Gochang loach soup restaurant near Seonunsa Temple: Sangol Chueojeong

Traveling around Gochang with my mom, we'd just finished looking around Seonunsa Temple and were trying to figure out lunch when we ended up at Sangol Chueojeong :)

Since it was a meal with my parents, I wanted something hearty but easy on the stomach, and this place had great reviews for loach soup (chueotang, a stew made with mudfish), so I was curious haha.

We went all out with cordyceps loach soup, pot rice, and boiled pork — and it was even better than expected. That combo of rich, savory loach soup with the carefully made pot rice really hit the spot!

If you're looking for restaurants in Gochang, Jeonbuk, or planning a trip around Seonunsa, Cheongnongwon Lavender Garden, Gochang Wellpark Hotel, or Gochang Eupseong Fortress, keep this in mind for a solid meal :)

Sangol Chueojeong Gochang hours, closing day and parking

Sangol Chueojeong Gochang Main Branch is located at 136-3 Sanjeong-gil, Gochang-eup, Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk, South Korea, and is open 11:00–21:00 (last order 19:30). Break time is 15:00–16:30, and it's closed every Monday.

• Group seating, takeout, and reservations available
• Baby chair provided, corkage available (fee)
• Parking: available in front of and beside the restaurant

Why we stopped at Sangol Chueojeong for lunch after Seonunsa Temple

After visiting Seonunsa Temple with my mom, I looked around for a lunch spot.

Since it was a meal with my parents, I kept looking for something that would suit their taste too. That's how I came across Sangol Chueojeong, which had good reviews and was famous for loach soup!

When we arrived, there were a lot of cars parked and plenty of people eating inside. Near the entrance there was even a waiting-ticket machine and a separate waiting area.

Seems like this is a popular enough place that people wait to eat here haha. I found it while searching for restaurants in Gochang, Jeonbuk, and from the first impression alone, I felt like I'd found the right place!

The restroom was also set up separately right next to the restaurant.

Restaurant restrooms are always something I notice, and this one was kept clean inside, so it was comfortable to use :)

Inside Sangol Chueojeong: a sunlit dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows

The moment I walked in, I thought, wait, is this really a loach soup restaurant? The interior looked sleek and modern haha.

Above all, the floor-to-ceiling windows let in so much sunlight that the whole space felt bright and fresh — really impressive :)

There was more seating than I expected, including larger tables for groups, so it looked good both for a family meal with parents and for group visits.

You'd usually picture a loach soup restaurant as a bit old-fashioned, but Sangol Chueojeong was completely different from that image — a place that'll satisfy anyone looking for restaurants in Gochang, Jeonbuk who also cares about atmosphere!

Sangol Chueojeong menu and what we ordered

The menu had the basic sanghwang mushroom loach soup, black garlic loach soup, and cordyceps loach soup, plus side dishes like fried loach and boiled pork.

And for anyone in your group who can't eat loach soup, they also had homemade pork cutlet, cheese cutlet, and sweet potato cheese cutlet, which was nice haha.

Family visits mean everyone has different tastes, right? Having those options made it look like a good place for parents and kids to eat together :)

That day, we ordered cordyceps loach soup for two and a small plate of boiled pork.

After visiting Seonunsa with my mom, we wanted something filling, so hot loach soup with boiled pork on the side seemed like a great combo haha.

Table setting and the self-serve side dish bar

On the table there was cold sanghwang mushroom and Solomon's seal tea, along with a thermos of hot water.

That hot water was meant to be poured into the leftover pot rice after the meal to make a savory scorched-rice tea (nurungji) :) There was also perilla powder, sancho pepper, and salt on each table to season the loach soup to taste.

The self-serve bar was also set up neatly to one side.

Every side dish had a lid on it, which I liked for hygiene reasons haha — that matters when it's a self-serve bar used by lots of people :)

You could refill whatever side dish ran low without feeling awkward about it, which made things easy.

The basic side dishes were pretty generous too :) The salad had a tangy dressing, perfect as an appetizer before the main meal.

They also served tofu and softly cooked cabbage, mild enough to ease your stomach in before the real event — the loach soup and boiled pork — haha.

On top of that, there was salted squid, kimchi, minced garlic, and chili peppers — all side dishes that pair well with loach soup.

Once the cordyceps loach soup for two, small boiled pork plate, pot rice, and side dishes were all out, the table looked more generous than I'd expected!

The loach soup came out bubbling hot in a stone pot, along with individual pot rice for each of us — a filling setup just to look at ✨

Especially with the boiled pork placed in the middle, the whole spread felt complete. I wanted a menu I could enjoy with my parents while searching for restaurants in Gochang, Jeonbuk, and just from the look and composition, my mom and I were both satisfied :)

Cordyceps loach soup (chueotang), loaded with cordyceps

We started with the cordyceps loach soup I'd been looking forward to :) It was packed with ingredients — dried napa cabbage leaves, bracken fern, and cordyceps — so every spoonful came up generous haha.

The broth was rich and savory, done right! Adding the minced garlic from the table brought out even more depth — I liked it with garlic mixed in.

That distinctive loach soup flavor wasn't overpowering at all — just savory and comforting, so I kept going back for more. Eating it with my mom, I thought, 'we really found the right place here'!!!

Now I get why so many people come here. If you're looking for restaurants in Gochang, Jeonbuk, I highly, highly recommend the cordyceps loach soup at Sangol Chueojeong :)

Pot rice with ginseng sprouts, then scorched rice (nurungji)

The pot rice wasn't just plain white rice either — it was topped with mushrooms and ginseng sprouts, so it looked like real care went into it :)

The rice was glossy and moist, freshly steamed and warm, which made it even more filling alongside the loach soup haha.

We scooped out the rice first, then poured the hot water from the table into what was left in the pot to make scorched rice.

Is the small plate of boiled pork worth adding?

The small boiled pork plate we ordered alongside the soup also exceeded expectations!

The meat was so tender I was surprised from the first bite — moist and soft, not dry at all, melting in the mouth! No trace of pork's usual gamey smell, so my mom enjoyed it too haha.

It wasn't just boiled pork alone — it came generously served with chive salad and spicy-sweet dried radish on the side.

The plain boiled pork was great topped with crunchy chive salad, and adding a bit of dried radish brought in a spicy-sweet kick with a crisp texture — a whole different flavor :)

The cordyceps loach soup alone was already filling, but adding the boiled pork made the whole meal so much more generous — worth ordering together if you're bringing your parents to look for restaurants in Gochang, Jeonbuk haha.

Free dessert: coffee and misugaru (roasted grain drink)

After finishing the meal, there was coffee and misugaru (roasted grain powder drink) set up to one side.

I went with the misugaru, and it was richer, nuttier, and sweeter than expected — so good!! Even full from the meal, I nearly finished the whole cup!!

From the cordyceps loach soup to the pot rice, the boiled pork, and even dessert — everything was satisfying, a Gochang restaurant my mom and I both loved :)

Verdict | Sangol Chueojeong, a Gochang restaurant worth the stop near Seonunsa Temple

After visiting Seonunsa with my mom, we stopped here, and everything from the cordyceps loach soup to the pot rice to the boiled pork was satisfying.

The loach soup had a rich, savory broth generously packed with dried napa cabbage leaves, bracken fern, and cordyceps, and the boiled pork was so tender with no gamey smell — delicious paired with the chive salad and bossam radish kimchi haha.

Especially with the mushroom-and-ginseng-sprout pot rice finished off with scorched rice, it was a hearty option to bring parents to! The restaurant was also clean and spacious, so it looked great for family meals or group dining too.

We finished up with a rich, sweet cup of misugaru at the end — from the food to the atmosphere to dessert, absolutely satisfying❤️

If you're traveling around Gochang — Seonunsa, Cheongnongwon Lavender Garden, Gochang Wellpark Hotel, Gochang Eupseong Fortress — definitely give Sangol Chueojeong a visit!

Both my mom and I were so happy with this place — I genuinely recommend it as a restaurant in Gochang, Jeonbuk to bring your parents to :)