Cheongju Korean restaurant for cockle pot rice: Sorori

Sorori Cheongju Main Branch location and information

Sorori Cheongju Main Branch is on the first floor at 37 Jungang-ro, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju. It is open from 11:00 to 20:30, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last orders at 14:30 and 20:00.

You can park for free in the underground parking lot at Cheongju Urban Regeneration Center, and the restaurant provides a one-hour parking voucher. Please let them know when you leave. Paid corkage is available, along with delivery and takeout.

While traveling in Cheongju, I visited Sorori Cheongju Main Branch after hearing it was well known for pot rice around Seongan-gil.

Sorori is the local name of Sorori (小魯里) in Oksan-myeon, and I heard it is a pot-rice restaurant branded around rice in connection with the Oksan Sorori rice grains, said to be the first rice grains discovered in the world! There were many kinds of pot rice and gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), as well as a variety of alcoholic drinks to enjoy lightly with a meal ⋆˚

A vintage interior seating around 40 guests

The interior at Sorori Cheongju Main Branch was clean, warm, and cozy, centered on wood tones. It was really spacious with lots of seating, providing room for around 40 people :)

The restaurant remodels an old building, preserving its sense of age while adding a clean, atmospheric modern interior, so it felt cozy and refined. I heard its calm mood makes it popular for dates and gatherings ⛧

Cute vintage objects that brought back memories filled different corners of the room, making it fun just to look around ˚₊· Old songs that suited the space played too, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere that felt like a little trip through time rather than simply somewhere to eat 🫧

Self-serve bar and table ordering

The self-serve bar had buckwheat tea, anchovy broth, rice, pickled chili peppers, gim (roasted seaweed), kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and salted squid. There were also baby utensils—spoons, forks, and cups!

You can order using the table-order system at each table ➰

After ordering, they brought side dishes and warm anchovy broth. Sprinkle the furikake seasoning over the pot rice—it becomes deeply savory and so delicious ☺️

The pot rice and buckwheat gimbap we ordered

• Pollock roe butter pot rice ₩11,000
• Cockle pot rice ₩12,000
• Buckwheat gimbap ₩9,000

Our pollock roe pot rice, cockle pot rice, and buckwheat gimbap all arrived ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ It looked like such a hearty, generous full spread—just looking at it made everything seem incredibly delicious!

What the cockle pot rice tasted like

The chewy cockles were generously coated in a spicy, salty house sauce, so every bite had great texture and savory depth! When I broke the egg yolk over the pot rice and mixed it in, it softened the spicy flavor and made it even richer ✨

One huge plus was the generous amount: there were enough cockles to enjoy with the rice right down to the very last spoonful ➰

I could really enjoy the chewy, springy texture of the cockles 🥄 The spicy-sweet house sauce and rich egg yolk went together so well!

Pollock roe pot rice mixed with butter

The lightly salted, savory low-sodium pollock roe seasoned the rice perfectly, so I could enjoy it cleanly without any fishiness ✨ The gentle fragrance of perilla leaves and the crisp texture of flakes added variety to every spoonful ෆ

It was delicious with gim, too, but definitely mix it with the butter -!!! The smooth flavor and milk fat of the butter make the salty, nutty pollock roe pot rice even more refined and silky. Butter wraps around the pollock roe, which might otherwise taste only salty, and creates an absolutely fantastic explosion of nuttiness ෆ*₊

It was mild, clean, and nutty, with a gentle taste of the sea—something everyone, young or old, could enjoy without much room for dislike ☺️

Buckwheat gimbap, a great companion for the mains

Instead of rice, it was packed with specially seasoned buckwheat noodles, making it much lighter and cleaner than regular gimbap. Inside the appealing, easily snapping noodles, a large, fluffy rolled egg omelet (tamagoyaki) in the center added sweet savoriness ∿ ෆ

Its mild, clean flavor made it a nice side that paired well with the mains! I am not personally someone who loves buckwheat, but the seasoning was just right and I enjoyed it ✨

All of the menu items, including the pot rice, are available for takeout, so keep that in mind -!

If you are looking for a good restaurant around Cheongju's Seongan-gil or want a hearty meal, visit Sorori Cheongju Main Branch ミ⛧