Noon Ladle Taster · 16 stories

A Noon Ladle Through Gwangju and Jeolla

Writes about small restaurants and everyday meals found around Gwangju and the wider Jeolla region. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Shopping

PlaceNam-gu, GwangjuCafés

Yangnim-dong dessert café for an evening injeolmi waffle: Hoyang Horim

Hoyang Horim is a hanok roastery café on Uwolsun-gil in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, serving house-roasted coffee and traditional Korean desserts such as gaeseongjuak (fried sweet rice cakes) and injeolmi waffles. The writer visited Hoyang Horim one evening with a close older friend, ordered a black sesame cream latte, a condensed milk cinnamon latte, a Dubai chocolate gaeseongjuak and a plain injeolmi waffle, and named the injeolmi waffle, whose dough is injeolmi (soybean-dusted rice cake) itself, the top pick. The gotgamsando (dried persimmon sandwich) was sold out by evening, so go to Hoyang Horim early if there is a dessert you have your heart set on.

Written Sep 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDong-gu, GwangjuRestaurants

Gwangju Gusicheong restaurant for first-time steamed oxtail: Jeongdam

Jeongdam Gusicheong Main Branch is a Korean restaurant serving steamed oxtail near Gusicheong in Dong-gu, Gwangju. Trying oxtail for the first time, the writer and her younger sibling ordered the small (500g) set for 49,000 won, which comes with steamed oxtail, somyeon (thin wheat noodles), soft tofu stew and sprout ginseng. The tender meat with no gamey smell and the soft tofu and zucchini stew stood out. Jeongdam Gusicheong Main Branch serves a clean, restorative meal that even oxtail first-timers can enjoy without hesitation.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNam-gu, GwangjuRestaurants

Wolsan-dong sashimi restaurant, Gwangju: DIY sushi and mulhoe sauce

Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch is a live fish sashimi restaurant on Gunbun-ro in Wolsan-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju. Three people shared the raw shrimp and assorted sashimi set for ₩85,000, topping sushi rice with sashimi and adding mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) sauce, seaweed soup and pancakes they fried themselves. The sashimi at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha, cut from live fish on the spot, was satisfyingly chewy, and the shrimp ramyeon from the review event made a good finish.

Written Sep 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBuk-gu, GwangjuRestaurants

Spicy jokbal & charcoal bossam in Yongbong-dong, Gwangju: Kkankkanhan

Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch is a jokbal (braised pig's trotters) and bossam (boiled pork with wraps) restaurant near Jeoncheolu Intersection in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. The writer and a friend ordered the half-and-half plate of fire-grilled spicy jokbal and charcoal-grilled bossam for dinner, then received a chewy mini jokbal through the Naver review event, which turned the table into a full jokbal party. When a spicy-jokbal fan and a bossam fan eat together, the half-and-half plate at Kkankkanhan settles the argument peacefully.

Written Sep 24, 2026Sponsored
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