Grilled fish and gondre rice near Connect Hyundai Cheongju: Oneul Haru

Oneul Haru (오늘하루) — a Korean restaurant in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju known for its grilled fish and clean, tasty side dishes served with stone-pot rice

I was out shopping happily with my mom at Connect Hyundai Cheongju when we got hungry, so we went looking for a good Korean restaurant nearby in Gagyeong-dong.

I'm usually a die-hard Korean food person who loves clean, no-fuss meals, and this place had a neat, tidy spread that hit the spot! Here's the story of Oneul Haru's stone-pot rice, a Korean restaurant in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju.

Where is Oneul Haru? 8 minutes on foot from Connect Hyundai Cheongju

Oneul Haru, a stone-pot rice restaurant in Gagyeong-dong, Cheongju, was about an 8-minute walk from Connect Hyundai Cheongju, right next to Cheongju Express Bus Terminal.

It was great to stop by for a relaxed meal without having to travel far after shopping.

What are the seating and atmosphere like inside Oneul Haru?

Walking into Oneul Haru, the interior was really cleanly kept. The overall vibe was quiet and comfortable, making it a perfect spot to bring my mom.

What I liked most was that it wasn't crowded or noisy — a space where you could focus calmly on your meal.

Room-style seats divided by partial walls

Further inside, the space was divided by partial walls. The seats were on the larger side and separated off, which looked great for groups or a quiet family meal.

A warm welcome from the owner ❤️

From the moment we walked in until we finished our meal, the owner greeted us so kindly!!! It made the whole meal feel great.

On top of that, whenever we mentioned we were running low on a side dish, they brought us more, so we got to eat plenty.

What's on the Oneul Haru menu?

Oneul Haru's menu had various kinds of stone-pot rice and curry! In summer they also sell soba (buckwheat noodles), but maybe because we visited in autumn, there was no soba available.

We ordered the gondre stone-pot rice set and the grilled fish gondre stone-pot rice set.

What's on the all-you-can-eat self bar?

On top of that, there was an all-you-can-eat salad bar too, so we could try a bunch of extra side dishes. When we went, there was salad, tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes), pickled onion, fried eggplant, cucumber, and more.

There was so much to eat that we went with pickled onion and tteokbokki! Free tteokbokki — amazing..❤️

After a short wait, a delicious spread was laid out!!! The full table looked really appetizing.

The gondre stone-pot rice set spread

The moment the food was set on the table, it looked so tidy, with plenty of delicious-looking side dishes!

From a delicious seaweed soup to seasoned sweet potato stems, seaweed soup, stir-fried anchovies, cucumber kimchi, and roasted seaweed — all clean side dishes that paired well with the stone-pot rice.

🐟 Grilled fish gondre stone-pot rice set

Oneul Haru's grilled fish gondre stone-pot rice set was the basic gondre stone-pot rice set with grilled fish added! Every basic side dish — roasted seaweed, stir-fried anchovies, cucumber salad, seasoned vegetables, water kimchi, and even a warm soup — was lightly seasoned and clean, so it felt like a filling meal made with real care.

I love grilled fish normally, so there was no way I wasn't ordering it.

How the gondre stone-pot rice tastes

The freshly cooked stone-pot rice came topped generously with fragrant gondre greens, and the nutty aroma hit my nose right away.

I've been really into this kind of healthy food lately, and eating this healthy while dining out was such a treat!

Mixing in a little of the seasoning sauce that came with it, the soft texture of the greens and the savory flavor blended really well together.

I moved the gondre rice to eat with the side dishes into a bowl, poured warm water into the pot to make nurungji (scorched rice tea), and set the pot aside.

The grilled fish was crispy and golden on the outside, moist on the inside, and paired beautifully with the gondre rice. Squeezing a little lemon on top and adding a touch of wasabi, it had no fishy taste at all — just clean and savory.

Wrapping the savory gondre rice in the plain roasted seaweed and eating it with the grilled fish made it even more delicious.

Finishing the meal with nurungji

Finally, finishing off with the nurungji I'd made earlier left me completely full and satisfied.

Final verdict on Oneul Haru in Cheongju

If you're looking for a clean, easy-on-the-stomach Korean meal near Connect Hyundai in Cheongju, I recommend Oneul Haru! With its tidy food and quiet atmosphere, it's a wonderful place to visit with your parents.