Gwangju hanok café with Chuseok gaeseongjuak gift sets: Hoyang Horim

While looking for a simple Chuseok gift for both my parents and my boyfriend's parents, I came across Hoyang Horim, a café in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju famous for its gaeseongjuak (sweet fried rice cake). Hoyang Horim is set in a restored hanok, so the atmosphere felt different from the entrance onward — and once inside, there were quite a lot of other desserts too. Here's my review after trying Hoyang Horim's signature desserts, gaeseongjuak and injeolmi waffle, along with coffee!

Hoyang Horim in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju: hours, location and what the hanok looks like

Hoyang Horim gave a slightly different first impression than a typical café.

With the hanok's tiled roof, courtyard, and wood elements all blending together, I felt quiet and calm the moment I stepped in.

On a nice-weather day, sitting in the courtyard or on the wooden platform with a coffee seemed like it would be really lovely. In a space like this, I end up eating dessert extra slowly for no reason, haha.

Where to park at Hoyang Horim in Gwangju

There's a parking lot right above the café at Gwangju Christian Hospital — the first 60 minutes are free, and after that it's ₩400 per 60 minutes!

Inside Hoyang Horim: window seats and hanok rooms

Right as you walk in, the cozy, comfortable interior grabs you.

I visited around 2pm on a weekend. Since it's a hanok café, weekends can get surprisingly busy and there are times when there's no seat available.

I ended up moving seats partway through and sat at this window seat — isn't it so pretty?? There was a pomegranate tree, haha.

How do the gaeseongjuak and injeolmi waffle taste?

Gaeseongjuak is a traditional dessert with a chewy texture and sweet jocheong (grain syrup) flavor. There are so many kinds that it's fun just choosing! At Hoyang Horim you can enjoy it with a range of toppings, from plain to apple cinnamon, ang-butter, bean cream, yakgwa, sanja, walnut jeonggwa and more. I went with ang-butter!

The injeolmi waffle also comes in two flavors, plain and mugwort, so I ordered that too.

It all came out on one tray like this, and it was so pretty! I ordered coffee as an iced americano and a latte. The plating went perfectly with the hanok interior.

This is the ang-butter gaeseongjuak. Personally, I felt the sweet gaeseongjuak paired really well with the coffee's slight bitterness.

It was chewy, moist from the oil, and the red bean and butter topping worked really well together.

And this is the injeolmi waffle! Unlike a regular waffle made of batter, this one mixes in glutinous rice for a chewy, nutty texture.

Is a Hoyang Horim gaeseongjuak set a good Chuseok gift?

For my boyfriend's parents, a too-grand Chuseok gift felt like too much, but not bringing anything at all felt off too — for moments like that, I thought a traditional dessert like gaeseongjuak, simply packaged for sharing one piece at a time, would be perfect. (I debated between this and fruit mochi, but went with this in the end, ha.)

Besides gaeseongjuak, they also sell gotgam sando (dried persimmon sando) and walnut/pecan jeonggwa. Since it's a traditional snack familiar to older generations too, I thought it'd be worth comparing options if you're looking for a light Chuseok gift.

With Chuseok coming up, they were also selling a Chuseok gift set from September 18 to 24! If you're interested, keep that in mind. And Hoyang Horim in particular uses its own roasted beans, so you can enjoy a wide range of coffee menu items too!!

Who should visit Hoyang Horim in Gwangju?

I really liked the combination of traditional desserts alongside branded coffee. It doesn't seem that common in Gwangju to find a hanok café with dessert this good. In that sense, I'd recommend Hoyang Horim! And if you're thinking about a small, low-pressure gift for the upcoming Chuseok, gaeseongjuak could be a solid option too, haha.