Ansan pot rice restaurant with aged kimchi pork belly: Dongyang Sotbap

Have you heard of Dongyang Sotbap, the word-of-mouth Korean restaurant in Jungang-dong, Ansan? This is a place where you can enjoy freshly steamed pot rice alongside a variety of Korean dishes, without breaking the bank. With hot pot rice and generous side dishes, it's a spot I'd recommend to anyone looking for a hearty Korean meal in Jungang-dong. Today I'm introducing Dongyang Sotbap, a Jungang-dong restaurant where you can enjoy great Korean food at a great price.

How to find Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch, and where to park

Recommended as a lunch spot in Jungang-dong, Ansan, Dongyang Sotbap is on the 2nd floor of the Damdeok Dental building near the Jungang-dong taxi stand, about a 5-minute walk from Jungang Station — convenient if you're coming by public transit.

🅿️ Parking info — There's no parking inside the building, so you'll need to use a nearby public parking lot (paid).

Inside Dongyang Sotbap: solo-dining tables and how long is the wait?

This place is well known in Jungang-dong, so there's often a wait. If there is one, you write your name on the waitlist posted outside and wait your turn. I visited around 7pm on a weekday, and luckily got seated right away without waiting.

Walking in, I noticed all sorts of certificates and evaluations on display — Dongyang Sotbap has earned an 'excellent' rating on the restaurant hygiene grading system, so I was already excited before even eating.

The interior is spacious and clean, and overall the place is clearly well maintained. Looking around, it seemed like both Korean and foreign customers visit fairly often.

There are also small tables set aside specifically for solo dining, so anyone looking for a solo-friendly restaurant in Jungang-dong, Ansan should feel comfortable here.

Dongyang Sotbap menu and prices

Once seated, I looked over the menu. There's a wide range of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean-style pot rice dishes — gyudon (beef bowl) pot rice, minari (water parsley) pork jowl pot rice, dongpo pork pot rice, pork shoulder pot rice, steak pot rice, and more — so there's plenty to choose from depending on your taste, with prices ranging from ₩9,900 to ₩16,900, which is quite reasonable. Beyond the pot rice, there are also side dishes like mendbosha and kkwabaerou that pair well with a main.

If you have any food allergies, just let the staff know when ordering.

Worth noting: freshly made food can be packed to take home, but leftovers you've already eaten from can't be packed up.

What we ordered at Dongyang Sotbap and how the table was set

Not long after ordering, the food arrived — served in under 5 minutes, so there was no waiting around before we could dig in.

If you want more side dishes, you can freely help yourself at the self-serve bar.

Aged kimchi pork belly pot rice, 11,900 won

This time I ordered one of Dongyang Sotbap's recommended dishes, the aged kimchi pork belly pot rice.

Thick-cut pork belly and tangy, spicy aged kimchi are stir-fried over high heat, giving off a subtle smoky char while the pork belly kept its bite.

When you order pot rice, it comes with a deeply flavored seaweed soup to go with it.

Basic side dishes like salted seafood, stir-fried anchovies, and pickled chili peppers were also neatly laid out, nice to eat alongside the main dish one by one.

I mixed the aged kimchi pork belly pot rice thoroughly with the rice and took a big bite — thanks to the high-heat stir-frying, the smoky char came through strongly, and it was delicious from the very first bite.

The spice level wasn't too intense, so even people who can't handle much heat could enjoy it comfortably. The seasoning wasn't overly strong either, so I kept going back for more.

Spicy gyudon pot rice, 10,900 won

My husband ordered the spicy gyudon pot rice — flame-grilled beef brisket slices topped with a spicy sauce, letting you enjoy both smoky char and heat together.

The gyudon pot rice comes with a choice of regular (soy-based) or spicy flavor — if you like spicy food, go spicy; if you prefer something milder, go with the regular one.

Mixed with the spicy sauce, the spicy gyudon pot rice grabbed my taste buds from the first bite. Thanks to the flame-grilled beef brisket, there was a subtle smoky char too, giving it a different appeal from the regular pot rice.

Overall, it wasn't overly strong-flavored and had just the right seasoning, making it a pot rice that even foreigners unfamiliar with Korean food could enjoy comfortably.

Menbosha (fried shrimp toast), 5,900 won

The mendbosha we ordered as a side is a Chinese-style dish stuffed with plump shrimp meat and fried until crispy.

Crispy on the outside and moist inside, the shrimp's springy texture came through clearly, and it paired well with the spicy pot rice.

Guobarou (sweet and sour fried pork), 4,900 won

The second side dish, kkwabaerou, is thinly fried meat coated in a sweet and sour sauce — the sauce wasn't too sour or too sweet, which I liked.

It's a flavor that appeals to all ages, so it'd make a great side dish to order when visiting with kids.

Spicy yurinki (fried chicken with sauce), 6,900 won

The spicy yurinki is crispy fried chicken topped with a spicy and tangy yurinki sauce.

The pungent, tangy sauce kept it from feeling greasy, and the portion was just right for two, making it a nice light side dish.

Is Dongyang Sotbap worth it for solo dining and lunch in Jungang-dong, Ansan?

Dongyang Sotbap in Jungang-dong, Ansan has reasonable prices overall, a wide variety of dishes, and generous side dishes, making for a satisfying meal. It's also easy to get to, just 5 minutes on foot from Jungang Station, and with tables set aside for solo diners, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a solo-dining spot in Jungang-dong, Ansan. If you're searching for a lunch spot or Korean restaurant in Jungang-dong, Ansan, it's worth stopping by :)