Gochang restaurant cordyceps loach soup with kids: Sangol Chueojeong

Why stop in Gochang on the drive from Namhae to Seoul?

We were driving back to Seoul after wrapping up our Namhae trip. The original plan was just to grab some udon at a rest stop along the way.

We happened to be passing through Gochang, Jeonbuk, so I did a quick search for good restaurants in the area.

That's how I stumbled onto Sangol Chueojeong Gochang Main Branch. Honestly, Gochang was a somewhat unfamiliar area for me before this visit. But once I started searching, I found there were so many things to see and do in Gochang.

What to see around Gochang, Jeonbuk

The first place I'd recommend is the dolmen sites, remnants from the Bronze Age, which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Gochang has around 2,000 dolmens remaining in various forms, gathered together in a way that makes you feel like you're time-traveling back to prehistoric times.

Gochangeupseong Fortress, which preserves the look of a Joseon-era fortress wall, is also famous. You can stroll slowly along the wall taking in the scenery of Gochang, which apparently makes for a great walking course too.

There's also Seokjeong Hot Springs, which uses germanium spring water, great for washing off travel fatigue. Turns out Gochang is a city with plenty to see — way more than you'd get through in a quick pass-through.

Above all, the scenery on the way to Sangol Chueojeong was really pretty. The trees along the road were just starting to change into their autumn colors, and it was so lovely. We'd originally planned to just grab a quick bowl of udon at a rest stop, but

instead it felt like we'd taken a little detour trip through the city of Gochang on our way home. It ended up being an unexpectedly memorable part of the whole trip, which made me happy. Definitely check out these Gochang sights if you're passing through!

A full parking lot at weekday lunch: why locals pick Sangol Chueojeong

The first thing that surprised me when we arrived at Sangol Chueojeong Gochang Main Branch was the parking lot. It was a weekday lunch hour, but there were so many cars parked there.

Not just tourists — there were plenty of nearby office workers, and local elderly folks in comfortable clothes eating their meal too. It's clearly known as a local favorite in Gochang. So naturally, I thought, this must be one of the good Gochang restaurants.

Once we sat down, the basic side dishes were already neatly set out. Soft tofu, salty salted squid jeotgal, fresh salad, and crunchy kimchi — perfect for picking at while waiting for the loach soup.

What I especially liked was the self-serve salad bar. If any side dish ran low, you could just help yourself, which meant easy refills even during busy hours.

Eating with kids in Gochang: how was the cheese pork cutlet?

Looking at the menu, the restaurant's signature dish, cordyceps loach soup (dongchunghacho chueotang), caught my eye. Loach soup made with cordyceps, known as a health food, made me even more curious about the taste.

But since we had a kid with us, loach soup alone wasn't going to cut it, so we also ordered a cheese pork cutlet.

Honestly, since it was a pork cutlet from a loach soup restaurant, I didn't expect much at first. But once it arrived, it was actually pretty impressive.

Not the cheap, factory-style cutlet you might imagine — the meat was on the thicker side, and it was generously stuffed with cheese inside, so my kid really enjoyed it.

Seeing that even the kids' menu was this good, I figured plenty of families must come here for the loach soup too. And watching my kid enjoy the cutlet so much only raised my expectations for the main dish.

Cordyceps loach soup with a rich broth and no fishy taste

Finally, the loach soup arrived. The moment I tasted a spoonful of broth, I understood why locals in Gochang flock here. Ugh, so good.

I honestly think the difference between a good loach soup place and a bad one comes down to the fishy taste. If it's not cooked right, some places overload the soup with garlic or sancho pepper to mask that fishiness.

But here, there was barely any fishy taste at all, even without those strong flavorings. Instead, the broth itself was rich, almost thick like a reduced extract. This, I thought, is exactly why it's known as a good Gochang restaurant.

The deep broth flavor that lingered in my mouth was really impressive. Spoonful after spoonful, I kept going back for more of that broth.

I found this place completely by chance while searching for good Gochang restaurants, and honestly, it felt like I'd stumbled onto a real gem.

Freshly cooked hot pot rice and savory scorched rice tea

Personally, what I loved just as much as the loach soup was the hot pot rice (sotbap).

It came out in a pot with our order, freshly cooked.

When I lifted the lid, the rice was glistening and looked absolutely delicious.

Scooping the rice into a bowl and eating it with the loach soup broth was warm, filling, and comforting all the way through. No wonder this place is famous as a local favorite in Gochang. I just can't resist hot pot rice, haha!

After finishing the rice, hot water was poured into the pot to make a savory scorched rice tea (sungnyung) to finish the meal!

After a satisfying meal, while paying I left a review on Naver and got a tasty snack in return, which put me in an even better mood on the way out.

Before leaving the restaurant, there was misugaru (roasted grain drink) and coffee available, so we each grabbed a light cup on our way out.

The small boiled pork (suyuk) we ordered was just too much after all that, so it ended up going home with us to-go! We happily finished it off later at home.

Sangol Chueojeong, a well-known Gochang restaurant! There are so many things to see in Gochang that I think next time I'll come back for an overnight, maybe even two.

Sangol Chueojeong Gochang Main Branch: hours, parking and visitor info

• Address: 136-3 Sanjeong-gil, Gochang-eup, Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk, South Korea
• Break time: 3:00 PM
• Parking: Available
• Amenities: Group seating, takeout, reservations, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms, high chair