Gongju Korean restaurant for a family meal: Bapkkot Hana Pieotne

A Korean set meal surrounded by nature after Sinwonsa Temple

This time, after visiting Sinwonsa Temple in Gongju, I finally had a proper Korean set meal for the first time in ages🥹🌿 I usually eat something simple when I travel, but that day I wanted to take in the scenery around Sinwonsa slowly and enjoy a relaxed meal in nature. Then I found Bapkkot Hana Pieotne, a Korean set-meal specialist near the temple with a lovely atmosphere and neatly prepared food, so off we went😊 It felt extra special because this was not just an ordinary Korean set-meal restaurant—you can eat while looking out at all that lush green scenery.

We ordered the minari tteokgalbi set, and as each dish was neatly laid out, suddenly there was a whole delicious Korean spread in front of us🍚💕 The entire time, I kept thinking how much my parents would love it here. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy a proper Korean set meal at a leisurely pace while taking in the natural view!

• Closed every Monday
• Tue–Sun, 11:00–20:00
• Break time, 15:00–17:00
• Last order, 19:00

Bapkkot Hana Pieotne is by Sinwonsa Temple in Gongju, so it is a great place to stop for a meal after visiting the temple or hiking Gyeryongsan😊 The surrounding area is also nice for a walk, and the drive there already had such a distinctive countryside-in-nature feel. I was especially excited because I heard it had been selected by the Blue Ribbon Survey.

What were the window views and private rooms like?

I loved that the path into the restaurant was filled with lush green trees🌳💚 It felt like slowly walking along a cozy country lane, you know? Getting away from the busy city and into nature made me feel relaxed before we had even arrived. It would be great after a hike around Gyeryongsan, and it had just the right atmosphere for an unhurried meal with parents or family. We had only come to eat, but it honestly felt healing to be out in nature🥰

There were dogs living here too🐶💕 When we went in, they greeted us with their tails gently wagging, and they were just too cute haha. With the dogs as well as the natural setting, the atmosphere felt even more warm and homey🥹

I heard this place has been featured on TV several times too📺✨ Inside, it had a real country-home atmosphere. I especially loved that window seats let you eat while looking out at the lush natural scenery🌿 The view outside almost felt like part of the meal, giving it a different kind of in-nature atmosphere from an ordinary Korean set-meal restaurant.

There were separate private rooms inside too😊 They would be nice when you want a quiet meal, and they seemed great for family gatherings or a visit with your parents. Dogs are allowed as well, so keep that in mind if you are traveling with your pet🐶💕 I really liked that there was a comfortable space where families could eat together.

Ordering minari tteokgalbi in two flavors

There were three main set meals: charcoal-grilled spicy pork, minari tteokgalbi, and Cheonnyeoncho tteokgalbi🍚 We wanted tteokgalbi, so we chose the minari tteokgalbi set. I also loved that we could order the tteokgalbi half gochujang flavor and half soy-sauce flavor, so we got to try both😊

We ordered the minari tteokgalbi set for two for ₩60,000, asking for half gochujang flavor and half soy-sauce flavor🥰 After a short wait, dish after dish began arriving, and the table filled up in no time—just as a Korean set meal should. So much food kept coming that I had to pause and wonder what to eat first haha🍚

It was exactly the kind of meal that makes you say the table legs might break under all the food🤣💕 Every dish was served so neatly, and there were truly so many kinds that just looking at it made me feel full already. Seeing this whole Korean spread made me think of my parents. I felt they would have loved it, so next time I want to come back with my family🥹

Trying the full spread, from sides to fritters

First, I tried the buckwheat noodles with perilla-seed dressing that came like an appetizer🌿 The noodles were chewy, with the gentle nutty flavor of the dressing, plus a little freshness and sweetness that whetted my appetite. It was light and refreshing, so it made a nice first dish haha.

There was also yogurt salad, minari salad, and all sorts of namul (seasoned vegetable sides)🥗🌿 There were especially many different namul, so it really felt like a Korean set meal. The flavors were mild and clean rather than heavily seasoned, so I think adults would enjoy them. They were vegetables I often eat in home cooking, which somehow made them feel even more comforting.

Fresh cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste) came out too, and that was unique😊 I put some on gim (roasted seaweed) and wrapped it up; cheonggukjang's distinctive savory flavor went so well with the seaweed. Wrapping it in gim added a salty note, and it was tastier than I expected haha.

There was dubu kimchi (tofu with kimchi) too🥹 The tofu was soft and mild, while the kimchi was tangy and spicy, so they made a lovely pairing. I really liked the tofu's clean flavor.

I also tried the seaweed noodles, and their pleasantly firm, springy texture was so good🌿 They were lightly tossed in sesame oil, making them nutty and clean-tasting.

And the thing I really enjoyed was the fritters🍤✨ I was surprised that they stayed crisp even after some time had passed. I did not expect much from fritters at a Korean set-meal restaurant, but they were genuinely crispy!

The green-onion-and-onion fritters and buchujeon (garlic chive pancake) were wonderfully crisp👏💕 The fritters with green onion and onion had a sweet note, while the thinly cooked chive pancake was fun because you could enjoy all those crunchy bits.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean-paste stew) came with the meal too, and its broth was clean and savory🍲 It was not aggressively salty or heavy; it was mild, with that distinctive rich doenjang flavor, so it was great with rice. A Korean set meal really needs one warm stew like this to feel complete, right? haha

I mixed the gang doenjang (thick soybean-paste sauce) into white rice too🍚 It was salty and savory, so it went incredibly well with rice. Even white rice mixed with just the gang doenjang was delicious. I loved that real home-cooked-meal feeling🥹

Comparing gochujang and soy-sauce minari tteokgalbi

Finally, the main dish, minari tteokgalbi, arrived🥰 We had ordered half gochujang and half soy-sauce flavor, and it was made by mixing chopped minari into the tteokgalbi and grilling it. The minari made the aroma fresher than tteokgalbi alone, and the outside was nicely browned, making it look so appetizing too🍃

I tried the gochujang tteokgalbi first, and its spicy-sweet seasoning was exactly my kind of flavor🌶️ The savory depth of gochujang had soaked beautifully into the tteokgalbi, so it was delicious with rice too. I put some raw onion on top, and its crunch paired so well with the spicy-sweet tteokgalbi that it tasted even better haha.

The soy-sauce tteokgalbi was much cleaner and milder than the gochujang version😊 Its salty, gently sweet soy seasoning suited the tteokgalbi well, and I could catch a subtle minari aroma from the chopped minari grilled into it. Ordering half and half was great because we could alternate between spicy and clean flavors. I also heard that the tteokgalbi can be ordered for delivery! It was nice to know I could order it at home whenever I think of it after eating it so well🥰

After looking around Sinwonsa Temple and then enjoying a relaxed Korean set meal in nature, I felt like I had truly had a healing day🌿🍚 Each dish was neatly prepared and there were so many kinds that we left feeling full. Most of all, I will remember eating while looking out at the natural scenery through the window. If you are looking for somewhere to eat after hiking Gyeryongsan or visiting Sinwonsa Temple, I think Bapkkot Hana Pieotne would be a lovely stop😊 Next time, I want to bring my parents and treat them to a leisurely meal💚