Regional food guide

What to eat in Gwangju

Written by hand, not generated. Dishes, markets, timing and prices for Gwangju.

5 dishes 7 food areas See Gwangju restaurant picks Open the food map

Gwangju is where the cooking of the Jeolla provinces concentrates. A plain set meal here arrives with a dozen side dishes as a matter of course, and the region is also the home of divisive specialities such as fermented skate. You generally get more on the table than the price suggests.

What people eat here

Start with the local defaults

Baekban (set meal)

Rice and soup surrounded by a spread of side dishes. Most of them are refilled on request.

Yudong duck soup street

Duck soup with perilla

Duck simmered with ground perilla seed and water dropwort. Thick, and strongly aromatic.

Near Gwangju Songjeong Station

Tteok galbi (minced rib patty)

Rib meat chopped, shaped and grilled, served with a bowl of bone broth.

Sangchu twigim (fritters in lettuce)

Fritters wrapped in lettuce with a seasoned soy dip — a local take on street snacks.

Hongeo samhap

Fermented skate eaten with boiled pork and aged kimchi. Many places let you choose how strongly fermented it is.

Where the food is

Markets, streets and harbours

View all (6)

1913 Songjeong Station Market

An old market by the station, restored, now full of rib patty and snack shops.

Restaurants nearby

Yudong duck soup street

A short street given over to duck soup restaurants.

Restaurants nearby

Yangdong Market

The largest traditional market in the city, strong on salted seafood and Jeolla side dishes.

Restaurants nearby

Daein Market

A market that artists moved into; a night market runs here at weekends.

Restaurants nearby

Songjeong Tteokgalbi Street

Grilled minced-rib patty houses line the road in front of the Gwangsan-gu office. Beef and pork are mixed, grilled, and served with bone soup on the side.

Restaurants nearby

Mudeungsan Barley Rice Street

Barley rice houses line the approach to Jeungsimsa Temple on Mudeungsan. Mixed with a spread of seasoned greens, it is the traditional post-hike meal.

Restaurants nearby

When to go

The Daein night market runs mainly on weekend evenings, and the schedule changes — worth checking before you go.
November and December, the kimchi-making season, bring the best supply of Jeolla kimchi and salted seafood.
Set-meal restaurants live off lunch; some close early in the evening.

Worth knowing

1Some set-meal places only serve two or more people. Alone, a soup or a single dish is the safer order.
2If fermented skate is new to you, asking for the mildest fermentation makes it approachable.
3Side dish refills are normally free. If it is more than you can eat, say so when ordering.
4Songjeong KTX station is some way from the downtown area; allow time for the subway or bus.

What it costs · Per person, roughly

A set meal runs KRW 10,000-13,000, duck soup about KRW 40,000 for two, and a rib patty meal around KRW 15,000.