Mentaiko oil pasta dinner date at MooDoo, Cheomdan Gwangju restaurant

Looking for somewhere to eat dinner in Cheomdan, I ended up at MooDoo Cheomdan, a Western-style restaurant with a great atmosphere. This time I wasn't there for the brunch menu — I mainly ordered from the meal menu: mentaiko shrimp oil pasta, puttanesca, pizza and salad.

Since pasta and pizza go so well together here, this should be a useful reference for anyone hunting for a good pasta spot in Cheomdan. The place also felt clean and put-together, so it seemed like a solid choice for a date or a dinner with friends.

MooDoo Cheomdan is a Western restaurant around Cheomdan where you can enjoy pasta, pizza and salad together. Exact hours, days off and parking details can change, so I'd recommend double-checking on Naver Place before you go.

Where is MooDoo Cheomdan, and what are its hours and parking?

MooDoo Cheomdan is on the 2nd floor of Yastech Tower, 5 Cheomdangangbyeon-ro 87beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. It's open daily 11:00–22:00 with last order at 21:00, and break time runs 15:00–17:00 on weekdays and 16:00–17:00 on weekends.

Parking is available in the Yastech Tower basement lot. MooDoo Cheomdan offers parking registration with orders over ₩30,000, so it was fine to come by car too.

The building and entrance at Yastech Tower

Once you get up to the 2nd floor of the building, the silver sign is right there, so it wasn't hard to find. The entrance already had a clean, slightly upscale feel — a good first impression for a date or a meetup in Cheomdan.

There were waiting chairs and a table-ing kiosk set up right in front of the entrance. It seemed like there could be a wait during busy hours, but the setup for registering right there felt convenient.

Inside MooDoo Cheomdan: window seats and lighting

Once inside, the space was bigger than I expected, and the tables weren't crammed together.

The plant illustrations, curtains and lighting all came together nicely for a fresh feel, making the whole space bright and full of atmosphere.

I came for dinner, but the overall vibe was the kind of clean, bright look that people searching for a Cheomdan date brunch spot would probably like too.

Near the windows there were roomy tables, with a range of seating from two-tops to spots big enough for larger groups.

The window seats with long curtains hanging down felt even more atmospheric in the evening, making them a great fit for a date in Cheomdan. There were baby chairs too, so it looked good for families as well!

What is at the self-serve bar?

There was a separate self-serve bar on one side. Small plates, napkins and wet wipes were all neatly arranged, so it was easy to grab whatever you needed, and Wi-Fi info was posted there too.

The review event at MooDoo Cheomdan

There was also a review event notice at the table. Writing a review with photos let you choose a free drink, which seemed easy to take part in after the meal — though the details of the event may change depending on when you visit, so it's worth checking in-store.

The full dinner spread ordered at MooDoo Cheomdan

That day we ordered mentaiko shrimp oil pasta, puttanesca, apple gorgonzola pizza and steak bibimbap. With two pastas plus pizza and a rice dish, the menu didn't overlap at all, which made it easy to share between a few people — it felt like a generous full spread.

Apple gorgonzola pizza

The apple gorgonzola pizza combined the savory taste of the cheese with a sweet hit from the apple. Gorgonzola's distinctly salty, rich flavor came through, but with bites of apple mixed in it never felt heavy, and the sweetness made it a good pairing with the pastas.

Steak bibimbap (rice bowl with steak)

The steak bibimbap came with vegetables, meat and rice together, making it a hearty addition among all the Western dishes. Pasta and pizza alone can feel a bit rich, but having a bibimbap on the table made the meal feel more balanced — a good combination overall.

Puttanesca, the tomato pasta

The puttanesca was a tomato-based pasta with olives and cherry tomatoes. The sauce had a bright, tangy tomato flavor, and the saltiness of the olives kept it from feeling heavy. Eating the cherry tomatoes and olives together made the flavor even sharper. It's a light, tangy tomato pasta that pairs well with pizza, and a good order to have alongside an oil pasta.

Mentaiko shrimp oil pasta

True to its name, the mentaiko (salted pollack roe) shrimp oil pasta had the savory, salty flavor of mentaiko along with shrimp. Topped with a savory powder and a green sauce, it looked great too, and the first bite revealed the mentaiko flavor rising up behind the clean, light taste typical of oil pastas.

The shrimp added some good texture to chew on, and rather than being purely oily, it leaned savory and salty in a way that kept me reaching for more. Personally, if puttanesca is the bright, tomato-forward option, the mentaiko shrimp oil pasta is the deeply savory oil pasta — a good combination to order together.

Is MooDoo Cheomdan a good evening date spot in Cheomdan?

Overall, MooDoo Cheomdan was a solid Western restaurant in Cheomdan for enjoying pasta, pizza and salad all at once. The clean atmosphere and roomy seating made it well-suited for a date or a dinner with friends.

I didn't have the brunch menu, but the space is bright and pretty enough that it would probably feel good during the day too, and visiting in the evening, the lighting made it feel even cozier. If you're looking for somewhere in Cheomdan to have pasta and pizza together, give MooDoo Cheomdan a look :)