Gwangju Korean dinner: cheese fried rice and snow ice, Misikga Imokase

I heard that as many as 17 dishes come out one after another, from mains to dessert, so I was really curious what kind of place this was. Turns out, after eating there myself, I get why so many people flock here. Bottom line: I left this day completely stuffed!

Where is Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch, and when is it open?

Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch is a Sangmu-district dinner spot for Korean food at 114 Sangmu-pyeonghwa-ro, 1F, Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. It's open Mon–Sat 16:00–24:00, closed every Sunday, and parking is available right in front of the restaurant.

Booking a weekday 7pm table at Misikga Imokase

I visited with Director Jeong on a weekday at 7pm, and both the main building and the annex were already almost full. Luckily we'd booked ahead, so we could sit right down and start eating. True to its reputation as a local dinner favorite in Sangmu, the place was packed from early evening.

Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch was impressively large from the start.

It's run across three buildings — main, new, and annex — and the annex in particular has great spaces for group visits.

How much does the imokase course cost?

• For 2 people: ₩35,000 per person
• For 3+ people: ₩30,000 per person
• Bossam / skate / sashimi / yukjeon / octopus add-ons: ₩10,000 each
• Soju/beer: ₩5,000
• Makgeolli: ₩4,000

※ For two people it's ₩35,000 per person, and for three or more it drops to ₩30,000 per person.

Annex group rooms at Misikga Imokase seat up to 60

• 1 room for 8
• 2 rooms for 10–12
• 1 room for 16
• 1 room for 20
• 1 room for 28
• 1 room for 60

Wow... a room for 60 people, that's really something! It looked like they get a lot of use for family meals as well as company dinners and group get-togethers. The new building is also quite spacious and looked great for group gatherings or dining out.

Inside the retro main building of Misikga Imokase

The main building had a different feel from the new building and annex. It's centered around square tables with various seating for 2, 4, and 6, which made it comfortable for couples or groups of friends too. Best of all, retro props and mirrors scattered around gave it a nostalgic, fun atmosphere. There were a lot of two-person tables like ours, and plenty of groups of friends too.

How clean is the restaurant?

When we sat down, they brought us tableware and water, and I noticed the spoons and chopsticks had been soaked in hot water beforehand. It's a small thing, but it gave a real sense that they care about hygiene and cleanliness.

Ordering the two-person course: do 17 dishes really arrive?

We ordered the imokase course for two people. At ₩35,000 per person × 2, that came to ₩70,000 total, plus we ordered drinks. The food started coming out one by one... and the table was full from the very start.

From Korean beef yukhoe to japchae and makhoe (raw fish salad)

The first round included Korean beef yukhoe (raw seasoned beef), japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), acorn jelly salad, makhoe (raw fish salad) topped with bean flour, and hwangtae haejangguk (dried pollack soup) — quite a variety.

The Korean beef yukhoe was tender and soft, really delicious, and the japchae tasted just like the familiar japchae you'd have at home on a holiday!

The acorn jelly salad had that distinct slightly bitter taste that I really liked.

And the makhoe piled with bean flour was a real treat — wrapping it in a perilla leaf with the bean flour on top gave it a nutty, fresh flavor all at once.

Hwangtae haejangguk (dried pollack soup) takes 10 minutes

They set the hwangtae haejangguk on a small burner and told us to let it simmer for about 10 minutes before eating. With tofu and bean sprouts inside, having it piping hot really hit the spot.

For anyone having a drink with dinner, having a soup course like this alongside is a real plus. So if you're looking for a Sangmu-district bar spot, this place could cover both drinks and a full meal in one visit.

Samhap bossam: the dish I was waiting for

And then finally, the samhap bossam arrived! Steamed pork + skate + aged kimchi — a combination that makes it impossible not to have a drink.

The bossam pork was thick yet tender, and eating it together with the aged kimchi and skate, I understood exactly why it's called samhap (three-way combo).

Wrapping it up neatly into one bite, it was a proper drinking snack indeed.

Croaker, braised pomfret and yukjeon keep coming

I thought that was the end, but there was still plenty more. Kimchi pancake, croaker, potatoes, braised pomfret, fried egg, and yukjeon (beef pancake) all kept appearing!

The braised pomfret had a big fish with plenty of flesh, and the sauce was so good — picking off the flesh and dipping it in the sauce was pure bliss.

The kimchi pancake was nicely salty and tasty, and the yukjeon paired really well with scallion salad. If you're a fan of yukjeon, I'd recommend adding the ₩10,000 extra portion.

Spicy baby octopus plus cheese fried rice is a must

One of the most memorable dishes of the day was the spicy octopus stir-fry.

The sauce was so good it practically demanded rice!

Honestly satisfying enough that I'd never need to go to another octopus place again — the kind of flavor you just can't escape once you've had it.

And then! What showed up next was... cheese fried rice loaded with cheese! With a generous mound of cheese melted over it, eating it together with the octopus sauce was seriously delicious.

By this point our stomachs were already quite full, but the food was so good it just kept going in, haha.

Having happily plowed through rice, samhap, octopus, and drinks, our stomachs were absolutely packed — but was that really the end? I figured that had to be it, but...

Dessert: fruit, pumpkin injeolmi and injeolmi snow ice

Dessert at Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch came out as fruit + pumpkin injeolmi (rice cake) + snow ice + shrimp crackers. They said the fruit varies by season, and on our visit we got banana, cherry tomatoes, dragon fruit, and orange.

And there was one I was truly happy to see — Changeok-tteok pumpkin injeolmi! This was genuinely delicious. We were too full to finish all the dessert, but everything we tried was so good it made me think, 'ah, this is why this place is famous.'

To finish, there was injeolmi snow ice piled with red beans! It had that nostalgic shaved-ice feel, a great way to wrap up the meal.

Is Misikga Imokase worth a Sangmu district dinner?

That day, Director Jeong and I really ate our fill. We were so stuffed we left a bit of the dessert, but everything else, dish by dish, was absolutely delicious all around.

What stood out most was that for a starting price of ₩30,000 per person, 17 dishes go from mains all the way through dessert — genuinely generous for the price. Visiting as two, it's ₩35,000 per person, but given the variety and portions, it was still a fully satisfying meal.

Anyone who loves Korean food will enjoy this, and it's also perfect for people who want to try a little bit of many different dishes. Given the scale of the place, it also looked great for group dinners, family gatherings, friend meetups, and general dining out. If you're on a trip to Gwangju looking for a dinner spot like I was, Misikga Imokase in Sangmu is worth a visit.

Honestly, that day... I left completely stuffed! After eating there myself, I get exactly why people keep coming back to it as a Sangmu-district go-to for meals, drinks, and a genuinely great restaurant. If I'm back in Gwangju, I'd love to visit again. If you want to enjoy a generous spread of Korean dishes, I recommend Misikga Imokase Sangmu Main Branch!