Kungjeon Bakery in Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju Ciy has been serving fresh baked goods for the last 40 years. Among its 200 kinds of bread and 60 kinds of cake, the best items are the “dragon egg bread,” “butterfly pie” and “paper pie.”

Even before the mad cow disease crisis, Yumyeong Hoegwan has only been serving locally-bred hanu beef. The fresh meat, sirloin, and prime ribs are delicious and they also use rice and kimchi made in Korea. The restaurant has a lot of business and group customers, but it is also good for family occasions, wedding receptions, and other social gatherings.

Jeongjagol is a Korean restaurant located in Gwangju. The restaurant exudes a traditional Korean ambiance. The interior is adorned with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, decorations, and medicinal herbs. Its main menu item is its set meals that comes with porridge, salad, seasoned vegetables, bulgogi, grilled fish, braised meat dishes, dongchimi kimchi, fermented seafood, crab fermented in soysauce, and rice in sizzling stone pot. Also popular is the sogalbisal-gui (grilled beef short ribs), which is marinated in an organic sauce made with medicinal ingredients, pear, and honey.

With a proud 20-year history, Arirang House is famous for its kimchi, which won a prize at the first Kimchi Festival. In 2003, the restaurant collaborated with Shilla Hotel and Paradise Hotel and successfully hosted a royal cuisine demonstration event, contributing to the promotion of Korean cuisine. Arirang House serves delicious Korean cuisine in an elegant style. The food is carefully prepared by 11 chefs, including the chef who has thirty years of experience. The kitchen is divided into the side dish team, the special dish team, and the main course team to prepare a total of thirty or so specialized dishes. The flavors are enhanced by using only the freshest natural ingredients and not using any artificial seasonings. Prices vary by course, and each course comes with raw beef, samhap (a combination of three special foods), assorted raw fish, and steamed short ribs. The bossam kimchi (kimchi with slices of steamed pork) is also one of their specialties.

This restaurant specializes in black dubu (tofu) dishes like heukdubu bossam (steamed pork with black dubu), heukdubu tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork with black dubu), and biji pajeon (spring onion and dubu curd pancake). It is particularly famous for its heukdubu made in the traditional way using black beans and bossam dishes. The steamed pork with dubu nicely combines the softness of black dubu and the chewiness of the pork. A slice of steamed pork and some old kimchi are eaten together with the nutty black dubu. The old kimchi, seasoned vegetables, mustard leaf kimchi, fresh green peppers and traditional doenjang are delicious with a deep flavor of the Namdo region. Those who don’t enjoy meat can order heukdubu (black dubu), which is still warm right out of the mold. Enjoy the dubu with the dressing flavored with various seasonings and vegetables.

Minsokchon (meaning ‘Folk Village’ in Korean) is a specialty restaurant featuring galbi(Grilled Short Rib) located in Singa-dong, Gwangju. With a traditional Korean-style interior design. It is popular among Koreans for the excellent taste of its galbi.

Jonggajip Seolleongtang is the first traditional Seoul-style seolleongtang restaurant in Gwangju. All the dishes are made of 100% pure beef bone stock and top quality ingredients for the best taste and nutrition.

All fish sold at this restaurant is delivered directly from fishing boats. The fish is stored in tanks with 25 tons of seawater in order to keep the fish alive and healthy until they are needed. It serves seafood with the principle of “small profits and quick returns”. The owner-chef has 20 years of experience, and the employees excel in customer service.

Yeongmi Oritang has been serving up duck stew (oritang) to the community for over 80 years. Made with ground perilla seeds, soybean paste, chili powder, garlic, and other carefully selected ingredients, the duck is boiled in an earthen pot and seasoned with ginseng, jujube, and water parsley to suit each customer's individual tastes. The dish is served with kimchi side dishes, which are said to enhance the flavor of the duck meat. Since duck is known to be effective in treating liver and geriatric diseases, the restaurant is popular not only for its delicious flavors, but also for the health benefits of its food.

Macheollu is a popular Chinese cuisine restaurant, especially for familiy and friend gatherings. The restaurant also has “couple” menus for young couples.