Ulsanbawi Rock view bulgogi at a Sokcho beef restaurant: Soyachon 338

Cross the Misiryeong Pass from Yongdae-ri in Inje and you're right up against Sokcho. The private Misiryeong Tunnel makes it so easy to get there that Inje locals, especially people in Yongdae-ri, apparently do their grocery shopping in Sokcho haha. The world really has gotten smaller. After crossing the tunnel, I had a meal at "Soyachon 338," a Sokcho restaurant known for its meat and its stunning view of Ulsanbawi Rock on Mt. Seorak.

Where Soyachon 338 is and when it opens

🏡 Address: 강원 속초시 원암학사평길 132 2층

The whole building is a barbecue restaurant, but taking the elevator up to the 2nd floor brings you to the Soyachon 338 entrance.

⏰ Hours: closed every Wednesday / Mon, Tue, Thu–Sun 10:30–20:50 / last order 19:30

The parking lot is spacious so parking is easy, and Mt. Seorak is already clearly visible from here, with Ulsanbawi Rock standing like a folding screen. Head to the left side of the building, follow the orange signs, and take the elevator up to the 2nd floor.

Inside the café-like second floor and the Korean beef showcase

Soyachon 338, a Sokcho restaurant with a café-like view

Walking into the Soyachon 338 entrance on the 2nd floor, the first thing that caught my eye was the café-like tables and interior. Head right from here and there's a larger dining area for grilling meat — I didn't take photos there since other guests were enjoying their meal.

You can choose your cut from the Korean beef showcase displayed by section, or order off the menu — that's Soyachon 338, the Sokcho restaurant everyone talks about!

Kimchi and side dishes made from vegetables grown in Sokcho

Delicious kimchi and side dishes

Soyachon 338 is known as a Sokcho restaurant famous for its Korean beef, and when you order bulgogi, the side dishes come made from vegetables actually grown right here in Sokcho. The vegetables were a bit uneven in size, which told me they were homegrown — the taste was different from vegetables sold at the supermarket, and crunchier too. Since I prefer vegetables that come from a real garden, I really liked it.

The side dishes were so good I tasted every kind of kimchi — gat kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi), chonggak mu kimchi (young radish kimchi), baek kimchi (white kimchi). It was clear someone with real skill made them, and having tasted my way through the side dishes so thoroughly, I was already looking forward to the meat.

Stone-pot beef bulgogi, with mushrooms and glass noodles cut at your table

Beef bulgogi

The beef bulgogi came in a stone pot — since bulgogi is cooked in broth rather than on a grill, it goes on a burner, and once it started boiling, the staff cut the mushrooms and glass noodles into bite-sized pieces right at the table, which was convenient. They weren't pre-cut before arriving — cutting it in front of the guest made me trust the food more, which I liked.

As the bulgogi boiled, a delicious smell drifted up, so I waited until everything was fully cooked.

Tender, melt-in-your-mouth bulgogi haha. I love the king oyster mushrooms and glass noodles that go into bulgogi, and I picked through and cleaned them all up. I piled bulgogi onto lettuce with onion and mushroom and took a big bite — my mouth was full of joy. It's the bulgogi flavor I always expect, but honestly, it would have been disappointing if it hadn't tasted the way I hoped.

I ate the entire radish kimchi by myself. It was well fermented with just the right amount of tang, and the crunchy texture went perfectly with the bulgogi and rice. The chamnamul (wild aster) namul wasn't tough at all since it was tossed fresh right before serving — what more is there to say?

The Ulsanbawi Rock view from every seat

Sokcho restaurant with a view worth the trip

The Mt. Seorak view of Ulsanbawi Rock was clearly visible right from where I sat ♡♡ I couldn't tell if I'd come for the meal or for the scenery, and sitting at Soyachon 338 eating bulgogi, I finally understood why people from Inje come all the way to Sokcho to eat and shop.

People drive long distances from all over the country just to see this kind of view on a Sokcho trip, and at Soyachon 338, you get the Mt. Seorak view from anywhere in the restaurant. Knowing that and skipping it would be foolish haha. That's my honest review — a delicious meal of bulgogi that tasted exactly the way I always expect it to, at Soyachon 338.