Daejeon pre-order weekday lunch with shrimp ricotta pomodoro: THE MUA

Today I visited "THE MUA," a Western restaurant in Tanbang-dong that's great for a date course.

Where is THE MUA? Hours, parking and corkage

THE MUA is a Western restaurant on the 1st floor at 35 Munjeong-ro 122beon-gil, Seo-gu, Daejeon, tucked into an alley near Tanbang Elementary School, Sedeungseowon, and Hanyang Apartments. It's open daily 11:00–21:00, with break time from 15:00 to 17:00 and last order at 20:20.

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:20)
• 🚘 Free parking available
• 🍾 Corkage available (paid), free every Thursday
• 💸 Daejeon Love Card / gasoline subsidy cards accepted
• 👥 Reservations available / groups available / private hire available

THE MUA in Tanbang-dong is run by an owner chef who studied in Australia and built up experience working alongside local chefs there. I was so satisfied with everything I ate — this is genuinely a great pasta spot in Tanbang-dong, and I want to introduce you to what I ordered ✨

THE MUA's dining hall and private room: is it good with kids?

This Daejeon City Hall Station-area restaurant has a spacious hall, so it feels really open. I visited for an early lunch, and the natural light suited the interior so well.

There's a high chair too, so it's a good restaurant to visit with kids around Tanbang-dong and Dunsan-dong, and the private room here has a whole different vibe from the hall. It looked like a great spot for setting the mood with wine 🍷

How THE MUA's weekday same-day lunch pre-order works

THE MUA runs a same-day pre-order system for office workers' lunch hours on weekdays! Order by 11:30 and they'll have your food timed to be ready the moment you arrive. So convenient for Dunsan-dong and Tanbang-dong office workers grabbing lunch haha.

And starting every Thursday, corkage is free 🍷 They're also running a Naver receipt/Instagram ade event, which the staff kindly explained to us haha.

THE MUA menu and prices

THE MUA's menu ranges from set menus to croquettes, salads and steaks, risotto, pasta and lasagna, gnocchi, desserts, and drinks. The lunch set is ₩49,900 and the dinner set is ₩99,900.

• Set Menu — Lunch set 49,900 / Dinner set 99,900
• Croquette & Bread — Lobster croquette 2pc 9,900 / Focaccia 2pc 2,000
• Salad & Steak — Brussels sprout salad 15,900 / 1++ Hanwoo striploin steak 250g 59,900
• Risotto — Saffron salmon risotto 16,900 / Sous-vide wine pork belly risotto 16,900
• Pasta & Lasagna — Aglio olio 12,900 / Handmade jambon cream pasta 15,900 / Chamnamul vongole pasta 16,900 / Shrimp ricotta pomodoro pasta 15,900 / Fresh-noodle Hanwoo ragu 16,900 / Smoky mare pasta 19,900 / Crab bisque pasta 18,900
• Gnocchi — Lacotto mushroom gnocchi 17,900 / Halloumi tomato gnocchi 17,900
• Dessert — Cheesecake tart 5,000
• Coffee — Cold brew 4,000 / Cold brew latte 4,500
• Fruit Ade — Lemon, grapefruit, or green grape ade, 1 person 4,900, 2 people 8,900 / 100% orange juice 4,000
• Soda — Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Zero Cola, Cherry Sprite 2,500
• Italian Beer — Peroni 8,000 / Birra Moretti 8,000

Everything on the menu looked so delicious..🤎

You can order by QR code, and I originally meant to order the quattro mushroom gnocchi and crab bisque pasta, but seeing the owner's pick suddenly made me crave the handmade jambon cream pasta instead,,

So here's what I ended up ordering haha. Plus focaccia for dipping into the cream sauce! Comes with pickles as a default, and a grapefruit ade I got from the review event 🍹

Focaccia, 2 pieces for 2,000 won

Focaccia served with olive oil. Freshly baked and crispy, it was so good.

Lobster croquette, 2 pieces for 9,900 won

THE MUA's signature menu item in Tanbang-dong — croquettes made with lobster, shrimp, and potato. The lobster is boiled in-house and finished with a special technique the chef learned from a British chef; the outside is super crispy while the inside stays soft, and it pairs perfectly with the tangy cream sauce underneath. The leaf on top is an edible plant that cuts through the richness!

Handmade jambon cream pasta, 15,900 won

Cream pasta topped with house-made jambon! I really love jambon, and having a cream pasta piled with this much handmade jambon.. 🤎

The cream was thick and rich and paired so well with the noodles. It had been a while since I'd had a cream pasta, and this reminded me that a proper, classic cream pasta really is different — the jambon was so soft and delicious. I was a little worried it might be too salty, but it wasn't at all — light and tender jambon! I get why it's the owner's pick. If you come to THE MUA in Tanbang-dong, this pasta is a must-order..⭐️

Shrimp ricotta pomodoro pasta, 15,900 won

THE MUA's pasta with cherry tomatoes, shrimp, and ricotta cheese, another Western dish worth trying in Tanbang-dong.

Mixing this with the ricotta cheese added so much extra richness to the pasta, so good.

It had genuinely been a long time since I was this satisfied with a tomato pasta. I really recommend THE MUA's pastas. If you're looking for a great restaurant around Tanbang-dong or Daejeon City Hall Station, it's THE MUA, no question 😳

I saved some focaccia to dip into the leftover pasta cream and wiped the plate clean 😋

Is THE MUA worth it? Best kind of gathering to book

The atmosphere was great, and the menu felt genuinely different from typical pasta places haha. I especially recommend the signature lobster croquette and the handmade jambon cream pasta..⭐️ The ricotta pasta was delicious too, but those first two are the dishes I'd definitely order again if I come back.

🍝 Onie's overall score: 5/5

The dishes look great and there are plenty of pretty cafés nearby, so it's a good spot for a date or small get-together, and since private hire is available too, I'd recommend it for larger group gatherings as well.