I don’t particularly enjoy bibimbap, but I always make an exception for the bibimbap in Jeonju – in fact, I would travel by KTX for 1.5-2 hours from Seoul just to have a taste of bibimbap there!

Jeonju is the birthplace of bibimbap with limitless restaurants to choose from, and the best part is that almost any bibimbap restaurant you walk into will serve you a good bowl of the mixed rice.

While I previously didn’t really do any research on the best bibimbap places to visit in Jeonju, I thought it would be nice to bring my companions to try one of the more popular restaurants in the city. Some names came up and eventually we settled on Gogung Sugaran, which I saw many great reviews of.

It’s not exactly near the main entrance of Jeonju Hanok Village, but it’s easy to spot especially if you’re coming during lunch hour, as you’ll see many locals going in.

Gogung Suragan is actually the Jeonju Hanok Village branch of Gogung, one of the most celebrated bibimbap restaurants in Jeonju. According to Jeonju City’s official website, there are apparently slight differences in the bibimbap:

The bibimbap at Gogung Suragan is cheaper than the headquarter. The quality of bibimbap at the branch is the same, with the rice cooked with cow-bone broth, locally-grown bean sprouts, marinated beef, fresh vegetables, and home-made red chilli pepper paste. Only the side dishes became simpler with serving kimchi and fresh kimchi salad.

Jeonju City

We had to wait a while for our food to be ready as the place was packed even slightly after lunch hour, but it was all worth the wait when we saw our food!

We ordered one of these grilled short rib patties (KRW 11,000) to share and it was really very good! This is similar to the one we had at Grandmother’s Recipe and Emokdae, although I do find this much juicier.

For our mains, we ordered both the Jeonju traditional bibimbap and the Dolsot bibimbap (both KRW 11,000).

The difference between the two is in the pot – the traditional one uses a metal bowl, whereas the Dolsot bibimbap uses a, well, dolsot (stone pot). The Dolsot keeps the dish warmer for longer and you may get to eat scorched rice if it’s hot enough!

I’m not sure if I was particularly hungry that day but I distinctively remembered that I wolfed this down and half-wished I had more to eat! The bibimbap I have eaten in some places are either terribly bland or incredibly salty, but this had a delicate mix of flavours that will make you crave for more.

There was a good portion of vegetables, meat, and mushrooms, so you don’t feel like you’re chomping your way through all veggies but with little protein or vice versa. The raw egg and kimchi strips add a good punch of flavour – you can either mix and eat them together (recommended!) or eat them separately to slowly savour the different tastes.

For me, what really makes or breaks a bibimbap is the gochujang (red pepper) sauce. Some have it too spicy and ruins the experience, others have it so mild and unflavourful that it serves no purpose in the dish. This, however, really hit the spot with its balance of sweet, salty, and spicy.

If you find it difficult to believe that a bowl of bibimbap can leave such a deep impression , you really need to try Gogung Suragan. Jeonju bibimbap is already a cut above the rest, but this one from a gourmet restaurant (apparently recommended by Michelin!) is honestly just different.

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DIRECTIONS

Address: 31, Eunhaeng-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea

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