Spicy gyudon pot rice and nurungji refills in Ansan: Dongyang Sotbap

It's been a while, so today I'm back with a restaurant review.

Dongyang Sotbap is a place I've been to about 5 times now — a real regular spot for me — and when it showed up on Superchart, I went again with the friends I go there with all the time haha. I've been for birthdays, for dates, basically for years, so I wanted to finally write it up. Let's get into it!

Where is Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch and how do you get there?

Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch is at 11 Yesuldaehak-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Units 202 and 203. The branch I go to most is this Ansan main branch — get off at Jungang Station on Line 4, and it's maybe a 10-minute walk to find it.

Inside Dongyang Sotbap: the room, the menu and the prices

The inside of Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch is airy, spacious, and pretty clean overall. There's a smart order tablet at every table, which is convenient, and split payment is possible too.

As you can see from the menu, there are seriously so many options! Given the portion sizes and quality, the prices are solid, so the value is really good. There are always quite a few people there whenever I go. You get about three side dishes plus seaweed soup, and one serving is huge, so you really end up full.

The spicy gyudon pot rice, the dish ordered most often here

The thing I've eaten most at Dongyang Sotbap is the spicy gyudon (beef rice bowl) pot rice. Honestly everything here tastes great, but this one is spicy just enough and seasoned really well, so it's my favorite. It's a straightforwardly delicious spicy gyudon, but somehow I keep coming back to it. Even after trying other flavors, this one still wins for me.

It especially goes so well with nurungji (scorched rice tea), so that's what I order the most.

Why the gyudon pot rice beats the pork neck pot rice

This is what the self-bar looks like, with side dishes and nurungji set out. And honestly, I think the gyudon pot rice is tastier than the pork neck pot rice!! With the poached egg and chopped scallions on top, it's so much better. More meat doesn't necessarily mean tastier. If you can't handle spice, though, I'd recommend just going for the regular gyudon pot rice instead.

What comes with the meal and how the nurungji self-bar works

You get a large tray with side dishes, seaweed soup, and pot rice all set out! Side dishes can be refilled freely. Nurungji used to be the default item, but now it's been switched to seaweed soup. But eating it with nurungji is genuinely so good!! So I still go grab nurungji separately from the self-bar. It seems like they cook the pot rice fresh as soon as you order, so it takes a bit of time to come out. Seaweed soup used to be an extra charge if you wanted it added, but now they give you seaweed soup instead of nurungji as the default?

But the pot rice here really has to be eaten with nurungji!!! It's so much better with the warm scorched rice water mixed in, so my friends and I ended up making nurungji at the self-bar about three times haha.

With the smart order tablet at every table, ordering is convenient, and the space feels clean overall. Being able to grab whatever side dishes you want from the self-bar was also convenient. If you like Korean food, this is a flavor you'll really enjoy, so I highly, highly recommend it!!

Sides at Dongyang Sotbap: kkwabaerou and menbosha shrimp toast

This time we also tried kkwabaerou (sweet and sour pork) and mianbaisha (Chinese shrimp toast) as sides, and both were really good!! The mianbaisha was crispy and the kkwabaerou was moist, and the three of us ended up stuffed full.

What to order at Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch

My top recommendation is the spicy gyudon pot rice. Pretty much everything here is good, so if you can't do spicy, the regular gyudon or steak pot rice are safe bets.

• If you can handle spice: spicy gyudon pot rice
• If spice is a struggle: gyudon pot rice, steak pot rice
• Menus topped with egg and vegetables pair well with nurungji and won't get boring

There are lots of branches — Gwacheon, Suwon, Ilsan, and more — so definitely give one a visit! That's my review of Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch for today!!

If you're looking for a Jungang-dong restaurant, an Ansan restaurant, fusion Korean food, or a lunch spot in Ansan's Jungang-dong, give this place a try :)