Duruchigi and jumbo egg roll near Gonjiam Resort: Oneuldo Utja Chowol

Oneuldo Utja Chowol: a Korean restaurant near Chowol Station

Oneuldo Utja Chowol is a well-known spot near Chowol Station. We ordered sotbap and duruchigi together, and it made for a filling dinner that also worked great with a drink on the side.

Where Oneuldo Utja Chowol is and when it opens

The navigation address is 43-1 Sansu-ro, Chowol-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, 1st floor, South Korea.

It's a good place to swing by on the way to or from Gonjiam. If you're visiting Gonjiam Resort and searching for somewhere to eat near Chowol Station, this local favorite tends to come up.

Opening hours and last order

• Tue 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 20:50)
• Wed 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 20:50)
• Thu 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 20:50)
• Fri 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 20:50)
• Sat 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 20:50)
• Sun 11:00 - 21:00 (last order 19:50)
• Mon 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 20:50)
• 09/25 closed for Chuseok

The place itself is fairly spacious and tables turn over quickly, so even when it's full it's not a bad idea to wait for a seat.

Inside Oneuldo Utja Chowol: seating and atmosphere

At Oneuldo Utja Chowol, the tables have generous spacing between them. You can sit wherever you like, and the interior is clean and tidy, giving the whole place a pleasant feel.

There are partitions between the adjoining tables, so the space feels divided and it's easy to talk. It works well for a dinner date for two, a family meal out, or a group gathering.

The duruchigi and sotbap combo worked really well as a meal, and we added the jumbo egg roll on top

Which duruchigi should you order?

Oneuldo Utja Chowol's duruchigi (stir-fried dish) comes in three options: pork-only pork duruchigi, squid duruchigi, or squid pork duruchigi with both pork and squid together. Sotbap can be added separately.

That day we ordered squid pork duruchigi, sotbap, and the jumbo egg roll. From what we've read, many families and groups order the restaurant's signature kimchi jjigae alongside duruchigi, but since it was just the two of us, we went with duruchigi.

The dish lets you eat squid and pork together, piled high with vegetables, so it looks generous and tastes great too. You can also add extra noodles or rice cakes to the duruchigi.

How was the squid pork duruchigi?

The duruchigi comes piled high with bean sprouts and minari (water dropwort), with squid and pork mixed in, and a staff member mixes it for you right at the table. The food comes out quickly after ordering, so it's easy to eat without a reservation — and maybe because the place has waits, the staff are efficient and friendly.

The squid pork duruchigi uses Oneuldo Utja's aged kimchi and domestic fresh meat, along with plump squid. The sauce is a spicy stir-fried style — even though it's a red sauce, it has a savory, spicy flavor.

It's less of an aggressive spice and more of a flavor that pairs well when eaten with rice.

There's plenty of vegetables too, so eating them with the meat and squid gives you a nice mix of textures

Sotbap cooked to order with Suhyangmi rice

The sotbap (stone-pot rice) at Oneuldo Utja Chowol is made in a machine right in front of the open kitchen as soon as you order. You get freshly cooked, warm rice, and it's on the chewier, stickier side even for sotbap.

According to the menu details, it's made with single-variety Suhyangmi rice, and it went well with the duruchigi sauce — shiny and chewy. Since the dish leans spicy, the jumbo egg roll was a great side to add.

Is the jumbo rolled omelette worth adding?

The jumbo egg roll ordered as a side isn't pre-made — it's made fresh as soon as you order it, so it comes out warm and soft, which pairs nicely with the spicy duruchigi.

Spicy duruchigi, egg roll, and a spoonful of sotbap topped with duruchigi — it's a combo you can't stop reaching for

It works well as a drinking snack, but it's just as good as a proper meal.