Weekday dinner raw shrimp and sashimi set in Nam-gu, Gwangju

Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Wolsan Branch, a new location near Mudeung Market

A Wolsan-dong restaurant in Gwangju I always used to go to for amberjack — and now it's opened a new branch near Mudeung Market! It runs from lunch through dinner, and there's even a lunch menu, so it's great for a midday meal too.

There's a fish tank right at the entrance. Shrimp and jeoneo (gizzard shad) were swimming around looking super fresh! The water was kept really clean too, and I love it when a raw fish restaurant lets you see the tank right up front — it just feels trustworthy.

The atmosphere and seating on a weekday evening

Even though we came on a weekday evening, the place was packed! Dates, family gatherings, work dinners, friend hangouts — all kinds of groups and ages, so I could tell right away this was a real local favorite haha 🫢🫢

So many tables and they're spacious too!! Private rental is available, so it's great for group gatherings or work dinners as well. The tables are set far apart, so we could eat comfortably without worrying about the people next to us. Since it just opened, the overall black-tone interior is really clean and sleek ✨

What's on the menu

In-season raw shrimp/grilled shrimp, jeoneo sashimi/grilled jeoneo, flounder makhoe (thick-cut sashimi), sole seokkosi (thin-sliced whole fish), assorted sashimi platters — there's just so much on offer. Jeoneo in particular can be ordered without bones, so it's easy to eat even if you're not a fan of dealing with fish bones!! It's exactly the season when jeoneo gets nice and nutty, and it looked so good, ugh.

What we ordered

• Raw shrimp + sashimi set for two
• Shrimp ramyeon

Banchan and self-cooked pancakes

The generous banchan spread at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha never disappoints. Plenty of sushi rice to top with sashimi, a cool and tangy mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) to whet your appetite, warm seaweed soup, and clean-tasting grilled fish too... Honestly, if a drinker walks in here, they're not walking out 🤤😵‍💫

Even better, the Wolsan branch has self-cooked pancakes!! There's a fun little bonus of cooking your own while you wait for the main dishes. The batter is loaded with green onion and seasoned just salty enough. Crispy outside, soft inside, and cooked to a nice golden brown — an amazing appetizer before the main meal...

Raw shrimp + sashimi set for two, ₩65,000

"Raw shrimp + sashimi set for two" ₩65,000. We wanted both raw shrimp and chewy sashimi today, so we went straight for the set with no hesitation!!

The raw shrimp was big and plump — truly in-season shrimp. The moment it hit my mouth, the sweetness and bouncy, chewy texture were insane. I'd recommend dipping it in soy sauce with a bit of wasabi rather than chojang (vinegared chili sauce)!! The more you chew, the more the shrimp's natural sweetness and umami come through 🦐 If I could just master peeling shrimp, I'd want to eat a ton of this at home too...

The sashimi comes cut makhoe-style in thick, rough chunks — I'm not totally sure which fish it was, but the flesh was chewy and cut thick enough that every bite was satisfying. My favorite combo was grabbing a big piece of makhoe and wrapping it in fragrant perilla leaf!!!! They also give you makjang (seasoned soybean paste) to pile on top, which is amazing.

Without us even asking, they brought out perfectly timed butter-fried shrimp heads! If you're eating shrimp and skip this, that's basically a crime 🤤. The butter flavor soaks all the way through — crispy and incredibly nutty.

Shrimp ramyeon from the review event

There was a shrimp ramyeon available through a review event, so we quickly ordered it too! Everyone should join in and try it too. The staff said it's usually served like a spicy fish stew where you boil it and add the noodles yourself, but ours came already prepared, so we just slurped it down simply haha. As expected, the shrimp made it taste nice and clean.

If you want to enjoy fresh, in-season seafood and a hearty banchan spread near Mudeung Market in Wolsan-dong, Gwangju, definitely pay a visit to Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Wolsan Branch!