5 Great Restaurants in Sokcho

88 Grilled Fish, on the dockside of the breakwater village, is a large restaurant that makes use of two buildings: the main store, where you can feel the old-fashioned atmosphere, and the newer, modern building next door. There is only one set menu with assorted grilled fish, but it is fun to eat fresh fish as you can grill it yourself at your table. It’s a fun experience that wastes no time, as you can take each piece of grilled fish straight from the charcoal grill to your plate as soon as it’s ready. Wouldn't the taste of grilled fish by the seaside be even more special?

The most popular naengmyeon (iced cold noodle soup) at Nakcheon Hall across from the Administrative Welfare Centre is the red crab sashimi naengmyeon. Red crab sashimi naengmyeon is a cold noodle soup dish, served with heaped topping of red crab sashimi. The soft red crab meat and spicy seasoning go well with the chewy naengmyeon noodles. If you are tired of standard naengmyeon, try the unique red crab sashimi naengmyeon at Nakcheon Hall. The combination of naengmyeon and red crab meat is a regional specialty, and will revive your taste buds.

Cheongcho Sumulhoe, which was said to be the first mulhoe (iced raw seafood soup) restaurant in Korea, is a huge restaurant that occupies the 3rd floor of a 4-story building. There is a saying that a good looking rice cake is good to eat, and therefore the various kinds of seafood are beautifully presented. Fresh sashimi and crunchy vegetables in a cold and spicy broth with ice floating around will help you beat the heat. Sea urchin bibimbap (mixed seasoned rice with vegetables) and seopguk (hot seafood soup) are also popular in addition to their signature menu, haejeon mulhoe.

Order sundae gukbap (blood sausage soup) cooked in a hot pot at Dancheon Sikdang, one of the Abai Sundae specialty stores along the Abai Village Road. If you add a little extra seasoning such as salted squid, which is sold only at Dancheon Restaurant, it can bring out the spiciness and coolness. If you eat squid sundae dressed in egg and Abai sundae stuffed with sweet and spicy pollack sashimi, you can experience a very unique taste.

If you arrive in Sokcho by bus, visit Eojeonga near Sokcho Express Bus Terminal. You can taste the delicious stir-fried octopus with golbaengi (sea snail), which is spicy but not irritating, with a moderate amount of seasoning. Stir-fried octopus with fresh golbaengi which is tossed with somen noodles adds a particularly chewy taste. The chewy stir-fried octopus golbaengi is delicious even when mixed with rice. Thanks to the simple spicy golbaengi, a bowl of rice is brought to a whole new level.