Baby-friendly Cheongju restaurant with pot rice: Sorori Sotbap

Hi everyone~ My husband, our baby and I went to the hospital and had a lot of time left, so we went to the Cheongju Museum of Art, and then I kept thinking about the pot rice I'd enjoyed recently, so we revisited Sorori Sotbap Culture Factory Branch again!!

Where is Sorori Sotbap in Cheongju, and where do you park?

Sorori Sotbap Culture Factory Branch is on the 1st floor at 314 Sangdang-ro, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, inside the Wonder Aria building of the Munhwajejochang cultural complex. It's open 11:00–20:30, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00.

After parking and entering the Wonder Aria building, it's right on the 1st floor! Just think of it as being along the line of the lawn plaza in front of the Void Mansion café. Parking is free for 2 hours on weekdays.

The exterior has this clean, homey feel! The waiting list sign was closed, so thankfully we didn't have to wait haha. You can check the menu board even from outside.

Both the pot rice and the buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll) are available for takeout. The buckwheat gimbap is so good I keep thinking about it!!!! I think I'll be coming back often.

Is Sorori Sotbap comfortable with a baby?

The interior looks like this — lots of tables with wide spacing, which made it really comfortable. They have baby chairs, and since it was full during lunchtime, we waited a bit while they cleared and prepared a table for us!!

The little decorative items by the entrance are fun to look at too, and there's not only the Cheongju Museum of Art nearby but also a café right in front, so it's really a great date course too 👏👏

With the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the wide lawn plaza, there's no sense of being cooped up, which I loved even more. In weather like this, you scientifically crave carbs — it's officially the season of "the sky is high and horses grow fat" (?) haha. They even kindly show you how to best enjoy the pot rice and buckwheat gimbap haha. The restaurant had a lot of solo diners too, as well as couples and coworkers — all kinds of people!!

Table setting and the self-serve banchan bar

The basic setup includes tableware, water and side dishes, and when I asked for kids' tableware, they brought this over. What a thoughtful touch. It made dining with the baby so much easier haha.

Any extra banchan (side dishes) or soup can be gotten at the self-bar, and there's also dried seaweed — it's savory and pairs so well with the pot rice, so make sure to go back for seconds, even thirds haha.

How many buckwheat gimbap options? Ordering the salmon one

Sorori Sotbap has 3 kinds of buckwheat gimbap, but the shrimp gimbap was sold out, so we ordered the salmon one!!

Here's the shrimp gimbap I had at a different branch last time for reference!!! If you can't eat salmon, I'd recommend the original or shrimp version haha. The lineup seems to differ a bit by branch.

How the mackerel and beef short rib pot rice taste

My husband's mackerel pot rice and my short rib pot rice arrived. Even at a glance, the portions were generous haha.

Since I was hungry, I first took a bite of the salmon buckwheat gimbap haha. Thick, sweet egg omelet strips with fresh salmon — dipped in wasabi soy sauce, it's really so good. It's seasoned well even on its own, but dipping it in wasabi soy sauce brings out an extra layer of savory depth haha.

The mackerel in the mackerel pot rice had no fishy smell at all, was light and clean, and had plenty of flesh — really delicious!! Surprisingly, fish goes so well with pot rice, which honestly surprised me the first time I tried it haha.

The short rib pot rice — the best-selling menu item. It looks nutritious, the meat is tender, and there's a generous amount. I totally get why it's the bestseller~~~~ You've got to eat the meat 👍🏻

The chestnuts were soft too, so I gave some to the baby, who gobbled them right up haha. The mackerel pot rice also came with lean fish flesh mixed into the rice, which she ate happily, and while waiting for more rice we even took some "seaweed-eating" footage haha. The bits of sliced green onion mixed in were another highlight point ✨

Why Sorori Sotbap fits a Cheongju Museum of Art day out

The side dishes pair really well with the pot rice dishes, so nothing feels left out — the combination is great. Having variety keeps it from getting boring..!! The buckwheat gimbap was so filling I nearly burst haha. But I finished it all without leaving a single bite,, and looking at these photos again is making me want to eat it all over again ㅠ^ㅠ For a Cheongju date outing course, I recommend Sorori Sotbap Culture Factory Branch, a go-to spot for pot rice in Cheongju!!!!