Gwangju hanok café: Dubai gaeseongjuak by a sunny window, Hoyang Horim

You know the dilemma after eating in Yangnim-dong: "Is there a nice café nearby?" Just coffee feels like a letdown, but I don't want to go somewhere with boring desserts either, haha. Hoyang Horim (호양호림), the Yangnim-dong café in Gwangju I visited this time, won me over from its hanok (traditional Korean house) vibe to its desserts.

You can get the trendy gaeseongjuak (a Korean fried rice-cake pastry) and an injeolmi waffle (with roasted soybean powder) here, so dessert lovers should keep this place on their radar. We ordered 2 vanilla bean cream lattes, a chewy Dubai gaeseongjuak and an injeolmi waffle. Sitting at a hanok window on a sunny day eating sweet desserts just put me in a good mood. If you're looking for a Yangnim-dong date café or a hanok café in Gwangju, here's a closer look!

Where is Hoyang Horim, and what does the outside look like?

Hoyang Horim is a hanok café at 4 Uwolsun-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju (1st floor), in an alley near Gwangju Christian Hospital. It's open 11:00–21:00.

Yangnim-dong is a neighborhood that's fun to wander alley by alley, and Hoyang Horim caught my eye right from the entrance. A signboard reading Hoyang Horim hangs under a big tiled roof, and it felt less like a café and more like visiting an old hanok home.

There are so many pretty cafés these days, but a place that keeps the charm of a hanok has its own appeal, right? Step through the gate and you'll see a courtyard laid with pebbles and wooden outdoor seats.

Green plants blend in with the hanok, so it's great for photos, and on a cool day you could happily drink your coffee outside. I went on a bright, sunny day, and the tiled roof against the blue sky was really pretty.

Where do you park for Hoyang Horim?

For Hoyang Horim, use the nearby Gwangju Christian Hospital parking lots or the Yangnim Historic Cultural Village public parking lot. I'd recommend checking parking before you go.

At the nearby Gwangju Christian Hospital lots 1 and 2, you may get 1 hour free on weekends, holidays and weekdays after 5 PM. The Yangnim Historic Cultural Village public lot is also an option, so pick one to suit your visit time. Please double-check the free-parking conditions with the on-site notice.

Inside Hoyang Horim: the atmosphere and the window seats

The interior keeps the hanok structure with its wooden pillars and exposed rafters, with bright walls and plants for a clean look. My top pick is the window seat, where sunlight pours in through the big picture window.

I assumed a hanok café would feel old-fashioned inside too, but Hoyang Horim blends the traditional mood with a tidy interior nicely. The wooden pillars and rafters are left as they are, and the bright walls and plants make it feel cozy.

There's a full-length mirror and potted plants on one side, plus the Hoyang Horim lettering on the wall, so it works as a little photo spot. But what I liked most was the window seat.

Through the big window you can see bamboo and the hanok wall, and with the sunlight coming in, the mood is just lovely. It's the kind of spot where you order one coffee and want to sit for ages, haha. These days at a café, coffee flavor matters, but so does whether the time you spend sitting there feels comfortable.

Hoyang Horim has a calm charm that's different from noisy downtown cafés. There are seats facing the courtyard and indoor seats too, so you can sit wherever suits you. If you come on a Yangnim-dong date, I'd recommend the window seat. When the sun comes in, your dessert photos turn out great too!

What's on the menu at Hoyang Horim, and how much is it?

You order at Hoyang Horim by kiosk. The menu runs from coffee, with an Americano at ₩4,500 up to a vanilla bean cream latte at ₩6,000, to traditional desserts like gaeseongjuak and injeolmi waffles. Gaeseongjuak prices vary by type, starting around ₩2,800–3,000.

Looking over the menu, there's not just regular coffee but a wide range of traditional desserts that suit the hanok café mood.

• Americano ₩4,500
• Café latte ₩5,000
• Vanilla bean cream latte ₩6,000
• Black sesame cream latte ₩6,000
• Condensed milk cinnamon latte ₩5,500

There were several kinds of gaeseongjuak, including apple cinnamon, red bean butter, lemon, Dubai chocolate and walnut jeonggwa (candied walnut).

Prices start around ₩2,800–3,000 depending on the type. The injeolmi waffle also has options like plain and mugwort, so you can order to taste. The gaeseongjuak are displayed one by one in the showcase, and they look so cute.

Gift packaging is available too, so it looks good if you want a special dessert in Yangnim-dong or a present for someone. Gaeseongjuak is popular lately and I'd been curious, and I liked that Hoyang Horim lets you have it with coffee. After some deliberation, we ordered 2 vanilla bean cream lattes, a chewy Dubai gaeseongjuak and an injeolmi waffle.

How do the vanilla bean cream latte, injeolmi waffle and Dubai gaeseongjuak taste?

Drinks and desserts at Hoyang Horim come on a round wooden tray (sobam). Of the vanilla bean cream latte, injeolmi waffle and Dubai gaeseongjuak, the vanilla bean cream latte and injeolmi waffle went especially well together.

I took photos the moment our order arrived. Instead of a regular café tray, the drinks and desserts come on a round wooden tray, and it suits the hanok café mood so well!

Two coffees, a waffle and gaeseongjuak all set out together looked satisfying right away.

Vanilla bean cream latte

First, the vanilla bean cream latte! In a clear glass, milk and coffee form layers, topped with soft cream and a dark powder.

With cream added to what would be a regular vanilla latte, it's one for people who like sweet coffee. Taste the cream first before you drink, then stir it into the coffee and it feels different again.

Injeolmi waffle

And the injeolmi waffle I'd been looking forward to!

A scoop of vanilla ice cream sits on a big waffle, sprinkled with roasted soybean powder and sliced almonds. The waffle comes cut into bite-size pieces, so it was easy for two of us to share. The familiar waffle with nutty soybean powder has a different charm from an ordinary whipped cream waffle.

The ice cream melting a little and seeping between the waffle pieces looked delicious too. Sweet ice cream with nutty injeolmi is a combo that's hard to get wrong, haha.

Chewy Dubai gaeseongjuak

Last, the chewy Dubai gaeseongjuak!

Dubai desserts are so popular these days. What was unique is that Hoyang Horim adds a Dubai chocolate style to gaeseongjuak, a traditional Korean dessert. Chocolate topping and thin strands sit on top of the small, round gaeseongjuak, and it caught my eye from the looks alone.

Unlike the big waffle, it's a bite-size piece that goes nicely alongside coffee. Even people who don't often eat traditional desserts might want to try it once in a fresh combination like this.

Is Hoyang Horim a good café after a meal in Yangnim-dong?

Hoyang Horim was a Yangnim-dong café with real spatial charm, from the hanok gate and courtyard to the sunny window seats and traditional desserts. What I felt on this visit is that Yangnim-dong does have lots of atmospheric cafés.

Among them, Hoyang Horim clearly stood out, from the hanok gate and courtyard to the sunny window seats and traditional desserts. I'd recommend it if you want a casual café to drop into after a meal in Yangnim-dong, or a date where you take photos and enjoy tasty desserts.

Personally, the vanilla bean cream latte and injeolmi waffle combo went especially well together. If you're looking for a hanok café in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju, put Hoyang Horim on your list!