Gwangju hanjeongsik restaurant with grilled gulbi: Misikga Imokase

This has been a hanjeongsik (Korean set-course meal) spot I'd wanted to take my parents to for ages, and today I finally made it happen! Dinner at Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch's group room.

My parents have always loved samhap bossam (three-way boiled pork wrap) and yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), so they make it for me every time I go back home haha. But looking at the Misikga Imokase menu, it had all that plus grilled fish, braised pomfret, yukjeon (beef pancake) and more — 17 dishes in total, super generous! Since it's the main branch, I went in with high expectations.

Where is Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch, and where do you park?

A red sign you can't miss

For Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch's group-room dinner, I'd recommend public transit over driving! For those driving, there are two parking options.

• Roadside parking
• Smile Parking Building (paid)

But it's super close to Sangmu Station (3 minutes), so getting there by subway is quick :)

Misikga Imokase has a white sign with red lettering spelling out 'misikga' (gourmet), easy for anyone to spot, so there's no way you'd miss it lol. The tiled-roof exterior was pretty unique too haha. Reserved customers seem to be seated in the main building on the right! Something to note if you've booked ahead.

Here's today's menu (subject to change)! 14 main dishes and 3 desserts... at this point shouldn't they just call it the Sangmu district's Korean buffet lol?

Inside Misikga Imokase: atmosphere and group rooms

A cozy, warm-feeling interior

I expected a super formal, buttoned-up hanjeongsik place, but it actually had such a cozy, warm feeling!

Great for coming with family in the evening, or for a light drink with your girlfriend over good Korean food haha.

Group bookings also available!

Isn't finding a venue always the hardest part of a group gathering? Well, Misikga Imokase has two group rooms in the annex, and Room 1 can hold up to 16 people! I even heard there's a space that fits up to 50–60 people, whoa (if you need a group space, ask in-store!).

And this super interesting ceramics display case! Rows and rows of colorful ceramics stacked up — the owner must have a hobby of collecting pottery haha.

The building is also split into a main building, annex, and new building — felt like business must be booming and they kept expanding! (Or maybe not haha.)

There was even a detailed explanation of how to eat the soybean-powder raw fish haha.

How much is the imokase course? 30,000 won per person

Menu and prices

The menu board is super simple, right? Imokase is the base, and any extras are ordered separately!

Misikga Imokase serves 17 dishes for ₩30,000 per person (₩35,000 per person for 2 people)

Here's the alcohol price list too, for reference~

We had the Misikga Imokase at ₩30,000 per person! There's also a Naver photo receipt review event going on right now — write a review and get a free bottle of alcohol (soju or beer)!

The day's spread, from raw fish to grilled Yeongwang gulbi

Finally, today's spread arrived! Perilla leaves and soybean-powder raw fish, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), acorn jelly salad, grilled Yeongwang gulbi (dried croaker), steamed potatoes and more started coming out.

The raw fish was coated generously in soybean powder, and wrapped in perilla leaf it was completely sweet and tangy!! My mom especially loved the raw fish.

And the grilled Yeongwang gulbi! Honestly, fish is the food I miss most living alone, so getting both grilled and braised fish today felt like hitting the jackpot haha.

The grilled fish was just the right amount of salty and delicious haha.

And one of my absolute favorite dishes, Korean beef (cow) yukhoe! The nutty aroma of sesame oil with fresh raw beef — amazing~~

Next up, yukjeon (beef pancake) and kimchijeon (kimchi pancake)! With Chuseok (Korean harvest holiday) coming up soon, it felt like getting a head start on holiday food. Usually at holidays I just keep snacking on jeon (savory pancakes) until I'm stuffed, and it felt kind of like that here too haha.

The bean sprout radish soup was also nicely done, refreshing and great to pair with drinks.

Skate samhap bossam without the ammonia smell

And today's favorite of mine, skate samhap bossam (fermented skate, pork, and kimchi wrap)! My mom doesn't like the pungent smell of skate, but Misikga Imokase's skate samhap bossam had basically none of that distinctive skate smell, so even she enjoyed it happily haha.

Personally, the skate samhap was my favorite so I cleaned my plate :)

Wrap some skate, bossam, kimchi and chili pepper in a perilla leaf and take a big bite — nothing but delicious :)

My dad was very satisfied with the samhap bossam too — looks amazing even just from the photos, right?

Braised pomfret, spicy webfoot octopus and a ramyeon finish

Next was braised pomfret! The spicy seasoning had soaked in so well it was a total rice thief. It came topped with sliced onion, nice and crunchy to eat alongside.

Spicy stir-fried baby octopus came out too, and with the food just kept coming nonstop, I started worrying I'd get too full to walk home lol.

But plump, chewy octopus is impossible to resist! And finally, even ramyeon (instant noodles) came out haha. Great as a hangover-cure noodle for anyone drinking.

Dessert: fresh fruit and patbingsu (shaved ice with red bean)

Dessert was handled with just as much care! Seasonal fruit for dessert included dragon fruit, green grapes, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, and banana — a nice variety.

And even my favorite, saeukkang (shrimp chips)! The desserts just kept coming, no end in sight.

To finish, patbingsu (shaved ice with red beans) for a palate cleanser! Normally after a meal I always head to a patbingsu place like Sulbing, but here dessert gets handled all in one place, which is so convenient haha.

Verdict: worth it for big eaters and family dinners in Gwangju

Recommendation & final thoughts

Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch is heartier than the hanjeongsik buffets around Sangmu district, and it's basically a complete showcase of Jeolla-do regional food — huge portions, huge variety. A welcome spot for anyone who's a big eater :)