Shrimp buckwheat gimbap limited to 10 a day in Cheongju: Sorori Sotbap
In short
Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch is a pot rice (sotbap) and buckwheat gimbap restaurant in Seohyeon Plaza near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju. On the last day of daycare summer break, the writer came with her sister and a 32-month-old and ordered beef rib pot rice, abalone butter pot rice and the shrimp buckwheat gimbap that is limited to 10 servings a day, ₩45,000 in total, while the summer-only ginseng chicken pot rice was already sold out. With baby utensils kept in a sterilizer, a microwave for baby food and 2 hours of free parking, Sorori Sotbap is an easy choice for a meal with small children.
Good to know
- Hours
- Daily 11:00–20:30, last order 20:00
- Break time
- 15:00–17:00 (no break on weekends)
- Location
- B105, Seohyeon Plaza, 16 Seohyeonnam-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, next to Cusco Mart
- Parking
- Shared lot behind Seohyeon Plaza, 2 hours free (self check-in on the tablet at the entrance)
- What we ordered
- Beef rib pot rice ₩16,000 / abalone butter pot rice ₩16,000 / shrimp buckwheat gimbap ₩13,000, total ₩45,000
- Menu range
- 11 kinds of pot rice, 3 kinds of buckwheat gimbap, a range of drinks and alcohol
- With children
- High chair, baby spoon, fork and cup (kept in a sterilizer), plain white rice, microwave for baby food, sofa seats
- Self-service bar
- 4 extra side dishes, small plates, hair ties
- Events
- Free drink for a photo review with your receipt; old-school lucky draw after the meal, first prize a Staub pot
- Price reference
- ₩45,000 ≈ $33.5 · ₩16,000 ≈ $12 · ₩13,000 ≈ $9.6 (2026-09-30)
as written by the visitor on Aug 16, 2026
My favorite pot rice restaurant in Cheongju just opened a branch in Gagyeong-dong too, so on the last day of daycare's summer break I went with my big sister and my 32-month-old. Here's my visit to Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch (소로리솥밥 가경직영점), a spot near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju.
Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch opening hours
Open daily 11:00–20:30, with a break time of 15:00–17:00 (no break on weekends), and last order at 20:00.
Where Sorori Sotbap is and where to park
The restaurant is at B105, Seohyeon Plaza, 16 Seohyeonnam-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea. It sits next to Cusco Mart in Seohyeon Plaza, and the main entrance faces the parking lot side.
Parking is available in the shared lot behind Seohyeon Plaza.
Inside the restaurant and what it offers families with kids
Sorori is already a word-of-mouth favorite in Cheongju for pot rice and buckwheat gimbap. I was so happy to hear a Gagyeong branch opened close to Sejong, haha.
This branch near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong is known for cooking rice only with Chungbuk-grown rice. The board by the entrance showing today's rice listed rice from Jincheon, Chungbuk.
This is the interior view from the front door. The clean white tones balanced with warm wood create a cozy, harmonious look, with a good mix of 2-seat and 4-seat tables.
Round, bright lighting adds a nice accent, and the space felt clean and comfortable to sit in the whole time.
There's also sofa seating that my 32-month-old loved — perfect for kids who don't want to sit in a high chair.
Aprons and high chairs are set up both near the entrance and in the middle of the restaurant.
The restrooms are through the shopping complex entrance to the left of the restaurant's front door, with men's and women's rooms on either side. There was no soap in the restroom, which was a bit inconvenient, but there was hand sanitizer by the restaurant entrance to use instead.
The self-service bar had 4 extra side dishes, small plates, and even hair ties — a nice touch from the owner. Next to it were a microwave for warming baby food, plain white rice, and baby dishware, making this a great place for families with kids.
What I especially appreciated was that the baby spoon, fork and cup were washed and kept in a sanitizer, so I could trust using them. I only had to bring a bib for my baby.
On the way out, you can self-check-out parking at the tablet by the entrance — 2 hours of free parking is provided!
The menu at Sorori Sotbap and the events running now
11 kinds of pot rice. I'd been hoping for the summer-only ginseng chicken pot rice, but it was sold out — a bit of a letdown.
3 kinds of buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll).
Drinks and alcohol. The restaurant carries a wide range of both, so there were plenty of options.
There's a Naver receipt photo review event where writing a review gets you a free drink.
A Staub pot lucky-draw coupon event. Isn't this an amazing event?? After your meal you get to do a nostalgic lucky draw, with prizes ranging from meal vouchers, buckwheat gimbap, sikhye (sweet rice drink) and other drinks up to a Staub pot for first prize. If you eat at Sorori Gagyeong Direct Branch near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, definitely try the draw too. I'm dying to win that Staub pot, haha.
What we ordered and what it cost
- Beef rib pot rice ₩16,000
- Abalone butter pot rice ₩16,000
- Shrimp buckwheat gimbap ₩13,000
- Total ₩45,000
While waiting for the food, Sorori gave my 32-month-old a toy car as a gift. She's really into toy cars right now and still plays with it. Sorori even thinks of little gifts like this. ♥
Shrimp buckwheat gimbap, only 10 servings a day
Shrimp buckwheat gimbap is a Sorori menu item limited to 10 rolls a day. I'd already tried the raw salmon buckwheat gimbap and the plain buckwheat gimbap at the flagship branch, so I ordered the shrimp version this time.
Dipping it right into the tartar sauce provided.
Rolled with avocado, fried shrimp, pickled radish and egg roll wrapped in buckwheat, the fried shrimp buckwheat gimbap tastes fresher and fresher the more you eat. Even though we came for pot rice, this gimbap is not to be missed. If you visit Sorori, be sure to order it!
Beef rib pot rice
Beef rib pot rice is Sorori's signature dish, having sold over 100,000 bowls, so I had to order it. It seems like I end up ordering it every time I visit.
Mix in the sweet pumpkin, chestnut, jujube, green onion and kkwari pepper toppings along with the beef rib meat and the butter provided. The slow-braised beef rib meat is so tender it's great to share with a baby too.
Scoop a spoonful and wrap it with dried seaweed — yum!
I cut up some beef rib meat and mixed it into clam and seaweed soup over plain white rice for my baby. The savory clam seaweed soup paired with beef rib meat made for a complete lunch for her!
Abalone butter pot rice
Abalone butter pot rice was ordered by my seafood-loving sister — it's a dish that was sold out when we tried to order it at the flagship branch.
Isn't the visual just crazy? There are three whole abalones in it, and the abalone innard sauce made the pot rice stand out even more. We mixed the abalone butter pot rice with the provided butter too.
Sorori's abalone butter pot rice, which made my dieting sister overeat, haha. Full of savory butter aroma and packed with abalone and its innards, it was a pot rice bursting with ocean flavor.
There's a guide on how to best enjoy Sorori's pot rice and buckwheat gimbap, so follow the restaurant's instructions when you try it.
We also made scorched rice from the pot, and since the rice is soaked in Sorori's secret broth and seasoning, even the scorched rice was full of savory flavor.
Is Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch worth a visit?
Sorori Sotbap isn't a franchise — it's a directly-run branch managed by the flagship owner, so you get the same taste as the original no matter which location you visit. I think I'll be coming back often to this Gagyeong branch since it's close to Sejong! How about a heartfelt bowl of pot rice at Sorori Sotbap Gagyeong Direct Branch near Ipark in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju? Thanks for another great meal today~~
Where it is
B105, Seohyeon Plaza, 16 Seohyeonnam-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea충청북도 청주시 흥덕구 서현남로 16 B105호 소로리솥밥 가경직영점
