Sokcho crab restaurant: abalone & crab-shell fried rice, Sinhaeburi

If you come to Sokcho, you have to eat snow crab at least once! Sinhaeburi Hoejip (신해불이횟집), a snow crab spot at Daepo Port with an unusual number of local reviews, uses fresh ingredients the owner picks himself every morning, and the meal comes with more than ten sides. On top of that there's free round-trip pickup anywhere in Sokcho, which is really convenient for tourists ˃ᴗ˂

How do parking and free pickup work at Sinhaeburi Hoejip?

You can park for free right in front of the restaurant, and they also run free round-trip pickup anywhere in Sokcho. Parking out front means you can drive over easily, but the best part was the free pickup. You want a drink while traveling, but calling a designated driver is awkward and taxi fares add up, right? One phone call and they pick you up and take you back for free, which is honestly the best for travelers without a car ´ ▽ `

What are the atmosphere and cleanliness like?

The whole restaurant felt really clean and pleasant. You'd expect a raw fish place to smell fishy or feel like a seafood market, but even objectively, it was well kept!

The fish prep area and the kitchen are almost completely open, and they were kept tidy right to the back, which made me trust the place even more.

There are lots of tables and plenty of space, so it looks good for family meals or group gatherings too. We came for lunch and it was relaxed, but apparently lots of groups come in the evening!

What's on the menu?

The menu ranges from single dishes of sashimi and seafood to set menus where you get raw fish plus snow crab together. There are also meal dishes like mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl) and ojingeo sundae (stuffed squid), and they work as drinking snacks too, so it feels perfect for a proper meal on a trip.

What comes with the Crab + Sashimi A set (₩150,000)?

We ordered the Crab + Sashimi A set (₩150,000): one snow crab, seasonal assorted sashimi, sides (seukkidashi) and spicy fish stew. I heard the stew has a secret sauce with insane depth of flavor, but we were so full we couldn't eat it, haha. Even my big-eater boyfriend gave up, that's how generous it is.

Over ten sides: live abalone, sea cucumber, sea pineapple

I thought the table legs would break… well over ten sides filled the whole table and none of them felt like an afterthought ´ ▽ ` Starting with kimchi pancake and pork cutlet that kids would love, there was a huge variety of seafood like sea pineapple (meongge), sea cucumber, live abalone, ark shell and scallops.

The live abalone was so fresh that I dropped it while eating and it wriggled, which startled me, haha. The crunchy, chewy texture was art.

And the sea cucumber my boyfriend called the best he's ever had, plus wild sea pineapple (bisan-meongge) that was sweet with no fishiness at all!

With crispy-outside, juicy-inside fried fish and shellfish keeping on coming, honestly the sides alone are enough to finish a bottle of soju.

The mulhoe was a real surprise. At most places it's mostly vegetables, right? But Sinhaeburi Hoejip puts in a generous handful of raw fish, which shocked me. The sweet-and-sour, cold broth was totally my taste ✧

Assorted sashimi: flounder, rockfish, sea bream, sea bass and flounder fin

The first main of the A set, the seasonal assorted sashimi, came as flounder, rockfish, sea bream, sea bass and flounder fin 🤍 I was really surprised by the amount. Thick-cut slices served this generously! The owner said he does most of the prep himself and runs the place with family, which is how they can do this portion and value.

Overall the fish was very chewy and fresh, and flounder, which shows up everywhere, made the difference more obvious. Really fresh with a springy texture!

The flounder fin was incredibly nutty, and the sea bream got sweeter the more I chewed 🐟 The sea bass was light and clean and my number one pick, and the rockfish had its signature chew fully intact!

The star snow crab: meat yield and prep

And now the real star of Sinhaeburi Hoejip at Daepo Port, the snow crab!! It looked crazy good and came already prepped for easy eating, which was so convenient. The crab aroma spread the moment it arrived, and the smell alone was already the end of me ㅜㅜ

The meat yield was so good the shells were packed full and it was tight to pull the meat out, haha. Yield guaranteed. The meat was moist and sweet, and I totally get why people come for snow crab.

They even scored the claws, so you just snap and eat! Dipping it in the rich innards is beyond words, and the body was full of meat too, so picking it out was fun.

Finishing the crab with dakji fried rice

Isn't fried rice the real finish to snow crab, though… The dakji bokkeumbap (fried rice stir-fried in the crab shell with the innards) at Sinhaeburi Hoejip was an explosion of nuttiness ㅠㅜ Topping it with the crab meat I'd saved made the flavor much richer, and I was so happy to the very end.

Verdict: great value and friendly service

I was so full that I still regret not getting to the spicy fish stew at Sinhaeburi Hoejip in Daepo Port. From the sides to the main sashimi to the crab, nothing fell short, and the value is good for the quality overall. The owner and staff also kept checking in to see if we needed anything and were so kind, which made the meal even nicer, haha. With free pickup too, I highly recommend it if you're looking for a raw fish place in Gangwon where you can eat until you burst!