Gamtae eel sushi to go at Sokcho Jungang Market: Daeilho Bangeo

Wandering around Sokcho Jungang Market on a trip to Sokcho, you end up grabbing all kinds of takeout food. Sometimes you want sashimi but not a huge portion — just one pack. This time I picked up sweet shrimp sashimi and eel sushi from Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo on the first floor of the market, and ate it back at the lodging. Since you can check the price and just grab the items you want, it was a simple, easy place for sashimi takeout.

Where is Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo in Sokcho Jungang Market?

Daeilho Bangeo is a sashimi and sushi takeout counter on the first floor of Sokcho Jungang Market, located in the chicken alley. At Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo, every item had its price clearly marked, which was reassuring. There's also a sashimi center on the basement level of Sokcho Jungang Market, but sometimes you don't want a huge quantity — you just want something neatly packed to eat back at your lodging.

That's when Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo comes in handy, letting you browse the menu and prices as you choose. Rather than buying a big assortment, if you just want to pick out the type you like, you can check the price beforehand and choose without any pressure — and the prices were reasonable and good value.

What is on the menu at Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo?

Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo menu

Daeilho Bangeo has all kinds of great-value boxed options, from sashimi to sushi. The sashimi options include assorted sashimi, flounder, salmon, salmon+flounder, rockfish makhoe, sweet shrimp, and starry flounder, which apparently change depending on the catch and the season.

For sushi, there's assorted sushi, flounder sushi, soy-marinated shrimp sushi, flounder+salmon sushi, engawa sushi, gamtae eel sushi, flounder aged-kimchi salt gimbap (seaweed rice roll), salmon mayo sushi, sweet shrimp sushi, salmon sushi, handmade egg sushi, and futomaki. Prices are reasonable too — this is a great-value sashimi takeout spot. They even had uni, so there's plenty beyond just sashimi. We picked the sweet shrimp sashimi and the gamtae eel sushi.

Sweet shrimp sashimi: about 20 shrimp, all shelled

Sweet shrimp sashimi Gamtae eel sushi

I'd tried the sweet shrimp sashimi before and bought it again because it was clean with no fishy taste. There were about 20 shrimp in the pack, and the shells were already all removed, so it was easy to eat. You just pop each one in your mouth and pull out the tail, so there's less waste and no prep needed. Lemon was included too, so you can add a bit of lemon juice for a refreshing touch if you like.

It wasn't just the sweet shrimp sashimi — sushi rice was included too, so I liked that you could turn the sashimi into sushi yourself. The sweet shrimp had a chewy, springy texture with a sweet flavor and almost no fishy taste. My husband isn't great with sashimi, but he ate the sweet shrimp happily, probably because it was so fresh. The gamtae eel sushi also has eel sushi wrapped in gamtae (seaweed).

What does the gamtae eel sushi taste like?

Eel can sometimes have a slightly fishy edge, but the gamtae tamed that and let the eel's flavor come through more cleanly. The teriyaki sauce was well applied, giving it a sweet-savory taste, and since the rice portion wasn't too heavy, you could really taste the eel over the rice. The family kept grabbing one piece after another and it disappeared in a flash. If you have kids along, or someone who isn't great with sashimi, the gamtae eel sushi would be a good pick. The fist-sized futomaki looked delicious too.

If you want to pick out sashimi takeout items in Sokcho Jungang Market while checking the price, or want to enjoy a little variety of sushi and sashimi, give Sokcho Daeilho Bangeo a visit.