Sokcho day-trip lunch for two: beef shabu seafood platter, ₩25,000

My husband and I took a day trip to Sokcho after a long while. Since we'd come all the way to Sokcho, I wanted both seafood and a hot bowl of soup, so while searching around I found Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu.

We booked an 11am lunch reservation ahead of time. To cut to the chase — it was plenty filling for lunch, but after eating it myself, I actually wanted to recommend this more as a Sokcho dinner spot for a hearty meal after finishing a day's itinerary.

The special seafood flower platter we ordered was visually overwhelming from the moment it landed on the table. Seafood, beef, vegetables, mushrooms, and finally Sokcho jangkalguksu — the whole sequence meant the two of us properly enjoyed a full meal.

What Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu looks like inside and out

Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu sits in an alley in Joyang-dong, Sokcho, with '해물꽃 장칼국수' spelled out huge on the storefront, so it wasn't hard to find. Inside, each table has a burner set in the middle, great for keeping things simmering hot, and overall it had a comfortable, homey local restaurant vibe.

Since we'd reserved ahead, there was even a reservation marker set up on our table.

Can you bring a dog? Stroller rental at the restaurant

Worth noting especially for anyone planning a Sokcho trip with their dog: store signage says dogs are welcome and a dedicated dog stroller is available for rent, so this is worth checking out if you're looking for a dog-friendly restaurant in Sokcho.

We actually saw a dog stroller inside the store. Finding a place where you can eat with your dog while traveling is surprisingly hard, so this could be a real plus if you've been searching for a dog-friendly restaurant in Sokcho.

Menu and prices at Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu

You order at a kiosk, and it even lays out step-by-step how to enjoy the seafood flower platter jangkalguksu properly!

There's a good variety of side dishes to go with it, plus a kids' menu — worth checking! They also sold quite a range of alcohol.

We ordered the special seafood flower platter shabu jangkalguksu at ₩25,000 per person, for two people. The menu also listed a basic seafood shabu jangkalguksu at ₩16,000 per person, alongside the ₩25,000 special version.

Since we'd come all the way to Sokcho for a day trip, we wanted to try a bit of everything generously, so we went with the special!

First look at the special seafood flower platter for two

A moment later, the owner brought out a truly massive platter...

Wait, this is for two people?

...was basically my reaction — the first visual alone stole all the attention. In the center of the big round platter sat the jangkalguksu broth, surrounded all around by seafood, vegetables, mushrooms and meat. The name 'seafood flower platter' fit perfectly. A menu that was genuinely fun to photograph!

Before we even started eating, they gave us wild mountain ginseng for good health.

Crab, shrimp and octopus arranged like a flower

Looking closer piece by piece, the spread felt even more generous. Just from what's visible in the photo — crab, shrimp, various shellfish, mussels, octopus, squid, abalone — a whole range of seafood arranged in a ring around the platter. The shrimp in particular looked plump and springy, and the shellfish came in generous variety by type, so my seafood-loving husband was thrilled just looking at it.

The octopus was cut in big chunks too, with a real presence on the plate! Best of all, we weren't stuck eating just one kind of seafood — we could pick and choose from all of it.

When people think of Sokcho, raw fish (hoe) usually comes to mind first, but enjoying a variety of seafood cooked warm like this felt refreshingly different.

So for anyone looking for something other than raw fish, I'd recommend this as a Sokcho dinner option.

Abalone, mushrooms and vegetables: how generous is the platter?

It wasn't just packed with seafood. Alongside the plump abalone there were enoki and various other mushrooms, bok choy and more vegetables, all in generous amounts. The abalone was sizable enough that I couldn't help but take a photo.

Eating this much seafood can start to feel heavy, but cooking vegetables and mushrooms in between kept the combination balanced.

As more seafood and vegetables went into the broth, the flavor kept building — so the soup didn't taste the same from start to finish, it got richer and richer, which was part of the charm!

Beef shabu comes with the seafood, too

On top of that, a mountain of bean sprouts was piled high, and thinly sliced beef for shabu-shabu was prepared right on top.

This was, personally, the special menu's biggest advantage! Rather than eating only seafood the whole time, we could cook the beef briefly in the broth in between and eat it with the bean sprouts, which made the whole meal feel much more varied.

It seemed like a great fit even if a seafood lover and a meat lover visited together — one menu that satisfies both. If you're a couple or partners looking for a Sokcho dinner spot like us, this kind of generous shared platter feels especially well-suited.

Even though we ate it for lunch, the whole time I kept thinking

It would be really nice to come here for dinner and eat slowly.

...was the thought I kept having.

Finishing with Sokcho jangkalguksu in the broth

Once we'd had our fill of seafood and shabu-shabu, it was finally time for the jangkalguksu we'd been waiting for! Honestly, you can't skip this dish once you've come all the way to Sokcho. Noodles simmered in the broth left over from cooking all that seafood looked much richer from the start. The noodles weren't the usual thin style either, but a thick, kalguksu-style noodle that went well with the broth.

As it started bubbling, the deep, distinctive color of jangkalguksu rose up, and from that point it felt like an entirely different dish. We'd already eaten quite a lot of seafood and meat, but somehow there was still room for the noodles.

Slurping down the noodles in that spicy, rich Sokcho jangkalguksu broth made for a perfect ending dish. It especially seemed like a flavor I'd crave more from cool autumn into cold winter.

After getting plenty of sea breeze while traveling, coming in for a bite of hot Sokcho jangkalguksu felt like it would properly warm you back up.

Kimchi with jangkalguksu is a must

And when eating kalguksu, kimchi is essential, right? A bite of the rich jangkalguksu, then a crunchy piece of kimchi, or the white kimchi (baek-kimchi) — the pairing worked really well.

Working through seafood, then shabu-shabu, then noodles in order, it didn't feel like just one bowl of jangkalguksu — it felt like a whole course.

So even though we visited for lunch, I'd personally recommend this even more strongly as a Sokcho dinner spot.

If you finish your travel itinerary and visit in the evening, slowly cooking the seafood, moving on to shabu-shabu, and finishing with jangkalguksu — it would feel really satisfying.

Ice cream for dessert at the end

After paying and getting ready to leave, we were given ice cream as part of a current receipt review event. What we got was Baskin Robbins' New York cheesecake flavor — my favorite!

It was a small cup of ice cream, but after finishing with the spicy, hot jangkalguksu, having something sweet and cold was the perfect palate cleanser. Even though we were already so full, there was still room for dessert. A satisfying finish to the very end!

Is the ₩25,000 platter worth it? Final verdict

On our day trip to Sokcho with my husband, we properly filled up at Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu. What we liked most about the special seafood flower platter was being able to enjoy so much in one sitting — crab, shrimp, shellfish, octopus, abalone and more seafood, plus beef shabu-shabu and vegetables and mushrooms, and finally Sokcho jangkalguksu. It was especially well-suited to us as a couple who enjoy trying a variety of things together.

We reserved for 11am and ate it as lunch, but personally I'd recommend this as a Sokcho dinner spot for anyone who wants a hearty meal after finishing their travel itinerary.

Also, since this is a place with dog-friendly seating and a dedicated dog stroller for rent, it's worth checking out if you're traveling in Sokcho with your dog and looking for a dog-friendly restaurant.

If you want something a bit different from the usual raw fish or snow crab in Sokcho, or want to enjoy seafood, shabu-shabu, and hot Sokcho jangkalguksu all in one sitting, this was a solid one-meal course.