Sokcho Korean restaurant for a couple's hangover soup brunch: Bigeumdo

Why we had breakfast at Bigeumdo on day two in Sokcho

Bigeumdo (비금도) is a Korean restaurant on the way from Sokcho Beach toward the Seorak Cable Car, and I picked it for our second-day breakfast. The day before we'd eaten only cold food, like makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) and raw fish, so I wanted a hearty Korean meal. Our lunch plan was riding the Seorak cable car, so I read a bunch of reviews of local Korean spots between Sokcho Beach and the cable car, and Bigeumdo had a ton of them.

The place is really clean, the prices are reasonable, and it's known for Sokcho's signature hwangtae haejangguk (dried pollack hangover soup), so it's a popular breakfast spot. I'll share an honest review of what we actually ate!

Where is Bigeumdo, and what about parking and hours?

Bigeumdo is at 5 Sinheung 2-gil, Sokcho, Gangwon. It's about 20 minutes by car from Sokcho Beach and about 15 minutes by car from the Seorak Cable Car.

Kakao Map says it's closed on Wednesdays, but when I called, they told me they're open every day.

• Hours: daily 08:30–20:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Parking available, group seating, separate men's and women's restrooms

Inside Bigeumdo at 10am and the crowd

My husband and I arrived at 10am, a perfect time for a late breakfast or brunch. It lived up to its reputation as a Sokcho breakfast spot: a group booking had already cleared out a whole table spread before we got there.

It was packed with all kinds of people: tourists heading out for a swim, family groups, couples like us, and friends of all ages. They take reservations through Tabling, and the food is good and the place so clean that I could imagine a wait at peak mealtimes in high season.

Bigeumdo is well known as a Sokcho local favorite, which is probably why so many people were there. Still, seating wasn't cramped or short, so if you avoid peak mealtimes, you can enjoy a comfortable, piping-hot meal.

What's on the Bigeumdo menu?

The menu covers Korean food evenly: the Bigeumdo table spread, pressure-cooker rice dishes, a bori gulbi (barley-aged croaker) set and more. Bigeumdo is often called a great Korean restaurant in Sokcho and is also known as a spot for sanggyeonrye (the formal meeting of two families before a wedding). My husband and I came because we were won over by the pollack soup reviews, but after seeing the menu, anyone who loves Korean food will find plenty to love.

After much agonizing, I ordered the hwangtae haejangguk and tofu stew, since the people around us were ordering them a lot for breakfast.

How to order at Bigeumdo and the side dishes

Every table has a kiosk tablet, so ordering what we wanted was easy. I agonized over the pressure-cooker menu, but since it was morning, we went with hwangtae haejangguk and tofu stew, which are light but filling. Also, the pressure-cooker dishes require two or more people, so you'd have to agree on one menu.

The five side dishes were braised potatoes, seasoned cucumber, braised eggplant, seasoned radish and cabbage kimchi. The potatoes and the cucumber were so good that we got refills of them =)

How is Bigeumdo's hwangtae haejangguk?

The hwangtae haejangguk came out quickly, and if you like bugeoguk (dried pollack soup), it's exactly the taste everyone likes, no divisiveness! It was even better because the flavor was just what I expected. It wasn't salty or bland, and even I, usually a salt detective, ate it comfortably =) There was plenty of pollack, and with rice stirred in, the pairing with the side dishes went without saying.

How was the tofu stew for breakfast?

Bigeumdo's tofu stew is a red-broth stew generously loaded with tofu and zucchini, and it went down easily even in the morning. I wondered if a red broth would be okay first thing, but there's a reason so many people order it. I was the tofu stew person, and it had a strong pepper flavor? and I thought it was delicious. True to its name it had lots of tofu, plus plenty of sliced zucchini, so it was hearty and great mixed into rice.

Breakfast before the Seorak Cable Car: Bigeumdo verdict

Bigeumdo was a satisfying way to fill up before heading to the Seorak Cable Car. It always had a crowd whenever we passed by, and I'm glad I finally worked up the courage to go, haha. It was great for a hearty breakfast, and as a Sokcho local favorite, the taste was reliably good. If you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Sokcho, give Bigeumdo a visit =)