10 Great Restaurants in Jeonju

Located on Gaeknidangil, a hot place of Jeonju, Yeonsikdang is well-known for its salmon dishes. You can enjoy a meal and a drink together in a nice, tidy atmosphere. Its philosophy is to use up all of the ingredients it brought in at the beginning of the day, which guarantees that you will taste fresh salmon anytime. The “Assorted Salmon Plate,” which consists of salmon sashimi, salmon tataki and salmon sushi, is its signature menu. Thickly chopped sliced salmon is both delicious and visually gorgeous.

In addition to salmon dishes, Yeonsikdang also serves pasta, risotto and other dishes that you can enjoy with drinks. There is a variety of alcoholic beverages from sotonic to draft beer so don’t forget to enjoy a drink together with tasty foods. You will not regret coming and tasting the delicious dishes.

Keungama is a famous and friendly restaurant where you can enjoy eight different kinds of soup based on your preference. It is also a local favourite among Jeonju citizens so you will see a constant flow of people coming in to get their fill. One of its delicacies, ttukbaegitang, uses and boils ribs, tails and knee cartilages of premium beef.

The hot soup will warmly fill up your stomach and make your body healthier not just in wintertime when the cold wind blows but also in any season. If you order dolsotbap (hot stone pot rice) in addition to galbitang (galbi soup), you will be served with savoury rice filled with mixed grains. By pouring water into the rice pot, you will be treated to tasty nurungji (scorched rice soup) at the end. A nip of the salty jeotgal or piece of kkakdugi over a large spoonful will make it even more delicious. Make sure to visit Keungama if you want to try clean, stomach-filling galbitang.

Jo Jeom Rye Nammun Pisundae is so famous in Jeonju, a city known for pisundae, that you will have to be ready to wait in a long queue. Many people love sundae for its chewy texture and diverse flavours that change according to the ingredients used. Among them, pisundae, which boasts a weighty taste by adding seonji or blood, is widely loved by seonji diehards.

The freshly made hot pisundae is enjoyed with perilla leaves, chives and red chilli pepper paste with vinegar. Unlike typical sundae with glass noodles, pisundae contains seonji and other ingredients and its skin is made of real intestines of a pig, which add to a richer flavour. Sundae gukbap (sundae and rice soup) is inexpensive but served generously in an earthen pot. Add seasoned chives or salted shrimp to make the gukbap (rice soup) that much more delicious. We recommend this restaurant if you want to warm up your stomach with hot soup.

At Sambaekjip, a 70-year tradition, you can taste kongnamul gukbap, a specialty of Jeonju whose clean soup whets your appetite. The restaurant is named Sambaekjip because, since the old days, it only sold 300 bowls every day and closed its doors no matter how many customers are standing in the queue.

The main menu item at Sambaekjip is kongnamul gukbap and seonji onban. The kongnamul gukbap, in particular, is known for its simple, clean taste. A bowl of gukbap, in which bean sprouts and rice are placed in broth, stewed with fresh ingredients, and are boiled after adding the seasoning and an egg, is what attracts countless customers to this place. Gukbap, which boils in an earthen pot, is visually excellent. You can add cheongyang red pepper or salted shrimp based on your preference. If you visit Jeonju, we recommend you to try kongnamul gukbap, which is delicious, comforts the stomach and, even, provides a perfect cure for hangovers.

Hangukjip is a local food restaurant that specialises in traditional bibimbap and has been introduced several times in the media. As you can guess from the rich traditional vibe of the exterior, the restaurant has been serving Jeonju bibimbap for three generations since 1952. Its gochujang, the recipe of which has been kept as a secret for over 60 years, is made with brine-less bay salt that is stored for several years.

Hangukjip’s bibimbap has three characteristics. Except for the meat and ginkgo nuts, all other wild vegetables are blanched and a natural liquid seasoning tops the bibimbap while the pastes are made by the restaurant itself. If you wish to taste Jeonju bibimbap, which follows the clean and traditional method, we recommend Hangukjip. As you mix the simple but tasty greens with rice served in a brass bowl, you will be able to enjoy a clean, pleasant meal.

Gyodong Seokgalbi presents galbi tenderly grilled in sweet seasoning that offers a taste that everyone, young and old, loves. As a restaurant located inside Jeonju Hanok Village, its stylish hanok building and beautiful garden grab your attention. The flavours of galbi enjoyed in a neatly and traditionally decorated indoor environment are much more special.

If you order a seokgalbi set menu, a generous table filled with various dishes comes out. Starting with wrap vegetables and basic side dishes, the meal then proceeds to grilled marinated galbi. It is nice because you can eat it right away without having to grill it yourself. Wrapping galbi with onions and mushrooms will present a more delicious eating experience. The yeonnipbap (lotus leaf rice) contains nutrition-filled nuts in glutinous rice, so it is healthy for your body. Seokgalbi is a perfect match with naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) as well. If you have a glass of homemade moju as well, you will be able to experience a special taste.

Jeonju Grilled Fish House specialises in grilled fish dishes where you can enjoy a variety of grilled fish and a generous meal. Here, you can try Pacific saury, Spanish mackerel, atka mackerel, mackerel, croaker and cutlassfish grilled or in a soup. The artichoke tea served in the place of water whets your appetite.

A table filled with various greens and neatly prepared side dishes will unfold before your eyes. The fish is served properly grilled to the point where its skin turns into a delicious, yellowish colour. A bowl of rice will disappear quickly if you take a huge piece of the crispy skin and moist fillet and dip it into soy sauce with a little bit of wasabi. If you miss a home-cooked meal during your trip, have some comforting, stomach-filling grilled fish with rice. You will find yourself smiling with satisfaction on your way out of the restaurant.

Honamgak is a famous restaurant that specialises in Jeonju delicacies, Jeonju bibimbap and Korean Table d'hote, and has been selected as a great food attraction of Jeonju. The main menu of Honamgak is Korean Table d'hote consisting of neatly prepared, healthy dishes. The restaurant is built as a hanok with a stylish exterior and cool vibes, which makes it a great place for family meetings.

You can also freely choose either Korean Table d'hote courses or single entrée meals. Among them, Jeonju bulgogi bibimbap jeongsik features traditionally seasoned beef bulgogi and Jeonju bibimbap as the main dishes so you will be able to enjoy Korean Table d'hote in the proper way. The side dishes from japchae and hwangpomuk muchim (mung bean jelly salad) to haepari naengchae (chilled jelly fish salad) and kongnamul guk (bean sprout soup) whet your appetite with their own flavours. If you want to properly try the most Korean bibimbap there is, stop by Honamgak in Jeonju.

Gogung is a place where you can taste Jeonju bibimbap served by a chef designated as a master chef in the traditional cuisine of “Jeonju bibimbap.” The bibimbap replica you see as you enter the restaurant is impressive. Tables are lined up along a round hall and there are also many seating tables available. Thanks to warm sunlight and subdued lighting, you will be able to enjoy a meal in a comfortable atmosphere.

The bibimbap menu is served as both a course and a single meal, and beef tartare bibimbap with seasoning on top is presented in brassware. The dishes have an abundant amount of yukhoe (beef tartare) and the gochujang (red chili paste) is also quite delicious. Another delicacy of the restaurant is tteokgalbi (grilled galbi patties) served on a brass plate and roasted over a mini grill. As soon as you place a piece in your mouth, you will feel its moist texture and an ample amount of gravy oozing out. We recommend the restaurant to those who wish to taste proper Jeonju bibimbap, a local delicacy of the city.

Rottifarm is a small restaurant on a quiet street of Jeonju that primarily serves Gyukatsu and Tonkatsu. Here, you can enjoy your meal in a cosy interior setting with a comfortable atmosphere. Rottifarm’s menu is relatively simple and the price changes according to the weight in grams.

In particular, Gyukatsu that you will not be able to taste anywhere else consists of beef with breaded powder, instead of pork. You can enjoy the rich flavours of the beef. Gyukatsu is served properly grilled, and we recommend dipping the soft, savoury beef slightly in salt mixed with pepper. This way, the fresh gravy of the meat oozes out well and the thickness of the fried coating is just right. The unique, homemade sauce also adds a deeper savoury taste. This is a restaurant that we recommend you to visit at least once during your trip to Jeonju.