Jeonju Gamaek
KoreaNorth Jeolla · JeonjuJeonju Gamaek: Beer at the Corner Shop, Charcoal-Grilled Pollock and Jeonju's Night Out
Jeonju has a drinking culture all its own called gamaek: cold beer at a table inside a neighbourhood shop, with dried pollock and cuttlefish grilled over coal briquettes. Here is what gamaek is, what to order, the dipping sauce and the summer Gamaek Festival.
What Gamaek Means: 'Shop Beer'
Gamaek is short for gage maekju, 'shop beer', and it is Jeonju's signature drinking culture. You sit at a makeshift table in a corner of a neighbourhood shop, take cold beer from the fridge and drink it with simple snacks. It is said to have started with salaried workers and ordinary people having an easy drink on the way home. You still see this scene in front of shops and convenience stores all over Jeonju, and a 2024 report put the number of gamaek places at around 300. As more shops began serving their own homemade snacks, some ended up with a 'supermarket' sign while selling almost nothing but gamaek. It is a uniquely Jeonju space, somewhere between a bar and a corner shop.
When Did It Start?
It is hard to find an official record of exactly when gamaek began. According to one food column, the oldest gamaek shop still running opened in 1984, and the very first one, now closed, opened a year earlier. Another shop, often called a 'gamaek holy ground' for spreading the culture, is remembered as opening around 1989 or 1990. What is certain is that a long-standing part of everyday Jeonju life became known nationwide through TV and social media. Briquette fires are part of the picture too. Some gamaek shops still grill pollock over a coal-briquette fire outside the door, and one writer describes the pollock, pounded with a hammer until it puffs up, melting 'like candy floss'. That is why the smell of briquette fire comes to mind when people think of gamaek. Simple snacks, low prices and an easy atmosphere matter more here than fancy food.
What to Order: Pollock and Cuttlefish First
The signature gamaek snacks are dried pollock (hwangtae) and cuttlefish grilled over coal briquettes. Hwangtae is pollock that turns yellow as it freezes and thaws again and again in the winter wind; it is pounded to soften it, grilled, and torn into strips along the grain. Cuttlefish is thick and chewy, which makes it a favourite with beer. Beyond those, each shop has its own homemade dishes: thick rolled omelette, tuna pancakes, tofu with stir-fried kimchi, spicy stir-fried pork, fried chicken. On a first visit, pollock or cuttlefish plus a rolled omelette is a safe combination. Menus are usually short and prices low, so two or three people can start with two snacks and add more if needed.
Every Shop Has Its Own Secret Sauce
What makes gamaek snacks is the dipping sauce. The best-known version mixes soy sauce, corn syrup and chopped hot cheongyang chillies, then gets a generous squeeze of mayonnaise on top. Salty, spicy, creamy and slightly sweet all at once, it brings out the savoury flavour of the mild pollock. One columnist credits it with turning Jeonju's gamaek shops into everyone's addiction. One story says it started as a mix a regular customer made for himself; today every shop blends it in its own proportions. People even disagree on whether to mix the mayonnaise in or dip separately. Plenty try to copy it at home, but the real thing, eaten with pollock that still smells of briquette smoke, is best enjoyed on the spot.
The Summer Gamaek Festival and Tips
The Jeonju Gamaek Festival turned this culture into an event. It is held every summer: the 10th edition ran from 25 to 27 July 2024 around Jeonju Sports Complex, and in 2026 it took place from 6 to 8 August at Jeonbuk National University. Twenty to thirty Jeonju gamaek shops sell their snacks, and the festival is known for beer brewed that same day, as its slogan 'made today, drunk today' promises. For an ordinary gamaek night, keep a few things in mind. Shops get busy late in the evening and seating is tight, so go a little early if you are in a group. Opening days and hours can change at short notice, so if you are heading to a particular shop, check that it is open before you go.