Gwangju(Gwangsan-gu)

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.


Gwangju(Gwangsan-gu)

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.


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

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.


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

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.


Gwangju(Buk-gu)

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.


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

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.”


Gwangju(Gwangsan-gu)

Songjeong is famous for its tteokgalbi (grilled short rib meat patties), which is one of the five best food items of Gwangju. There are many tteokgalbi restaurants around Gwangsan district office, but Songjeong’s history goes back to 1976 and it is still the original.A good tteokgalbi is made by mixing the meat of beef short ribs and pork bone ribs in a one-to-one ratio and adding acacia honey to make the meat both tender and chewy. The dish is also reasonably priced. The secret to the delicious meat is the sauce, which is made with about 20 natural ingredients like kelp, radish, and green onion and no artificial seasonings. Also a pride of the restaurant is the broth made from pork bones which comes with the tteokgalbi.


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

About a kilometer to the right from the main entrance of Hotel Mudeung Park (무등파크호텔), there is the famous Korean hanjeongsik (Korean table d'hote) restaurant called Myeongseonheon. To maintain the freshness of the food, the restaurant runs on specific business hours (12:00-14:00 for lunch, 17:00-22:00 for dinner) However, the timing may vary by seasons. The table setting is neat and the food is served in a hearty manner. Also, the food is served by course to allow each dish to be appreciated at the right temperature. The traditional hanjeongsik comes with 30 or so dishes that include gulbi-gui (grilled corvina), hongeo-hoe (raw skewed skate), galchi-jorim (braised cutlessfishl), bossam-kimchi (wrapped kimchi with steamed pork), and jeotgal (salted seafood), and each dish is prepared with great care.


Gwangju(Seo-gu)

Samhui Bullak first opened in 1971 on Chungjangno, and has been in business in Sangmu District for two family generations. The restaurant serves only fresh live octopuses delivered from Muan, Jeollanam-do every day.


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

A famous local restaurant, Cheongwonmomil (청원모밀) has been serving buckwheat noodle soup since 1960. Buckwheat noodles are popular in Korea, as they are both flavorful and refreshing, especially when eaten with kkaduki (radish kimchi).