Late-night Gwangju Korean restaurant with imo babsang: Ju Myeongdang

I'd wanted to try this place for a while because of its neat, tidy-looking menu! We were looking for somewhere to go late on a weekend evening with nothing else planned.

Where is Ju Myeongdang, and what are the hours and parking?

Ju Myeongdang is on the 2nd floor of 15-2 Jangdong-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju. For parking, you can use the National Asia Culture Center annex parking lot (10 Jebong-ro 110beon-gil, Dong-gu, Gwangju) — it's open 24 hours and gives 1 hour free if you visit Ju Myeongdang.

It's open every day from Monday to Sunday, 11:30–23:30, last order at 23:00. No break time at this fusion Korean spot.

My boyfriend and I hadn't had a proper date night in a while, and the clean-looking menu made us head all the way out to Dongmyeong-dong on purpose.

We were on foot so we didn't need parking, but the place was easy to find anyway haha. It's right above Saigon Jang, a Vietnamese restaurant we love!! That made it even easier to spot 😋

It's on the 2nd floor, and the entrance was right there as soon as we came up the stairs.

No wait on a weekend night: straight into a private room

As soon as we walked into Ju Myeongdang, the old-fashioned tavern vibe was really nice. Witty little phrases and interior touches everywhere! And I think we timed it well — I'd heard there could be a wait, but we got seated not long after arriving. And in a private room, no less!!!

The room we were shown to! Cozy, with funny little pictures, warm lighting and interior — I loved it. Being a separate, independent space meant we could have an undisturbed, warm, cozy time. It was spacious enough that even though there were just two of us, four people would have had plenty of room too. Having privacy is just the best haha.

Ordering the imo babsang and minari gonbaengi bibimmyeon

What we ordered at Ju Myeongdang was the imo babsang and the minari gonchaengi bibimmyeon, two dishes. I hadn't eaten a single meal that day, and my boyfriend had been running around working all day and was starving, so we ordered right away. We were so hungry we got a little edgy waiting, wondering when the food would come out — but the moment it arrived, we fell for it instantly 🤩

It seems like you can choose your naengmyeon (cold noodles) as either mul (broth) or bibim (mixed). We didn't know that and had already ordered bibimmyeon separately, so we went with mul for the set.

I didn't manage to get a separate photo, but that doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) was a total marvel — good good ❕

Is the imo babsang enough food for two?

The minari gonchaengi bibimmyeon isn't included in the imo babsang set — it's ordered separately. We got it worried our portions might run short since we tend to eat a lot, but for two average adults, the imo babsang alone would be plenty filling! We probably didn't need to order it separately ^^

We didn't have to grill anything ourselves — the meat came already cooked and beautifully plated, which impressed us even more.

Wrapped in lettuce it was so delicious too,

and especially this! The pickled onions were the real kicker!!! So clean-tasting and delicious.

How does Ju Myeongdang work as a Dongmyeong-dong date spot?

It was so good we kept gasping in delight the whole meal lol lol. A neat, well-put-together spread made for a cozy, joyful dinner together after a while apart — a very satisfying evening.

Neither of us is much of a drinker, but Ju Myeongdang works great even if you're just there for the food — good atmosphere, good taste 👍 It'd be perfect for a date or a gathering with friends. Seriously, you should go! Great vibe, great food, great service.