Gyeongju pot rice dinner facing Naemul Royal Tomb: Handa Sot
In short
Handa Sot Gyeongju (한다솥 경주점) is a two-story hanok-style Korean restaurant serving pot rice (sotbap) and set meals on Cheomseong-ro in Gyeongju's Hwangnidan-gil area. On a weekday evening, the writer had pork jowl pot rice (16,000 won) and galbi pot rice (17,000 won), served with 8 side dishes and seaweed soup, then finished with scorched rice (nurungji), while every seat looked out through full-height windows onto Naemul Royal Tomb. Handa Sot Gyeongju makes an easy dinner pick, especially followed by a waterside stroll at Woljeonggyo Bridge, 3 minutes away by car.
Good to know
- Hours
- Daily 10:30–21:00 (last order 20:00)
- Parking
- Free parking out front for about 4 cars
- Restrooms
- Separate men's and women's restrooms
- Pork jowl pot rice
- ₩16,000
- Galbi pot rice
- ₩17,000
- Pressure-cooked mackerel kimchi stew
- ₩15,000 / full set meal ₩19,000
- Oven-grilled mackerel set meal
- ₩16,000
- Oven-grilled pork bulgogi set meal
- ₩17,000
- Oven-grilled cutlassfish set meal
- ₩19,000
- Handa Sot assorted soy-marinated seafood set meal
- ₩27,000
- Assorted grilled fish
- ₩33,000
- Seating
- Dining on both floors, full-height windows facing the royal tomb, baby chairs available
- Price reference
- ₩16,000 ≈ $12 · ₩17,000 ≈ $12.5 · ₩15,000 ≈ $11 (2026-10-17)
as written by the visitor on Jun 22, 2026
Today I visited Handa Sot, a Korean set-meal restaurant that's great for taking your parents.
Handa Sot Gyeongju hours and parking
Handa Sot Gyeongju is open daily 10:30–21:00, with last order at 20:00. The restrooms are separate for men and women.
There's free parking for about 4 cars in front of the restaurant. I went on a weekday evening and had plenty of room, haha.
Handa Sot Gyeongju menu and prices
- Pressure-cooker mackerel kimchi stew ₩15,000
- Kiln-grilled mackerel set ₩16,000
- Kiln pork bulgogi set ₩17,000
- Pressure-cooker mackerel kimchi stew set ₩19,000
- Kiln-grilled cutlassfish set ₩19,000
- Handa Sot assorted seafood jang set ₩27,000
- Assorted grilled fish ₩33,000
- Pork jowl pot rice ₩16,000
- Galbi (short rib) pot rice ₩17,000
At Handa Sot Gyeongju, the assorted grilled fish and the mackerel kimchi stew are said to be the most popular. The menu is exactly the kind your parents would love 🤩
What side dishes come with the meal at Handa Sot?
Handa Sot serves 8 side dishes: pickled gungchae (a crunchy stem vegetable), garlic stems, seasoned bellflower root, stir-fried anchovies, ggosiraegi (a crunchy seaweed), lotus root, bean sprouts and kimchi. Before I even got to the main dishes, these carefully made sides caught my eye.
Everything was clean-tasting and well seasoned, and I could see why this set-meal restaurant is so popular 👌
Seaweed soup also comes before the meal, and its warmth was lovely for settling the stomach.
How did the pork jowl and galbi pot rice taste?
At Handa Sot Gyeongju, I ordered the pork jowl pot rice (₩16,000) and the galbi pot rice (₩17,000).
Pork jowl pot rice: plenty of flame-grilled pork jowl
The pork jowl pot rice features pork jowl coated in Handa Sot's special sauce and grilled over an open flame. It's piled generously on the rice, so there was no feeling of too little meat to go with the rice.
Pork jowl might make you think of greasy, but with toppings like chili peppers mixed in, the texture came across as tender rather than heavy.
The meat wasn't tough and it wasn't spicy, so the whole time I was eating I thought it would be great for young kids.
Galbi pot rice: add the sauce yourself to taste
For the galbi pot rice, you scoop it out into a bowl like this before eating.
When you order the galbi pot rice, a sweet and salty galbi sauce comes on the side, and you can add as much as you like, so you can tailor it to your taste.
Even though the meat is thick, it was tender with no toughness, and the clean, savory flavor of beef really came through. (Personally, I thought it was even better than a steak at a Western restaurant.. 👍)
Adding a little sauce as I went, I was able to find just the right seasoning for me.
Nurungji (scorched rice) is one of the biggest reasons to eat pot rice 🤩 After finishing the rice, taking it spoonful by spoonful felt like the perfect Korean finish to the meal.
Inside Handa Sot Gyeongju: the Naemul Royal Tomb window view
Handa Sot Gyeongju is a two-story hanok-style building, and it's pretty large.
Both the 1st and 2nd floors are Handa Sot dining rooms, so there are plenty of seats.
Since it's a tourist spot close to the royal tombs, I mostly saw families and guests who'd brought their parents.
And what makes Handa Sot special is its view of the royal tomb.
All the glass at Handa Sot is full-window, so wherever you sit you see lush green Naemul Royal Tomb, which made it feel even more like being in Gyeongju. (Highly recommended if you're visiting as a tourist!)
They also have baby chairs, so it seems like a good place to stop by when you're sightseeing with a little one.
After dinner near Handa Sot: Woljeonggyo Bridge
Woljeonggyo Bridge is a 3-minute drive or 15-minute walk from Handa Sot. It's open 09:00–22:00 and has free parking.
After dinner, I sat beside Woljeonggyo and zoned out watching the water, and it was every bit as good as Cheonggyecheon in Seoul. I highly recommend this course,, ❤️ And even without a car, the ground is flat, so getting around isn't a burden.
Handa Sot Gyeongju at a glance
- Recommended Korean set-meal restaurant in Hwangnidan-gil
- Gyeongju restaurant good for taking your parents
- Cheomseong-ro restaurant good for kids
- Good restaurant near Woljeonggyo
If you don't want to eat bad food while sightseeing and you're looking for a place that captures Gyeongju's atmosphere, I recommend Handa Sot Gyeongju, haha.
Where it is
111 Cheomseong-ro, Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, South Korea경상북도 경주시 첨성로 111
Handasot Gyeongju: hours, menu and prices →
