Dog-friendly seafood jangkalguksu restaurant in Sokcho, Gangwon: Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu

I went to Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu (속초해물꽃장칼국수), where you can eat Sokcho-style jangkalguksu (spicy gochujang knife-cut noodle soup) loaded with seafood. I've always liked jangkalguksu, but this place caught my eye because even in the photos the seafood looked seriously generous. When I actually went, a whole platter came out piled with abalone, all kinds of clams, shrimp, octopus and more, and the staff were so friendly that I left in a great mood. It's also a good option for anyone looking for a dog-friendly restaurant in Sokcho, so I wanted to share it with people traveling in Sokcho with their dogs too.

Location and parking at Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu

Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu has its own dedicated parking lot. The sign in front of the restaurant says "dedicated parking" in big letters, so it wasn't hard to find even on a first visit. When you're looking for restaurants while traveling in Sokcho, parking is often a headache, so having a dedicated lot was a real convenience. Parking matters when you're picking a dinner spot in Sokcho, right?

Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu is near Buyeong Apartments and Sokcho City Library, so it's known as a local favorite among Sokcho residents.

The Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu sign is big enough to spot from a distance, so it's fairly easy to find. We came for dinner, and it made for a hearty meal, so I think it suits anyone looking for a dinner spot in Sokcho.

Inside the restaurant and the dog-friendly seating

There's a self-service corner at the back of the restaurant. Overall I got the impression the place is kept clean and well managed. Above all, the staff were genuinely friendly, which kept me in a good mood throughout the meal. They explained how to eat everything step by step and looked after whatever we needed, and personally that left a strong impression on me.

The seating is all tables and the interior is fairly tidy. There was a steady stream of customers while we were there, and I could see why it's popular. What I especially liked is that it can be an option for people looking for a dog-friendly restaurant in Sokcho. The photo seems to show the seats mainly used by guests with dogs; people were eating with their dogs in the pet strollers at the back.

You can check the menu and order through the tablet on the table. If you want a wide variety of seafood like we did, the Special Haemul Kkot Platter is a good choice. Rather than just eating jangkalguksu on its own, cooking the different seafood yourself and finishing with kalguksu at the end felt like a course meal in itself.

When we visited, they were also running a Naver receipt review event. The sign said you'd get a Häagen-Dazs mini cup for dessert if you took part. Promotions can change depending on when you visit, so it's worth double-checking at the restaurant.

How to eat the Haemul Kkot Platter jangkalguksu, in order

Once you sit down, the broth is set up in the middle along with the kalguksu noodles to add later. There were colorful flower shapes on top of the noodles, and at first I wondered what they were. Turns out the flowers are tteok (rice cakes). It was such a cute little detail that it stuck with me. They also give you one baby ginseng per person.

There's also a detailed guide on the table on how to enjoy the Haemul Kkot Platter jangkalguksu. On a first visit it can be a little confusing which seafood to add in what order, so the clear instructions were helpful. The staff also came over and kindly explained how to eat it.

• First, add the crab, mussels, clams and other shellfish to the boiling broth and cook them.
• Seafood like octopus and squid that gets chewy if overcooked is cooked briefly, like blanching, and eaten right away.
• After you've had plenty of seafood and meat, add the kalguksu noodles at the end and boil them.

We ordered the Special Haemul Kkot Platter for 2. The moment the food arrived, my first thought was how generous it was. The platter was ringed with seafood, meat and vegetables, with the jangkalguksu broth bubbling in the middle. It looked generous in the photos, but in person it felt far more abundant. The name Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu (haemul means seafood) is clearly well earned.

There was a good mix of shrimp, clams, octopus and other seafood, so it was fun picking through and trying one thing after another. Meat, bean sprouts, mushrooms and bok choy come with it too, so it's not just seafood the whole way through. And as each piece of seafood and vegetable goes into the broth, the flavor keeps getting richer.

And the live abalone really stood out. With abalone included, the whole spread definitely felt generous. If you love seafood, I think you'll be pretty satisfied with this lineup.

There's a generous portion of kalguksu noodles too. Since you add the noodles to the richly infused broth after finishing the seafood, it was fun how the broth at the start and the final noodle soup tasted completely different. Instead of dumping all the seafood in at once, we cooked it piece by piece following the instructions. Cooking right at the table also meant everything was eaten hot, which was nice.

There were big shellfish like scallops in there too. With so many kinds of seafood, even between two of us we kept reaching for a different ingredient every time. If you're after a seafood-packed meal in Sokcho, it's worth a visit.

Rich jangkalguksu after the seafood

Once we'd eaten a fair amount of seafood, we cooked the bean sprouts and meat too. With meat and vegetables added to the seafood broth, the soup felt deeper and richer. That's exactly why it seems important to eat in order rather than throwing the noodles in right at the start.

And the finale, of course, is the jangkalguksu. After plenty of seafood, meat and vegetables, we added the kalguksu noodles and boiled them. Because the broth had been simmering all those ingredients, the soup was far richer and deeper than at the start. When you think of Sokcho jangkalguksu you usually picture a single bowl of noodles, but here you finish with kalguksu after a big seafood feast, which made it a slightly different experience.

Final thoughts

Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu is a place I'd especially recommend to seafood lovers. We ordered the Special Haemul Kkot Platter for 2, and the variety and amount of seafood were generous, with live abalone included, so it was as fun to look at as it was to eat. I also liked the format of eating the seafood, meat and vegetables first and then boiling kalguksu in the richly infused broth at the end.

Above all, the staff were genuinely friendly and the restaurant was clean, so beyond the food, the overall impression of the whole meal was great. They gave us one baby ginseng each, so we ate well right to the end. If you're looking for a dog-friendly restaurant in Sokcho, a good Sokcho jangkalguksu spot, or a dinner place in Sokcho with plenty of seafood, give it a try. It's already busy and doing well, but personally I found myself hoping it does even better. Friendly places make you want to come back for no particular reason, and Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu was exactly that kind of place.