Sweet potato fritters at a Gwangju Suwan pasta spot: Bueokgan Suwan

Hi, I'm Hyessaem, and I aim for honest reviews! Bueokgan is a restaurant I recommend as a pasta spot in Gwangju's Suwan district. There are other branches too, but Bueokgan Suwan Branch is great to visit for its quiet vibe and lush green scenery — a Western restaurant with real atmosphere.

There's no dedicated parking lot, but there was parking space in the nearby alley, and I think I've also parked on what looked like a vacant lot right next to Bueokgan before, haha. If you want to escape a noisy, busy day and get some good Western food, here's my review of Bueokgan Suwan Branch, a pasta restaurant in Gwangju's Suwan district!

How is Bueokgan Suwan Branch different from the other branches?

Even from a distance, Bueokgan looks like an atmospheric pasta spot. Compared to the other branches, Suwan feels quieter — calmer and more peaceful, like a proper sit-down Western restaurant!

I've been before, and the flavor does vary a bit between branches, but Bueokgan Suwan Branch has been consistently good every time I've come.

Inside Bueokgan Suwan Branch and its restrooms

The big open window in the back feels like a single painting capturing all four seasons!

There are sofa-style chairs that are good for kids to sit on, and the lighting and mood are better in the evening than during the day. Bueokgan is a Suwan pasta spot packed with the kind of menu and atmosphere that pairs well with wine.

The restrooms are separated for men and women with different entrances too, so it was comfortable and pleasant to use.

The Bueokgan Suwan Branch menu and what we ordered

The sweet potato fritters are something I always order here...! This time, after a while, I ordered carbonara and arugula pizza.

There are set menus too, but I actually prefer ordering à la carte. The sets let you enjoy several menu items at once without having to choose, and they seemed like good value.

Bueokgan is a Western restaurant in Gwangju that's especially known for its pizza! All the other menu items are good too, but I always order the pizza here without fail, haha.

There were plenty of drink options to pair with the food depending on your taste — soft drinks, juice, ade, beer, coffee, wine, and more.

The wine list is modest and reasonably priced, so if you're visiting for a special occasion, ordering a bottle of wine seems worth it.

Taste test: sweet potato fritters, arugula pizza, carbonara

The dishes came out quickly, arriving in this order: sweet potato fritters, then pizza, then pasta.

Sweet potato fritters with yogurt sauce

At other branches I think they only gave ketchup or honey, but this time they gave us a yogurt-flavored sauce too. It was quite unusual and honestly went pretty well.

They were good to nibble on before the other dishes arrived, and since I generally love sweet potato, I think this is one item I never skip whenever I come to Bueokgan 😉

Arugula pizza with honey

My friends usually like the jambon pizza, but I hadn't had the arugula pizza in a while, so I felt like ordering this one! It comes piled high with arugula on top, like eating a salad haha. It's a healthy pizza you can still enjoy for the taste.

This is the honey we asked for to eat with the sweet potato fritters and arugula pizza! It goes well with the crust at the edge of the pizza, and it's also tasty drizzled a bit over the arugula pizza itself. As you eat, it tones down the slight bitterness of the arugula, and it pairs surprisingly well with the tomato sauce too — a really good combination.

Carbonara with a poached egg

The carbonara at Bueokgan, this Suwan-district pasta spot, that I ordered for the first time in a really long while! You can skip the poached egg, but I definitely recommend adding it.

The cream sauce was soft and thick — really on point — and it was loaded with ingredients from plump bacon to mushrooms! It wasn't as heavy as I expected, and it paired really well with the arugula pizza too.

Is Bueokgan Suwan Branch worth a visit?

If you're looking for a pasta spot in Gwangju's Suwan district, I recommend Bueokgan Suwan Branch — a Western restaurant in Gwangju with a wide variety of dishes, wine and drinks to pair with them, and a great atmosphere all around!