more refined, and eaten with the accompaniments, the balance was simply perfect.

The brioche was an additional ₩3,000. Lightly toasted, it was a little crisp outside and fluffy inside, making it a very good match for the tartare.

There was an option to add brioche on the menu, so I tried it—and I understood why it was listed alongside the tartare. They go extremely well together. As you can see, the dishes looked beautiful, so they were fun to photograph; then when I tasted them, they did not stop at looking good. They tasted excellent too, which made the meal even more satisfying.

How the shrimp crumble pasta tasted

The shrimp crumble pasta was honestly beyond expectations. The shrimp were springy and satisfying to bite into, while the sauce had such great savory depth that I kept reaching for more. It was not heavy, so I did not get tired of it through the last bite, and the pasta was cooked just right. It felt like a very well-finished dish.

Chodang corn fried gnocchi

Honestly, I went mainly for the Chodang corn gnocchi, and it was seriously incredible. Corn sauce, potato gnocchi, and grilled Chodang corn—the combination of those three was the best. I genuinely want to return just for this.. It never became cloying, and I could keep eating it. Seongsu gnocchi = Sedici, officially.

We ordered these three dishes, and the combination was truly the best, so anyone reading this post should try ordering this exact lineup..

To sum it all up in one sentence: “It is not just a place with a nice atmosphere—it gets the food right too.” What I liked most about this visit was not only the food, but also the overall atmosphere and flow of the meal. These days, even if the food is delicious, it can be hard to stay long when a space is too noisy or tables are too close together. At Sedici, though, I could enjoy my meal comfortably without any of that inconvenience.

We cleaned every plate! (Not a secret that we finished everything in under 30 minutes!!) If you are looking for a can’t-miss place in Seongsu, just go here. I am 100% willing to revisit, and next time I want to work my way through other dishes too. The staff were kind and the restaurant was clean, so I left after a genuinely pleasant meal for the first time in a while. If you are debating where to eat in Seongsu, save Sedici first. I really do not think you will regret it.