Gwangju seafood pocha date for two: ₩55,000 salt-grilled shrimp

Where is Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch?

Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch is a sashimi and seafood pocha (street-food style bar) at 104 Gunbun-ro, 1st floor, Nam-gu, Gwangju, South Korea (Wolsan-dong 996-65). It's open daily from 12:00 to 23:00, and you can park in the lot behind the building or along the alley.

What the Wolsan-dong pocha looks like from outside

A brand-new hotspot opened up in Wolsan-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju — "Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Wolsan Branch" — and as a longtime regular of the original Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha, there was no way I wasn't going to check it out. It's so good I've often ordered delivery from them too. 😊

There's a fish tank set up outside, so you can watch fresh shrimp and fish swimming around.

Inside Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha: seating and menu prices

The inside of Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch was clean, as you'd expect from a newly opened place, and the walls were covered with autumn menu items like jeoneo hoe (raw gizzard shad), jeoneo muchim (seasoned gizzard shad), grilled jeoneo, steamed crab, salt-grilled shrimp, and raw shrimp sashimi.

The interior was neatly arranged, and being a brand-new spot, it was really spotless ✨

There's a whole lineup of menu items perfect for a soju drink after work. All the autumn stars are here: jeoneo hoe, jeoneo muchim, grilled jeoneo, steamed crab, salt-grilled shrimp, raw shrimp sashimi. So many of my favorites!

On one side there's a self-service pancake-grilling station. Pajeon ingredients are all set out so you can grill and eat as much as you want! 😆

Frying your own pajeon and the free side dishes

At the self-service pancake corner of Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Wolsan Branch, you can grill your own pajeon (scallion pancake). The base spread starts with salad, kimchi, and corn salad, then moves on to grilled saury, seaweed soup, and mulhoe.

What arrives at the table

My boyfriend and I both love pajeon so much we couldn't not grill one. 😊 It's packed with scallions and really delicious.

First, the base spread arrived: salad, kimchi, corn salad. All three are things I love. The salad had a generous amount of bean flour on top, so it was nutty and delicious, and the mayo corn salad — need I say more? 😂

On top of that, grilled saury, seaweed soup, and mulhoe. Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha's side dish game is as solid as ever! Such a lavish spread just for the basics! By the way, this mulhoe doesn't have any raw fish in it, but the broth was still amazing.

How could you not love Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha with all this! 👀 The mulhoe especially was the best — my boyfriend was raving about it even before the main dish arrived!

Is ₩55,000 salt-grilled king shrimp enough for two people?

The salt-grilled king shrimp at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch costs ₩55,000, and they grill freshly caught raw shrimp on a bed of coarse salt. As a couple of two, the portion was just right, and it looked like it could stretch to 2–3 people.

Salt-grilled king shrimp (₩55,000) — once autumn hits, I eat this at least five times a season. They put freshly caught raw shrimp onto coarse salt and grill it for a set amount of time.

Once they turn this orange color, they're fully cooked. The natural sweetness of in-season shrimp mixed with the saltiness of the salt-grilling made for such a rich shrimp aroma.

Being in-season shrimp, they were plump and large. With just my boyfriend and me, the portion was perfect. I think it could serve 2 to 3 people!

This is how we hang out together 😆❤️ My sweet boyfriend, going along with whatever I want to do! Shrimp cheers time!

How the butter-grilled shrimp heads are made

For the shrimp head grilling, you need to separate the bodies from the heads yourself!

Then they grill up these delicious butter-grilled heads for you. Let's be honest, everyone orders salt-grilled shrimp just to get to the butter-grilled heads. (Can we agree? 😁)

Seriously nutty and delicious, with the rich flavor of the shrimp innards mixed in — the perfect drinking snack! 😊

₩5,000 spicy stew to finish, with dumpling dough

The dessert spicy stew at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Wolsan Branch costs ₩5,000, and unusually, they give you dumpling dough to go with it. We debated between ramyeon and spicy stew, and picking the stew turned out to be a satisfying choice.

Dessert spicy stew (₩5,000) — coming to a sashimi restaurant and not having spicy stew would be such a shame! It's spicy and packed with umami. I debated between ramyeon and this, but I think ordering the stew was the right call!

Unusually, they give you dumpling dough, so my sweet boyfriend had fun tearing off pieces of the dough one by one. Once it hits the stew, the chewy dumpling dough was so, so good.

Is Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha worth a visit in Gwangju?

"Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch" earns its spot as a top king shrimp grill in Gwangju — the side dishes are fantastic and it's a great place for a drink after work. 😊❤️ Before autumn ends, be sure to stop by and try the salt-grilled king shrimp or grilled jeoneo. Thanks to the lavish side dishes, you definitely won't regret it. 😆