Feature ArticleThe Story of Gyeongju’s Deep-Flavored Pot Rice and Refreshing Ssambap2025.10.21
The rice eaten in Gyeongju is special. This is because there are numerous distinctive pot rice and ssambap (leaf wraps and rice) restaurants. Pot rice is a type of rice that was served to honored guests in the royal court during the Joseon Dynasty. In Hwangnam-dong, a long-established ssambap restaurant continues the reputation of Ssambap Alley, offering seasonal vegetables, cooked greens, and spicy stir-fried pork. The generosity of the country-style table setting, with side dishes piled as abundantly as hanjeongsik, is ample. Baedong Sangol Bapsang’s chewy freshwater snail ssambap, where you can freely use homemade seasoned soybean paste and fresh wrapping vegetables, is also an unmissable Gyeongju ssambap.
When Going to Gyeongju, Should I Eat Pot Rice? Or Ssambap?
Gyeongju people prefer heavy pot rice over light bowls of rice. For our people who have cooked rice in cast iron pots since ancient times, pot rice is food filled with affection. When you open the wooden lid and scoop a spoonful of fluffy rice with steam rising, your mouth fills with sweetness. The savory scorched rice at the bottom of the stone pot is the pinnacle of enjoying pot rice.
A new style of hot pot rice, enriched with ingredients like abalone and bulgogi, is gaining popularity for its layered flavors. The rice itself is delicious enough to stand alone, making the entire meal feel special with just the pot rice at its center.
When searching for long-established restaurants in Gyeongju, one can find numerous ssambap restaurants. This is thanks to the healthy habit of eating wraps with seasonal vegetables and seaweed that has been practiced since ancient times. Along Hwangnam-dong’s Daereungwon Street, memories of the Gyeongju Ssambap Alley, beloved as Gyeongju’s local food, remain.
Gyeongju ssambap offers various wraps, including fresh vegetables like lettuce and perilla leaves, blanched wraps like lightly cooked cabbage and squash leaves, and kelp. The crisp lettuce wraps around savory, seasoned soybean paste and chewy freshwater snails, creating a perfect harmony of textures and flavors in every bite.
All Side Dishes and Dishes Suitable for Pot Rice on One Table – Bokgil Abalone Pot Rice
Bokgil’s vibrant take on hot pot rice is a feast for the eyes. The experience is made even more special by the scenic view of the lush Daereungwon just beyond the windows. Their hot pot rice is simmered with abalone or bulgogi and enjoyed wrapped in crispy gopchang-style gim (laver), paired with an array of side dishes.
The flavor satisfies both the discerning tastes of younger guests and the refined palates of older diners. If you mix abalone pot rice with savory butter, you’ll experience a flavor beyond imagination, no matter what you eat. The charm of seasoned Korean beef bulgogi pot rice is no less appealing.
The side dishes for pot rice at Bokgil include the four brothers of salted seafood called “rice thief.” Salted herring roe, salted pollack intestines, salted scallop, salted octopus, pickled Chinese artichoke, and special seasoning sauce come out cozily and match perfectly with pot rice. When you order a pot rice set menu, diverse side dishes are served in abundance.
The appetizing golden-brown, grilled mackerel becomes a fine dish when you sprinkle it with lemon juice and add wasabi. In addition to abalone pot rice and abalone porridge, the taste of steamed abalone dipped in vinegar gochujang (red chili paste) is also a delicacy.
Full of Green Vegetables and Vegetable Wraps Suitable for Ssambap – Jeongrok Ssambap
In the Gyeongju region, seasonal vegetable ssambap has long been a cherished meal. Jeongrok Ssambap maintains the reputation of the Ssambap Alley, located next to Gyeongju Daereungwon. Gyeongju’s ssambap is known for its generous portions. This is because not only are vegetables like leaf lettuce, short-fruit pimpinella, and young cabbage wrapped, but they are also blanched in a steamer, resulting in about 20 side dishes that come out abundantly.
The founder’s signature salted whole anchovy, brought in from Gampo and fermented in-house, is a delicacy when paired with pickled garlic and wrapped in cabbage or seaweed. Savory doenjangjjigae (soybean paste jjigae), sundubujjigae (soft bean curd jjigae), and special ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce) pair well with ssambap.
Jeongrok Ssambap, a beloved breakfast restaurant on Hwangnidan Street, is crowded with customers even during breakfast hours, which is true to its name. For the younger generation, it’s a restaurant recommended as a place that earns praise when you bring elders and as a ssambap restaurant with various side dishes when you miss your mother’s cooking.
There are four main ssambap options—spicy stir-fried pork, duck bulgogi, beef bulgogi, and Jeju pork ribs—allowing even large families to order according to their individual preferences. Inside the restaurant, there are ample group seats suitable for gatherings. The spacious parking space in front of the store is also convenient.
Unlimited Wrapped Vegetables and Freshwater Snail Salad Ssambap – Ureong Gaksi Ssambap
Just like its heartwarming name, this restaurant’s ssambap features freshwater snails as the star of the show. The hearty seasoned soybean paste with freshwater snail arrives in a rustic earthenware pot, served in generous portions. You can enjoy the freshwater snail ssambap on its own or with added options like spicy stir-fried pork or freshwater snail salad—or even both.
When served all together, the chopsticks naturally gravitate first toward the vividly red, spicy freshwater snail salad. The chewy freshwater snails and sweet-and-sour vegetable salad stimulate the appetite. With such flavor, the basket of fresh greens and bowl of rice disappear in no time.
The braised right-eyed flounder, made with fresh catch from Gampo, is simmered Gyeongju-style in a spicy sauce and looks irresistible. The freshwater snails from Miryang are paired with house-fermented doenjang to create the rich, flavorful seasoned soybean paste. More than ten types of fresh greens, including red leaf lettuce, mustard leaves, kale, and angelica leaves, are offered without limit.
Layer angelica leaf over lettuce, top it with spicy freshwater snail salad and grilled pork, then take a full bite—your mouth will be filled with chewy textures and fragrant greens, delivering the full joy of ssambap. This local favorite is often recommended by hikers heading to Gyeongju’s Namsan Mountain, who say they can feel the mountain’s vital energy in every bite.
Travel Information
[Bokgil Gyeongju Main Branch]Address: 71 Cheomseong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Contact: +82-54-748-3555
Hours: 10:30–21:00 (Break time: 16:00–17:00), Last order: 20:10
Address: 48 Gyerim-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Contact: +82-54-772-9333
Hours: 10:30–20:30 (Break time: 16:00–17:00)
Address: 21 Samneung 2-gil, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Contact: +82-504-746-0007
Hours: 11:00–20:00, closed on Mondays