Gwangalli Korean restaurant: medium steak pot rice with wasabi, Solsot

Gwangalli lunch problem solved: Solsot

Why I picked Solsot Gwangalli for lunch

Solsot Gwangalli (솔솥 광안리점) is a Gwangalli rice spot where a hot bowl of pot rice (solsotbap, rice cooked in an iron pot) really fills you up. When you want to see the sea and also get a good meal in Gwangalli, it's hard to decide where to go, right? If you're searching for a Gwangalli lunch place, a Busan Gwangalli rice restaurant or a Gwangalli local favorite, I think this one will satisfy you, so let me introduce it.

Solsot Gwangalli opening hours and parking

Solsot Gwangalli is open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It's close to Gwangalli Beach so it's easy to reach, and the clean exterior catches your eye even if you're just passing by.

There is no parking lot of its own, so you'll need to use a nearby public or private lot, and no parking support is offered.

Even on a weekday lunch, guests kept coming in, so it felt like it's already well known as a Gwangalli local favorite.

Solsot Gwangalli menu and prices

Solsot Gwangalli has many kinds of pot rice, and prices are in the ₩10,000 range. There are side dishes too, so you can fill any gaps.

Here's what I ordered this time.

• Abalone pot rice
• Steak pot rice
• Fried shrimp

I also liked that the variety lets you choose to your taste. From steak to abalone, salmon and eel, it's a Busan Gwangalli rice restaurant where picking is half the fun.

Abalone pot rice with a buttery aroma

The abalone pot rice at Solsot Gwangalli spreads a nutty butter aroma the moment it arrives. It's generously topped with well-cooked abalone, with chopped scallions and sesame seeds, and it looked delicious just sitting there.

I melted the butter in a little and mixed it up, and the chewy abalone and the rich flavor went really well together. I think the biggest charm of pot rice is that you can put the ingredients you like on top of hot rice like toppings. It was good wrapped in seaweed too, and with the banchan (side dishes) the flavor came out even more.

How to enjoy the steak pot rice

Personally, the dish I liked most at Solsot Gwangalli was the steak pot rice. The steak was cooked to a nice medium, not tough, and still juicy.

I took a bite of the big piece of meat, then mixed it with the rice, and it was really satisfying. A little wasabi on top brings out the meat's flavor even more, and with kimchi it never felt heavy, so I enjoyed it to the very end.

I immediately understood why so many people recommend it as a Gwangalli lunch place.

Don't skip the fried shrimp side

The fried shrimp I ordered as a side at Solsot Gwangalli was satisfying too. A whole shrimp is in there, so the texture was great,

and the crispy batter with the smooth tartar sauce was a really good combination. It's a perfect match for pot rice, so I recommend ordering it together.

The pot rice highlight: how to make nurungji

At Solsot Gwangalli, after you get your pot rice, a staff member guides you to make nurungji (scorched rice soup) first. You open the pot lid, scoop out the rice, then add three spoonfuls of the "magic nurungji" powder and hot water, and that's it. It was the best way to finish a meal.

Enjoying the nutty pot rice first and then finishing with warm nurungji was such a satisfying course. Thanks to this step, it felt different from an ordinary rice bowl, and I enjoyed it all the way to the end.

Verdict: a filling Gwangalli lunch I recommend

If you want a filling meal in Gwangalli, Solsot Gwangalli is a place I really recommend. True to a Gwangalli lunch spot, the food is neat and tidy, and the pot rice alone was satisfying enough. The butter aroma of the abalone pot rice, the tender meat of the steak pot rice and the nurungji at the end were all very well done.

It suits tourists as well as people looking for a Gwangalli local favorite, and if you want a hearty meal, I recommend Solsot as a Busan Gwangalli rice restaurant. Next time I definitely want to try the salmon pot rice or the freshwater eel pot rice. If you're craving a warm pot of rice in Gwangalli, give it a visit.