Dunsan-dong Italian at Sunday opening: cube steak risotto, Bologna

I hadn't had pasta in Dunsan-dong in a while. Every time I walked past, there was a line outside a restaurant with a great atmosphere, and I kept thinking about it, so I went straight there on a weekend lunch. One bite and I understood why people wait in line for it. Here's my story of a Dunsan-dong pasta favorite~~

Where is Bologna Daejeon Dunsan Branch and what are its hours?

Bologna Daejeon Dunsan Branch is an Italian restaurant in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, close to Exit 8 of City Hall Station. It is open daily 11:00-21:30 with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, and offers 2 hours of parking at Hyeongseong parking lot and 1 hour at Daedeok Plaza parking lot.

It sits on the main street where the City Hall Station restaurants cluster, so even on weekdays it's where office workers go for a solid lunch. We visited on a quieter(?) weekend morning.

What does Bologna's exterior in Dunsan-dong look like?

The exterior recreates a trendy restaurant you might find on a street in Bologna, Italy.

A look like this usually means a aesthetic café, but not here!! It's a pretty Western-style restaurant where you can have ragu pasta, risotto, steak, pizza and more~ The stepped entrance, the big food photos and the unified warm colors make it impossible to miss.

Sunday lunch wait at Bologna: do you need a reservation?

There's a Catch Table (waitlist app) kiosk at the entrance, so this is a Dunsan-dong Western restaurant with a wait. I didn't expect it to be this busy: even though I did a Sunday lunch opening run, it was almost fully reserved! At lunch and dinner peak times, if you reserve they'll prepare for you in advance, so keep that in mind!

Bologna's interior and seating

The inside has an antique feel~ I've never been to Italy, but they say it captures the mood of an Italian family home (gajeong). With neat, squared-off tables, clean tableware and small frames on the walls, it felt like eating abroad, and

the atmosphere all around was really awesome. I don't think I could decorate like this even if I tried. The owner must be at least an interior design master~

A Western restaurant that delights your eyes before you even eat~

Further in, there are joined tables where groups can dine. The big mirror on the wall was fun too, and I thought pasta, steak and a glass of wine in this atmosphere would be just perfect.

Which Bologna set menu suits your group size?

Looking through the tablet menu, the set menus caught my eye. Every set includes the seasonal salad, so they looked much better value and more filling. Here's how to choose!

• 2 people: A Set or gnocchi set
• 3 people: B Set
• 4 people: C Set

A glass of wine is only ₩7,000, so if you feel like a little wine, add one.

Complimentary soup and bread after you order

At Bologna, a warm soup and bread come after you order. A hot wet towel arrives too, so you can wipe your hands before the bread. What a thoughtful Dunsan-dong Western restaurant~

The soup has a cozy broccoli aroma~~ It was much tastier than an ordinary starter soup and I kept going back for more. A flavor kids and adults would both love!

What's in Bologna's 38,000 won A Set?

A Set ₩38,000: seasonal salad + ragu pasta (choice) + cube steak risotto (choice)

Bologna's A Set is a seasonal salad plus your choice of one pasta and one risotto. Our set came out soon after, and we chose so well~~ I haven't tried the other dishes so I can't say, but order just like this and you don't have to worry about a miss!

How did the three A Set dishes taste?

Seasonal salad with strawberry dressing

Bologna's seasonal salad apparently uses a dressing made from whatever fruit is in season, and when I visited it was a fresh salad with strawberry dressing. You could bite into the strawberry seeds, and it was a really unique dressing I'd never had before~ Strawberries taste good any way you eat them, so it passes~!

Ragu pasta: 4-hour ragu sauce that isn't too salty

They say Bologna's ragu pasta is made with ragu sauce simmered for 4 hours in the traditional Italian way, and the combination of meaty flavor and tomato was great!

I tend to think the saltiness of the sauce makes or breaks a ragu pasta, and I liked that Bologna's isn't too salty but just right, so almost nobody should dislike it!

Just toss the carefully made sauce well through the noodles and enjoy. The more sauce coats the noodles, the tastier it gets, like magic~~

Cube steak cream risotto: the one dish to order at Bologna

I hadn't expected much from the risotto, but my eyes went wide at the first bite. It's a cream risotto but not heavy at all, and the grains were bouncy and chewy,

so good that if I could only eat one thing at Bologna, this 'cube steak cream risotto' is the one I'd definitely recommend.

And the cube steak,, it was cooked very evenly and wasn't tough at all, and after a few chews it melted away in my mouth. After this I realized, this is a Dunsan-dong steak place! They're really good at steak too!!

Final verdict: Bologna, a Dunsan-dong pasta and steak restaurant

Bologna Daejeon Dunsan Branch had a lovely space and atmosphere, friendly staff, and, most importantly, great food. There's also a sous vide skirt steak sizzling-plate steak on the menu, so next time I'll try the steak and pizza and write another review~

If you're looking for a steak and pasta spot in Dunsan-dong, you'll be very satisfied here~ It's also perfect for a Dunsan-dong date!! Not one dish disappointed, so if you have business near City Hall Station, it's worth a visit~!