Gwangju Korean bar for traditional drinks: Jumak Inho

Four of us visited Jumak Inho (주막인호) on Geumnam-ro in Gwangju for a second round of drinks. It is a place to enjoy snacks and traditional drinks together, and the calm atmosphere was nice for having a drink.

What does Jumak Inho serve at lunch and in the evening?

It is the place with “Inho” written on its wooden sign. It serves gukbap (rice soup) during the day, and snacks and traditional drinks in the evening.

For lunch, I heard you can choose minari gukbap (water parsley rice soup) in red, creamy-white, or clear broth. We visited in the evening, so I did not try the gukbap.

Is it a good place for a quiet drink?

Like the sign, the interior used natural wood and had a calm feel. It was quiet when I visited, so I thought it would also be fine for a date or blind date.

The seating was divided between four-person tables and bar seats. Since there were four of us, we sat at a four-person table, and the bar seats looked suitable for drinking alone as well.

How do you order, and what drinks are available?

We could order by QR code. I found it convenient that we did not have to ask for the menu again when placing additional orders.

The snacks were divided into large and small plates. It looked easy to choose an amount that suited either a meal or a second stop like ours. They also sold Haechang and Boksoondoga makgeolli.

The complimentary snack was nurungji crackers. They were coated in seasoning that reminded me of ramen soup powder, with a nutty flavor and a touch of sweetness.

Instead of makgeolli, we ordered Oneul Soju, a rice soju. It tasted cleaner to me than standard diluted soju, and it reminded me of Cheongha.

How were the snacks we had for a second round?

What was the best way to eat the chilled pork jowl?

The chilled pork jowl was a good choice when I was full but still wanted meat. It could have been a little plain on its own, but it was well seasoned with the vegetables and sauce. I especially liked that it was clean and easy to eat.

What did the non-drinking companion order?

We also ordered a non-alcoholic highball. It came in a gojumangtae glass, said to make your face turn red when filled with a cold drink. The companion who drank it said it was sweet and did not taste like alcohol.

How was the soft tofu stew we chose instead of the sold-out dish?

We had planned to order the beef brisket soybean-paste rice bowl, but it was sold out, so we switched to soft tofu stew. The broth had a pleasantly spicy kick, and the vegetables were cut into large pieces, making it good with drinks.

How were the extra fried octopus and potato dumplings?

As we ate, we wanted a little more, so we added fried octopus and gamja ongsimi (chewy potato dumplings). The octopus was crisp and the potato dumplings were chewy, so the two textures worked well together.

On this visit, I liked both the calm space and the snacks. I would like to return when I want a quiet drink of soju or makgeolli on Geumnam-ro.

Where is it, and what are the hours?

The address is 161-3 Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju, South Korea, in the left-side storefront on the first floor. According to the original post, hours are 11:00–14:00 for lunch and 17:00–22:00 in the evening, with last orders at 20:30. Parking was indicated as available in the ground-level parking lot or along the roadside.