Gwangju Cheomdan Chinese restaurant for family meals with kids: Mayway

Mayway in Cheomdan, Gwangju: a Chinese restaurant that opened in July 2025

Mayway's Cheomdan branch is a Chinese restaurant that newly opened in July on Cheomdangangbyeon-ro 87beon-gil in Gwangsan-gu. It's open daily from 11am to 10pm, with a break time from 3 to 5pm and last order at 9:30pm.

Hi, this is Babgorism :) I visited Mayway over the weekend, a hot new Chinese restaurant that's been popping up around Cheomdan lately! My brother and our kids all genuinely love Chinese food haha, so since it just opened fresh in July, I went in with high expectations.

We parked in the alley behind and walked just a little bit! The exterior was clean and had a really modern feel right from the start.

Near the entrance, the signature menu, signage, and event menu were all displayed.

Mayway at 1:30pm on a Sunday: atmosphere and seating

We arrived at 1:30pm on a Sunday and there were really a lot of customers. The interior was very comfortable and the decor was neatly arranged. From two-tops to four-tops, and tables that could be combined for group gatherings or work dinners — the seating layout was really well done.

As soon as we sat down at a free table, they brought over children's tableware right away. While thinking about what to order, since this place is known as a Cheomdan foodie spot, I put together a mix of the signature dishes and hearty options. So we decided on the 1-person set meal (jjamppong, jjajang, sweet and sour pork), spicy webfoot octopus jjajang, and seafood nurungji-tang — a really generous and varied order.

Mayway's self-serve bar: unlimited banchan and rice

At Mayway's self-serve bar you can freely grab basic banchan (side dishes) like pickled radish and onion, plus rice. Tableware, scissors and tongs were also set up so you could use them easily — very convenient.

After ordering, I went to check out the self-serve bar set up on one side of the restaurant. It was really clean. You can take as much of the basic banchan as you want without any hesitation!! And you can take as much rice as you want too.

Mayway's kimchi is interesting — there's no cabbage kimchi, only green onion kimchi. Oh, that's unique~~~~ We filled up on basic banchan and waited. While waiting, I noticed that literally every table except ours was eating the hot stone jjajang lol. Wait, what!! Haha I have to order that next time for sure.

There was a built-in burner? in the middle of the table, and I wondered why — turns out it's for keeping the hot stone jjajang warm while you eat it... Whoa. I'll definitely have that next time.

Since we were bored, we just looked around here and there. Saw the table-buzzer machine and a little story about Mayway's Cheomdan branch. Oh... apparently it goes back to Daeheung Banjeom, which has been in Dong-gu since 1950!! It just newly opened in Cheomdan. So it's actually really old, huh!? The restroom entrance is around the outside of the building — exit and go left, all the way around.

Seafood nurungji-tang, the kids' favorite dish at Mayway

Mayway's signature seafood nurungji-tang (crispy rice soup) is a dish where a staff member pours rich seafood sauce over crispy nurungji (scorched rice) in a hot stone bowl. The kids loved it most for the sizzling sound and the steam rising all at once.

Then out came Mayway's signature dish, the Cheomdan favorite — seafood nurungji-tang! It was genuinely fun just to watch. Crispy nurungji sat on top of the hot stone bowl, and the staff member poured a steaming, rich seafood sauce over it, with a sizzle haha.

Hwaraaa-laaa haha the kids got so excited, going 'there's a fire! there's smoke!' and getting ready for a fire drill lol lol. Of course the smoke drifted right toward the kids haha, so funny and cute and it looked delicious too... The visuals alone were a full sensory experience!!!!!

The nurungji soaked in sauce was soft on the outside and turned nutty and savory the more you chewed haha. The seafood, mushrooms and vegetables inside were all fresh and generous. Warm but not overly strong, clean yet deep in flavor, it left my stomach feeling comfortable!! A dish I think I'll crave on cold days or when I want something filling and hearty.

What comes with Mayway's 1-person set meal: jjajangmyeon, jjamppong and sweet and sour pork

Mayway's 1-person set meal comes with jjajangmyeon, jjamppong, and sweet and sour pork all served together in a special three-way divided bowl. The best dish to order when you're dining alone and want to try a bit of everything, or when you want small portions of several menus!!!!

And then the 1-person set meal came out right after. The composition is honestly amazing haha. Passed the visual test right away!!!

The jjajangmyeon in the set had a glossy shine and a really good nutty, sweet chunjang (black bean paste) aroma, so the kids ate it well too, and the jjamppong had a deep, rich flavor!! Trying it made me want to try the spicy jjamppong next time. If it's this good even without spice, I think I'd love it turned up!! Haha rich seafood broth with a spicy kick sounds great. I get now why it's known as a Cheomdan jjamppong spot haha.

The sweet and sour pork also had thick chunks of meat, fried with a batter that wasn't too thick, served with the sauce — ah, this one, I should've ordered as a main. So delicious. If you're looking for a Cheomdan lunch spot, this 1-person set has amazing value, so go eat it!!!

How does Mayway's spicy webfoot octopus jjajang taste?

Spicy webfoot octopus jjajang is Mayway's signature menu, generously piled with plump webfoot octopus across the whole plate, and it had a hint of smoky wok flavor too. The chewy octopus texture combined with the sweet-salty jjajang sauce made for a unique pairing.

And then, the one I'd been most looking forward to — the spicy webfoot octopus jjajang. It came out piled high on the plate, overwhelming just from the visuals. Mixed the noodles with the octopus jjajang sauce and took one big bite! Haha.

Oh... this is genuinely unique, the sauce is delicious and the octopus wasn't chewy at all, so good T_T. A flavor you don't get tired of haha. So this is what octopus and jjajang harmony feels like haha. As Mayway's signature dish, it really did have a fresh and special taste.

Overall, the 1-person set meal, spicy webfoot octopus jjajang, and seafood nurungji-tang we ordered were all generous in portion and loaded with ingredients, so we came home stuffed and satisfied. It wasn't an artificial-additive kind of flavor but more of a natural smoky char from high heat??????? Honestly it's basically Culinary Class Wars-level cooking here lol lol lol lol. Okay, I'm just pretending to sound sharp haha ^^~ Anyway, the whole meal was just really satisfying, that's what I'm trying to say haha.

Ice cream after the meal at Mayway

After finishing the meal, they even brought out a refreshing ice cream for dessert! Presented prettily on a clean plate, the sweet and tangy ice cream cleaned the palate and finished the meal perfectly. This kind of small but thoughtful touch of service just makes you feel great haha.

Since customers had thinned out by the time we were leaving, I took another shot of the interior haha.

Who is Mayway in Cheomdan best for?

If you're looking for a Cheomdan restaurant, a Cheomdan lunch spot, or searching for a Cheomdan jjamppong spot because you're craving a spicy broth, give Mayway a try!! The space inside is comfortable and every dish felt like it had real care put into it, so it seems like a place that would satisfy friends, couples, or family alike. Next time I'm craving Chinese food, I'll definitely come back for the hot stone jjajang and the spicy jjamppong too.