Hanok café in Gwangju for injeolmi waffles: Hoyang Horim

A hanok atmosphere in Yangnim-dong

Parking in Yangnim-dong is not exactly easy, but Hoyang Horim has supported parking lots, so keep that in mind when you park! I visited on a weekday, but since I had other places to stop by, I just parked on a nearby side street haha.

Exterior of Hoyang Horim, a café in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju

Hoyang Horim (호양호림) is properly hanok from the entrance onward, haha. Something about a hanok atmosphere just feels comforting.

There is also terrace seating for enjoying cool weather. The courtyard is wide open, so it feels nice and unhurried—and I imagine the breeze would feel wonderfully refreshing too.

Hoyang Horim seating and atmosphere

Inside Hoyang Horim, a hanok café in Gwangju

I photographed a few parts of the interior. It has group tables, regular table seating, and floor seating, blending a modern feel with the traditional hanok mood. I visited on a weekday afternoon, and there were lots of guests with babies that day. Maybe because the overall atmosphere was so relaxed, many people seemed to be settling in comfortably.

Drinks and desserts fitting for a hanok café

Hoyang Horim menu in Yangnim-dong

The coffee menu included cold brew and cream lattes, while the non-coffee section had drinks that really suited a hanok café: mugwort latte, ssanghwa milk tea, rice shake, maesil (Korean plum) sherbet ade, and more!!! My younger sibling and I both love the kind of drinks and desserts people jokingly call “grandma taste,” haha, so I was really curious about all these choices. Ssanghwa milk tea was a drink I had never seen before—what does it taste like??

There was bingsu (shaved ice) too, plus an injeolmi waffle that was exactly our kind of dessert! They also had dried-persimmon sando, which I have been seeing everywhere since around last year. Hoyang Horim's dried-persimmon sando is ₩4,500. And if “grandma taste” is not your thing, do not worry—they have Basque cheesecake too.

These are Hoyang Horim's signature gaeseong juak, traditional fried rice cakes. I had tried gaeseong juak before, so I ordered different desserts this time, but this café is known for them, so take note ~.~ Gift wrapping is available too!

It is apparently a roastery hanok café, so there was hand-drip coffee as well—and this is the space where they make it, haha.

From gaeseong juak to dried-persimmon sando

Dessert selection at Hoyang Horim in Yangnim-dong

The round little gaeseong juak are so cute. There is quite a variety of flavors to choose from.

How amazing does that Basque cheesecake look? It was so pretty and looked delicious. I agonized over it for a while, ughㅠ Below are the dried-persimmon sandos: black sesame and fig. Candied walnuts make such a great gift for older adults too—they really enjoy them, haha.

We ordered an iced Americano for ₩4,500, a condensed milk cinnamon latte for ₩5,500, an injeolmi waffle for ₩9,500, and a black sesame dried-persimmon sando for ₩4,500.

How the injeolmi waffle and dried-persimmon sando tasted

Our order

The owner brought our order over neatly arranged on a round tray. Since the injeolmi waffle needed baking time, everything was served together when the waffle was ready.

Hoyang Horim's injeolmi waffle

They pressed injeolmi, chewy rice cake, into a waffle shape, and its crisp exterior made it pleasantly chewy to bite into. Soybean powder on top gave it a nutty taste, and instead of honey, it came with jocheong (grain syrup). That gently sweet flavor was the absolute best match with injeolmi!!! Rice cake and jocheong are partners, right? (^_-)db(-_^) It also came with ice cream, making it easy to enjoy with a cool, sweet bite.

Hoyang Horim condensed milk cinnamon latte recommendation

The condensed milk cinnamon latte was topped with cinnamon powder and had a long cinnamon stick, so I could really take in the cinnamon aroma. The condensed milk gave it a subtle, smooth sweetness, and it was delicious. For the iced Americano, I chose the Hoyang Blend beans; they were nutty with a clean finish.

Hoyang Horim dried-persimmon sando in Gwangju

The dried-persimmon sando had cream cheese, black sesame, and nuts sandwiched inside, so it sliced with a chewy, dense texture. For some reason, its shape reminded me of a tiny Big Mac—what do you think..? Haha hahaha.

The dried-persimmon flavor was fairly pronounced, while the slightly dense texture and rich cream cheese paired nicely with the nutty black sesame. It had a subtle sweetness that I do not think older adults would find polarizing either. The nuts added both nuttiness and a good bite.

Enjoy traditional desserts with the terrace

Among cafés in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju, this was a comfortable place to enjoy because its traditional hanok feeling and current café atmosphere blended so naturally. The crisp texture and jocheong pairing made the injeolmi waffle especially good, so if you like grilled rice cake, you really have to try it haha.

Hoyang Horim's desserts—gaeseong juak, candied walnuts, and dried-persimmon sando—have flavors that would be easy for older adults to enjoy, so they would make lovely gifts, thank-you gifts, or Chuseok gifts too. I recommend considering a visit if you want traditional desserts and coffee in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju; a relaxed hanok café; a terrace café for enjoying crisp fall weather; or somewhere comfortable to visit with a child!!