Pot rice restaurant with a self-serve rice bar in Cheongju: Sorori

What kind of restaurant is Sorori Cheongju Main Branch?

Sorori Cheongju Main Branch is a Korean restaurant specializing in pot rice, located on the 1st floor of 37 Jungang-ro, Seongan-gil, Cheongju. The name Sorori is said to come from the 'Oksan Sorori rice grain,' the oldest rice grain ever discovered in the world.

We went to Cheongju with my kid and ended up staying through dinner, so we stopped by Sorori, a pot rice restaurant famous around Seongan-gil! My kid ate really well and the food was great, so I'm super satisfied — sharing my review of Sorori Cheongju Main Branch 💛

Where to park near Sorori on Seongan-gil

Parking was a worry since it's Seongan-gil, but luckily there's 1-hour free parking at the Urban Regeneration Hub Center right across from the restaurant, so we got there easily.

Park in the underground lot and once you come up, the restaurant is right in front of you, so it's easy to find! ✨

Inside Sorori Cheongju Main Branch

True to a restaurant where rice is the star, they don't cook the pot rice ahead of time before customers arrive — cooking only starts once an order comes in! That's Sorori's signature feature 💛 They use rice from the Chungbuk region and prepare the pot rice broth fresh every morning, so even the wait felt like part of the process for freshly cooked rice 🙏🏻

Walking inside, Sorori is decorated with a retro feel, so it was fun just to look around! Lots of old-school songs were playing too, so I think parents visiting would enjoy the nostalgia.

It's an open-kitchen setup so you can see all the cooking happening, which made it feel more trustworthy. The tables are spaced well and there are plenty of them, so even with a crowd it never felt cramped or busy.

Is Sorori comfortable with a child?

Since it's a pot rice restaurant, it seems like a lot of customers bring kids, just like us. Maybe that's why baby chairs and tableware were plentifully and cleanly prepared. The tableware was even kept in a sterilizer, so trust level went up 200% ✨

You can add extra banchan (side dishes) yourself, and even the plain white rice is self-serve! Whenever I eat with my kid, ordering one more portion is always too much, but sharing one is always a bit short — so having rice at the self-serve bar was such a relief!! 🥹💖

Sorori's main dish is pot rice of course, but the buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll) is also famous, apparently. We ordered two dishes: galbi (beef short rib) pot rice and shrimp buckwheat gimbap 🙏🏻 We put butter on top and let it melt in, mixing it around ✨💛✨🙏🏻🥹🩵💖

How the beef galbi pot rice and shrimp buckwheat gimbap tasted

The banchan were fairly simple, but they matched the pot rice and buckwheat gimbap perfectly, which I liked. You could refill as much as you wanted, so I ate my fill of the seasoned squid ✨

Sorori's signature dish that I shared with my kid, the galbi pot rice 💛 When you open the lid, the glossy rice topped generously with soft galbi looked delicious just to look at.

It's tasty just as is, but mixing in the butter doubled the savoriness and made it much better. As the butter melted slowly into the hot pot rice, the savory flavor burst out and paired perfectly with the sweet galbi seasoning.

Even my picky-eater foodie son ate the galbi pot rice really well! They cut the galbi into small pieces and served it with the rice, so he ate it bite by bite happily — I was glad we brought him along 🥹💖 When a kid eats on their own, that really means it's delicious..! ✨

Is shrimp buckwheat gimbap filling enough for a full meal?

And here's another dish we ordered, the shrimp buckwheat gimbap! It's gimbap made with buckwheat noodles instead of rice, so I was really curious about the texture and taste. I worried it wouldn't be enough for a meal on its own, but it turned out bigger than expected!

The soft, mild buckwheat paired well with the crunchy shrimp inside — a great combination. With egg added too, it was more filling than I expected 💛 The tartar sauce that comes with it is the highlight, so I definitely recommend dipping it in 🙏🏻

Is Sorori worth a family visit in Cheongju?

The galbi pot rice, packed with tender galbi over freshly cooked hot rice, was thoroughly satisfying! And the unique buckwheat gimbap on top of that! We enjoyed a filling meal at Sorori, a favorite on Seongan-gil 💛 If you're looking for a Seongan-gil restaurant in Cheongju that's great to eat at with kids, definitely give Sorori a visit 🥹🩵