Gwangju Suwan brunch spot with no weekday lunch wait: Bueokgan Suwan

Where is Bueokgan Suwan Branch in Gwangju?

Bueokgan Suwan Branch is a brunch restaurant on the 1st floor at 37 Suwan-ro 106beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, near Sumun Park. It's open daily from 11:30 to 21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00, and last order at 14:30 for lunch and 20:20 for dinner. Roadside parking is available, and the restaurant welcomes groups, has separate men's and women's restrooms, Wi-Fi, high chairs, wheelchair access at the entrance and seating, and free corkage. Pets aren't allowed.

There's been a place I've wanted to visit for a while whenever I go out to Suwan district. Bueokgan, famous as a brunch spot in Suwan, also has a Maewol-dong location — but I'd only ever been to the Maewol-dong branch, so I had huge expectations for the Suwan one...

Bueokgan, the famous brunch spot in Suwan district, is located near Sumun Park.

Can you walk into Bueokgan Suwan Branch at weekday lunch without waiting?

From what I know, Bueokgan Suwan Branch is fine on weekdays, but on weekends you apparently need to wait a huge amount to get in. I hate waiting, so guess who went on a weekday for lunch...

What is the atmosphere like inside Bueokgan Suwan Branch?

Bueokgan, the famous Suwan brunch spot, is known as a European-style restaurant designed around different countries as concepts. The cozy, sentimental atmosphere with upscale lighting and furniture gives off this warm feeling somehow. The owner's design intent for the space was apparently a brunch restaurant set in an Italian forest. And yeah, it really does feel like being in Italy??? On top of that, there's colorful Vitra from Switzerland, Artek from Sweden, and even Louis Poulsen lighting... am I on an overseas trip right now... haha.

What we ordered at Bueokgan Suwan Branch

Bueokgan Suwan Branch sells all kinds of brunch dishes, from soups to pasta, lasagna, pilaf, and pizza... We ordered pastry soup, shrimp anchovy oil pasta, and jambon pizza.

Pastry soup: dipping the pastry into sweet pumpkin soup

The pastry soup came out first... inside is sweet pumpkin soup. The pastry, freshly baked, is so crispy... and you have no idea how good it is when you dip that pastry into the pumpkin soup. The pumpkin is sweet and rich, so if you like pumpkin you'll probably love this. On top of that, the soup isn't thin at all — it's completely thick and creamy!!! Thick soup, rich pumpkin! Exactly my style! Crispy outside, moist inside... crispy-chewy!!! The pastry soup was completely delicious. Gone in seconds!

Shrimp anchovy oil pasta

With our appetite whetted by the soup, out came the shrimp anchovy oil pasta! As you can see in the photo, the shrimp is super fresh. And because it's fresh, the texture is completely great! Also, the combination of cherry tomatoes and anchovies is really good. I've gotten properly into oil pasta lately, and this was the best! There's hidden pepperoncino in there, and that spicy kick cuts through the richness of the oil so you can keep eating without getting tired of it.

Jambon pizza: a sweet-and-salty pizza topped with pistachio

Then came the jambon pizza. There's a huge amount of jambon ham piled on top. But if you look closely, there's pistachio on it too. Surprisingly, the saltiness of the jambon ham goes well with the pistachio and cheese flavors. Honestly, when I heard pistachio was on it, I was curious what it would taste like. On top of that, the dough is crispy outside, chewy inside, and clean-tasting... My friend who came with me normally doesn't eat the crust. But she said it was delicious and finished it all... A completely amazing sweet-salty combo.

Who should visit Bueokgan Suwan Branch?

From the pastry soup to the shrimp anchovy oil pasta to the jambon pizza, every single thing at Bueokgan, the Suwan brunch spot, was delicious. I went with a friend, but I think it'd be fine to bring my son later too. The atmosphere is nice enough that it'd work with a friend or partner, and it seems like a brunch spot you could take your parents to as well. It's somewhere I'd wanted to visit for a long time, and now that I've actually been, it's a place where you can enjoy the food and the atmosphere together. Next time I'll have to come back and demolish some other menu items. Bueokgan, the Suwan brunch spot, is a total, total recommend.