Dog-friendly Korean restaurant in Gongju: Bapkkot Hana Pieotne

A dog-friendly Korean restaurant we found with Geurimi at Gyeryongsan

Can you guess where this is, with Geurimi wagging her tail so happily?! I found this restaurant called Bapkkot Hana Pieotne while searching for a Gongju Korean restaurant that people rave about! Near the end of summer, we were taking Geurimi on vacation and came looking for a good Korean restaurant near Gyeryongsan that allows dogs.

The navigation led us deep into the mountains, the kind of place where you go, “There’s a restaurant here?” So we wound our way in going uhhh... and then—bam! This wonderful restaurant building appeared! There was loads of parking too! Shall we head into nature, into happiness? What a charming entrance! “Beautiful you, together with the stars above~” I have no idea what that means, but I was just so grateful to find a Gyeryongsan restaurant that allows dogs, so in we went, all excited. Hehe.

There were these adorable dogs behind the restaurant. I think they may be the owner’s pups—aren’t they so cuteㅠㅠ? Maybe they run this dog-friendly Gongju Korean restaurant because they have dogs themselves.

Ask ahead and reserve for a small dog

Just a note: Bapkkot Hana Pieotne in Gongju is closed every Monday!! Luckily, we visited on a Sunday! We called ahead to ask whether we could bring one small dog and made a reservation. The people who arrived after us were all waiting, though. They say it’s famous as a great Gyeryongsan Korean restaurant, and I guess it really is.

The old-school TV restaurant shows are slowly disappearing these days, what with food YouTube channels and influencers everywhere. But you know that if a place appeared on one of those shows, it’s the real deal, right? Things like Live Info Show and VJ Special Forces... hahaha.

Since we had brought our dog, they thoughtfully showed us to a corner table in a private room—just what you’d hope for from a dog-friendly restaurant in Gongju! We didn’t have to worry about bothering other guests, and I was so thankful!

Ordering the Cheonnyeoncho tteokgalbi set and charcoal pork

The menu at Bapkkot Hana Pieotne in Gongju is short and sweet. The better the restaurant, the more confidently simple the menu is, right? Tteokgalbi (Korean grilled minced-meat patties) is the star here!! I didn’t know what Cheonnyeoncho was, but I learned something on this visit. We ordered the Cheonnyeoncho tteokgalbi set for 2 and stir-fried charcoal pork. There are extra dishes like these too. Gangdoenjang (thick soybean paste stew) as an add-on?? Wow, there was a very good reason for that... I think the owner must be a poet. “You are beauty~ You who achieve your dreams!” And apparently bapkkot, or rice blossoms, make us happy. I got ready to eat with a little smile at all the warm words.

There was no one at the table beside us. Our pup doesn’t bark, but she sometimes whimpers, which was what I worried about most. We could sit comfortably in the room and eat without feeling self-conscious! Neat cutlery and side plates. Geurimi finds car rides hard, so I don’t think we’ve taken her out to many restaurants. But after coming along with the family for a meal for the first time in a while, she seemed excited. I always feel sorry thinking of the dog at home whenever I eat something delicious out, so it was so nice to eat together. I’m really glad we came looking for a dog-friendly restaurant in Gongju... May the owner of Bapkkot Hana Pieotne be blessed...

A full spread where even the basic sides were specialties

The basic side dishes came out incredibly abundantly! I assumed the japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) would be ordinary, but wow—it had this interesting, springy bite, almost like seaweed noodles! I can see it being divisive, but I love seaweed, so I was completely into it!

And a salad too, which would have been missed at a great Gongju Korean restaurant! (You have to warm up your stomach first, haha.)

This perilla-seed buckwheat noodle appetizer(?) comes with the Cheonnyeoncho tteokgalbi set, and it was wonderfully nutty and special too. Perfect for waking up your appetite before the meal.

Personally, I thought this stir-fried eggplant was so delicious. It had tteok gangjeong (sweet crispy rice cakes) in it, so it was perfect for this rice-cake lover.

They give you seaweed and ssamjang (savory dipping paste) so you can wrap everything up like this, and they were seriously delicious too. The ocean aroma of the seaweed and the bean fragrance went so well together.

You could tell every single other side dish was homemade too, and they were delicious in such a wholesome way! The people at the next table who came in later even said, “It’s so nice because it’s healthy food.”

How does this overhead shot look now that the whole table was set?!!! Isn’t it amazing? The selection was insane. I especially loved being able to enjoy so much protein, and my mom really loved all the carefully prepared vegetable side dishes. This is the stir-fried charcoal pork. If you like jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), you absolutely have to order it. It was full of smoky char-grilled flavor, sweet and spicy, and exactly my thing!! Personally, I liked this more than the tteokgalbi. And this is the Cheonnyeoncho tteokgalbi!! Other than the onions next to it—which I hate—there was nothing to fault, hahaha. It contains Cheonnyeoncho, but the flavor isn’t strong; it tastes like sweet tteokgalbi filled with juices! I think it would be great to bring children here.

These vegetable fritters(?) or pancakes(?) were another real specialty. How could they be so crisp? I gave Geurimi a tiny pinch(?) too. Now that she’s a senior dog, I find myself wanting to share little bits of this and that with her. My baby, stay healthy for a long, long time and eat lots of yummy things...

The doenjang-guk (soybean paste soup) broth was seriously unreal. Perfect for anyone who can’t eat rice without soup. My dad loves soup, and he enjoyed it so much, haha.

This is the eggplant side dish I said was delicious above. I didn’t used to like eggplant much either, but trust me and try this just once. It’s genuinely a specialty! Eat it with the fried rice cakes too. The long-awaited gangdoenjang. My mom loved Bapkkot Hana Pieotne’s gangdoenjang in Gongju so much, and now I understand why it’s offered separately as an add-on. It’s a little thinner than typical gangdoenjang, but so deeply rich! How should I put it? It’s great mixed into rice, but it’s also good just by the spoonful. Wrapping the meat in ssam (leaf wraps) like this is the best. I love putting one side dish at a time on top of rice, so I happily ate like this too. A mom with a blogger daughter’s signature move: “Try taking one like this too, sweetheart~” She’s so cute, my mom. Thank you for the meal! (We cleaned every bit off our plates.)

The waiting line lasted until we left

Wow.... When we came out, the main hall was completely full, with a packed waiting line! No wonder it’s considered a great Gongju Korean restaurant.

It even has a Blue Ribbon sticker—what more is there to say? (I tend to trust Blue Ribbon completely.)

No wonder the rice was so good too!!! I think parents would absolutely love it if you brought them here!!!