Sokcho crab restaurant 5pm reservation, no-wait set C: Palpal Hoesenta

Last night of our Sokcho trip. Snow crab or king crab with mom? "Mom, pick whatever you want!" — so we booked a table at Palpal Hoesenta Sokcho Daepo Port Market Branch and went.

Why book Palpal Hoesenta for 5pm, and where to park at Daepo Port

I hate the dinner rush, so I deliberately booked 5pm, and parked at the Daepo Port public parking lot. (They even gave us a parking voucher after the meal.)

Palpal Hoesenta Sokcho Daepo Port Market Branch sits over on the Daepo Port side. The first thing that caught my eye arriving was the flashy sign — white with a pop of blue that actually stood out more than I expected.

How did I never notice this place before?! Last time I ate red crab around here it was at a totally different spot. The memories are slowly coming back.

Inside Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch: seating and sea view

What I liked best was the dining hall. It felt a little more like a Japanese restaurant than a typical Korean sashimi joint, with a cute, cozy vibe — I really liked it. If I'd known this place was here, I'd have come sooner. That's how clean and pleasant the interior felt.

From our seat you could see straight out over the Daepo Port sea. A breezy autumn day — this is what a trip should feel like! Red crab or king crab, that was the question. Mom, who'd said she wanted red crab, suddenly switched her mind to king crab. Verdict: King Crab Set C!

What comes with Snow Crab Set C at 190,000 won

After we ordered, the dishes started arriving one by one: assorted seafood, squid sashimi, sea squirt, abalone, even Dokdo shrimp.

With such a variety of side dishes, the table ended up looking really full and generous. Getting to try different types of seafood was great!

Getting both crab and fresh raw fish in one set is exactly what people looking for a good Sokcho seafood restaurant would want.

With the sea wide open in front of us and crab and sashimi to go with it, this was clearly a drink-with-your-meal kind of scene, haha. But I had to drive. Mom said, "I need a drink!" so I told her to go ahead, then it hit me — "Wait, if you drink now, you won't drink with me back at the room, right?" ......... We'd already bought beer at the room, and bokbunja too. We still had round two waiting for us. Haha.

Squid sashimi and mulhoe: the market buys we ended up eating here

Is that squid sashimi?!

I used to eat squid sashimi all the time, and it had been so long that I'd been saying I wanted some — never thought I'd get it here. But what was even funnier was the mulhoe (cold raw fish soup).

This being the last night of our two-night trip, I kept saying, "Ah, we're in Sokcho, we have to eat mulhoe too." The original plan was to eat crab, then hit the Sokcho market for drinking snacks. Since we'd already packed bokbunja, I said, "Mom! Let's make mulhoe our drinking snack!" Mulhoe as a side for drinks sounded pretty good — buy some fried chicken, get mulhoe to go... and then, right there in front of us, mulhoe just showed up on the table!

Mom and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. "There's mulhoe here? Hahaha." No need to buy it now. We came for crab and unexpectedly got a whole bowl of mulhoe too. Ate it up happily!

Dokdo shrimp, saved for mom

Dokdo shrimp. Mom said she'd tried to get Dokdo shrimp somewhere before and missed out. So she peeled one and handed it to me.

"I don't like raw shrimp, you know that." "But it's so good!" Mom, you eat it all~ Haha. Crab, sashimi, mulhoe, and now Dokdo shrimp too — a real Sokcho seafood spread. Seeing mom eat well made me happy too.

The main event: snow crab, shell-fried rice and red crab ramen

The main course of the day: king crab. Eating it with the sea in view — my mood went straight up!

Then... suddenly mom goes, "I need a drink!" I said "Go ahead," then thought again, "But mom, if you drink now, you won't drink with me at the room later, right?" ........ We already had beer and bokbunja waiting there. Haha. "Just drink your soda for now," hahaha. We still had round two ahead of us.

So sweet, this crab~ By the time we were done we were both genuinely stuffed — and then came the tomalley rice and the red crab ramen too.

We packed some of the crab to go and started getting ready to leave. We'd left our dog in the car while the two of us went in, so I'd been a bit anxious the whole time. Sent mom to the car first.

The spicy fish stew we never ordered, discovered at the till

Went up to pay and the staff asked, "You're not having the spicy fish stew?" ...... Wait, what? Fish stew? Hahahahahahahaha. "We're too full," I said, and walked out — but still.

The second I got to the car I told mom, "Mom! Apparently there's fish stew! Should we go back?" Hahahahahahahahaha. "We can't eat it anyway, we're too full." "Yeah, true, can't eat it." But why does it still sting so much? T.T "Can't eat it, too full — but still, kind of a shame T." "Tell me about it."

Why did I even ask for the red crab ramen? Didn't even think about the fish stew, haha. (Am I an amateur here?! First time eating sashimi or something?! What's wrong with me?! But honestly my whole brain was locked on the crab, haha.) I clearly didn't read the shared side dish menu properly — it was right there in writing! The person who ordered red crab ramen without realizing fish stew was coming = me. Well, what's done is done — I should have at least tasted it and taken a photo, that's the part I regret. T.T

Is Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch worth a second visit?

On the last night of our Sokcho trip, looking out over the Daepo Port sea with mom, we had crab, sashimi, mulhoe — and got to properly enjoy the squid sashimi and Dokdo shrimp I'd been craving too. The set's variety of seafood was great, and the ocean view was a bonus. The owner was kind, and the interior was clean and comfortable on top of it all. Next time I'm at Daepo Port, I'm coming back to Palpal Hoesenta! Great value! If you're looking for a good crab restaurant in Sokcho, highly recommend ★★★★★

• Address: 59 Daepohuimang-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–22:00
• Visit time: 5:00 PM
• Ordered: King Crab Set C
• Price at time of visit: ₩190,000
• Reservation: Reserved in advance / no waiting
• Parking: Daepo Port public parking lot / parking voucher provided
• Takeout: Packed some leftover crab