Myeongdong fusion Western dinner: kimchi risotto, Seventy Four

Where Seventy Four Myeongdong Cathedral Main Branch is and when it opens

Seventy Four Myeongdong Cathedral Main Branch is on the 1st floor of Familia Chapel, Myeongdong Cathedral, 66 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Hours are 11:00 - 22:30, and parking is available at ₩1,000 per 10 minutes.

What the Seventy Four dining room near Myeongdong Cathedral feels like

I was looking for somewhere to eat near Myeongdong Cathedral and ended up at Seventy Four Myeongdong Cathedral Main Branch. It's right in the middle of Myeongdong, but being right beside the cathedral gives it a slightly different feel from a typical busy-street restaurant.

The restaurant is on the 1st floor of Familia Chapel at Myeongdong Cathedral, with both indoor seating and an outdoor terrace.

On a nice day the terrace is great for eating, and the interior overall has a clean, tidy vibe, so it works well as a date or gathering spot.

There were a lot of foreign tourists, plenty of groups, and quite a few families too.

I went in the evening and the weather was really nice.

What we ordered at Seventy Four and what it cost

• Kimchi risotto ₩16,000
• Chamnamul doenjang pasta ₩20,000
• Beer ₩13,000

They were running a Stella draft beer 1+1 event so I ordered one — smooth and delicious.

Kimchi risotto, 16,000 won: how does it taste?

Seventy Four's kimchi risotto (₩16,000) is made by adding cream and tomato sauce to kimchi. Combining umami with cream and tomato sauce made this the dish I was most curious about the moment I saw the menu, and it's delicious. I expected something like kimchi fried rice, but with the cream and tomato sauce in it, it definitely feels more like a risotto. The kimchi cuts through the richness while the cream's signature softness still comes through, so the combination works better than expected.

There's cheese on top too, which adds a nutty richness when eaten together, and the bursts of kimchi flavor kept me from getting tired of it. You can also taste the tomato sauce's freshness, so it feels like kimchi dropped somewhere between a cream risotto and a tomato risotto.

The kimchi flavor isn't so strong that it overpowers everything else — it blends naturally into the overall sauce, so it's an easy dish for Korean food lovers to enjoy comfortably.

Chamnamul doenjang pasta, 20,000 won: Seventy Four's signature dish

Second up was the chamnamul (wild aster) doenjang pasta (₩20,000), unusual from the name alone — it's a combination of chamnamul, doenjang cream, and cubed steak. Despite using doenjang, it's not as intense as doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) — more like the cream sauce gets a savory, salty note from the doenjang. Eating it together with the fragrant chamnamul makes it delicious.

If you order this expecting a regular aglio e olio or cream pasta, it'll probably feel pretty different. If you like trying new dishes, I think this one is worth trying at least once.

Apparently this is one of Seventy Four's signature dishes too. The chamnamul and doenjang combination is delicious.

One-line verdict on dinner at Seventy Four

It was great to enjoy Korean ingredients like kimchi, doenjang, and chamnamul in a fresh way through pasta and risotto

Why Seventy Four Myeongdong Cathedral Main Branch stands out

• Distinctive pasta and risotto dishes using Korean ingredients
• Right next to Myeongdong Cathedral, great for a date or a meal after strolling Myeongdong
• Wide menu selection including pasta, risotto, pizza, and steak
• Korean flavors added to Italian dishes give Seventy Four its own identity
• Clean atmosphere with terrace seating, good for dates or gatherings

Recap of the Seventy Four dishes we ate

• Kimchi risotto ₩16,000 — nutty with kimchi's umami, familiar and easy to eat
• Chamnamul doenjang pasta ₩20,000 — doenjang's savory depth and chamnamul's fragrance made Seventy Four's identity really come through

I'd recommend eating here and then taking a stroll around Myeongdong Cathedral afterward. Seventy Four gets my recommendation.

Who should eat at Seventy Four in Myeongdong

• Anyone looking for somewhere to eat near Myeongdong Cathedral
• Anyone wanting something different from typical pasta
• Anyone who likes fusion dishes using kimchi or doenjang
• Anyone looking for a date restaurant in Myeongdong
• Anyone looking for a dish that works well for a meal with parents
• Anyone who wants to enjoy pasta and risotto together