Bone-free autumn jeoneo hoe in Nam-gu, Gwangju: Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha

Location and hours of Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch

It's located at 104 Gunbun-ro, 1st floor, Nam-gu, Gwangju, South Korea.

Here's the entrance. Hours are 12:00 – 23:00. Parking fits about 6 cars. If it's full, you can park in the nearby alleys!! Can you see the live fish tank beside the shop? A fresh sashimi place having its live fish tank visible from outside feels extra reassuring and kind of cool!! And at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch, the window seats are right up against the tank, so kids would probably love it haha.

A spacious hall with an indoor restroom

The restaurant is set up with tables in a really spacious hall. It says '100% refund if not fresh!!' haha. I have no idea how confident you'd have to be in your freshness to put that up~ ~ The restroom is inside too, so it's safe and clean, and overall it was a place I really liked!!!!

They set the table right away for us, and it was neat and nice.

Early September's seasonal picks: prawns and gizzard shad

As of late August to early September, prawns and gizzard shad (jeoneo) are in season, so they're taking over the main menu. There are also plenty of other side menu items!!

Self-serve pancakes and seaweed

Turns out the pancakes and seaweed are self-serve? I made one batch, it was so good I made even more haha. Usually asking for a pancake refill at a restaurant feels a bit awkward, but being able to just help yourself was great, and with cheongyang chili mixed in for a bit of a spicy kick that cuts through the richness, it honestly felt like being treated to a real jeonjip (pancake house) — such a delicious touch of service~~

Banchan spread with seaweed soup, grilled herring, and hoe-naengmyeon sauce

Seaweed soup and grilled herring come out as side dishes... now that's a proper banchan spread!! Grilled herring is an unfamiliar dish for me — lots of small bones, but it was tender enough that chewing through was actually delicious~!!?

Hoe-naengmyeon (cold raw fish noodle soup) sauce and salad come out as side dishes too! A really good flavor to pair with the sashimi. When you get a little bored just eating sashimi plain, dip it into the hoe-naengmyeon sauce and it feels like you're eating two different dishes haha 😊

An autumn jeoneo hoe spot worth knowing

Why we ordered the jeoneo hoe bone-free

Finally, the jeoneo hoe (bone-free)!!!! Here at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha they offer jeoneo hoe both bone-in and bone-free, and we went with bone-free. True to peak-season jeoneo, it was soft and nutty-tasting — totally delicious!! My friend lives in a region so serious about jeoneo they hold a jeoneo festival, and eats it often, and she said having it sliced long and bone-free like this made it even easier to eat, which was her verdict haha.

Spicy stew for ₩5,000 extra, with hand-torn dumplings

You can get spicy stew (maeuntang) for ₩5,000 extra, and they give you dumpling dough so you can make handmade dumplings in it too. The stew had fish bones with plenty of meat still on them, and it was spicy and refreshing~

Rice you can shape into sushi, plus aged kimchi! A combo that's essential with raw fish! A combo that fills you up on the banchan alone...hahaha. The staff were really kind too, the place is big and nice, and with so much extra food coming out, there's no reason not to pick this when looking for a good restaurant in Wolsan, Gwangju.

A spread perfect for taking your parents

Here's the full table spread~ the table legs might buckle. Older folks especially love a good banchan spread. Probably why there are so many families here~ A great place to bring your parents!!!

Another two pancakes we made because they were so good, plus refilled seaweed soup...

Wrapping the jeoneo hoe with aged kimchi in seaweed like this, it really melts in your mouth!! Usually you have to ask for more seaweed, which can feel like a hassle, but at this Wolsan-dong, Gwangju favorite, Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha, they just leave it at the self-serve bar so you can grab it easily and wrap up as much jeoneo hoe as you want!! Right now, in early September, while the jeoneo bones are still soft and tender, come get your jeoneo hoe fix at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch before the season passes~!!