Gochang restaurant near Wellpark Hotel: Sangol Chueojeong boiled pork

Sangol Chueojeong, located near Wellpark Hotel in Gochang, Jeonbuk, treats you like you're at a high-end Korean set-meal restaurant, with gayageum music playing while you enjoy deep, rich restorative food.

The boiled pork is simmered fresh every day and comes out tender, and the handmade pork cutlet with cheese and sweet potato is a perfect combination that satisfies everyone, young and old.

After the meal, a walk by the reservoir and a nutty misugaru (roasted grain powder drink) dessert round out a healing course so complete you can't find a single weak point.

• ⏰ Tuesday–Sunday 11:00–21:00
• Break time 15:00–16:30
• Last order 19:30
• No break time on Saturday–Sunday
• Closed every Monday
• 🗺️ 136-3 Sanjeong-ri, Gochang-eup, Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk, South Korea

How to reach Sangol Chueojeong, 3 minutes by car from Wellpark Hotel

After playing in the spa and pool at Wellpark Hotel in Gochang with my son who was home on leave from the army, we started getting hungry and headed to Sangol Chueojeong, a Gochang restaurant just 3 minutes by car from the hotel, for dinner!

I'd planned the trip partly around seeing the lavender at Cheongnongwon in Gochang, and honestly thought — is there anything else to see in Gochang besides Cheongnongwon? I was wrong.

Being tucked deep in Gochang's mountain foothills, a refreshingly clear breeze blows through and the surrounding scenery is just gorgeous, isn't it? ^^

There's a reservoir just a 1-minute walk away, making it a great spot for a light stroll before or after the meal.

Parking, waiting time and the dining room at Sangol Chueojeong

You can park freely right in front of Sangol Chueojeong. Once I finished parking and stepped inside, gayageum music was playing, and it really felt like walking into a high-end Korean set-meal restaurant.

There's a spot to wash your hands at the entrance, and the restroom is to the left.

Seeing the long row of waiting chairs at the entrance, I figured this must be a popular spot with quite a wait.

The sign that read 'please do not seat yourself at a table without being guided' gave a glimpse of how systematically they manage customers, and I also appreciated the thoughtful touch of offering nutty misugaru or coffee to drink while waiting.

What is on the self-serve side dish bar

Sangol Chueojeong, a must-visit Gochang spot while traveling, makes all its side dishes fresh every morning except for the dried radish strips.

At the front of the restaurant there's a self-serve bar where you can help yourself to extra side dishes (diced radish kimchi, fresh cabbage kimchi, tofu, boiled cabbage, chives, and more).

Sangol Chueojeong menu and prices

Small mountain boiled pork plate ₩18,000 Cordyceps loach soup ₩15,000 Sweet potato cheese pork cutlet ₩15,000 Drinks ₩2,000

We ordered the cordyceps loach soup for a good boost of nutrition, the sweet potato cheese pork cutlet that my son loves, and a small plate of the boiled pork that's said to be simmered fresh every day until tender.

For drinks, you get both hot Phellinus mushroom and Solomon's seal tea — for making scorched rice with the pot rice — and cold water to drink.

How the cordyceps loach soup and pot rice scorched rice taste

The loach soup, simmered from loach cleaned fresh every morning and generously loaded with precious Phellinus mushroom, comes topped with health-boosting cordyceps as well — the moment you take that first spoonful of rich broth, you can't help but let out a sigh of admiration. This was true restorative food.

The pot rice is topped with ginseng and mushrooms, so it looks pretty too.

And at the end, you get to finish the meal with warm, nutty scorched rice, which made it even better.

Mountain boiled pork small plate: the order her son regretted

Sangol Chueojeong's boiled pork uses domestic meat simmered fresh every day, with absolutely no off smell — it's tender and has an incredible texture, and I was surprised the moment I took a bite.

My son, who's usually pretty blunt, took one bite of the boiled pork and said, 'Mom, this is seriously good!' He kept raving about it, saying that ordering only the small plate was his biggest regret of the day.

Is the sweet potato cheese pork cutlet worth ordering?

On top of that, the sweet potato cheese pork cutlet seemed to hit my son's taste perfectly!

He said it was hands down the best pork cutlet he's ever had, giving a thumbs up to the combination of sweet sweet-potato mousse and crispy cutlet — seeing him so pleased made me really proud.

It was a day I fell for Gochang twice over — once for the wonderful spa at Wellpark Hotel and again for the hearty flavors of Sangol Chueojeong — the best date I've had with my son in a long time.

It's just 3 minutes by car from Wellpark Hotel, so if you're tired of hotel food or want to discover a real hidden gem in Gochang, be sure to pay a visit!