Pot rice restaurant near Cheongju Ipark for lunch: Sorori Sotbap

A repeat visit to Sorori Sotbap, famous in Cheongju for pot rice! The flagship is on Seongan-gil, but this time I went to the direct branch in Gagyeong-dong. What I love most about the Gagyeong branch is how easy it is to park and how baby-friendly it is, so it's become my go-to for lunch near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju 🙌🏻

Where is Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch, and what are its hours?

Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch is at 16 Seohyeonnam-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea, near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong. It's open daily 11:00–20:30, with a break time of 15:00–17:00 and last order at 20:00 — no break time on Saturdays or Sundays.

Apparently all the Sorori Sotbap locations in Cheongju are directly operated rather than franchises.

Parking at Sorori Sotbap: 2 hours free

The parking lot in front is huge with tons of spots, so parking was so easy~~ Gagyeong-dong can be stressful for parking when you're just trying to eat, but here it's easy to bring a car haha. After the meal, just register at the tablet inside and you get 2 hours free parking.

Inside Sorori Sotbap and how kid-friendly it is

The interior of Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch is clean and spacious, great for a date or a family gathering. Quite a few people were eating solo at the two-seater tables, and a lot of people were picking up takeout too!

I was especially surprised to find baby dishware set aside and even a microwave 😳 This kind of thing really matters when you're eating out with a baby haha. Everything is set up so you can eat comfortably with your kid, making it a great spot for anyone looking for a family dining place~~

And apparently Sorori Sotbap uses rice and ingredients from the Chungbuk region. The most important thing about pot rice is that the rice itself has to taste good, and I realized that's exactly why it's so delicious haha.

Sorori Sotbap menu: how many kinds of pot rice?

Sorori Sotbap really has a huge range of pot rice. From beef rib pot rice to abalone, crab, Korean beef large intestine, mackerel, cockle, and mentaiko (pollock roe) pot rice — there are so many options you can pick whatever fits your mood!

If you're taking your parents out to eat, going for a slightly more special dish like beef rib or abalone might be a nice choice.

I mostly stick to the best-seller, beef rib pot rice, or mackerel pot rice haha. This time I ordered mackerel pot rice again! And I also ordered the salmon buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll) I often get, to share. I was tempted by the shrimp buckwheat gimbap too — apparently it's only sold 10 servings a day and is delicious — so I'll try that next time.

Salmon buckwheat gimbap: light but filling

First, the salmon buckwheat gimbap I often order at Sorori Sotbap! It's lighter on the stomach, so I sometimes eat it while dieting — with buckwheat, egg, and salmon all rolled in, it's light but surprisingly filling.

The salmon was very fresh, and dipping it in soy sauce with a touch of wasabi on top is so good haha. The sharp wasabi, soft salmon, and buckwheat together make it clean-tasting but something you keep reaching for.

Seaweed soup with scallops

Ordering the salmon buckwheat gimbap comes with seaweed soup too. At first I thought it'd just be a plain side soup... but it actually had scallops in it!! Even though it's the soup that comes with the gimbap, the quality was better than I expected, which I really liked haha.

Mackerel pot rice, generous with the fish

And the mackerel pot rice I ordered again this time! It's one of my favorites because the mackerel on top is nice and chunky.

At some pot rice places, there's plenty of rice but disappointingly little of the main ingredient on top. Sorori Sotbap's mackerel pot rice had a really generous amount of mackerel, which was very satisfying haha.

How to eat Sorori Sotbap's pot rice: butter, soy sauce, furikake

How to enjoy pot rice~~ instead of eating it plain, it's better to add butter, soy sauce, or furikake and mix it all the way to the bottom. Wrapping the well-mixed rice in seaweed, the salty mackerel and savory rice went so well with the seaweed 🤤

Finishing with sungnyung (scorched-rice tea)

And you absolutely can't skip sungnyung (scorched rice tea) when eating pot rice haha. After scooping the rice out into a bowl, I poured hot water straight into the pot and started eating. By the time I finished the rice, I opened the lid and scraped up all the crispy bits stuck to the bottom for a nutty sungnyung! After a hearty pot rice meal finished off with warm sungnyung, I felt comfortable all the way through haha.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar

I also love how generous Sorori Sotbap is with side dishes. Squid jeotgal (fermented squid) and myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves) and other sides that go well with pot rice all came out delicious 👍🏻 If you need more, you can help yourself as much as you like at the self-serve bar.

I've been back to Sorori Sotbap many times, and since there are so many kinds of pot rice, it's fun to pick a different menu item every visit. If you're looking for a good pot rice restaurant or lunch spot near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, I recommend Sorori Sotbap~!