Sokcho Central Market | A Must-visit Local Scene For All Gangwondo Travelers
From rice wine bread to famous sweet and sour chicken! A complete list of street food you can taste at Sokcho Central Market.
Many agree that the best way to experience the local scene is by visiting the nearest market.
Sokcho, one of the most popular beach destinations in Korea is no exception. Sokcho Central Market, also known as Sokcho Tourist and Fishery Market, is deemed a must-visit among tourists offering a vibrant atmosphere and delectable street foods.
Let's take a closer look at what this market has to offer!
Information
Address: 강원도 속초시 중앙로147번길 12
12 Jungang-ro 147beon-gil, Jungang-dong, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do
Hours: 8:00-24:00
Parking:
600 won for the first 30 minutes, 400 won for each 10 minutes thereafter
Daily maximum: 12,000 won
How To Get There
From Sokcho Bus Terminal
10-minute walk (approx. 800m)
From Sokcho Express Bus Terminal
20-minute bus ride or 9-minute taxi ride (4,500 won)
Take bus 1, 7 or 9 at Express Bus Terminal stop
Travel 8 stops and get off at Gaetbae Ipgu
The Market
In the city centre, just south of the Sokcho City Hall, you'll find this nationally renowned market.
As you can see from the photo above, at each of the market's main entrance, you'll find a sign that tells you where each part of the market offers.
Most Sokcho visitors will go to the Special Food Street because that's where you'll find a wide variety of street food!
At the market, you'll also find mouthwatering Gangwondo specialties including squid sundae and sweet and sour chicken.
Whenever you visit Sokcho Central Market, it's always bustling with happy crowds of locals and visitors who are looking to enjoy the vibe.
What To Eat
Gessadagu (게싸다구)
Location: 53
Gessadagu, a fun word play which roughly translates to "cheap crab", also sounds similar to "freaking cheap" in Korean, and it sounds similar to "slap in the face" in Korean.
For just 10,000 won, you get deliciously steamed crab and crab fried rice for 2,000 won!
Place your order first and browse around the market as it may take up to 45 minutes to be prepared.
Look at the colours! The crabs are cut into pieces so it's easy to pick out the meat.
Aside from the cheap hongge (red snow crab), you can also get queen crab by weight and class (around 50,000 won for 1kg).
Hyuntaenae (현태네튀김)
Location: 12
We really wanted to try squid sundae which many stalls seemed to be frying on their grill.
Many of these street food stalls also have dining areas right behind and we went with Hyuntaenae (현태네 튀김).
From left to right, we ordered susu buggumi (수수부꾸미 · chewy glutinous rice cake with red bean paste inside) for 5,000 won and squid sundae (오징어순대) for 10,000 won.
Squid sundae's inside is made of rice noodles, canola, cabbage, carrots and more, and it's surrounded by the circular piece of squid.
The squid sundae then gets soaked in beat eggs and fried on the pan over oil, which is extremely delicious!
The red bean paste inside susu buggumi was quite sweet while the outer layer perfectly crispy, which makes it a great dessert.
The interior of the restaurant isn't anything glamorous, but it's clean and pleasant enough to taste their food comfortably in.
Manseok Dakgangjeong (만석닭강정)
Location: 16
You have to try dakgangjeong, or sweet and sour chicken, when in Sokcho!
A box of dakgangjeong costs between 15,000 won to 19,000 won depending on flavour and whether you get boneless or bone-in.
A box would be enough to feed about 3-5 people.
We tried the spicy flavour (핫끈한 맛) and it was slightly less spicy than Shin Ramyun so the spicy level is mild enough for many palates!
Other popular dakgangjeong stalls worth trying are Jung-ang Dakgangjeong (location: 23) and Sokcho Dakgangjeong (location: 20).
Sulbbang (술빵땟거리)
Location: 54
Sulbbang, "sul" meaning "alcohol" and "bbang" meaning "bread", is made of makgeolli, or Korean rice wine.
There are beans inside the fluffy bread, which makes it even more flavourful.
According to the owners, the dough of this traditional bread is naturally fermented, which makes it healthier than store-bought ones.
You'll find crazy long lines no matter what time you visit, but you get a huge slice of sulbbang for just 4,000 won, so we highly recommend you line up for it.
It was big enough for the three of us to eat as dessert after dinner and for breakfast the next day!
We were glad we waited in line to taste it because when we went back the next day evening, they were all sold out.
Saewoo Ahjussi (새우아저씨)
Location: 50
If you want to get a variety of fried foods or twigim (튀김), head over to Saewoo Ahjussi!
You'll often see a group of hungry customers waiting to get their share of crispy twigim here.
Assorted Jeon
Jeon (전), or Korean pancake, is available in different flavours from kimchi to perilla leaves.
Out of the many options, we recommend you try maemil jeonbyeong (메밀전병), a Gangwondo specialty that is buckwheat pancake.
Gejang & Saewoojang
Marinated crab and marinated shrimp are also perfect dishes to go with a big bowl of rice.
Because Sokcho is a coastal city, the ones you'll get here are guaranteed to be fresh and local.
Mini Gimbap
These little rice rolls are so cute! It would be fun to try all the different flavours.
Just remember that ddaengcho (spicy pepper) gimbap tends to be spicy so try it on your own discretion.
Dried Vegetables
If you want something healthy to nibble on, these are the best!
These crispy snacks make for perfect anju (안주), or munchies that go with alcohol.
Squid Bread (오징어빵)
A Sokcho specialty, the squid bread is made of real squid!
Others
You'll also find freshly squeezed juice made with 100% Jeju oranges.
Fruit stalls that are so aromatic when you walk by.
As well as colourful produce!
What did you guys think of our visit to Sokcho Central Market?
Gangwondo is a unique travel destination with amazing beach views and lots of local delicacies, and it's not too far from Seoul so we really hope you consider adding it to your travel itinerary.