The Best Seafood in Sokcho: A Coastal Culinary Adventure

What Most Visitors Get Wrong About Sokcho Seafood

In 2026, Sokcho has become one of the most searched coastal Destinations in South Korea — partly because the Seoul–Yangyang Expressway and improved intercity bus connections have cut travel time from Seoul to under two hours. More people are coming than ever, and with that comes more tourist-trap restaurants clustered near Seoraksan’s entrance gates. If you eat at the first fish place you see when you step off the bus, you’ll probably overpay for mediocre food. This guide is specifically about avoiding that mistake and finding the real thing.

What Makes Sokcho Seafood Different From the Rest of Korea

Sokcho sits on the East Sea (known internationally as the Sea of Japan), and the cold, deep waters here produce something genuinely different from the seafood you’ll find in Busan or along the south coast. The currents running down from the north keep water temperatures low year-round, which means the squid are firmer, the sea urchin are richer, and the crab — particularly the snow crab called daege — are sweeter than their counterparts further south.

There’s also a geographical quirk: Sokcho is essentially surrounded by water on three sides, with Cheongcho Lake to the south and the East Sea directly to the east. The town’s fishing fleet still operates out of the main port near Jungang Market every morning. When people say the seafood is fresh here, they’re not reciting a slogan — the boats come back around 4–5 a.m., and by 8 a.m. the catch is already laid out on ice in the market. That brine-and-cold-salt-air smell hits you the moment you walk through the market entrance.

Sokcho also inherited a distinct culinary identity from North Korean refugees who settled here after the Korean War. Abai Village, just across the lagoon from central Sokcho, preserves dishes from the Hamgyeong Province region of North Korea — flavors that are harder and saltier than the southern Korean palate, and essentially impossible to find anywhere else on the peninsula.

Abai Village: The Soulful Heart of Sokcho’s Food Scene

You cross to Abai Village on a hand-pulled ferry — a flat, barge-like boat that a ferryman hauls across the narrow channel using a rope. It costs 500 KRW (under $0.40) each way and takes about two minutes. The small jolt when the barge taps the opposite dock is your signal to step off carefully.

The village itself is a tight cluster of low buildings that hasn’t changed much architecturally in decades. What brings people here is abai sundae — a thick, dense sausage stuffed with squid ink, glass noodles, rice, and pork, wrapped in squid rather than pork intestine. It’s grainier and darker than the sundae you’d find at a Seoul street stall, and it’s served with a dipping sauce made from salted shrimp paste called ojingeo-jeot. The taste is deeply savory, almost fermented, and genuinely unlike anything else in Korean cuisine.

Look for restaurants with handwritten signs and plastic chairs rather than polished storefronts. The handful of places that have been operating for 30+ years are the ones worth seeking out. Abai Sundae Town (아바이순대마을) is the main stretch, and most visitors pick one of the older family-run spots clustered along the main alley. Expect to pay around 10,000–12,000 KRW (~$7.50–$9) for a generous plate.

Jungang Market: Where Locals Actually Eat

Sokcho Jungang Market (속초중앙시장) is a covered traditional market about a 10-minute walk from the bus terminal. It’s been the commercial center of the city since the 1950s and remains exactly the kind of place where you watch a grandmother in rubber gloves portion out sea urchin with practiced speed while carrying on three conversations at once.

The market has two distinct personalities. The outer stalls facing the street sell dried seafood — ojingeo (squid), myeongran-jeot (pollock roe), and various fish jerky that locals buy as gifts. Walk deeper inside and you reach the wet market section, where raw seafood is sold by weight from tanks and ice beds. This is also where you’ll find the famous Sokcho-style dakgangjeong — a crispy fried chicken unique to this city, coated in a sticky sauce that’s sweeter and crunchier than the Seoul versions. Yes, fried chicken in a seafood guide. It’s a genuine local specialty that came out of the market culture here, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice by skipping it.

For straight seafood eating inside the market, the handful of hoetjip (raw fish restaurants) on the second floor are where you want to be. You point at the fish in the tank downstairs, they carry it up, slice it in front of you, and you eat it with sesame oil, salt, and fresh perilla leaves. No ceremony, no theatre — just the fish and the view of the market floor below through the open railings.

Squid, Crab, and Sea Urchin: Sokcho’s Signature Dishes Explained

Squid (ojingeo): Sokcho is synonymous with East Sea squid. You’ll see them drying on racks outside shops all over the city — a visual you notice before you consciously register it. The main preparations are raw squid sashimi (ojingeo hoe), grilled whole squid from street stalls near the beach, and squid ink dishes. If you see ojingeo-sundae, that’s the squid stuffed version referenced above — not to be confused with the soup version served in some restaurants.

Snow Crab (daege): Snow crab season runs primarily from late November through spring. During peak season (January–March), restaurants along the port area set up enormous steaming vats visible from the street. A medium-sized crab runs 25,000–40,000 KRW (~$18.50–$30) depending on size and season. Outside crab season, prices drop for other crab varieties. Do not order daege in July — you’ll pay inflated prices for frozen product.

Sea Urchin (seongge): Sokcho and the surrounding Gangwon coast are one of the few places in Korea where sea urchin is caught locally and affordable. A small bowl of seongge-bap (sea urchin rice bowl, similar to Japanese uni donburi) runs 15,000–22,000 KRW (~$11–$16). The roe is a creamy, oceanic gold — not fishy in the overwhelming sense, but intensely rich. Many restaurants in the port area and Jungang Market serve it year-round.

The Best Restaurants in Sokcho for Seafood (2026 Picks)

Cheongho Hoetjip (청호횟집) — A reliable spot near Cheongcho Lake serving fresh sashimi platters. The haemul-tang (spicy seafood stew) here is consistently praised by Korean food bloggers and worth ordering as a finishing course after the raw fish.

Daepohang Port Area — Rather than a single restaurant, this small working port a few kilometres north of central Sokcho has a row of seafood restaurants that cater to fishermen and their families. Prices are lower than the tourist-facing spots, portions are larger, and the grilled fish sets are outstanding. Take a taxi or use the city bus — it’s not walkable from downtown.

Sokcho Seafood Restaurant Street (속초항 수산물거리) — The strip of restaurants directly beside Sokcho Port is tourist-heavy but not without merit. The competition keeps quality reasonable, and this is the best area for crab during winter season because the supply chain is literally 100 metres away.

Market floor restaurants in Jungang Market — As mentioned above, these are the highest-value raw fish experiences in the city. Budget around 30,000–40,000 KRW (~$22–$30) for a two-person sashimi set with rice and side dishes.

2026 Budget Reality: What Seafood Costs in Sokcho

• Budget (under 15,000 KRW / ~$11 per person): Abai sundae plate, grilled squid from a street stall, dakgangjeong from Jungang Market, a bowl of seongge-bap at a market stall.
• Mid-range (15,000–40,000 KRW / ~$11–$30 per person): Two-person sashimi set at a market restaurant, haemul-tang at a sit-down restaurant, single daege crab during shoulder season.
• Comfortable (40,000–80,000+ KRW / ~$30–$60+ per person): Large daege crab during peak winter season, multi-course seafood meals at port-side restaurants, abalone dishes.

Compared to 2024, prices across the board have risen roughly 8–12% due to fuel costs affecting the fishing industry and general inflation. The best value still sits in the market and the Abai Village area, which remain largely insulated from the tourist pricing that’s crept into the port-side restaurant strip.

Day Trip or Overnight? Planning Around the Food

Sokcho is absolutely doable as a day trip from Seoul — the express bus from Seoul’s Express Bus Terminal takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes in 2026, and buses run frequently. If you’re a focused eater, you can cover Abai Village, Jungang Market, and a port-area restaurant in a single day.

That said, an overnight stay unlocks two things that a day trip cannot: the early morning market atmosphere (the catch comes in before 5 a.m., and the market is most alive between 6 and 9 a.m.), and the crab restaurants in the evening, which are a fundamentally different, slower experience than lunch. If you’re traveling in crab season (winter through early spring), the overnight option is worth it.

Accommodation along Sokcho Beach starts around 60,000–80,000 KRW (~$44–$59) per night for a clean guesthouse. The beach location puts you about 10–15 minutes by taxi from both Abai Village and Jungang Market.

Practical Tips for Getting to Sokcho and Eating Well

Getting there: The fastest option from Seoul in 2026 remains the express bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal or Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. Journey time is approximately 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes depending on traffic. There is no train station in Sokcho — the nearest rail connection is Gangneung, about 60 kilometres south, from which you’d need a bus or taxi. The GTX-A line expanded to connect further into the Gangwon corridor in 2025, but the final leg to Sokcho still requires a bus connection.

Getting around Sokcho: The city is small enough that taxis are affordable for short hops (most rides within the city cost 3,500–6,000 KRW / ~$2.60–$4.50). City buses exist but the routes are infrequent and confusing for first-time visitors. Walking works well between Jungang Market, the port, and the beach area. Abai Village requires the hand-pulled ferry.

Language: English menus are rare outside the most tourist-facing restaurants. Bring Papago or use Naver’s photo translation feature — point your phone camera at the menu and it translates in real time. Most market vendors communicate effectively through hand gestures and a pocket calculator for prices.

Timing: Sokcho is a year-round destination, but the food scene peaks in winter (crab season) and late summer (squid season). Summer weekends bring heavy crowds from Seoul. If you’re coming purely for the food and want fewer people, aim for a weekday in October or November.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most famous food in Sokcho?

Abai sundae — a squid-casing sausage filled with rice, noodles, and pork, originating from North Korean refugee culture — is Sokcho’s most distinctive dish. Snow crab (daege) and fresh squid sashimi are equally iconic and more widely available throughout the city’s markets and port restaurants.

When is the best time to visit Sokcho for seafood?

Winter (December through March) is best for snow crab season. Late summer (August–September) is peak squid season. Sea urchin and general sashimi are excellent year-round. Avoid visiting solely for daege outside the winter months — you’re likely to get frozen product at off-season prices that still feel high.

Is Sokcho seafood expensive compared to Seoul?

For comparable quality, Sokcho is significantly cheaper — particularly for raw fish and crab. The proximity to the source removes multiple layers of the supply chain. A sashimi platter for two that might cost 80,000 KRW in a Seoul fish restaurant runs 30,000–40,000 KRW at Jungang Market in Sokcho.

Can I visit Abai Village and Jungang Market in the same day trip?

Yes, easily. Both are within a few kilometres of each other. A realistic sequence: arrive by bus in the morning, go directly to Jungang Market while it’s busy, cross to Abai Village for lunch, return to the port area for a late afternoon walk, and take the last bus back to Seoul. Allow at least six hours on the ground.

Do Sokcho restaurants accommodate dietary restrictions or vegetarians?

This is a genuinely seafood-heavy city, and vegetarian options are limited. Restaurants can often prepare simple rice and vegetable side dishes (banchan), and tofu-based stews exist at some spots, but a plant-based traveler will struggle at dedicated seafood restaurants. The market stalls selling grain-based snacks and fruits offer the most accessible non-seafood alternatives.

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📷 Featured image by Ji Yong Won on Unsplash.