Cheongju Korean restaurant for soba and pork cutlet: Oneul Haru

Oneul Haru in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju

I was in Gagyeong-dong for an errand at Connect Hyundai. While looking for a good restaurant near the Cheongju Terminal, I found this Korean restaurant.

• 87 Seohyeonbuk-ro, 1F, Units 110–112, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea
• Parking available
• Mon–Sat 11:00–22:00 / Sun 11:00–20:00

Oneul Haru, a good spot in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, sells a variety of stone-pot rice set meals, pork cutlet, buckwheat soba, and more.

With its wood-toned interior and soft lighting, it was a cozy, comfortable place to enjoy a meal.

A self-serve bar with tteokbokki and huge fritters

The self-serve bar had tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and fritters ready to go. I have seen places offer tteokbokki, but being able to freely take fritters that big and substantial too made the generosity really stand out.

The fritters were made with healthy vegetables such as eggplant, enoki mushrooms, and broccoli. They were just as big as the ones sold at a bunsik snack shop.

The tteokbokki used soft wheat-rice cakes. I loved that I could enjoy bunsik snack food alongside the meal as a side.

Gagyeong-dong lunch menu selection

There were neat, easygoing Korean dishes such as galbi set meals, grilled fish stone-pot rice sets, gondre herb rice and vegetable sets, and gochujang bulgogi stone-pot rice sets, plus pork cutlet, curry, and buckwheat soba. It was a Gagyeong-dong lunch menu with something for everyone.

The table was a little unusual—it was super long, haha. Some places have such narrow tables that it is hard to fit all the food, but there was no need to worry about that here.

For drinks, zero is the way to go!

The tteokbokki at Oneul Haru in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, was a mild wheat-rice-cake style like you would get at a bunsik snack shop.

There was also a whole pile of fritters,

and they were this big, with a lovely crispness still intact. The batter was fairly pale, and the enoki mushroom and eggplant fritters were especially delicious.

After picking at a few, I got full so quickly, haha. They are surprisingly filling, so I recommend taking just a little to sample—I could not finish everything I ordered, haha.

Buckwheat soba and pork cutlet set

Chilled buckwheat soba in a refreshing broth and freshly fried, crisp pork cutlet arrived.

Buckwheat soba topped with a lemon garnish! It was perfect for hot weather like this. That signature cool, salty, savory broth took the heat right down. The buckwheat noodles had just the right chew and bounce, so they were delicious.

The pork cutlet was not overly greasy; I liked its clean, mild flavor, and it stayed nicely crisp.

There was also a refreshing salad at the self-serve bar to bring back for more. The crunchy cabbage salad added plenty of texture.

Are you a dip-it-before-eating person or a pour-the-sauce-on person? Haha. I like both, but dipping is probably best for keeping that crispness.

They also gave us radish and wasabi separately, which was nice because I could adjust them to my taste.

Gochujang bulgogi stone-pot rice set

A stone-pot rice set with a variety of neatly presented side dishes! It came with gochujang bulgogi, wrap vegetables, and miyeok-guk (seaweed soup).

The stone-pot rice was topped with gondre, a wild herb, so I could enjoy an even more fragrant bowl of rice.

The gochujang bulgogi tasted like spicy stir-fried pork, so I think it would be a flavor men would enjoy too.

They also provided hot water so I could make sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) from the stone-pot rice. After serving myself some rice, I enjoyed the sungnyung too!

I gave it a quick mix with the soy sauce served alongside. It was gently savory, and I liked having the fragrant gondre and Korean side dishes together.

I especially like braised anchovies like these, and these were delicious without being too large. If you are looking for Korean food in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, I recommend Oneul Haru. The atmosphere and set-meal selection were both great, making it suitable for a family gathering or a date too, haha.