Top 7 Best Restaurants in Imsil

Hello! Bringing you recommendations for great restaurants nationwide. Today, I will be recommending great eateries in Imsil, Jeonbuk. We will share the top places with excellent ratings and reviews that are frequently visited via GPS searches.

1. Cheongung Restaurant

When I went for lunch around 11:45 AM on Election Day (which felt like a weekend), there were two groups waiting ahead of me. I was able to get in after waiting about 15 minutes, but when I left around 12:30 PM, I saw that the waiting list was quite long! The owner personally calls out the waiting numbers and names, so you shouldn't go too far; you need to stay nearby. Parking is available in front of the store or at the public parking lot across the street. It has a cozy atmosphere, feeling like a renovated old country house. You can take home any leftover freshwater snails in the plastic bags hanging on the wall. When you chew the snails, it feels like you're biting into dirt, but apparently, it's not dirt but snail eggs packed with calcium. You can mix the periwinkle paste, packed with onions and periwinkles, with rice and wrap it in lettuce, but it is also delicious eaten like bibimbap with the expertly prepared side dishes. The periwinkle paste isn't salty, and the periwinkle sujebi (hand-pulled noodle soup) is also very tasty. I visited on Sunday at 1:30 PM. I arrived just before they ran out of ingredients, so I waited an hour before getting a meal. It is a quiet country-style restaurant. The side dishes are delicious. The periwinkle sujebi was generous in portion, and there was so much seasoned soy sauce that I wondered how I would eat it all, but the owner pointed to a plastic bag hanging on the wall and told me to pack it up to take home. They are so generous.

Address: 65, Gugo 6-gil, Cheongung-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk

Phone: 063-643-8038

Menu and Prices:

• Freshwater Snail Soup + Set Meal 13,000 KRW
• Boiled Pork 20,000 KRW
• Stir-fried Pork Price subject to change

2. Sangnoksu Unam Main Branch

I had spicy catfish stew. The stew was delicious, and the side dishes were amazing. The scorched rice was also fantastic. I made a reservation for a get-together with friends and ordered the baga stew and shrimp stew; the dried radish greens in the stews were so good. The side dishes were neat and all had a healthy taste. The moist scorched rice was the highlight, though. It is a place I want to visit again. With the menu items like the catfish stew, it has the vibe of an old-fashioned eatery. However, there are hardly any staff members. A man in his mid-to-late 40s is at the counter, and if you try to talk to him, he just tells you to read the notice next to him. Usually, they call out "Customer number [X]" after you place your order on Tableing, but since that didn't happen, I was confused... so I peeked around and asked, and he told me to read the notice again. It is a system where they call you to tell you which table to go to when your order is ready. There are tons of tables, but only four serving robots and one male staff member in his 50s or 60s are doing the serving. So I couldn't even ask anything... We ordered the catfish stew for 4 people, and even without ordering separately, they automatically brought out rice and scorched rice according to the number of people, and the bill was extra... I think it would be more appropriate to label it as a soup + rice set on the menu, or allow ordering rice separately.

Address: 29 Unjeong-gil, Unam-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do

Opening Hours: 10:30 - 21:00 (Closed every Monday)

Phone: 063-222-6569

Amenities: Walk-in/Catering, Separate Men's/Women's Restrooms, Wi-Fi, Reservations, Takeout, Group Seating Available, Pet-Friendly, Waiting Area, Parking

Menu and Prices:

• Clean Bagasari Stew or Mixed Stew (Large) 60,000 KRW
• Clean Bagasari Stew or Mixed Stew (Medium) 50,000 KRW
• Clean Bagasari Stew or Mixed Stew (Small) 40,000 KRW
• Freshwater Shrimp Stew or Catfish Stew (Large) 55,000 KRW

3. Cheese On

We came for the pizza-making experience and ordered a cheese pork cutlet to eat along with it! The experience is fun even if adults come alone. They taught us very kindly and well. Also, there is a lot of topping compared to the size of the pizza, so it fills up completely when you make it. That makes it so delicious when you eat it. Since it is a cheese crust, string cheese is added to the edges, and that part is so savory and tasty... I think the dough itself is delicious. It is chewy and crispy. And when I cut the pork cutlet, cheese oozed out. There was so much cheese that it stretched out long, so I really enjoyed eating it. I want to come again. I had the Gold Cheese Crust Bulgogi Pizza and the Cheese Nutritious Rice. The pizza is seriously tastier than the pork cutlet and rice. I'll be back next time to eat the pizza and oven pasta. As expected from the home of cheese, the pizza with the savory cheese stretching out was so delicious.

Address: Pizza Experience Center, 142-23, Cheese Village, Imsil-eup, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do

Opening Hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (Open as usual if Monday or Tuesday is a public holiday)

Phone: 0507-1372-0103

Amenities: Group reservations available, Parking, Takeout, Separate men's/women's restrooms, Reservations, Wi-Fi

Menu and Prices:

• Cheese Nutritious Rice Pot 15,000 won
• Gold Cheese Crust Pizza 38,000 won
• Cheese Oven Pasta 13,000 won

4. Wood-fired Cook

Wow! All the food was so, so delicious. The tteokbokki was slightly spicy, which cut through the richness, so I cleaned my plate completely. I highly recommend dining at Hwadeok Cook to anyone visiting Imsil Cheese Theme Park. Both adults and children enjoyed all three dishes: pizza, pasta, and the pork neck plate. We came here because it's a famous wood-fired restaurant made with Imsil cheese, and we left with a great meal. As for the salad... the portion size was a bit disappointing considering the price. I think it would have been more satisfying if there had been a little more cheese. A true pizza hotspot.

Address: 50, Doin 2-gil, Seongsu-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do

Opening Hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (Closed every Monday)

Phone: 063-644-8287

Amenities: Parking, Reservations, Group Seating Available, Wi-Fi, Separate Men's/Women's Restrooms

Menu and Prices:

• Wood-fired Cook Pizza 29,000 won
• Bulgogi Pizza 28,000 won
• Quattro Formage 25,000 won

5. Seomjingang Freshwater Snail Village

The freshwater snail sujebi is the best! The broth is incredibly rich, and it's packed with snails. The snail pancake is delicious too; the food is truly amazing. The side dishes were also fantastic, and the male owner in the kitchen was so kind that we really enjoyed our meal. It's the best! We ordered the freshwater snail sujebi and the pancake, and they were so good. Four of us went, and everyone loved it. Please maintain the consistent taste and generous portions. It's not salty, and the broth is rich. I finished the whole bowl. While conducting a field survey near the Seomjin River, our executive director said he wanted to eat freshwater snail soup. We looked around and decided to just eat anywhere nearby, so we stopped by. The owner was incredibly friendly, and the portions were generous, which was great. Plus, I was surprised by how delicious it was. I think I'll be going back for lunch when I go cycling along the Seomjin River.

Address: 145, Gangun-ro, Gangjin-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do

Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 - 19:30

Phone: 063-642-8558

Menu and Prices:

• Freshwater Snail Soup 10,000 KRW
• Freshwater Snail Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup 10,000 KRW
• Freshwater Snail Kalguksu (Noodle Soup) 10,000 KRW

6. Sugung Banjeom

I feel like I've already visited Sugung Banjeom nearly 10 times... When I first visited a few years ago, I wondered, "Is there really a restaurant in a place like this?" and the exterior even felt mysterious to me. The broth is just as rich and clean now as it was then. It's even better because the staff are friendly. I can't go very often because it's far, but it's nice to see that it's still busy and popular. I wish you continued success. The Jjamppong broth was very light and good. The glutinous rice sweet and sour pork was also very tasty. I heard the ox knee Jjamppong is famous, so I stopped by on my way through a trip! I called about an hour in advance to check if there were seats available, chose my menu beforehand, and was seated right away! It was packed with ingredients, and instead of an artificial, sharp spiciness, it had a rich and smooth heat, giving it a luxurious feel. And the sweet and sour pork had a really light batter and lots of vegetables... I was surprised by how delicious it was. It was nice because they were friendly.

Address: 351, Seokdeungseulchi-ro, Sinpyeong-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do

Opening Hours: 10:50 - 20:00 (Closed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month)

Phone: 0507-1425-7255

Amenities: Group reservations available, separate men's/women's restrooms, takeout, reservations, high chairs, parking

Menu and Prices:

• Jajangmyeon 7,000 won
• Gan Jajang 8,000 won
• Sugung Jjamppong 8,000 won

7. Saseondae Seafood Kalguksu

I was at a nearby construction site... I needed to charge my electric car, so I came to Saseondae, the closest location. After charging... I was wandering around looking for a place to eat lunch... and found this place by chance... There was a line... and people waiting... I felt bad writing down a waiting number just to eat alone... but all the staff... welcomed me warmly. Personally, I didn't really like the Kalguksu. I don't really like soybean noodle soup... but luckily they had it... I felt bad so I ordered that and dumplings. The soybean noodle soup is... absolutely... rich and flavorful... and since the dumplings are made fresh, they are delicious. The seafood kalguksu is refreshing and tasty. The noodles are nice and chewy. The staff are friendly, and there is nothing to complain about. Downside: I don't recommend the fried rice. It's hard to tell if it's porridge or fried rice. The pride of Saseondae. The place next door is also a pride, but this place is truly amazing. The broth is delicious, and anyway, everything is delicious. The jeon (Korean pancake) is also good here. But since there are only two of us, we get full after eating the kalguksu and dumplings, so we can't eat the jeon often. The soybean noodle soup is popular, and I think it tastes even better because it's made with black soybeans. Today, I just bought and drank the soybean milk. I was already full, and drinking that on top of that made me feel like I was going to die, so I just kept walking around Saseondae. Anyway, it's a friendly place, but even if they were unfriendly, it's a restaurant I would still go to.

Address: 46-10, Saseon 2-gil, Gwancheon-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do

Opening Hours: 11:00 - 19:30 (Closed every Wednesday)

Phone: 0507-1411-9070

Amenities: Reservations, Group Seating Available, Takeout, High Chairs, Wi-Fi, Parking

Menu and Prices:

• Seafood Kalguksu 10,000 won
• Seafood Mung Bean Pancake 18,000 won
• Black Bean Noodles (Seoritae) 10,000 won
• King Dumplings 7,000 won