Foodie Guide to Jeonju Hanok Village Restaurants: Iconic Jeonju Cuisine Like Bibimbap

Top 3 Restaurants in Jeonju Hanok Village!

On the YouTube channel ‘Kim Sook TV’, I saw that the host visited one of my go-to restaurants in Jeonju Hanok Village. Watching that video, I felt my stomach rumble, so I ended up heading to delicious restaurants in Jeonju Hanok Village.

• Veteran Kalguksu

With a rich history, Veteran Kalguksu (noodle soup) primarily operate its original Jeonju location rather than expanding through franchising, resulting in just two branches in the city.
I visited the main branch in Jeonju Hanok Village – the very renowned location featured on ‘Kim Sook TV’.

This restaurant warmly welcomes everyone whether you’re traveling families or solo adventurers. With its range of table sizes and the thoughtful addition of baby high chairs, they ensure a comfortable visit for all.

Here’s the Veteran Veteran Kalguksu menu.

You might be surprised that the Jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodle) is served almost the second you order and sit down. The quick service might be because this cuisine is just as popular as the Veteran noodle soup.

Rather than being fancy, the Jjolmyeon itself set up simply like a typical affordable meal.
With just shredded cabbage, cucumber, and a boiled egg as toppings, the plain appearance makes the spicy sauce look even more appetizing.

Being a bit finer than usual, these Jjolmyeon noodles are easy to eat with a satisfying slurp. The moderately spicy flavor gets your taste buds going.

For the same price, you can order your dumplings half meat and half kimchi. This is mentioned in small print, but don’t miss it!

These tender, freshly steamed dumplings with a thin wrapper and a generous filling become a beloved side order at this restaurant.

I found the kimchi dumplings especially delicious when eaten on their own while the meat dumplings were absolutely fantastic when paired with Jjolmyeon.

And finally, the main dish arrived. Actually, all the dishes came out incredibly quickly, so I probably didn’t even wait five minutes.

You might think, “Why eat kalguksu all the way in Jeonju Hanok Village?”, but the Veteran Kalguksu brimming with sesame seeds provides a flavor experience you won’t easily find in other areas.

While it’s just my personal taste, I like to add a bit more chili powder for a nice spicy flavor.

The noodles, about as thick as udon, creates an explosion of savory flavor with every bite when you soak them up along with the rich broth.

It’s no wonder foodies from all over make the trip to Jeonju.

• Han Kook Jib

Han Kook Jib was another first visit for me, inspired by ‘Kim Sook TV’. Being drawn to its traditional look, I’ve always wanted to visit this place.

For those driving to Han Kook Jib, a paid parking lot is available behind this place. Parking is free if you dine there, so keep that in mind.

Stepping inside, I noticed a garden and it felt like a high-end traditional Korean restaurant. The large picture windows were surprisingly clean and wide, creating a wonderful feeling of dining outdoors.

This is the Han Kook Jib menu. They offer both set meals and course menus, making it ideal for trying a variety of their cuisine.

There were six side dishes in all. The table was already a feast for the eyes in various hues like red, yellow, and green even before Jeonju Bibimbap arrived.

I hear the signature dish at this restaurant is Yukhoe Bibimbap (raw beef bibimbap).
Seeing the bibimbap toppings placed on brass bowl, this dish looks like a work of art elaborately crafted by a skilled artist.

Jeonju Bibimbap at Han Kook Jib is packed with fascinating aspects for international visitors, making it excellent choice to treat visitors from abroad during their trip to Jeonju Hanok Village.

Dolsot Bibimbap (stone pot bibimbap) comes with cooked beef. For those who prefer their Jeonju Bibimbap served warm, this dish would be a good choice.

If you prefer a richer flavor, you can request more gochujang.

• Jo Jeom Rye Nammun Pisundae

Although Jo Jeom-rye Nammun Pisundae is situated in Jeonju Nambu Market, which is a bit away from the center of Jeonju Hanok Village, its tasty food makes it a worthwhile destination.

Of course, the Sundaegukbap (blood sausage rice soup) is delicious. When you order the Pisundae (blood sausage), the taste is incredibly amazing when the sausage is eaten with perilla leaves.

The side dishes consisted of kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi), and buchu (chives). I got a platter of fresh vegetables for wrapping vegetables with an order of the single-plate dish.

From the single-plate menu, I chose the assorted option to try a variety of things. This plate has the exact same ingredients as the Special Sundaegukbap.

Instead of treating them like side dishes, it’s best to consider each item as a full meal. If you come as a pair, ordering one Sundaegukbap and one assorted platter like I did is a great way to have a satisfying meal.

While the ingredients within the Sundaegukbap are tender and warm, the single-plate menu items offer a more pronounced meat fragrance.

Because Pisundae was so large, I couldn’t wrap it with the chives together. Instead, it was incredibly tasty when I wrapped the sausage and took a big bite, then ate the seasoned chives right after.

You can immediately tell the Special Sundaegukbap apart from the regular version just by the size of its serving bowl.

The Special Sundaegukbap contains approximately three Pisundae along with various organ meats like amppong (pig uterus), makchang (pig large intestine), and osorigamtu (pig stomach).

I was particularly surprised by how delicious the makchang was when I dipped it in chogochujang (vinegar gochujang).

Once you’ve eaten some of the solids, add the chives and salted shrimp (saeujeot) before the broth is still warm. To avoid excessive saltiness from saeujeot, I drained the liquid and only added the shrimp to boost savory flavor.

Unlike other places, this restaurant’s Sundaegukbap doesn’t include perilla seed powder, so I couldn’t experience its nutty fragrance. However, it features a clean and clear broth.

Today, I went to explore a recommended restaurant in Jeonju Hanok Village that I saw on the YouTube channel ‘Kim Sook TV’.

Each of these three Jeonju Hanok Village tasty restaurants has distinct characteristics, so it hard to skip any of them if you’re visiting Jeonju. Make sure to set aside ample time to experience all the spots I’ve recommended.

📍Veteran Kalguksu

📍Han Kook Jib

📍Jo Jeom Rye Nammun Pisundae

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