Family lunch with kids at Sorori Cheongju Main Branch, Cheongju

I went with my mom, my sister, and my niece for lunch at "Sorori Cheongju Main Branch," a pot rice spot in Cheongju!

Sorori Cheongju Main Branch, a Cheongju pot rice restaurant

First revisit since the Seonganggil days

I'd been to Sorori back when it first opened on Seonganggil, but the shop was pretty small then. It was tasty and had a distinctive vibe, so I thought, I'll definitely come back — and now, after a long while, it's not only expanded and relocated but also opened Gagyeong and Jejojang branches!! The owner really made it big 🫢🫢

Looking around out front, I actually learned what the name Sorori means for the first time today haha: "Sorori cooks every day with a warm heart."

Inside the restaurant and the waiting line

The inside is reeeally spacious now, with way more tables! Even after I came in, customers kept streaming in until it was fully booked with a waiting list. Definitely lives up to being the number one pot rice place in Cheongju haha.

Parking and how to wait

For parking, there's an underground lot at the urban regeneration center right across the street. They support a 1-hour parking voucher, so just ask a staff member. When the restaurant is full, write your name on the waiting list right by the entrance and wait — staff will call you when it's ready.

Kiosk ordering and events

You order at the kiosk, and you can finish payment comfortably from your seat! There are also Kakao Map and Naver review events with different rewards for 1st through 5th place, so don't miss it!!! There's also a guide on how to best enjoy Sorori's pot rice and buckwheat gimbap posted above the kiosk, so give it a read before you eat haha.

Is it okay to bring a kid along?

The self bar is nice and clean, and there's plain white rice available separately. My niece only eats plain white rice, so I scooped some out for her. There are baby dishes ready and even a microwave, so it seems totally fine to come and eat comfortably with a baby. There's a high chair too, and I checked the women's restroom — there's a diaper-changing table in there as well.

We ordered galbi pot rice, abalone butter pot rice, crab pot rice, and salmon buckwheat gimbap. Sorori starts cooking the moment you order, so it takes a bit of time, but the food comes out in the best possible condition, so it's fine to just wait while chatting haha.

Galbi pot rice — even my picky niece cleaned her bowl

Galbi pot rice (short rib rice cooked in a hot pot) is Sorori's signature menu! I'd had it before, and it still tasted like the signature dish it is haha. My niece is a picky eater who won't touch just anything, but she ate the galbi pot rice really well — I was so relieved she liked it lol.

Abalone butter pot rice — mom already wants it again

Abalone butter pot rice is what my mom ordered, and she said mixing in the butter evenly and eating it with seaweed and salted fish was really delicious. Even after we left, she kept saying how good it was and that she wants to eat it again next time — that made me so proud haha. This is a dish that will win over an older crowd!!

Crab pot rice — the deep flavor of snow crab guts

Crab pot rice is what I ordered. The crab shell decoration is so cute lol (I handed it over to my niece). It had tender crab meat and rich, silky snow crab innards, which gave it a really deep flavor!

Salmon buckwheat gimbap — a dish only found at Sorori

And finally, salmon buckwheat gimbap! This is a dish you can only get at Sorori, made with buckwheat noodles instead of rice for a healthier take on gimbap (seaweed rice roll). I honestly think this dish is the reason Sorori exists haha. I'm not usually a big fan of salmon, but it was really fresh, and dipping the combo of salmon, egg, and buckwheat noodles into wasabi soy sauce made it light and easy to eat, really delicious!

Next time I'll have to try the shrimp buckwheat gimbap, which is only sold in a limited batch of 10 a day. Apparently every day from early morning they simmer braised short ribs in pot rice broth and a special sauce, boil the buckwheat noodles, and age them in a special tsuyu sauce. I guess that diligent, careful prep is exactly why it tastes this good 👍🏻

Buckwheat gimbap grip tok

They're even selling an adorable buckwheat gimbap phone grip charm! The packaging looks just like the real food lol, total genius 👍🏻 And apparently the full sale amount from the grip charms goes to donations for children facing food insecurity and kids in orphanages, which is such a great idea ㅠㅠ If you're in Cheongju, come visit "Sorori" and try the delicious pot rice and buckwheat gimbap 🙏