Gyeongju hanok solbap set for two with 8 side dishes: Handa Sot

When traveling in Gyeongju, it's easy to fill up on cafés and snacks around Hwangnidan-gil, but sometimes you want a proper, filling Korean meal in between. This time I visited Handa Sot, where you can get warm solbap (hot pot rice).

It was a great spot for a hearty meal during my Gyeongju trip, since you get solbap plus a whole spread of side dishes. If you're looking for Korean food on Hwangnidan-gil, here's the vibe of the place, the menu, and my honest review of the solbap I tried:)

How to find Handa Sot Gyeongju, and what parking costs

Handa Sot is within a 10-minute walk of the main street of Hwangnidan-gil, which is a must for any Gyeongju trip. It wasn't much trouble at all to walk over for lunch or dinner after enjoying cafés and snacks around Hwangnidan-gil.

I walked there myself, but parking is also available if you're driving. The first 20 minutes are free, and it's only ₩200 per 10 minutes after that, so it's cheap to park.

Inside Handa Sot Gyeongju: hanok courtyard and wood interior

The first thing I noticed arriving at Handa Sot was the hanok (traditional Korean house) style interior, which fits Gyeongju perfectly. You'll pass a lot of cafés and restaurants built into hanoks while walking around Hwangnidan-gil, and Handa Sot keeps that same travel mood going.

The interior kept the same hanok atmosphere going, decorated with warm wood tones that felt comfortable and clean overall.

Hwangnidan-gil is full of aesthetic spaces these days, but Handa Sot's Korean food and hanok space really matched each other well.

Handa Sot Gyeongju menu and prices

Handa Sot's menu includes full set meals like the wood-fired grilled fish set and butter-grilled abalone set, as well as a variety of solbap dishes.

You can pick your solbap by main ingredient — premium short rib, charcoal-grilled eel, whole abalone, cockles, or soy-braised whole pork belly. My friend and I ordered two soy-braised whole pork belly solbap (₩18,000 each).

What comes with the soy-braised pork belly solbap set

At first I thought we'd just get one bowl of solbap each, but the actual spread was way more generous than I expected. The solbap and main dish came alongside a bunch of side dishes, each tucked into its own compartment of a wooden box — it looked neat and delicious at a glance.

Lotus root, gungchae (a leafy vegetable), napa cabbage kimchi, stir-fried mushrooms, braised anchovies, seasoned doraji (bellflower root), garlic scapes, seasoned bean sprouts — every single side dish was tasty.

And then came the whole pork belly braised in-house in soy sauce, sitting on top — this solbap lets you enjoy rice with a sweet and salty soy glaze.

A big chunk of pork belly was piled on top of the solbap, so it looked appetizing right away. The thick pork belly was the star, with a boiled egg and garlic chips also mixed in.

Since it's soy-sauce based, it's also a great pick for anyone who can't handle spicy food!

After scooping the rice out and pouring hot water into the pot to sit, I had a really filling meal along with all the side dishes. Finishing it off with nurungji sungnyung (scorched rice tea) at the end, I ended up way fuller than I expected.

If you're on a Gyeongju trip and looking for a filling Korean meal or a good restaurant near Hwangnidan-gil, I hope you'll try the solbap set at Handa Sot:)