Kid-friendly Korean restaurant in Chowol, Gwangju: Oneuldo Utja

We were out and about in Gwangju, Gyeonggi with our kid when we heard about a duruchigi (stir-fried spicy pork) and sotbap (stone-pot rice) restaurant, so we made a family outing of it at Oneuldo Utja Chowol. The main dish, duruchigi, was delicious, and with kid-friendly egg rolls and a complimentary seaweed soup, the menu lineup was great for a family meal with kids in Gwangju.

Oneuldo Utja Chowol

Oneuldo Utja Chowol: hours, address and parking

• Location: 43-1 Sansu-ro, Chowol-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1F
• Parking: Ample space in front of and beside the building
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–22:00 / Sunday 11:00–21:00
• Menu items available for takeout

What are the exterior and interior like?

This is the exterior of Oneuldo Utja Chowol. It's on the first floor of a residential-commercial building, so there was plenty of parking in front and beside the building.

There's a convenience store right next door, so it's great for dessert after the meal, haha.

Near the kitchen, you could see the self-serve side dish corner and watch rice being freshly cooked in the rice cooker. The self-bar was stocked with garlic, dried radish strips, cucumber, peppers, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), and other vegetables that go well with duruchigi.

The rice cooker, which you can use for refills with one sotbap order per person, was full of rice, and the big pot had seaweed soup, which was perfect for feeding the kid. The inside of the restaurant was bigger than I expected, and most people were eating duruchigi.

We took a seat by the full-length window, which kept it from feeling stuffy, and ordered.

I thought duruchigi only came with pork, but there was also a version with squid added. Cold water, paper cups, and side plates were already set up on the table, which was convenient.

Ssamjang, garlic, dried radish strips, cucumber, and peppers came as a base, and you could get more from the self-bar if needed. There's an indoor restroom, which made it great for a family outing with kids, and the aprons were kept nice and clean.

How do the duruchigi, sotbap and egg roll taste?

When we ordered duruchigi, it came out generously topped with a mountain of bean sprouts and green onion shreds.

A staff member mixed it for us directly, so there was no worry about the bean sprouts and green onions spilling everywhere.

Egg rolls come in a regular jumbo version or a cheese version — we ordered the regular one without cheese. The size was overwhelming, my jaw dropped. At a glance, the combination of chunky pork, fresh vegetables, and well-fermented kimchi was something else!

Oneuldo Utja Chowol has less sweetness compared to other branches, which suited my taste better. It does have some spice to it, so if you can't handle spicy food, keep that in mind.

As the broth bubbles away, it becomes a duruchigi with sweet-salty-spicy appeal even more charming than kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew).

Our 4-year-old ate so well, refilling the egg rolls, seaweed soup, and rice again and again — I thought, I'm glad we came to Oneuldo Utja Chowol!

Even for adults, the egg roll was a perfect dish for balancing out the delicious spiciness of the duruchigi.

Maybe because we ate it with the vegetables, the spiciness felt reduced and there was a moisture to it that let us eat even more.

The freshly made sotbap had moist, delicious grains, and eating the nurungji (scorched rice) afterward settled our stomachs nicely.

The savory nurungji was also perfect as a dessert for the kid. I found myself thinking, isn't this the taste of Korea?

Is Oneuldo Utja Chowol good for a family meal with a 4-year-old?

If you're looking for a good restaurant in Chowol, Gwangju to eat with kids, or a spot for a family meal, I'd recommend giving Oneuldo Utja Chowol a try. The main dish, duruchigi, was spicy with less sweetness, which personally suited my taste, and having freshly made sotbap and nurungji alongside it made for a hearty meal.

Most of all, having egg rolls and seaweed soup that a 4-year-old could easily eat, plus refillable rice, made dining with a kid comfortable. Parking is ample and the interior is spacious, so if you're looking for a family meal or a meal with kids in Gwangju, it's worth a stop.