Cheonan Italian restaurant: pollock roe pasta lunch, Napoli Shinbu

I visited Napoli Shinbu (나폴리신부) for lunch with friends.

As the weather gradually turned cooler, I felt like my appetite was picking up too, and that day I was especially craving pasta and pizza.

A lunch with wood-fired pizza and gambas

While deciding what to have for lunch with my friends, we chose this place because we could enjoy warm wood-fired pizza along with pasta and gambas. I had been looking for a good wood-fired pizza spot in Cheonan, so I arrived with high expectations, and I liked it from the first impression: the exterior was neat and had a lovely atmosphere.

Inside, the space was stylishly decorated and felt warm and comfortable overall. The tables and the whole space were neatly arranged, making it a nice setting to sit facing friends, chat, and enjoy a leisurely lunch.

It felt like care had gone into not only the food but also the atmosphere, so I could stay comfortable throughout the meal.

Napoli Shinbu visitor information

• Address: 46 Bangjukan 3-gil, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• Hours: Weekdays 10:00–21:30 / Weekends 11:00–21:30
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 14:00, 20:30
• Closed every Monday
• Parking: Nearby street parking or public parking lots

For parking, it seems you will need to use nearby street parking or a public parking lot rather than dedicated restaurant parking. It would be a good idea to check where to park before visiting.

What we ordered with friends

That day, we ordered pollock roe pasta for ₩18,500, prosciutto arugula pizza for ₩22,000, gambas for ₩22,000, and Welch's Grape for ₩2,500. Since there were several of us, we decided to order a variety of dishes to share, and the table quickly filled up once the pizza, pasta, and gambas arrived.

Prosciutto pizza piled high with arugula

The prosciutto arugula pizza looked appetizing with plenty of greens piled on top. The fragrant character of the arugula came through especially well, giving the pizza an overall fresh feel as I ate it.

Above all, it had just come out of the wood-fired oven, and it definitely tasted different while it was warm. The hot dough and toppings came together nicely, with a pleasant nutty flavor too, and eating it right away meant we could really enjoy that just-baked-pizza quality.

The savory saltiness of the prosciutto paired well with the fragrance of the arugula, and before we knew it, the plate was empty after piece by piece. For anyone looking for pizza in Sinbu-dong, this warm wood-fired pizza would be a good choice.

Perfectly seasoned pollock roe pasta

The pollock roe pasta was not overly seasoned but pleasantly salty, which suited my taste well. The distinctive savory depth of the roe came through gently and blended naturally with the sauce, while the noodles had a nice springy texture.

When pasta sauce is too rich or salty, it can become tiring after only a few bites, but the pollock roe pasta we had that day was seasoned just right, so I could enjoy it to the very end. Alternating it with the pizza let us enjoy different flavors, so it was also a nice dish to order together.

Gambas with memorable bread

We also ordered gambas, and the plump shrimp made it look appetizing right away. The shrimp was tasty, but what I remember most was the bread served alongside it.

I usually have gambas with baguette, but this place served bread that felt a little different from a typical baguette, which made it more distinctive. Dipping the warm bread generously into the gambas oil gave it a nutty, savory richness, and it went so well together.

As I ate the shrimp one by one and used the bread to soak up the oil, I naturally kept reaching for more, and we finished the gambas happily too. Ordering pizza, pasta, and gambas together gave us different flavors and textures to enjoy, so it was great for several people to share. Sipping chilled Welch's Grape in between also paired nicely with the food.

A delicious lunch with friends

It had been a while since I had met up with my friends, and with delicious food in front of us and all sorts of stories to share, lunchtime flew by.

It was one of those days when the cooler weather had somehow made me crave pizza and pasta, and everything was satisfying overall: the warm, freshly baked pizza, the perfectly seasoned pollock roe pasta, and the gambas we enjoyed with its unusual bread.

The pizza, especially, tasted even better while warm straight from the wood-fired oven, and the generous arugula and vegetables made it fragrant and enjoyable. I liked both the exterior and interior atmosphere as well as the food, and it was even nicer because we could chat comfortably and have a relaxed meal with friends.

If you are craving pizza and pasta in Sinbu-dong and want to enjoy good food along with a nice atmosphere, this is a place worth stopping by. I had a lovely time over a delicious lunch with friends and left feeling happily full.