Sokcho market snack shop: weekend line & reheat tips, Sokcho Sulppang

What is Sokcho Sulppang, the shop with the line in Sokcho Jungang Market?

Sokcho Sulppang (속초술빵) is a shop inside Sokcho Jungang Market (10 Jungangsijang-ro 6-gil) selling sulppang and honeycomb ice cream. It is open 09:00–19:00 on weekdays and 08:00–20:00 on weekends.

Sokcho Jungang Market is one of those places you end up at every time you visit Sokcho. Dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), ojingeo sundae (stuffed squid), fried snacks, salted seafood, dried fish — there's so much food that just wandering around feels like a proper trip. After we arrived in Sokcho we went to the market to pick up some snacks, and as we walked, one spot with a really long line caught our eye. When we got closer, it turned out to be Sokcho Sulppang, a well-known name among Sokcho Jungang Market eats.

Since the market is on every travel itinerary, it was packed on the weekend, crowded from the entrance with families, couples and tour groups. Search for Sokcho Jungang Market eats and dakgangjeong or squid sundae come up first, but lately Sokcho Sulppang seems to be becoming a must-try snack too.

How long is the weekend wait at Sokcho Sulppang?

The weekend line in front of Sokcho Sulppang looked long, but because the bread is made ahead and packed to go, each group's order didn't take very long. Still, on weekends and holidays it's best to allow plenty of time.

I never dare join the lines at the super famous places because they're insanely long, but this one was relatively manageable, so we ordered 2 sulppang and 1 honeycomb ice cream.

How is sulppang different from regular bread?

Sulppang isn't oven-baked bread; it's closer to a traditional snack made by steaming a big block of fermented dough. It's said to get the name ("liquor bread") because the dough is fermented with makgeolli (Korean rice wine) or the lees from making it. When we actually ate it, it didn't taste of alcohol at all — just a faint fermented-dough aroma and a texture that's fluffy yet a little chewy.

The big loaves had toppings like beans and red beans, which looked really appetizing. Walking through the market you can see warm steam rising from the huge steamed loaves, and it's a sight that's hard to walk past.

We debated buying just one, but we wanted to eat some at home too, so we bought two. Each loaf isn't small, so it looked like plenty to share among several people.

How should you store Sokcho Sulppang?

Unlike packaged bread loaded with preservatives, sulppang is a moist steamed bread, so you need to pay a little attention to storage.

If you plan to eat it the same day or the next day, you can leave it somewhere cool for a short while after checking the weather and room temperature, but in summer it's best to refrigerate or freeze it as soon as possible.

How to reheat frozen Sokcho Sulppang

To eat frozen sulppang, thaw it at room temperature and then give it a short spin in the microwave. Heating it too long at once can make the outside tough, so it's better to heat in short bursts and check as you go.

What is the texture of Sokcho Sulppang like?

From the outside I expected a heavy, dry steamed-bun texture, but it was actually so soft that my fingers sank right in. In the mouth it was fluffy with a slightly chewy feel too. It's bread with that springiness typical of fermented dough.

What does the honeycomb ice cream at Sokcho Sulppang taste like?

The honeycomb ice cream at Sokcho Sulppang was smooth, sweet ice cream with the rich honey sweetness of the honeycomb on top. It was so hot out that we bought one to share, and personally I liked it better when I tore off little bits of honeycomb and ate them together than when I ate the ice cream alone.

The ice cream and the rich honey flavor went well together, and it was a good sugar boost while walking around Sokcho Jungang Market.

Wrap-up: would we pack some to go again?

There may be a wait on weekends at Sokcho Sulppang, but ordering and packing were relatively quick compared with the length of the line. If we come back to Sokcho Jungang Market, I'd like to take home a loaf of sulppang again.