Condensed milk cinnamon latte at Hoyang Horim, a Gwangju hanok café

What kind of café is Hoyang Horim?

Hoyang Horim is a hanok café in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, serving traditional desserts like gaeseongjuak (fried glutinous rice cake) and gotgamsando (dried persimmon sandwich). With the weather cooling down lately, it's the perfect time to go looking for pretty cafés. On a weekend, we headed to Hoyang Horim, known for its desserts, to enjoy both the quiet atmosphere and good food in Yangnim-dong.

The traditional hanok charm blends nicely with a modern sensibility, and with traditional desserts like gaeseongjuak and gotgamsando plus outdoor seating, it was a great spot for a date with my partner. It'd work well for a blind date too, and I bet it'd look gorgeous on a rainy day!

So aesthetic, haha.

Outdoor and wooden-porch seats at Hoyang Horim, and how long the wait was

Hoyang Horim has outdoor seats and a wooden porch (toenmaru) seating area. The indoor space isn't very large, and when we visited there were no free tables, so we waited a bit before we could sit down. As of mid-September it was a touch hot for the outdoor seats, but once it gets a bit cooler I bet they'll be lovely! The stylish hanok exterior and the cozy view of the tiled roof give off a real sense of ease — the kind of place you don't often find in the middle of a city.

Where to park: Hoyang Horim's partner parking lots

• 1 hour supported at Kidok Hospital Parking Lots 1 & 2
• 1 hour free at Yangnim History & Culture Village public parking

What's on the Hoyang Horim menu?

— Gaeseongjuak — a traditional snack made by kneading glutinous rice flour and wheat flour with makgeolli (rice wine) into a thick dough, frying it, then coating it in syrup. It's named after the Gaeseong region, where it was traditionally made, and used to be served to honored guests.

The full menu is also posted in detail on Naver Maps, and you order via kiosk. Walking inside, the display case was packed with all kinds of desserts. There were so many tempting options I spent ages deciding. Gaeseongjuak, injeolmi waffle, gotgamsando, candied walnuts — the menu was full of unique items you won't see at your typical café.

Desserts and drinks at the window seat

After ordering, a window seat finally opened up. We'd ordered the mugwort injeolmi waffle, but since it's probably made to order along with the injeolmi timing, it took a little while to arrive!

The hanok interior is so charming that photos just turn out well. It'd been a while since my partner and I sat side by side by a window enjoying good desserts together — a sweet little moment. Come to think of it, on the day we first met on our blind date, we also went to a café with side-by-side seating, so with things to look at and unique details like this, it seems like a great blind date spot too.

New menu: the condensed milk cinnamon latte

A cinnamon stick stuck in, cinnamon dusted generously on top — the new 'condensed milk cinnamon latte.'

Mugwort injeolmi waffle

A mugwort waffle topped with injeolmi (rice cake) powder, nuts, and ice cream. Nutty plus nutty — it barely needs explaining. Eat it quick before the ice cream melts!

Black sesame gotgamsando (dried persimmon sandwich)

I went back and forth between this and gaeseongjuak before landing on the black sesame gotgamsando. I've had gaeseongjuak before, haha. I wondered if the filling was ice cream, but it turned out to be a thick, fudgy black sesame cream sandwiched between the dried persimmon — really appealing.

Vanilla cream cold brew

The vanilla cream cold brew tastes almost exactly like the one from Star*ucks! Sweet and delicious, too.

Wrapping up our café date and heading out of the building, I also picked up a drip bag stand. At home I usually brew coffee with drip bags, but my cup is always too big and makes it awkward. This stand looked pretty useful and it was only ₩5,000, so I grabbed one!

Is Hoyang Horim worth a visit?

If you're looking for a pretty hanok café in Gwangju, I highly recommend Hoyang Horim, with its desserts and relaxed outdoor seating. You can enjoy delicious traditional desserts in a quiet hanok atmosphere while chatting away, so definitely add it to your date-spot list.