Raw fish pub in Wolsan-dong, Gwangju: heart-shaped raw shrimp set

When you want fresh raw fish and a glass of soju in Gwangju, you look for a place with generous portions and a good variety of seafood, right? This time I visited Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch (황금회포차 광주월산점)🐟

Where is Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch? Hours and parking

Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch is at 104 Gunbun-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju, on the 1st floor. It is open every day from 12:00 to 23:00 with no regular closing day, and free parking is available. It's a raw fish restaurant in Wolsan-dong where you can eat raw shrimp, gizzard shad sashimi and assorted sashimi.

The restaurant sits in the Wolsan-dong food alley, so it's a handy spot for a meal or a drink nearby, and it's about a 10-minute walk from Mudeung Market. There's a fish tank outside the shop, and when I peeked in I could see fresh seafood and live shrimp moving around, which caught my eye.

Raw shrimp is all about freshness, so seeing the shrimp in the tank got me even more excited. There were so many of them that it's hard to walk past this sight, haha.

Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha: atmosphere and menu

The dining room was bigger and cleaner than I expected. At a raw fish restaurant that handles seafood, cleanliness matters a lot to me, and overall it was a pleasant place to eat. The menu covers not just sashimi but also raw shrimp, a variety of seafood, side dishes and stews.

One fun thing at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha is the self-serve corner. Pancake batter is set out so you can cook your own pancakes👍

How much is the raw shrimp + sashimi set?

Here is what we ordered and the prices.

• Raw shrimp + sashimi set ₩65,000
• Spicy fish-bone stew (seodeori maeuntang) ₩5,000
• Soju and beer at the ₩1,900 event price

After we ordered, the sides (seukkidasi, small starter dishes) started coming out one by one, and there were more than I expected, so there was plenty to eat before the main dish even arrived. It's not just a plate of raw fish sitting alone; with such a variety of things to go with it, it's nice for slowly enjoying a drink.

Cooking your own pancake at the self-serve corner

Put the batter from the self-serve corner in the pan, cook it until golden, and the pancake (buchimgae) is done! I worried it might tear when I flipped it, but it held its shape better than expected, which was amazing, hahaha. The outside was crisp and the middle moist, and it was delicious. Being able to make your own pancake at a raw fish restaurant is something different.

How big is the raw shrimp + sashimi set, and how is it plated?

The raw shrimp + sashimi set is for two people, yet the portion looked quite generous, and the shrimp came arranged in a heart shape. When the long-awaited main dish arrived, I thought peeling raw shrimp would take forever... but it came out surprisingly fast, which surprised me. With raw shrimp and sashimi together on one table, it looked appetizing right away. The sashimi was cut long and thick, and the big raw shrimp were prettily plated in a heart shape🦐❤️

Thick-cut sashimi, eaten in lettuce wraps and as sushi

The sashimi at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha comes cut long, so it's easy to pick up piece by piece, and I really liked the chewy texture. I prefer fish with some bite over very thinly sliced pieces, and that fresh quality of live fish was great!! Wrapped up with makjang sauce (seasoned soybean paste), white kimchi and seaweed in a perilla leaf, it tastes twice as good. The sushi rice (shari) is also well seasoned, so eating it together makes sashimi sushi❤️

Autumn gizzard shad sashimi in the set

And of course there's gizzard shad sashimi (jeoneohoe), which tastes even better in autumn. They say that when gizzard shad is in season, you can get it in the set menu at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha~ It's cut seggosi-style (thin, with the bones) and chewy, a real soju thief. Since the fish you can eat changes with the season, I'd also recommend asking what seasonal fish they have when you visit!

Big, plump raw shrimp

And the raw shrimp I really wanted to eat that day! I came in after watching the shrimp swim in the tank, and the raw shrimp that came out were big and plump, better than I expected. The shrimp meat was thick, and I liked it from the look alone. Texture is everything with raw shrimp, right? One bite and the meat was springy and chewy, with that plump bounce.

Complimentary fried shrimp heads and spicy fish-bone stew to finish

At Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha the fried shrimp heads came out as a free extra, and we ordered the spicy fish-bone stew (₩5,000) on top. For shrimp heads, you have to pop the shell off and eat them in one bite for the full flavor!!! The stew gets richer the longer it boils, so I had it with a bowl of rice. A filling, satisfying meal✨

If you're looking for assorted sashimi at a Gwangju raw fish restaurant, or want sashimi and raw shrimp in one go, I recommend the set menu at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch👏