Songjeong Korean restaurant for lunch with mom: Songjeongok pot rice

Went to Songjeong for lunch with my mom, just the two of us and found a place where "this really feels like being treated like a guest" From boiled pork to hinoki steam, a bunch of side dishes, and pot rice — a full spread that kept us satisfied the whole meal, Songjeongok

Why Songjeongok, looking for a Korean restaurant in Songjeong to eat at with mom

Songjeong has plenty of cafés and brunch spots, but when I wanted somewhere to have a hearty Korean meal with my mom, it was oddly hard to decide. I searched around on Meomeokji (a Korean food discovery app) and found Songjeongok, so I went!!

What Songjeongok feels like inside

You feel the vibe the moment you walk in. The wooden pillars and rafters give it real character, and one side is decorated with antique-style pieces and old wooden cabinets. It's got an overall upscale-but-comfortable feel — great for a meal with just my mom, and a really solid pick if you're bringing your parents.

What we ordered was Abalone seafood hinoki pot rice, ₩23,000

What comes with the 23,000-won abalone seafood hinoki pot rice

The moment the table was set after we ordered, my mom said one thing: "This really feels like being treated like a guest." I totally agreed too, haha.

It's not just a bowl of pot rice — a big plate of boiled pork and various side dishes comes out first, then the hinoki steam packed with seafood and vegetables, and finally the pot rice. It really feels like a full, proper meal.

The gabrisal boiled pork was the most memorable dish

First off, the boiled pork is genuinely delicious!

The boiled pork is made with gabrisal (pork skirt meat), and it's so tender. You know that kind of tenderness where it just melts in your mouth. My mom said it was delicious too, haha — the dish I remember most from this place.

Wrap a slice of pork in lettuce with some of the seasoned side dish or kimchi on top, and it's the real deal, haha. What I liked here was that none of the side dishes felt like filler — the kimchi and seasoned dishes were all tasty, and I kept going back for the tofu and other sides too.

My mom and I kept picking at everything, saying "this is good too," "this one's great too," haha. And it's great that the side dishes come with free refills.

The seafood hinoki steam at Songjeongok

Next up, the hinoki steam

It's loaded with abalone, shrimp, clams, fish cake, broccoli, corn, potato, mushroom, and bean sprouts — quite a generous portion!! There's a whole abalone in there along with shrimp and clams, so seafood lovers will be really satisfied. Instead of being stir-fried or grilled in oil, it's steamed in hinoki wood, so it stays light overall, and pairing that light, clean seafood steam with the boiled pork and seasoned dishes worked really well.

Abalone pot rice and the nurungji finish

And finally, the pot rice

It comes topped with abalone, egg, chives, and a savory sauce — mixing everything together makes it incredibly nutty and savory. Even after all the side dishes, boiled pork, and seafood, I kept eating more of the pot rice, haha. Once you've eaten some of the rice, they give you water to pour in so you can finish with the scorched rice (nurungji) — that's how you're supposed to wrap it up, right??

What I liked most about this visit to Songjeongok wasn't the number of dishes, but that every single dish that came out was genuinely delicious.

Who Songjeongok is worth it for, after lunch for two with mom

At a lot of full-spread restaurants, only the main dish is good and you barely touch the side dishes. Here, everything from the boiled pork to the side dishes, hinoki steam, and pot rice was delicious!! Especially since it was just me and my mom that day, whether she liked it mattered more to me than whether I did — and when she said first, "this feels like being treated like a guest," it made me happy too.

If you're looking for somewhere to take your parents for a meal in Songjeong, or want something a bit refined but still hearty in Korean food, this is worth trying. If you're searching for a family meal spot in Songjeong, a Korean restaurant to bring your parents to, or a pot rice place with abalone or seafood, I recommend Songjeongok!! It's genuinely good. My mom and I really enjoyed our meal here, so next time I have to treat someone to a meal, I'm coming back to this place!!