Chungju Terminal poke shop takeout before waterskiing: Salad Ring

When a couple in their 50s wants to go waterskiing, they need a meal that's simple but filling and won't sit heavy in the stomach — and poke was exactly what came to mind!!

Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch: hours, location and parking

Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch is open Monday to Sunday, 11:00-20:30, with a break time from 15:00 to 16:00 — no break time on Saturdays and Sundays. It's about a 10-minute drive from the beach where we were staying, so I pre-ordered takeout from this Chungju poke restaurant, Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch, and went to pick it up haha.

I'd heard so much buzz about their poke and salads. Even a few people at the beach were like, oh I know that place!! lol

It's right on the road so I found it without getting lost. It's on the 1st floor of the building next to Himart, near Chungju Terminal, and there's an underground parking lot too, so it was super convenient!! The first hour is free and you don't even need to register!

There's a clean menu board out front so you can think about what to order before going in lol. I liked that it had actual photos of the dishes.

Ordering at Salad Ring: grilled steak poke 13,900 won, healthy all-in-one 14,500 won

Ordering is done via kiosk! The poke at Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch is called bibim poke (mixed poke), which apparently has a slightly different charm from regular poke — sort of a Korean-style twist on it!

There were quite a lot of sandwich options too, so I seriously debated getting one... but decided I've gained weight lately so I should hold back and just stick to the poke.

• Grilled steak bibim poke ₩13,900 x2
• Healthy all-in-one bibim poke ₩14,500

The healthy all-in-one comes with three main toppings — chicken breast, duck, and fried tofu — and I figured it would be so good??? Yep, it's mine haha.

Lemon ice water and dine-in seating at Salad Ring

And this Chungju poke restaurant, Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch, even has lemon ice water ready!! You know, that pour-it-yourself kind of water...? What do you even call that? Anyway, lukewarm water isn't great, and sometimes that kind of water has a weird smell (...) so I don't drink much of it, but this one had lemon in it, so it was refreshing and really nice haha.

Besides takeout, there were also neatly arranged seats for dining in. They had tables for 2 up to 4 people, so you could sit comfortably depending on your group size. It seems like it would be packed with nearby office workers during weekday lunch hours!!

Ta-da, here are our pokes, woohoo. The takeout containers are no joke in size. Looks filling just from the outside, looks like it'll leave you stuffed.

Quick trip back to the beach! Did you know the street trees in Chungju are apple trees? Being an out-of-towner, I had to shout, whoa, apples! lol. But honestly, seeing them in person, they really are pretty. Kind of made me want to sneak one off the tree haha!

How the poke bowls are packed for takeout, and the sauce choices

Salad Ring's bibim poke has the menu name clearly labeled on the lid. I'm hungry so let's open it up quick. And wow, it's seriously heavy.

There were quite a lot of sauce options too, and I picked the ones that sounded the tastiest lol. Mine was the rosé onion sauce!

The visual is seriously killer~~~~~~ the toppings are piled on with zero holding back!!! The portion-to-price ratio is insane... you can't see it in the photo, but underneath there was a huge bed of salad vegetables.

Mixing it up nicely now. I poured the whole sauce packet in and then realized, uh oh, but the sauce wasn't salty or too strong, so it was fine even with the whole thing in there.

Basil garlic mayo vs. Salad Ring bibim sauce: which one to pick

A woman in her 50s, busily digging in with her spoon... the basil garlic mayo tasted exactly like its name — mayo mixed with basil pesto — so it felt like eating a Western-style salad, while the Salad Ring bibim sauce had a sweet-and-spicy yakgochujang (seasoned red chili paste) flavor, so it felt more like eating a veggie-loaded bibimbap. Personally, I'd strongly recommend the Salad Ring bibim sauce!!

What does the healthy all-in-one bibim poke taste like?

The healthy all-in-one bibim poke had a good mix of chicken breast, duck meat, and fried tofu, so every bite brought a different topping, and I never got tired of it until the end! The fried tofu wasn't dry or bland either — slightly chewy on the outside, soft on the inside — and paired with the duck meat, it was a pretty great combo.

The couple in their 50s who had the grilled steak also said the meat portion was bigger than expected and really tasty, and had a very satisfying meal lol.

Both pokes were loaded generously with onion flakes, corn, crab sticks, and all kinds of vegetables — really nothing held back. It's the kind of combo where the balance of carbs, protein, and fat is just right without leaning too heavily on any one side. And that flavor combo is amazing. Seriously so good!!!!!!!!!!!! The brown rice and barley even has a little pop to the texture, absolutely delicious... no wonder this is known as a top poke restaurant in Chungju.

To be honest, we left a little bit. The portion is really huge lol. Even a grown man with a big appetite would be more than full with this amount.

Is Salad Ring poke a good meal before waterskiing or a workout?

What's interesting is that even after eating, I didn't feel bloated or heavy! There's so much vegetable in there, plus the brown rice and barley and hearty protein toppings, so your stomach feels full, but somehow without the guilt lol.

Eating too heavy before working out is uncomfortable, but eating just salad leaves you hungry again fast — this hit right in the middle. Filling enough to feel satisfied, but light enough on the stomach!!

Especially with the Salad Ring bibim sauce, it has that familiar bibimbap feel, so I think even people trying poke for the first time could enjoy it without hesitation haha. If you want a light meal but don't want just salad, and still want to feel satisfied, this Chungju poke restaurant is a must — go visit Salad Ring, Chungju Terminal Branch~!