Gwangju Korean restaurant for makgeolli day drinking: Dugeori Usintang

On a rainy day I was craving something a little spicy and rich, so I finally went to check out a Gwangju spot I'd been curious about for day drinking — Dugeori Usintang!

I wondered what "usintang" meant — turns out it's from the Chinese characters for beef (u) and spicy (sin), so basically "spicy beef soup." Sounded perfect for warming up and getting some nourishment in, so I went with high hopes. Here's my Gwangju day-drinking review of Dugeori Usintang!

• Address: 119 Hyocheon 3-ro, 1st floor, Nam-gu, Gwangju, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 10:30 AM – 10:00 PM
• Parking: Dedicated lot available

Where is Dugeori Usintang Imam Branch, and is there parking?

Dugeori Usintang Gwangju Imam Branch is at 119 Hyocheon 3-ro, 1st floor, Nam-gu, Gwangju, tucked into the restaurant row in front of the Hyocheon 1-district Jungheung S-Class Eco Park. There's a dedicated parking lot right behind the restaurant in front of Daewang food market, so parking was easy. Even if the lot is full, it's pretty easy to wait anywhere nearby along the street.

A Hyocheon-district favorite located in the restaurant row in front of Hyocheon 1-district Jungheung S-Class Eco Park :)

Inside Dugeori Usintang: atmosphere and group seating

The interior of Dugeori Usintang Imam Branch was really spacious, with plenty of room between tables. Maybe because it was a rainy evening, a lot of people were already having a drink, and I saw a lot of makgeolli around. In the back, a large group gathering was going on in its own space. The area was completely separated, so no worries about noise even during a group get-together!

Usin hot pot vs special hot pot: what do they cost?

The menu ranges from soups good for eating solo, like usintang and galbitang, to dishes meant for two or more to share, like usintang hot pot, special hot pot, and usinjjim. Usinjjim and special hot pot are ₩19,000, usintang hot pot is ₩11,000, and usintang soup and galbitang are ₩14,000.

Since I wanted hot pot, I was looking over the hot pot options and asked about the difference between the special hot pot and the regular usintang hot pot. The staff explained that the special version comes with way more vegetables, unlimited broth refills, and even udon noodles and porridge. Since I only wanted to eat lightly that day, I ordered the basic usintang hot pot! It comes with pot rice too, which was exactly what I wanted.

Ice-cold makgeolli on a rainy day in Gwangju

The ice makgeolli poster on the fridge looked way too good, and it just so happened to be raining — so I immediately ordered a bottle of ice makgeolli too, haha.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar

The banchan (side dishes) at Dugeori Usintang looked like this! White kimchi, salted squid, diced radish kimchi, and seasoned perilla leaves. I thought the perilla leaves were plain fresh ones, but looking closer, there was a light sauce drizzled over them. Instead of marinating the leaves for a long time, they lightly dressed fresh perilla leaves with just a bit of sauce — the flavor wasn't overpowering, and the fragrant scent of fresh perilla really came through. I kept reaching for it the whole meal — a really great side dish!

Right next to it, the self-serve bar was neatly stocked with extra side dishes and tableware.

In the meantime, the usintang hot pot from this Gwangju day-drinking spot in Imam-dong arrived.

And the ice-cold makgeolli ;) it comes in a chilled pitcher with ice floating right in it.

What's in the usin hot pot: mushrooms, beef short ribs and brisket

Oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms and other healthy mushrooms, plus assorted vegetables, plus hearty beef short ribs — all packed into the usintang hot pot!

And the short ribs already in there aren't even the whole story — beef brisket comes out separately too. The nice thing is you can eat this meat shabu-shabu style according to your taste, or just dump it all in and cook it like a hot pot :)

Once the usintang hot pot starts bubbling away like this, that's when you add the brisket! I chose to just dump the meat in all at once and cook it hot pot style.

The broth smell as it starts boiling is genuinely great. Spicy yet deep — the kind of smell that promises a properly good broth!

The full table, with sticky pot rice included

Meanwhile the pot rice came out too. Opening the lid, the aroma hit — and the rice was glossy and shiny.

It really felt like a super healthy meal,,!

A scoop of usintang hot pot after it had simmered for a while! Look how loaded the pot is — a ladleful comes up packed with ingredients.

With wood ear mushrooms, short ribs, and meat piled high on the ladle, it really looked like a healthy, hearty bowl of hot pot,, deep broth loaded with good stuff, plus pot rice — exactly my kind of meal.

How much food do you get in the 11,000 won usin hot pot?

Even after everyone scooped a full plate, this much was still left in the pot..! This is the basic usintang hot pot at ₩11,000 per person, and honestly the portion was really generous and satisfying ;) Plus pot rice is included in that base price, so it's a great deal and combo for lunch too.

Getting to eat bracken fern, which I really really love, together with the short ribs :) The rib meat pulled apart super tender, so it'd be suitable for older folks to eat too. The broth felt similar to yukgaejang, but the beef and vegetable flavors were much more pronounced. Spicy but with great savory depth — I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't like it.

Finishing with nurungji made from barley tea

This is the pot rice. The nurungji (scorched rice) made from the rice I set aside earlier..! One great thing about Dugeori Usintang in Imam-dong, Gwangju is that they give you warm barley tea instead of plain hot water for the pot rice. Making nurungji with that water adds the flavor of barley tea on top of the usual scorched-rice taste, making it even more deeply savory.

The nutty aroma really came through strong on this nurungji :) Finishing the deep, savory usintang hot pot with refreshing ice makgeolli and then warm nurungji,, it really doesn't get more filling than that!

A place that's great for a hearty lunch, great with a drink at dinner, and perfect for day drinking too — great to bring your parents for a healthy meal, and the taste holds up all around :) I'll definitely be back next time I'm craving that spicy, rich broth.