Three-fish kiln grill with pork belly pot rice in Gyeongju: Handa Sot

Gyeongju during this week's holiday! Before diving into proper sightseeing, I wanted to fill up on a solid meal first, so I looked around and found Handa Sot, a Korean restaurant in Hwangnidan-gil.

Inside Handa Sot Gyeongju: a hanok interior in Hwangnidan-gil

Handa Sot Gyeongju is a hanok-style Korean restaurant on Cheomseong-ro in Hwangnidan-gil. Since I was in Hwangnidan-gil anyway, I really wanted Korean food. Gyeongju already has a lot of places with a traditional Korean feel, and I was hoping for somewhere hanok-style, so Handa Sot's hanok interior made me feel even more like I was actually traveling in Gyeongju — loved it.

Seating on the first and second floors, and how long you wait

Handa Sot has two floors like this. We got a table on the first floor, but the second floor looked like it would've had great atmosphere too. This is normally a Gyeongju hotspot where you have to line up via CatchTable, but I visited a bit after lunch hour so I skipped the wait entirely haha.

Handa Sot Gyeongju location, hours and parking

• Location: 111 Cheomseong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 10:30–21:00 (last order 20:00)
• Parking: Lot in front of the restaurant, or nearby paid public parking lots

They also have separate men's/women's restrooms, free Wi-Fi, baby chairs, and apparently the temporary parking lot is free to use.

Isn't the interior at Handa Sot beautiful? It's also close to Cheomseongdae Observatory, and there's a public parking lot nearby, so it was convenient for parking and for touring Gyeongju's cultural heritage sites too.

Kids zone at Handa Sot Gyeongju: groups, couples and solo diners

Handa Sot Gyeongju especially seems perfect for families thanks to its kids zone. The restaurant is spacious, so it looks great for groups, couples, and solo diners of all ages.

Rice is the fuel that powers Koreans, right haha? The charm of Handa Sot Gyeongju is that the fish you see grilling in this kiln is cooked at 500 degrees, so you get delicious grilled fish without the excess grease.

Kiln-grilled fish set for two, with one pot rice swapped for pork belly

Let's take a proper look at the menu at this Gyeongju eatery. Since it's a Korean set-meal restaurant, grilled fish is the star. We ordered the kiln-grilled fish set for two and swapped one of the pot rice orders for pork belly. They also sell local Gyeongju makgeolli (rice wine), and I debated getting some, but held off since it was just the start of the trip haha.

Side dishes and beef seaweed soup at Handa Sot Gyeongju

Once you order, they set out the side dishes right away. True to a Hwangnidan-gil Korean restaurant, the banchan (side dishes) come out beautifully tidy. Maybe because they use fresh seasonal ingredients, everything tasted great, and my boyfriend especially loved the seaweed soup. It wasn't the usual bland side-dish version — it was a properly seasoned beef seaweed soup that suited my taste too.

What comes on the two-person set: galchi, samchi and godeungeo

The food came out really fast. I expected some wait since it's kiln-grilled fish plus pot rice, but it arrived quickly, which was a nice surprise. Our two-person set came with cutlassfish, Spanish mackerel, and mackerel, plus pot rice.

How to eat the solbap (pot rice) at Handa Sot Gyeongju

You all know how pot rice works, right? Scoop the rice into this bowl they give you. Handa Sot's pot rice apparently uses a specially bred rice to enhance the seasonal pot rice flavor, and honestly, the rice did taste better because of it haha.

After scooping out the rice, they pour hot water into the pot, and then you're all set to enjoy this Gyeongju eatery haha. Eat the scooped-out rice first, then enjoy the nurungji (scorched rice) afterward.

How does the 500-degree kiln-grilled fish taste? Kept warm on an induction plate

Since it's a set meal, it was great being able to try several kinds of fish. See how thick the samchi flesh is? I especially loved that they keep the fish warm on the induction burner at the table from start to finish.

Grilling it in the kiln clearly cuts down on the grease, so it tastes light and clean — I ended up wolfing it down. With the galchi, you can easily pull the meat off once you remove the bones along the edges.

Once you've had your fill of rice and grilled fish, definitely try the nurungji too. Eating the warm scorched rice washes away the oiliness from the fish and resets your palate, so the next piece of fish tastes even better haha.

Piling grilled fish on top of the nurungji and taking a bite — ah, so good! I left feeling completely full and ready for a fun trip around Gyeongju. I get why Handa Sot is such a famous Korean restaurant in Hwangnidan-gil — the side dishes and overall set were excellent. If you're looking for Korean food near Hwangnidan-gil, give it a try!