Gwangju sashimi restaurant after 8pm: ₩105,000 raw shrimp set for 4

Today I had drinks with my college friends at 'Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha', a hoe (raw fish) restaurant in Wolsan-dong, Gwangju! I'd heard from people around me that it was really good, but this was my first visit, so I went in with high expectations 🧡 We ate until we were stuffed, so let me introduce it to you!

Where is Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Wolsan Branch, and what are its hours?

Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Wolsan Branch is at 104 Gunbun-ro, 1st floor, Nam-gu, Gwangju, and it's open daily from 12:00 to 23:00. Parking is available and there's plenty of space.

• 📍 Location: 104 Gunbun-ro, 1st floor, Nam-gu, Gwangju, South Korea
• 🕒 Hours: Daily 12:00–23:00
• 🚗 Parking: Available (plenty of space)
• 🚻 Restrooms: Separate for men/women
• Group seating available / takeout / delivery / reservations / Wi-Fi / wheelchair accessible / pets not allowed / venue rental available (up to 60 people)

Full house at 8pm: what the Wolsan-dong restaurant feels like inside

Let's start with the outside! The Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha sign and the yellow awning, which really fit the pocha (street tent bar) vibe, caught my eye right away.

As you can see in the photos, the inside has lots of tables and is really spacious! We visited past dinnertime, after 8pm, but the place was still packed and we had to wait a bit before getting seated. Definitely a popular hoe restaurant!!!!!👍🏻

Places that sell seafood need good fish tank management, right? I could see straight from outside that the tanks were kept clean, haha. People say raw fish is risky in summer, but if it's well managed, you can trust it and eat with confidence! 🐟

Ordering at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha, with jeoneo already sold out

You order through the POS terminal on each table! Maybe because we came late, but the jeoneo (gizzard shad) was sold out, ㅠㅠ. Still, since we came specifically for shrimp, we didn't hesitate and ordered the raw shrimp + hoe set :)

Free side dishes at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha, from seaweed soup to grilled fish

While waiting after ordering, they set up the basic side dishes — vegetable muchim, aged kimchi, makjang (dipping sauce), corn salad, and sushi rice came out first, followed by a well-rounded spread of seaweed soup, kkosiraegi (seaweed noodles), and grilled fish! The kkosiraegi was a great palate cleanser before the main dish arrived, and the grilled fish and corn salad were sneaky good. I kept going back for more..!

Every table had soy sauce and chojang (vinegar-chili sauce), and I snapped a photo because the soy sauce poured out cleanly without dripping, haha. You know that annoying feeling when sauce spills or drips a bit when you pour... ㅜㅜ Clean sauce containers are the best...

Raw shrimp and live-fish sashimi set for 4, 105,000 won: how was it?

The main dish arrives! We ordered the raw shrimp + hoe set (for 4) :) ₩105,000. The visuals are intense, right? Looks so delicious 🤤

Hoe wrapped in baek-kimchi (white kimchi) and perilla leaves..🌿 raw shrimp sushi..🍣 how are you supposed to hold off on the soju ㅠㅠ. The hoe was firm and amazing, and the raw shrimp was chewy and sweet 💛

Since we ordered raw shrimp hoe, grilled shrimp heads came out too — not butter-grilled, more like plain grilled, but I liked how simple and savory it was! 🦐 The ramyeon (instant noodles) we got was from participating in a receipt review event, and it was spicy enough to clear the hangover completely - 🍜

Is Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha worth a group dinner in Gwangju?

I got to enjoy delicious hoe and drinks with my college friends after a long time, and left completely full! 🍻 It was my first visit, but it was even more satisfying than I expected — I'd recommend it to anyone who wants generous portions of hoe and seafood with a drink, or anyone looking for a hoe restaurant in Wolsan-dong, Gwangju! I'm planning to go back before jeoneo season ends 🐟🩵