Gwangju Chinese restaurant for family gatherings of 8: Mayway

Why we visited — looking for a place for a family of eight

So many good restaurants have been popping up in Cheomdan lately, right? This time, while looking for a place to eat with family, I visited Mayway, a new Chinese restaurant in Gwangsan-gu's Cheomdan neighborhood. It was a family gathering that day, so about 8 of us went together — and with that many people, we got to order a bunch of different things and try them all, which was great.

We ordered a good variety, from ganjjajang (black bean noodles) to tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), brisket jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), jjamppong rice, and even Mayway's own solo set menu. Bottom line up front: the basic jjajang and jjamppong were both good, and the tangsuyuk in particular was the kind of dish you keep thinking about afterward. Prices were reasonable too, so this feels like a place I'll think of whenever I'm craving Chinese food in Cheomdan.

The vibe and parking info

Mayway is a newly opened Chinese restaurant in Gwangsan's Cheomdan area. The menu lineup really stood out for family gatherings or eating with a group, but what I think sets Mayway apart most from a typical Chinese restaurant is the solo set menu. (And free rice refills, even!)

There's no dedicated parking lot, but street parking in front of the store is available after 6pm on weekdays, so that's worth knowing if you're visiting in the evening. We went for a family gathering that day and had a relaxed, unhurried meal.

What the 8 of us ordered

With about 8 of us there together, we ordered a really wide variety of dishes.

• Ganjjajang: regular x2, large x1
• Tangsuyuk (small) x2
• Brisket jjamppong x1
• Jjamppong rice x1
• Solo set menu x1

With so many people, everyone naturally picked something different, so we ended up tasting a wide range of dishes. If you want jjajang and jjamppong and tangsuyuk all at once, Mayway's solo set menu is genuinely a great option.

Ganjjajang — a solid, no-frills classic

We started with the ganjjajang!

Ganjjajang has a more pronounced onion and black bean paste flavor than regular jjajang, and Mayway's basic jjajang flavor was clean and good.

Instead of being too heavy or overly sweet, the sauce had a nicely savory, salty black-bean-paste flavor, and the subtle sweetness of the onion added balance when eaten with the noodles — haha, it was good.

The sauce coated the noodles well, so one bite gave a mouthful of savory, salty jjajang flavor spreading through your mouth!

It felt less like an intensely bold jjajang and more like a classic, comfortable version anyone could enjoy. That made it feel like a good fit for a family gathering with everyone from little kids to adults eating together.

Brisket jjamppong and jjamppong rice

And you can't skip jjamppong at a Chinese restaurant!

We also ordered the brisket jjamppong and jjamppong rice that day. The jjamppong broth was spicy with a good depth of savory flavor, and with the brisket added, the meat's savoriness deepened the broth into something different from regular jjamppong.

The rich, savory brisket flavor mixed into the broth in a way that made me keep going back for spoonful after spoonful. But it didn't feel too greasy, which I liked. The spicy, sharp jjamppong flavor hits first, then the brisket's savoriness follows, so I think it would also go really well mixed with rice.

We actually ordered the jjamppong rice too, and eating it with rice really brought out the broth's savory depth even more. For a hangover cure or a hearty lunch craving, jjamppong rice really is the best, haha. So if you're looking for a good jjamppong spot in Cheomdan, this one's worth a visit.

Mayway's signature — the solo set menu

Personally, the menu that stood out to me most at Mayway was the solo set menu.

Usually at a Chinese restaurant, if you order jjajangmyeon you get one dish, jjamppong another — you have to pick just one. But honestly, whenever I go for Chinese food I always end up torn: "I want jjajang, but I also want jjamppong... and tangsuyuk too?" 😂

That's exactly when Mayway's solo set menu comes in handy! You get to try jjajang + jjamppong + dumplings all at once, which is a great fit for anyone who can't settle for just one dish. The point is that instead of a huge portion of each, you get a well-put-together small serving of each so you can taste a bit of everything at once.

It's great for solo dining, and I think it's also a solid option for office workers wanting to try a variety of dishes at lunch. Especially since the basic jjajang and jjamppong prices are already reasonable, it was easy to eat without worrying about the bill. I felt like this menu lineup is a real signature feature of Mayway's.

Tangsuyuk — the best dish of the day

If I had to pick the single dish I enjoyed most that day, it's the tangsuyuk.

Honestly, I don't even know how to describe how good this was — it was just the real deal, haha. First of all, the batter is incredibly crispy. Biting into a piece of tangsuyuk, you get that crunch, and then the meat inside is moist and tender — the batter wasn't too thick or too floury, which I loved.

The seasoning on the meat itself was just right too. Sometimes with tangsuyuk, if the batter and sauce are too strong, the meat flavor gets lost — but at Mayway, the meat itself is subtly seasoned, so it's tasty even eaten plain. Add the sweet and tangy sauce on top, and the crispy batter and savory sauce come together into something you keep reaching for!

I personally like dipping the sauce too, and this tangsuyuk had great balance when eaten with the sauce. Everyone in the family kept grabbing more, and it disappeared fast. 😂 It's the dish I keep thinking "I want that again" about — I'll definitely order the tangsuyuk again next time I'm at Mayway.

Affordable prices, lots of menu options

One of the things I liked about Mayway was that basic dishes like jjajang and jjamppong were priced reasonably. Dining out prices have gone up so much lately that even a family meal out gets you worrying about the total — but Chinese food has the advantage of being easy to share across a variety of dishes.

With options like the solo set menu that let you try several things at once, Mayway had a wide range of choices. It seems like a great fit especially for anyone wanting something simple but filling at lunch. So for office workers looking for a good lunch spot in Cheomdan, this seems like a solid choice too. ++And the extra side dishes and dessert that kept coming — a total pass

Verdict — I'll be back next time I'm craving Chinese in Cheomdan

With reasonable prices and a diverse menu, I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for a good spot in Cheomdan — especially for lunch or jjamppong. Next time, I'm definitely trying the signature stone-pot jjajang with tangsuyuk. 😋 This new Chinese restaurant in Cheomdan, Mayway, was a great place to share a variety of Chinese dishes with a group — whether for a family gathering or a get-together with friends — and I'm already looking forward to the next visit. 💕