Gyeongju restaurant for tomato pizza with jalapeños: Midam Kitchen

Gyeongju's Hwangnidang-gil restaurant Midam Kitchen — a great spot for pizza and pasta.

Hi everyone! It's Jinisister. Whenever I travel to Gyeongju, picking where to eat is somehow the biggest headache — especially on Hwangnidang-gil, where there are so many good restaurants that it only makes the decision harder! This time I went to Hwangnidang-gil with a friend, and while looking around for something delicious, I discovered a new restaurant there. Let me tell you about eating pizza and pasta at Midam Kitchen in Gyeongju.

Where is Midam Kitchen on Hwangnidang-gil?

Midam Kitchen is located at 33 Cheomseongno 49beon-gil, a restaurant right on Hwangnidang-gil!

First impression: Midam Kitchen's hanok exterior

Midam Kitchen caught my eye from the outside right away. It's a hanok (traditional Korean house)-style building that fits perfectly with the Hwangnidang-gil atmosphere, so it was hard to just walk past. The traditional hanok roof combined with a clean, sleek exterior really made me feel like I was on a proper Gyeongju trip.

Since it's newly opened, everything about it felt fresh and clean too.

Inside Midam Kitchen: seating and the garden window view

Once inside, the space was roomier than I expected.

The tables weren't just packed tightly together — some areas were slightly separated from each other, which I liked.

The window-side tables especially had a great view through a large window of the hanok and a small garden, giving it a proper Gyeongju feel. Since some tables felt like their own little private space, it seemed like a good spot to meet up with friends or sit and chat for a long time. It'd also suit people looking for a quiet meal or a date spot.

They also had a baby chair ready. It looked like a fine place to visit with family too!

What's on the menu at Midam Kitchen

At Midam Kitchen, this Hwangnidang-gil restaurant in Gyeongju,

there's pizza, pasta, salad, pork cutlet, and more, so after a lot of deliberating we decided on pizza and pasta.

How is the arugula tomato pizza?

What we ordered: arugula tomato pizza and beef brisket oil pasta!

To cut to the chase, both dishes were a hit.

First, the arugula tomato pizza had arugula piled on generously, so it looked great from the start.

You could really taste arugula's distinctive fragrant, slightly bitter edge, and it paired well with the tomato sauce. The cherry tomatoes scattered throughout added a nice tang too.

I think the real kick of this pizza was the cheese powder dusted generously on top. Combined with the arugula's aroma and the tomato's freshness, the cheese's savory, salty flavor rounded everything out perfectly.

Beef brisket oil pasta, my friend's top pick

And then the beef brisket oil pasta! Even from the photo you can tell there's a good amount of brisket, right? It was piled on generously over the pasta, so meat lovers would definitely be satisfied.

Despite being an oil pasta, it wasn't too greasy or heavy — it had a bit of spice, and the savory brisket flavor blended well with the noodles. My friend said between the two dishes, the beef brisket oil pasta was her top pick, haha.

Twirling the noodles together with the brisket made it even tastier, and the cheese and herbs on top added even more flavor.

A bite of pizza, then a bite of pasta — a great combo! Pickles and jalapeños came out with the food too, perfect for snacking on in between. Especially after a bite of pizza or oil pasta, popping a jalapeño cleaned my palate right up, and I kept reaching for more.

Would I go back to Midam Kitchen?

A real find that my friend and I stumbled on while searching for Hwangnidang-gil restaurants. It seemed like a good spot for a meal with friends or family visiting Gyeongju. Since they even have a baby chair, it could be useful for anyone visiting Hwangnidang-gil with a baby.

Since it's still a newly opened Gyeongju restaurant, we got in fairly easily. Walking out after the meal, my friend and I said, "Isn't this place going to get super crowded soon?" haha. Now I'm already a little worried that next time we go, it'll be a waiting-line kind of place...

The arugula tomato pizza was delicious and the beef brisket oil pasta was satisfying too, so I'd definitely go back! Next time I want to try some of the other pasta and pizza options.