Gwangju pasta restaurant in Sangmu: poached egg carbonara, Bueokgan

Hi, it's Kongddu. I was out in Gwangju's Sangmu district and couldn't decide what to eat for lunch, but I really wanted some good pasta. After a ton of searching, I found out there was a pasta place in Sangmu with a wait, so after a long wait I finally got to try it — here's my review!

Where is Bueokgan Sangmu Branch, and is there parking?

Bueokgan Sangmu Branch is at 25 Seogwangju-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Korea, open 11:00 - 22:00, with its own private parking lot.

📍 Parking info for this Sangmu pasta spot: if you put Bueokgan Sangmu Branch into your navigation, there's a private lot behind the building, so I parked comfortably and headed in.

Here's the exterior of this Sangmu restaurant. It totally has that nice Italian-restaurant vibe going on — I fell for it instantly, haha.

How busy is Bueokgan Sangmu Branch at 2pm?

This Sangmu restaurant was packed with customers even at 2pm, well past the usual lunch rush.

I really wanted this seat, but it only opened up right as we were leaving. Isn't the vibe great though? Feels like a perfect spot for a Christmas or Christmas Eve date!

They also sell wine here, so this Sangmu pasta place seems like a great place to enjoy a glass in the evening!!

With its Roman hotel concept, this European-style restaurant was a perfect date spot in Sangmu.

Bueokgan Sangmu Branch menu and tablet ordering

Here's the menu at this Sangmu pasta spot. There were plenty of pasta, pilaf, and pizza options, and it also worked well as a brunch spot in Sangmu.

There were photos of the dishes on the tablet, so we ordered by looking through them. The set menu with 2 drinks included seemed like better value than ordering individual items, so we went with that.

What we ordered: sweet pumpkin soup first

After a long wait, the sweet pumpkin soup and juice came out first. Soup as a warm-up before the meal is a must, haha!

The pumpkin soup appetizer had oil and nuts sprinkled on top for extra nuttiness — oh!! It was so good from the very first spoonful!

Since it's made from real pumpkin, you could actually taste the texture of the pumpkin along with the creaminess — ooh, I'm calling this a legit pumpkin soup spot. It was perfect as a brunch dish.

Then the pasta and pilaf arrived! The tableware was elegant and pretty too, which I really liked.

What I ordered at this Sangmu pasta spot was carbonara and kung pao chicken pilaf — obviously a great combo, right?

Carbonara with poached egg, 19,000 won

The carbonara at Bueokgan Sangmu Branch is ₩19,000, and when ordering on the tablet there's an option to choose whether or not to add a poached egg — we chose yes. They popped it gently and mixed it right in.

With the egg coating the noodles, the pasta felt even richer — the carbonara had plenty of cream and the noodles were cooked just right, thick and delicious.

I could immediately see why Bueokgan is famous as a pasta spot in Sangmu, Gwangju. Both the cream and the noodles were perfect.

Kung pao chicken pilaf, 24,000 won — is it spicy?

The kung pao chicken pilaf is ₩24,000. Just look at this huge chicken leg grilled to a golden brown — even just looking at it, you could feel how substantial it was, haha.

They gave us scissors so we could cut it up easily to eat.

It wasn't just a big, impressive-looking chicken leg — it was grilled to perfection, and the chicken was tender and delicious.

The well-grilled chicken thigh meat pulled apart easily, and it was even better eaten together with the rice!!

It said spicy on the menu, but it wasn't spicy at all — the seasoning was just right on this chicken pilaf. The barley grains mixed in gave it a nice texture too.

The grapefruit and orange juices tasted like real 100% fresh-squeezed juice — you could taste bits of fruit pulp, and they were so good.

Is Bueokgan Sangmu Branch worth a visit?

This pasta spot in Sangmu, Gwangju satisfied both on vibe and taste, whether for a family meal or a date.

If you're looking for a good pasta restaurant in Sangmu, Gwangju, Bueokgan is worth a visit at least once! I'd recommend it for a family outing or a date course~!