Ansan Korean restaurant with free seaweed soup: Dongyang Sotbap

I recently went to Ansan and, well... I found a really delicious restaurant in Ansan's Jungang-dong that's also great to bring a kid to! Both adults and kids ate really well here, so let me introduce you to Dongyang Sotbap (동양솥밥). Let's get started!

Where is Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch, and when is it open?

Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch is on the 2nd floor of 11 Yesuldaehak-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si. It's open daily from 10:00 to 22:40.

Why Dongyang Sotbap is easy with a baby: free seaweed soup and a nurungji self-bar

Here's why I'm recommending this place as an easy spot to dine with a kid in Ansan Jungang-dong: ordering pot rice comes with free seaweed soup, which made eating with our baby really convenient.

On top of the seaweed soup, there's nurungji (scorched rice tea) at the self-bar, which is great as a snack for the baby and also nice to sip before or after the meal. They can even check for specific food allergies, so both the baby and the adults could eat comfortably.

How big is the menu at Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch?

So many good options — the varied menu at Dongyang Sotbap

With the kid's food sorted, we ordered for the adults too. I figured a pot rice place would only have one or two options, but when I opened the menu... it was really varied and generous! Dongpo pork, yakitori, cockles, beef, pork — so many pot rice options to enjoy however you like. We went with the aged kimchi pork belly pot rice and the spicy gyudon pot rice!

It's a semi-open kitchen, so while waiting I got a little peek — it was really clean, and the staff were really kind too. We came with a baby, and they brought us a high chair right away, which made things easy.

What comes with a pot rice, and how large are the portions?

The standard set at Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch was main + seaweed soup + 3 side dishes. The food came out really fast, and since we ordered a lot of extra sides, the pork cutlet shows up in our photos, but this seems to be the basic setup. Honestly, I've always felt pot rice portions run small, so I ordered plenty of sides just in case — but the portions turned out to be really generous. Thanks to that, even one serving each left us really full.

Sides at Dongyang Sotbap: pork cutlet, menbosha and spicy yurinchi

After the main dishes came out, the sides were ready quickly too. We ordered pork cutlet, mentbosha (fried shrimp toast), and spicy yurinchi (crispy fried chicken with sweet-sour sauce) — all three were super crispy and delicious, and their rich, oily flavor went really well with the rice bowls.

Aged kimchi pork belly pot rice

So how was the rice bowl? My first impression was that the owner clearly doesn't skimp on ingredients, and second, that the quality was really good. The pork belly was cleanly cooked with no burnt spots, the vegetables were fresh, and the tofu blended in perfectly! Honestly, this owner definitely has a good palate.

Why the spicy gyudon pot rice is best mixed together

The spicy gyudon rice bowl I ordered was also really tasty. I mixed it up the way the staff suggested, and the seasoning was spot on — I immediately understood why they told me to mix it. Eaten separately it seemed a bit salty, but once mixed it was really delicious and had that full rice bowl charm.

This well-mixed rice bowl was really satisfying to enjoy alongside the side dishes and banchan (side dishes). The banchan cut through the richness perfectly and paired well with everything, while the sides were the kind of dishes that tamed the spiciness, so we kept reaching for them even though it was a bit spicy. Thanks to all that, we ate really well and got really full.

Is Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch worth a family visit?

So that's my recommendation for a great restaurant in Ansan Jungang-dong that's also easy to bring kids to: Dongyang Sotbap! Our baby polished off a whole bowl thanks to the seaweed soup and nurungji, and mom and dad left really full and satisfied too. If you're looking for a good restaurant in Ansan Jungang-dong, I'll wrap up by recommending Dongyang Sotbap Main Branch!