Roastery hanok café in Gwangju for a friends' reunion: Hoyang Horim

So many good-looking cafés have popped up in Yangnim-dong lately that just touring the new ones could keep me busy, but this time I visited Hoyang Horim, a place that's held its spot in the neighborhood for a long time while still keeping a slightly special atmosphere.

I'd wanted to go for ages, but something always came up or the timing never worked out — annoying! So when a reunion with old friends landed in Yangnim-dong, I thought, this is my chance, and went straight over.

True to the space's slogan of turning tradition into something everyday, it keeps the hanok (traditional Korean house) atmosphere intact while letting you enjoy coffee and dessert with a modern sensibility — which is exactly why this Yangnim-dong visit stuck with me. Here's the story of Hoyang Horim!

A roastery hanok café that's rare in Gwangju

First of all, Hoyang Horim, a hanok café in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju, left a strong impression simply because roastery hanok cafés aren't common here. They roast their own beans in-house and offer both blended and single-origin beans for hand-drip coffee.

For anyone who genuinely loves coffee, not just a nice atmosphere, Hoyang Horim felt like a place worth visiting for the coffee itself.

What the hanok atmosphere was like

The distinctive hanok feel hit me the moment I stepped in. The space is so stylish that there were plenty of foreign guests too. It keeps the comfort of a traditional space while layering in modern touches everywhere, which also made it great for photos haha.

Unique desserts: gaeseongjuak, injeolmi waffle, hangari bingsu, and more

Above all, another distinctive thing about Hoyang Horim is its menu of traditional ingredients and desserts reimagined in unusual ways. From gaeseongjuak to injeolmi (sweet rice cake) waffles to hangari bingsu (jar-style shaved ice), they have items you don't normally see at a regular café.

All the desserts are made in-house, and they seem to roll out new menu items each season, so it's a great unique-dessert café for anyone who loves sweets.

What we ordered with friends

Among the options, we ordered a variety to share: black sesame latte, iced Americano, gaeseongjuak, blueberry cheesecake, fig-and-dried-persimmon sando, and injeolmi waffle.

Black sesame latte

First, the black sesame latte had a nutty depth from the black sesame — not just a sweet latte, but one where that distinctive nuttiness really came through, making it a good match for the traditional desserts!

Iced Americano

The iced Americano let you really taste the coffee aroma, as you'd expect from a café that roasts its own beans. With so many desserts on the table, a clean Americano paired even better :-)

The desserts that followed were each interesting in their own way, both in flavor and texture.

Injeolmi waffle

The injeolmi waffle is one of the signature items you can't skip at Hoyang Horim in Yangnim-dong — you get the nutty flavor of injeolmi in waffle form, with a chewy texture that made it a real standout.

Blueberry cheesecake

You just have to try the cheesecake... it was rich and dense in the best way, genuinely delicious.

Fig-and-dried-persimmon sando

The fig-and-dried-persimmon sando was also intriguing since it's not a dessert you come across easily — the combination of fig and dried persimmon gave it a distinctive flavor, and I'd recommend this one too!

Overall, this hanok café in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju, has a totally different atmosphere and dessert lineup from the newer cafés popping up everywhere these days, so I hope you get to visit at least once.