Distant Bench Sitter · 6 stories

Far Bench, Gangwon Tables

Writes about cafes and restaurants scattered across Gangwon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés

PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho market bakery: makgeolli bread safe for kids, Sokcho Sulppang

Sokcho Sulppang is a makgeolli bread (sulppang) shop at the entrance to Dakjeon Alley in Sokcho Jungang Market (Sokcho Tourist & Fish Market) in Sokcho, Gangwon. The writer's family buys several loaves of Sokcho Sulppang to stock up on every trip to Sokcho and also eats the honeycomb ice cream sold next door. Verdict: the bread is fermented with raw makgeolli and steamed, so almost all the alcohol cooks off, making Sokcho Sulppang a snack the whole family, kids included, can enjoy.

Written Jun 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho croquette bakery, beer snacks & freezer stash: Samsam Goroke

Samsam Goroke (삼삼고로케) is a handmade croquette bakery in Sokcho Central Market, Gangwon, across from the Manseok Dakgangjeong main branch. After a day of water play, the writer took away the 6-flavor set (₩17,000) as a snack for two hungry kids, paired the fiery jjamppong and roe udon croquettes with beer, then kept the leftovers in the fridge and freezer and reheated them for 30 seconds in the microwave to eat through the next day. Samsam Goroke croquettes had no stale-oil smell even the next day, making them a Sokcho snack worth buying in bulk to stock up on.

Written Jun 2, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho bakery café: Moosetoy drawing and chewy potato bread, Bultan

Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store is a bakery café on Haksapyeong-gil in Sokcho, Gangwon, known for Bultan potato bread, blackened with squid ink, and squid jjondeugi (a chewy squid snack). After passing the eye-catching exterior many times, the writer finally visited, paid ₩10,000 each for the potato bread and a 12-piece pack of jjondeugi, and watched the Moosetoy drawing activity. At home, 20 seconds in the microwave made the potato bread chewy and creamy, like injeolmi (bean-powder rice cake). For a Sokcho souvenir snack beyond dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread is a good choice.

Written Oct 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho gamjatang restaurant with uncooked takeout: Gwandongjip

Gwandongjip (관동집) is a Korean restaurant on Seonsa-ro 2-gil in Joyang-dong, Sokcho, Gangwon, serving gamjatang (pork bone stew) and aged kimchi braised pork bones. The restaurant is said to carry on, in its second generation, a recipe that began in 2005 at Jeo Palgye Gamjatang in Hwacheon. After a drive and a Sokcho festival, the writer's family ordered Gwandongjip's gamjatang ahead, picked it up uncooked and simmered it at home for dinner with their son and daughter. With generous bones and a refreshing, clean, peppery broth, Gwandongjip's gamjatang kept its flavor as takeout and made an easy family dinner.

Written Oct 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho market snack shop: fritters and squid sundae, Seomin Gapbu

Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip (서민갑부 시장닭집) is a TV-featured food stall in Sokcho Jungang Market, Gangwon, selling dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), Ttokine fritters, squid sundae (stuffed squid) and potato pancakes. After skipping it for years because of the long lines, the writer visited Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip on a weekday before the holiday rush, walked straight up, took out garlic dakgangjeong, freshly fried fritters and both nurungji (scorched rice) and egg-wash squid sundae, and tried the corn makgeolli. Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip is a handy Sokcho Jungang Market stop for picking up dakgangjeong and fritters in one takeout order.

Written Oct 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho market mulhoe restaurant, a holiday-drive revisit: Hwanggeum

Sokcho Hwanggeum Mulhoe Hoetjip is a mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and live-fish sashimi restaurant near the entrance to the food street at Sokcho Jungang Market in Sokcho, Gangwon. After first trying Sokcho Hwanggeum Mulhoe Hoetjip by chance on a drive to Sokcho during a long Korean holiday, the writer went back and took home the haebok mulhoe (27,000 won), piled with abalone and sea cucumber and packed in a cooler bag. The tangy, sweet and ice-cold broth cut through the heavy holiday food, making it the writer's favorite mulhoe spot in Jungang Market.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
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