Gwangju food is famous across Korea, and Dining Sojae (다이닝소재 SOJAE) adds something the city rarely had: Korean fine dining. It is one of the best reasons to take the train south. This young restaurant serves a seasonal Korean tasting course built on Jeolla-do ingredients, inside a converted hanok in Buk-gu. If you are planning a Gwangju food trip, then this review of my summer dinner in July 2026 covers the dishes, the price, how to book and how to get there from Seoul.
This review is adapted from a visit by Revitguide reviewer 호미식 (Homisik), who rated it 4.5 out of 5. Read the original Korean review on Revitguide. (Japanese: 光州 グルメ / 韓国料理 コース, Chinese: 光州 美食)
Dining Sojae at a Glance
| Dining Sojae | 다이닝소재 SOJAE |
| Address | 8-7 Gyeongyang-ro 183beon-gil, Buk-gu, Gwangju (광주 북구 경양로183번길 8-7), Jungheung-dong, near Gwangju Station |
| Chef | Kim Min-seok (김민석), owner chef |
| Cuisine | Korean fine dining, seasonal tasting course |
| Hours | Reservation only. Blogs report one dinner seating at 19:00 most days, plus a 12:00 seating on Saturday. Closed days change every month. |
| Price | My summer course was in the ₩60,000 range per person. DiningCode lists the October to February course at ₩76,000. |
| Booking | 100% reservation through Naver or CatchTable |
| Parking | No private lot; street parking nearby or a nearby public lot (the restaurant provides parking tickets) |
| Map | Open in Naver Map |
Who Runs Dining Sojae? Korean Fine Dining Joins the Gwangju Food Scene
Chef Kim Min-seok grew up in Gwangju. Before opening Sojae, however, he joined Cuisine.K, a program by CJ CheilJedang that trains young Korean chefs. Through it, he spent two months in the kitchen of Soseoul Hannam, a One MICHELIN Star Korean restaurant in Seoul, and then ran a Sojae pop-up in Gangnam that filled up within a month.
After that, he moved back home and opened Dining Sojae in Gwangju in September 2025. In a June 2026 interview with the Korea Economic Daily, he said he wanted Gwangju to have at least one proper Korean fine dining restaurant, and the paper described Sojae as the city’s first. Today, the menu card lists only the cooking method and main ingredient for each course, and the course changes roughly every three months. According to the same interview, about half of the guests travel in from Seoul and other regions.
My Summer Gwangju Food Highlight: Dinner at Dining Sojae (July 2026)
Plenty of restaurants use good ingredients. However, Sojae felt like a place that had thought harder about how to carry Korean food culture into a modern course than about how to show off its ingredients.
In addition, the converted hanok suits that direction well. Instead of a flashy room, it is a space that naturally makes you slow down.
The noodle course
Above all, the noodle dish is the one I remember most. The chef explained that they used inaniwa noodles, yet the dish felt like part of Korean cooking rather than something Japanese. The perilla oil never took over, and the herring roe added a little rhythm with every bite.
Octopus with potato and clam
The octopus was lighter than I expected. Potato was turned into a cream-like sauce, and the flavor of short-neck clams tied in the taste of the sea. Meanwhile, the octopus was cooked so tender that it needed almost no chewing.
Barley-fed Naju beef main
Finally, the main course could not have been anything but delicious. The top blade of barley-fed Naju beef did not stand out like a steak; instead, it blended naturally into the flow of a Korean meal. A long-simmered garlic sauce and white kimchi cleaned up the beefy flavor, so the course never felt heavy, even at the end.
More courses and dessert
How to Get to Dining Sojae from Seoul for Gwangju Food
- By KTX: Trains from Yongsan Station reach Gwangju Songjeong Station in about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. A few SRT and KTX trains also run from Suseo Station.
- In Gwangju: Sojae is in Jungheung-dong, Buk-gu, close to Gwangju Station (not the same as Gwangju Songjeong). From Songjeong, a taxi is the simplest option; check Kakao Map or Naver Map for the current route.
- Plan the timing: Dinner usually starts at 19:00, so book a late train back or stay the night.
Dining Sojae Price and Booking Tips
- Book early: All seats are by reservation, and recent visitors say the calendar fills about a month or more ahead. Use Naver or CatchTable.
- Seasonal menu: The course changes about every three months, so a return visit in another season will look different.
- Closed days: They change monthly, so check the restaurant’s notice before you plan your trip.
- Value: At well under ₩100,000, it costs a fraction of most Korean fine dining courses in Seoul.
Is Dining Sojae Worth a Gwangju Food Trip?
In short, Sojae was the restaurant I was most curious about on my Gwangju food trip, and it met that expectation in one go. If I visit Gwangju again, I want to go back. My rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Heading further south? Read our review of Autrement, a French restaurant in Suncheon, browse all Jeolla and Gwangju guides, or compare with the best Korean restaurants in Seoul and our Busan food guide.
FAQ
Where can I find Korean fine dining among Gwangju food spots?
Dining Sojae in Jungheung-dong, Buk-gu, serves a seasonal Korean tasting course in a converted hanok. It opened in September 2025.
How much does dinner at Dining Sojae cost?
My summer 2026 course was in the ₩60,000 range per person. DiningCode lists the October to February course at ₩76,000.
How do I book Dining Sojae?
It is reservation only, through Naver or CatchTable. Book about a month ahead if you can.
How long does it take to get to Gwangju from Seoul?
KTX trains from Yongsan reach Gwangju Songjeong Station in about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
We checked prices, hours and booking information in November 2026, and they can change. Check Naver Map before you go.