Cheongju pot rice restaurant a Seongan-gil regular switched to: Sorori

Why a Seongan-gil regular moved to Sorori Sotbap in Gagyeong-dong

If you love pot rice in Cheongju, you've probably heard of Sorori Sotbap. I've been going to the Seongan-gil location since 2020, so it's a pretty familiar spot for me haha

I love the pot rice there, but honestly I fell for their buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll) the first time I tried it, and for a while I only got takeout of that lol. Then one day I noticed a Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch had opened in Gagyeong-dong, which is also close to Sejong!

It had been a while since I thought of them, so this time I went to the Gagyeong-dong branch. Here's my review after trying the beef rib pot rice, hairtail pot rice, and raw salmon buckwheat gimbap ღ

Where Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch is, and where to park

Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch is at 16 Seohyeonnam-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, B105, inside the Seohyeon Plaza building. It's open daily 11:00–20:30 with last order at 20:00, and there's a break time on weekdays from 15:00 to 17:00.

The Gagyeong-dong Sorori Sotbap is located in the Seohyeon Plaza building! There's a fairly large parking lot if you go down behind the building, so parking was easy :)

Personally, I find parking at the Seongan-gil Sorori Sotbap really difficult, so it's hard to go there comfortably... ㅠㅠ The Gagyeong branch was great because parking was so much easier >.<

It's on the basement floor, but the store entrance is visible right from the parking lot, so it wasn't hard to find at all.

The shopping center parking lot gives you 2 hours free, but make sure to register your parking near the entrance before you leave!

Near the entrance there's a cute little pot rice model, very fitting for a sotbap place 🖤

Inside the restaurant and the baby dishware self-serve bar

The interior of Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch is decorated in warm wood tones, giving the whole space a cozy feel ⋆⭒˚.⋆

The space is bigger and cleaner than I expected, making it comfortable to dine in. Seating ranges from 2-person to 4-person tables. The tables are spaced generously, so it looked good for both friends hanging out and family meals.

On one side there's a self-bar with baby dishware, a microwave, baby rice, and even seaweed. Families visiting with kids would find this really convenient‼️

Ordering is done via the tablet at your table 〰️ 🌟They're also running a Kakao Map review event, so check that out if you visit!🌟

Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch menu and what we ordered

The pot rice lineup was way more varied than I expected? Felt like there were even more menu items than my last visit?! Beef rib pot rice, abalone pot rice, crab pot rice, Korean beef intestine pot rice, mackerel pot rice, cockle pot rice, mentaiko (pollock roe) pot rice — so many options.

After some deliberation, here's what we ordered.

• Beef rib pot rice ₩16,000
• Hairtail pot rice ₩15,000
• Raw salmon buckwheat gimbap ₩13,000

Raw salmon buckwheat gimbap, 13,000 won

The raw salmon buckwheat gimbap, also famous as one of Cheongju's must-try gimbap dishes

Sorori Sotbap is known for pot rice, but honestly this buckwheat gimbap is the reason I came back lol. The first time I had it I loved it so much I started getting it as takeout on its own ♡ˎˊ˗

The buckwheat noodles come with slightly sweet egg and raw salmon, which is definitely a different combination from regular gimbap ღ Thanks to the buckwheat noodles it feels light overall, but it's surprisingly filling too. This seems like the perfect dish for when you lose your appetite in summer! A little wasabi and a dip in soy sauce gets the seasoning just right, and you can really taste how fresh the salmon is.

Beef rib pot rice, 16,000 won

And the beef rib pot rice, which I always order at least once whenever I come to Sorori Sotbap!

Big chunks of beef rib are piled generously on top of the hot pot rice.

The rib pieces are pretty huge! But once you take a bite, they're surprisingly soft — melts right away!

The beef rib itself isn't overly seasoned, so it goes perfectly with the rice! It's tasty enough eaten just as is, but

if you mix in the butter that comes alongside it 〰️ the nutty, buttery flavor really comes alive 👍🏻✨

Hairtail pot rice, 15,000 won

Big chunks of boneless hairtail come on top of the hot rice.

The hairtail is already prepped for easy eating, which is a nice touch 👍🏻💗

Apparently they use hairtail aged in a special tsuyu sauce, and mixing it into the rice gave a clean but savory flavor.

Wrapping rice and hairtail in the seaweed that comes on the side, with a bit of fermented squid on top, is seriously... ღღღ

And of course, you haven't really finished a pot rice meal until you've eaten the scorched rice at the bottom lol

Is Sorori Sotbap in Gagyeong-dong worth the trip? Final verdict

• Piping hot, freshly cooked pot rice
• Beef rib pot rice with big, tender beef ribs on top
• Hairtail pot rice that's clean-tasting and easy to eat
• A distinctive raw salmon buckwheat gimbap with noodles, egg, and salmon
• A clean, spacious wood-toned interior
• Generous table spacing for a relaxed meal
• A family-friendly space with baby dishware, baby rice, and seaweed ready to go
• A large parking lot behind the building with 2 hours free parking
• A satisfying finish with scorched rice at the end
• A great spot in Gagyeong-dong to enjoy both pot rice and buckwheat gimbap

It had been a while, but Sorori Sotbap was just as good as I remembered! I'd recommend this spot to anyone in Gagyeong-dong craving a hot bowl of pot rice, or anyone coming from Sejong toward Cheongju looking for a meal along the way ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ