Gwangju Korean bar feast for 2–3: Ju Myeongdang

I visited Ju Myeongdang (주명당) on one of those days when I wanted a drink in Dongmyeong-dong along with some proper food.

These days, even at a bar, ordering just one or two dishes can make the bill climb quickly. This place caught my eye because it has the Samchon Sul-sang, which lets you try several dishes at once.

Rather than ordering this and that separately, we got the ₩49,000 Samchon Sul-sang. It is recommended for two to three people, so it seemed like a good option for drinks with friends in Dongmyeong-dong too.

Ju Myeongdang’s location and atmosphere in Dongmyeong-dong

Ju Myeongdang is on the second floor of the building. The sign is large enough to spot easily from outside, and the stairs at the entrance lead straight up to the restaurant. The Ju Myeongdang logo and directions start right on the stairs, so it felt like, yep, I found the right place haha. Once inside, the atmosphere was nicer than I expected.

With brick details, warm lighting, and hanok-inspired decor throughout, it felt more like an atmospheric Korean bar in Dongmyeong-dong than an ordinary pojangmacha-style pub. A large painting on one wall was a real focal point. The overall mood was neither too heavy nor like a loud pub, which made it nice for a drink. It also looked suitable for a casual drink on a date or a gathering with friends.

What comes with Ju Myeongdang’s ₩49,000 Samchon Sul-sang

The Samchon Sul-sang was the first thing that caught my attention on the menu. It costs ₩49,000 and is recommended for two to three people.

• 96-hour straw-fire marinated galbi
• Beef yukjeon (pan-fried beef in egg batter)
• Straw-fire meat-and-chili fritters
• Jangchungseong doenjang sulbap (soybean-paste rice soup)
• Cheese shredded-potato jeon (Korean pancake)

You get to taste all these different drinking dishes at once. Sometimes you get tired of eating just one dish at a bar, but here there was everything from meat and jeon to fritters and doenjang sulbap, so it was great for picking at different things while drinking.

The generously filled Samchon Sul-sang

When the main platter arrived, I was surprised by how much more generous it was than expected. A large basket held marinated galbi, yukjeon, chili fritters, meat tucked inside fried tofu, fresh kimchi, and assorted sides all together—the visual was pure drinking food lol. There was plenty of variety even on one platter, so it did not seem likely that anyone would be left with nothing they liked. There was a good share of meat too, making it a solid set even if you came out for drinks without having had a proper dinner!

96-hour straw-fire marinated galbi

The first dish I reached for on the Samchon Sul-sang was the marinated galbi. The seasoning had soaked into the surface with a glossy sheen, and one bite brought a clear sweet-and-salty flavor. The meat itself was tender rather than dry, so it was good on its own too. Put some meat on lettuce with the fresh kimchi or pickles served alongside, and it felt different again.

Marinated meat like this really has to be eaten with soju to do it properly lol.

Beef yukjeon and straw-fire meat-and-chili fritters

There was more yukjeon than I expected as well. It was browned nicely outside, with beef inside, so it was savory and tender. Taking a bite of yukjeon between the more heavily seasoned dishes was nice because it reset the flavors a little.

Especially with a little of the kimchi or pickled onions on top, I could keep eating it without it becoming greasy.

Long fritters came with the set too, and this was quietly one of those dishes I kept reaching for. The batter was crisp outside and the filling was inside, becoming more savory as I chewed. The distinctive aroma of the chili made it suit drinks even better than an ordinary fritter. It was perfect for picking up one at a time between bites of the main meat.

The crisp texture of the cheese shredded-potato jeon

Personally, the cheese shredded-potato jeon felt like truly perfect drinking food. When it first arrived, the potato had been spread thinly, so it almost felt like crisp-baked potatoes rather than jeon. Cheese and savory toppings were woven through the shreds, and the edges were especially crunchy! As I pulled off and ate one piece at a time, it disappeared faster than expected. With so many meat dishes in the Samchon Sul-sang, it added a nice textural change and fit the set well.

Finishing with Jangchungseong doenjang sulbap

When you are drinking, you need a hot bowl of soup at the end, right? The Samchon Sul-sang includes doenjang sulbap, so we did not need to add a separate soup dish. It arrived bubbling in a ttukbaegi earthenware bowl, and even the photo makes the broth look rich. The nutty depth of doenjang had a light spicy kick, making it great to spoon up after meat and a shot of soju. More than anything, I liked that soup was included in one set. By the later part of the drinks, everyone was eventually reaching for this one lol.

Ju Myeongdang was fun to pick through one dish at a time

What I liked about Ju Myeongdang’s Samchon Sul-sang was not simply that there was a lot of food, but that the selection was varied. There were substantial meat dishes like marinated galbi, easy-to-pick-at dishes like yukjeon, fritters, and shredded-potato jeon, then hot doenjang sulbap at the end. It suited the natural flow of having drinks perfectly. If two or three people visit, it could be a good idea to start with this set instead of ordering lots of separate dishes.

There are so many bars in Dongmyeong-dong that deciding where to go can be difficult, but Ju Myeongdang stayed with me because it had a good atmosphere and generous food. Especially if you are visiting as a group and want a balanced spread of meat, jeon, fritters, and soup, the Samchon Sul-sang is a good set. If you are looking in Dongmyeong-dong for a bar where you can properly eat as well as drink, rather than just a light second-stop bar, Ju Myeongdang could be worth trying ერთხელ :)