Ansan pot rice: kiosk-only pork jowl and Wando abalone at Dongyang

If you want a hearty meal near Jungang Station in Ansan, Dongyang Sotbap is the place I'd recommend. Each pot of rice is cooked the moment you order, so it arrives piping hot, and it's already a well-known pot rice spot in Ansan.

Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch: location, hours and parking

Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch (동양솥밥 안산본점) is at 11 Yesuldaehak-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, Unit 202 and 203 on the 2nd floor, about a 7-minute walk from Jungang Station Exit 1. It's open daily from 10:00 to 22:40, last order at 22:00, with no days off.

• Address: 11 Yesuldaehak-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, 2nd floor, Unit 202 and 203
• Hours: daily 10:00–22:40 / last order 22:00 / open year-round
• Getting there: about 7 minutes on foot from Jungang Station Exit 1
• Parking: no dedicated lot, so use a nearby public car park

What are the interior and self-service bar like at Dongyang Sotbap Ansan?

The interior is warm, built around wood tones, and the tables are spaced generously, so eating there is comfortable. The window side gets lots of light and feels even more pleasant. There are seats for 2 up to 4 people, so it works for solo meals, family outings or dates.

The self bar is kept tidy and you can help yourself to side dishes, and I liked that the whole restaurant felt clean. While my food was coming, customers kept walking in, which made me feel it's a place local residents love steadily.

Dongyang Sotbap events

Dongyang Sotbap runs events quite often. Things like a receipt review or adding the restaurant as a KakaoTalk friend can get you a big freebie for a simple step, and the event is different every visit, so you end up wondering what it'll be this time.

What's on the Dongyang Sotbap menu?

The menu is really varied: steak pot rice, eel pot rice, gyudon (beef bowl) pot rice, pork belly pot rice, octopus pot rice and more, so you can choose to your taste, and there are plenty of side dishes too.

What we ordered at Dongyang Sotbap

This time at Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch I ordered Wando abalone pot rice, pork jowl pot rice, spicy yuringi (fried chicken with a tangy sauce) and black sesame salad. With any pot rice you can choose udon or seaweed soup as your soup, and I went with seaweed soup.

Black sesame salad

The first dish out was the black sesame salad. There's far more black sesame dressing hidden underneath than it looks in the photo. I mixed it well and ate it as an appetizer before the pot rice. The cherry tomatoes were so fresh, and so were the vegetables.

Wando abalone pot rice

Not long after, the Wando abalone pot rice arrived. It came with the side dishes from the self bar, seaweed soup with dried shrimp, and a pot of rice loaded with abalone, plus a separate sauce to mix into the rice. They said if the sauce runs short, you can ask for more.

Steam was curling up and a nutty aroma spread. The abalone wasn't tough, it was tender to chew, and its subtle sea scent came through. The rice, freshly cooked in the pot, was glossy and chewy, so I enjoyed it down to the last spoonful.

Kiosk-only pork jowl pot rice

The pork jowl (buta hangjeong) pot rice isn't on the menu you find online, but I spotted it on the kiosk menu in the restaurant, so I ordered it. Then my pork jowl pot rice arrived, generously topped with pork jowl. It had that chewy yet tender texture of pork jowl, like you get grilling at a pork belly restaurant, and the sweet-salty special sauce soaked into the meat nicely. Break the onsen tamago (soft-cooked egg) over it and mix, and the pot rice turns moist. The pink bits are ginger, which added a subtle fragrance, so it never felt greasy and I enjoyed it to the end.

The fluffy texture of the freshly cooked rice went well with the pork jowl and its light smoky char, and I thought anyone, young or old, could enjoy it easily. If you like meat, it's a satisfying dish with a different charm from the abalone pot rice.

Side dish: spicy yuringi (fried chicken)

The spicy yuringi I ordered as a side is crispy fried chicken with a sweet, tangy and spicy sauce that really wakes up your appetite. It was crispy outside and juicy inside, and eaten with lettuce it felt clean, not greasy. Since the pot rice is on the mild side, the two make a really good pairing.

Is Dongyang Sotbap Ansan Main Branch worth going back to?

Overall I was satisfied: the food comes out neatly and the ingredients felt fresh. The staff are friendly, and ordering through Tabling is simple. Cooking starts as soon as you order, so there's a little wait, but you get hot, delicious, freshly cooked pot rice. If you're looking for a good rice restaurant in Ansan, highly recommended!!