Sokcho Korean restaurant for family lunch with kids: Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu

I traveled to Sokcho with my wife and our two kids. Coming to Sokcho means seeing the sea, eating good food, and having fun exploring here and there with the kids. On this trip we'd been out and about hard since the morning, so before long we got hungry and headed off for lunch.

Traveling with two kids makes even picking a restaurant a bit of a puzzle. We were looking for a place with menu options the kids could eat too, while still giving the adults a solid meal, and that's how we ended up at Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu (진솔할머니순두부).

Sokcho basically means sundubu (soft tofu stew), right? 😊 From soft sundubu to bulgogi the kids would love, to sanchae bibimbap (mountain vegetable rice bowl) that's easy for adults to eat, we ordered a variety and shared as a family.

Visiting Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu in Sokcho — what about parking?

Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu is located at 118 Wonam Haksapyeong-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea. It's a decent spot to stop on the way toward Seoraksan or Seorak Waterpia, so it should be useful for anyone looking for a meal while traveling around Sokcho. We drove there with our two kids, and the first thing I liked was the spacious parking lot.

When you're out with kids, parking itself can be a hassle, so having plenty of room to park and get everyone out was a relief. It seemed like a lot of families visit here too, judging by the vibe.

Once inside, the place was bigger than I expected. The tables were spaced out generously, so eating with the kids didn't feel cramped at all.

Three dishes we ordered with two kids

On this visit, our family ordered a total of three menu items.

• Sanchae bibimbap (mountain vegetable rice bowl)
• Chodang sundubu (soft tofu stew)
• Bulgogi baekban (bulgogi set meal)

With four of us — two kids, my wife, and me — eating together, we ordered a variety instead of just one dish, so we could all share. Personally, when eating out as a family, I always check whether there's something the kids can actually eat. This time, having soft Chodang sundubu and bulgogi baekban on the menu made the choice easy.

The side dishes came out first, one by one

After ordering, we waited a bit and the banchan (side dishes) started arriving one by one. A variety of dishes were set out — stir-fried anchovies, seaweed stem, cucumber salad, and more. When you're eating with kids, you end up snacking on the side dishes before the main food even arrives. 😂 Our kids picked at the familiar ones first too.

There's a self-service corner if you run out, so we could grab more as needed, which was convenient. While traveling, kids often suddenly declare they're hungry, so having a good variety of side dishes to go with the rice was a nice touch for a family meal.

Bulgogi baekban arrived first — sharing with the kids

The first thing to come out was the bulgogi baekban. It arrived bubbling away on a burner, and it looked appetizing from the first glance. Along with the meat, there were glass noodles, mushrooms, and vegetables, so it looked hearty right away.

Best of all, since it kept simmering as we ate, it stayed warm throughout the meal. Eating out with two kids can get tricky if the food is too spicy or strong-flavored, but bulgogi baekban was a menu we could easily share with the kids. Of course, we cooled it down a bit before feeding it to them.

The meat was tender rather than chewy, so it went well with rice. Mixing the sweet, salty bulgogi sauce into the rice hit that familiar, comforting flavor. The kids kept picking up pieces of meat and eating their rice well.

As a dad, nothing feels more rewarding than seeing the kids eat their rice well. 😄

Since we're in Sokcho, a bowl of Chodang sundubu too

One of the dishes I was most looking forward to that day was the Chodang sundubu. Since we were traveling in Sokcho, we had to try it. It arrived in a milky broth packed with soft tofu, looking light and clean just from the sight of it. One spoonful in, and rather than anything strong-flavored, I could taste the sundubu's own nutty, mild flavor.

The tofu was really soft, easy to scoop with a spoon, and I gave the kids small portions too — being so soft, it was easy to feed them. If you want more seasoning, you can add soy sauce, but I first tried it without much seasoning to enjoy the sundubu's own flavor.

Eating it plain at first, then adding a bit of soy sauce, gave it a whole different flavor. Personally, I'd recommend trying it plain first, then adding seasoning to taste afterward.

A hearty sanchae bibimbap too

The third dish was sanchae bibimbap. It came in a large bowl with rice and a variety of seasoned mountain vegetables, and it looked hearty just to look at.

Mixing the various vegetables together with the rice made for a filling meal. When traveling, you often end up eating heavier things like meat or noodles again and again, so having sanchae bibimbap with all those vegetables felt light on the stomach.

The sesame oil aroma combined with the mild flavor of the vegetables made for a tasty bowl. I love bibimbap, so I ended up eating most of it myself. 😂 I gave the kids small portions of whichever vegetables they could eat, and my wife and I seasoned ours to taste and enjoyed it. If you're visiting as a family, ordering several dishes and sharing whatever each person likes seems like a good idea.

A family meal that worked well with kids

What I liked most about visiting with two kids this time was being able to order a variety of dishes. The kids ate bulgogi and rice, the whole family shared the Chodang sundubu, and my wife and I mostly ate the sanchae bibimbap, sharing whatever was left over.

When eating out with kids, ordering just one dish often means someone doesn't get enough, or the kids won't touch a particular dish at all. This time, ordering three dishes meant everyone could eat according to their own taste. Especially for a family trip to Sokcho with young kids, I felt that Korean home-style dishes like these were a more comfortable choice for a meal than anything too strong-flavored.

A satisfying lunch during our Sokcho trip

As we ate happily, the dishes gradually emptied out one by one. The kids seemed full too — they'd been looking around at first, but eventually focused on eating. 😂

When traveling, you sometimes rush through a meal because of the next stop on the itinerary, but this time the whole family ate well and could head off to the next plan feeling good. Especially when traveling with two kids, getting a proper meal in really matters — a full stomach makes it much easier to keep exploring the next sight.

If you're traveling Sokcho with family

Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu, which we stopped by on this Sokcho trip, was a good pick for a family visit thanks to its spacious parking lot and roomy dining room. Above all, for families like ours traveling with two kids and looking for Korean food, the variety of menu options is a plus.

The Chodang sundubu was mild and soft, easy to eat; the bulgogi baekban stayed warm as it simmered and was easy to share as a family; and the sanchae bibimbap, mixed with rice and vegetables, made for a filling meal. If you're heading toward Seoraksan or Seorak Waterpia during your Sokcho trip, this could be a good place to keep in mind for a meal.

When traveling with kids, taste matters, but so do parking, the size of the dining room, and whether there's something the kids can eat too. On all those fronts, this was an easy, solid choice for a family meal.

A Sokcho family trip with two kids

This trip, too, ended up being all about the food. 😆 Traveling with kids and stopping at a good restaurant to eat well together is one of the big joys of a trip. That day we ordered sanchae bibimbap, Chodang sundubu, and bulgogi baekban, and the whole family finished the meal feeling full and satisfied.

If you're planning a Sokcho trip and looking for a restaurant your kids can eat at too, or if you're craving a light, mild bowl of sundubu in Sokcho, Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu is worth keeping in mind. This good meal with my wife and two kids let us head off to our next stop in Sokcho in a good mood. 😊 I'm already looking forward to where we'll travel to next.

• Address: 118 Wonam Haksapyeong-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Hours: 08:00 ~ 20:00 / open every day
• Signature menu: Chodang sundubu
• Parking: available / Takeout: available for some items
• Menu ordered: sanchae bibimbap, Chodang sundubu, bulgogi baekban
• Notes: near Seoraksan and Seorak Waterpia, spacious dining room good for families