Cheomdan Crumpled Receipts · 7 stories

Loose Receipt, Gwangju/Jeolla, Seoul and Busan/Gyeongnam Restaurants, Shops and Bars

Notes on restaurants, shops, and bars picked up while wandering through Gwangju/Jeolla, Seoul, and Busan/Gyeongnam. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Shopping

PlaceGwangsan, GwangjuRestaurants

Jokbal spot in Suwan, Gwangju: black sesame salad sides, Kkankkan

Kkankkan Jjokbal Suwan Branch (깐깐한족발 수완점) is a charcoal-grilled jokbal (braised pig's trotters) and bossam (boiled pork wraps) restaurant on Suwan-ro in the Suwan district of Gwangsan, Gwangju. For a family dinner, the writer ordered the half jokbal, half bossam platter and was happy with the chewy, charcoal-scented jokbal, the bossam with no gamey smell, and the free side dishes such as black sesame salad and steamed egg. For a family that can't choose between jokbal and bossam, the half-and-half platter at Kkankkan Jjokbal Suwan Branch is a good pick.

Written Jun 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Sinyongsan snack bar, hot-day slush & sundae dip combo: Hyeonseonine

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch (현선이네 용산본점) is a tteokbokki and Korean snack shop on Hangang-daero 39-gil near Sinyongsan Station in Yongsan, Seoul. During an outing in Yongsan, the writer ordered the Hyeonseoni Combo Set (25,000 won) with tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), sundae (Korean blood sausage), mini gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), fried snacks and fish cake, and the free slush from the review event was welcome on a hot day. Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch stands out for a well-made snack spread, with sundae, gimbap and fried snacks dipped in a tteokbokki sauce that isn't overpowering.

Written Jun 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulThings to do

Pop-up tent and heart mirror picnic rental in Mangwon: Picnic List

Picnic List Mangwon (피크닉리스트 망원) is a 24-hour unmanned rental shop near Mangwon Han River Park in Mapo, Seoul. It lends tents, mats, chairs and picnic props, with sets from ₩8,000 to ₩10,000 for a basic 3 hours. Two friends rented a one-touch tent, an air mat, a checked picnic blanket, beige chairs, a heart-shaped wooden mirror and a mini Bluetooth speaker to style a camp-picnic spot on the Mangwon Han River Park lawn. The one-touch tent popped open the moment it was thrown, so the two women set it up in no time, and the thick air mat kept them comfortable on the bumpy grass — an easy pick for a stylish Han River picnic.

Written Jun 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeo-gu, GwangjuCafés

Sangmu café in Gwangju: fresh mango bingsu in brassware, Maekmundong

Maekmundong (맥문동) is a café on Mareuk-ro in Seo-gu, Gwangju, across from the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Sangmu, with a dining floor on level 1 and a lounge on level 2. In the Maekmundong lounge, the writer ordered the fresh mango bingsu (shaved ice dessert, ₩22,800), a Korean melon (chamoe) juice and a fresh watermelon juice, and loved the thinly sliced fresh mango with cream cheese ice cream, served in a traditional brassware bowl. Verdict: Maekmundong's fresh mango bingsu is a premium dessert that is worth the price.

Written Jul 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangsan, GwangjuRestaurants

24-hour Suwan District sundae-guk with a 30-year broth: Sinjuokmi

Sinjuokmi Suwan District branch is a 24-hour sundae-guk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant in Jangdeok-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. In a clean dining room, the blogger had a full spread of kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), fresh cabbage geotjeori, seasoned radish and ssam greens, plus suyuk (boiled pork) said to be cooked 4 times a day, blood sundae and offal. The broth, billed as a 30-year secret recipe, tasted deep and savory with no gamey smell. Sinjuokmi is a filling Suwan District gukbap spot for a stamina meal, a hangover cure or lunch.

Written Jul 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangsan, GwangjuRestaurants

Keep-warm steamer bossam in Cheomdan, Gwangju: Kkankkanhan Jokbal

Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch (깐깐한족발) is a jokbal and bossam (boiled pork wraps) restaurant on Cheomdan-jungang-ro in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Three of us ordered the charcoal-grilled bossam, which arrives with chives on a steamer that keeps the pork warm, along with earthenware-pot steamed egg and bossam kimchi rolled on perilla leaves, and we all left full. The bossam at Kkankkanhan Jokbal is moist, smoky and free of any porky smell, making it a satisfying pick in Cheomdan for either dinner or drinks.

Written Aug 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangsan, GwangjuRestaurants

Vongole and pastry pumpkin soup at a Gwangju Suwan spot: Bueokgan

Bueokgan Suwan Branch is a European-style brunch and Western restaurant in an alley near Myeongjin High School in the Suwan district of Gwangsan, Gwangju. The order was vongole pasta, basil pesto pizza and pumpkin soup under a pastry lid, eaten at a window table looking out on green through floor-to-ceiling glass. The clam-packed vongole and fragrant basil pesto pizza both delivered, making Bueokgan Suwan an easy pick for a date or a get-together with friends.

Written Aug 14, 2026Sponsored
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