Cheongju gimbap restaurant for salmon buckwheat gimbap: Sorori Sotbap

I was looking for a clean, healthy meal in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, and ended up at Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch.

Honestly, before the visit I expected pot rice to be the star, given the name. After eating, the beef rib pot rice and crab pot rice were both good, but my personal number one was, surprisingly, the raw salmon buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll made with buckwheat noodles). I wanted to write this up not just for anyone hunting a Cheongju pot rice spot, but for anyone looking for a different kind of gimbap place in Cheongju too.

Where is Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch, and is there parking?

Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch sits in the Seohyeon Plaza building, right across from Gagyeong Xi in Cheongju. There's a large parking lot right out front, with 2 hours of free parking.

Parking is always a low-key worry when going to a restaurant, so having a big lot right in front with 2-hour support was a relief.

The interior was clean overall, and most tables were spacious enough that ordering several dishes didn't feel cramped.

They also have baby chairs, baby dishware, and baby rice with seaweed ready to go, so this is worth noting if you're looking for a Gagyeong-dong restaurant to visit with kids.

Beef rib pot rice vs crab pot rice: how do they differ?

We ordered these three dishes:

• Beef rib pot rice
• Crab pot rice
• Raw salmon buckwheat gimbap

Instead of serving rice cooked in advance, Sorori Sotbap starts cooking the rice only after the order comes in, so it takes a little time. They use rice grown in the Chungbuk region and serve it freshly cooked to order — a nice touch for a proper Cheongju pot rice spot.

Beef rib pot rice at Sorori Sotbap

The first bite of beef rib pot rice tasted like mixing warm rice into my mom's braised short ribs.

The sweet, salty rib seasoning went well with the rice — an easy crowd-pleaser, and I'd recommend it if you're bringing your parents to a Gagyeong-dong restaurant.

Crab pot rice at Sorori Sotbap

Crab pot rice was much richer than the beef rib version! The crab tomalley sauce was generously portioned, and the more you mixed it into the rice, the more velvety it got.

If you like mixing rice with crab paste or the crab shell itself, you'll probably prefer the crab pot rice. The two dishes had completely different vibes, so if you're going with a group, ordering one of each to share seems like a good idea.

Raw salmon buckwheat gimbap: part gimbap, part sushi

But here's the thing — my personal number one from this Gagyeong-dong visit wasn't actually the pot rice.

It was the raw salmon buckwheat gimbap! Honestly, before going, I thought, 'Gimbap made with buckwheat?' I normally love gimbap, but I figured buckwheat noodles instead of rice inside wouldn't work for me.

But one bite in, I was genuinely surprised. It felt slightly cooler and lighter than regular gimbap, and with raw salmon inside, it landed somewhere between gimbap and sushi.

The clean, plain flavor of the buckwheat paired better with the soft salmon than I expected. It's an odd combination on paper, but the bottom line is: it's just delicious, haha. They said they boil buckwheat noodles fresh every morning, marinate them in a special tsuyu, and use their own cured salmon — and I really didn't get any fishy taste from it. If you want something different from plain gimbap, I'd recommend Sorori Sotbap as a Cheongju gimbap spot worth trying.

By the way, the raw salmon buckwheat gimbap comes with wasabi mayo sauce, but you can ask for it on the side. If you're bringing kids to Sorori Sotbap in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, it's a good idea to request the wasabi mayo separately when ordering.

How to eat the pot rice, and what else is on the menu

With the Cheongju pot rice, you mix it well in the pot first, then transfer it to your rice bowl.

Depending on your taste, you can add soy sauce, butter, or furikake, and it also worked well wrapped in the seaweed served alongside.

Beyond beef rib and crab, Sorori Sotbap has a wide range of pot rice — abalone, Korean beef intestine, mackerel, cockle, mentaiko, and more — so I'd like to try other Cheongju pot rice options next time.

For the buckwheat gimbap, there's also a plain version, a salmon version, and a shrimp version sold only in limited quantities each day.

Receipt review event and the verdict on Sorori Sotbap

After the meal, I took part in the receipt review event.

Writing a review lets you play a nostalgic lucky draw — I got 6th place and won a drink, haha.

To sum it all up: beef rib pot rice is a familiar, hearty flavor; crab pot rice is a must for anyone who loves the rich taste of crab tomalley; and if I come back, I'll definitely reorder the raw salmon buckwheat gimbap. Parking was easy and the space was clean, so it's a solid option for anyone looking for a Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju restaurant to visit with family. If you're into Cheongju pot rice, or looking for a Cheongju gimbap spot that's different from the usual, give Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch a try.