Cheongju restaurant for salmon buckwheat gimbap set: Sorori

Do you know Sorori, the famous date-spot restaurant on Seongan-gil in Cheongju?

I used to visit Sorori often back when it was still a tiny little shop, and I got a good chance to visit again : )

Sorori's location on Seongan-gil, a great date spot

Sorori is located on Seongan-gil, so it's really good to stop by for lunch or dinner while on a date!

It's right in front of the Urban Regeneration Hub Center, and easy to find if you head toward the Youth Plaza : )

Parking and hours

If you drive, they give you a voucher for free parking at the Urban Regeneration Center! There's also a public parking lot nearby that I always used to park in, but from now on I think I'll use the Urban Regeneration Center lot haha

Hours are 11am to 8:30pm! Break time is from 3 to 5pm, so make sure to check before you visit~~! I've seen waiting lines during lunch and dinner peak hours, so I like to visit after the rush haha

Interior and seating

The interior. There are lots of cute little items full of the owner's personal taste, so it's fun to look around while waiting for your order! haha

Comfortable seating. The tables are spacious and pleasant, great for a date or a meal with friends! They also have baby chairs, so I've seen a lot of families dining here too haha. Even though I visited right before closing, there were quite a few groups of friends eating together. The air purifier was running too, so there wasn't much food smell in the air!

Refillable side dishes at the self-bar

Self-bar. They set out the side dishes at first, but if you run out, you can refill them yourself!

• San-gochu (mountain chili)
• Squid jeotgal (salted squid)
• Kkakdugi (radish kimchi)
• Anchovy broth
• Buckwheat tea
• Rice

My partner who came with me must have really liked the anchovy broth, because he refilled it twice haha

Basic side dishes. These are what they set out at first! They also bring out broth and water along with them haha

How to eat it deliciously

The staff explain how to eat the dish when they bring it out, but there's also a kind little note explaining the best way to eat it!

Menu board and how to order

Ordering is done via kiosk, but since the screen isn't very easy to read, I brought a photo of Sorori's actual menu board — the summer-only samgye (chicken) pot rice was available to order in person!

Best Set, gimbap changed to salmon buckwheat gimbap

Best set. After some deliberating, we decided to order the Best Set! Since I love salmon, I changed the gimbap to salmon buckwheat gimbap, and since the set includes a drink, I went with zero cola!

Doesn't this look so delicious,,, they bring everything out at once so you can eat without waiting around, which I really love!

Galbi pot rice

True to its name, the galbi (short rib) pot rice is packed with galbi. It also has sweet pumpkin and chestnuts in it, and the seasoning is so good that even just the rice mixed with the sauce is delicious,,, They told us it's great to mix in butter with the galbi pot rice, so I added some, and the flavor became even richer.

Hanwoo daechang pot rice

They told us not to mix the hanwoo daechang (Korean beef tripe) pot rice, but instead to eat the tripe together with the vegetables, so I tried the combination of onion + tripe + wasabi + chives, and it wasn't greasy at all — so delicious!

Salmon buckwheat gimbap

The pot rice at Sorori is delicious, but the buckwheat gimbap is the real deal,, it was so good I regretted not ordering a second one haha. The salmon had no fishy taste at all, and the combination with egg and buckwheat was amazing!

Every single dish was perfect, so it was such a satisfying meal : ) No wonder they've been the #1 brand two years running haha

Buckwheat gimbap merch

After finishing our meal, I noticed some merch on the way out! Cute little Sorori buckwheat gimbap goods! They said all proceeds go toward donations for underfed children and kids at orphanages : )

If you're wondering what to eat on Seongan-gil, or craving pot rice and buckwheat gimbap, I highly recommend Sorori : )