Post-marathon recovery meal in Sokcho: Jeju yellow crab seafood shabu

This time my friends and I went on a trip along the east coast that included running the Yangyang half marathon. After the run, I needed some serious recovery food, so let me introduce the restaurant we went to!

Whenever I go to Sokcho I think of raw fish or mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), but I also always crave something hot and spicy. And one of the most famous dishes in Sokcho is jangkalguksu (spicy knife-cut noodle soup).

This time, instead of a regular jangkalguksu, we went somewhere a bit more special — Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu, where you eat all kinds of seafood shabu-shabu style first, then finish with noodles boiled in the rich broth left over.

Bottom line up front: the seafood portion was really generous, everything tasted fresh, and the value for money was quite high.

Where is Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu, and its hours and parking

Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu is located at 강원특별자치도 속초시 조양로118번길 4 1층. It's open from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with last order at 7:30 PM, and break time from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM.

• 📍 Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu
• 강원특별자치도 속초시 조양로118번길 4 1층
• Hours: 9:00 AM–8:00 PM (last order 7:30 PM)
• Break time: 3:00 PM–4:30 PM
• Parking available, dog-friendly

There's a dedicated parking lot beside the building, so it was easy to visit.

Ordering on the table tablet: 16,000 won or 25,000 won per person

Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu has two signature dishes: the recovery bracken & sanghwang mushroom seafood shabu jangkalguksu at ₩16,000 per person, and the much more generous special seafood flower platter shabu jangkalguksu with seafood and beef at ₩25,000 per person. There's an ordering tablet at each table, so we could look at the menu and order right from our seats.

Since I'd come all the way to Sokcho, I figured I should try the dish loaded with proper seafood, so I ordered the special seafood flower platter. The moment the food arrived, it was so visually overwhelming I thought, "wait, this is jangkalguksu?"

What comes on the platter: abalone, octopus, shrimp, clams and squid

The special seafood flower platter comes out nearly filling an entire tray — you can tell from the photo alone that the portion is substantial. Abalone, octopus, shrimp, various clams and mussels, and squid are arranged around beef and vegetables, with the red jangkalguksu broth sitting in the middle.

Honestly, at tourist-area restaurants I sometimes find myself disappointed — the price is high but there's barely any seafood in the dish.

But here, the moment it arrived I thought, "now this is real seafood." It wasn't just a wide variety — everything was clearly fresh once we tasted it. The octopus and squid were bursting with juice!

Personally, I was pretty satisfied with the amount and range of seafood relative to the price.

Blue crab or Jeju yellow crab? What flavors the broth

Seeing the crab on the platter, I naturally assumed it was blue crab, but the owner explained in person that it's not blue crab — it's Jeju yellow crab. She told us Jeju yellow crab has better sweetness than blue crab and releases its flavor well when boiled, making it great for jangkalguksu broth.

After eating, I could definitely feel that the broth got richer and more savory the longer the seafood cooked, compared to the start. There's a reason they don't put the noodles in right away and have you eat the seafood and meat first.

How to eat the seafood flower platter, step by step

The table tablet also shows you how to eat the seafood flower platter jangkalguksu properly. Once the broth starts boiling, you add the crab, mussels, and clams, and cook the beef and vegetables shabu-shabu style.

The key point: octopus and squid can get tough if boiled too long, so it's best to just briefly blanch them. With so many different types of seafood, there was fun in picking through and trying each one.

A whole ginseng root right from the start

And then the completely unexpected ginseng (?) haha. One root per person — it made me feel like the "recovery" in the menu name wasn't just there for show, haha.

With seafood, beef, and vegetables to eat, and something like this thrown in from the start, it made for a solid meal during the trip.

Finishing with jangkalguksu and thick hand-cut noodles

Once we'd finished most of the seafood and meat, it was finally time for the noodles! Instead of the usual thin noodles, they use hand-cut kalguksu noodles, so they're thick and rustic. I personally prefer this kind of hand-pulled noodle over thin, smooth ones, so I really enjoyed it. My stomach was already quite full from all the seafood, but there was no way I was skipping the noodles.

Adding the noodles into the broth that had cooked with yellow crab, clams, shrimp, octopus, and more, and letting them bubble away, completes the dish. And the broth at this point is truly something else. It's much richer than at the start, and the refreshing seafood flavor combined with the spicy kick of jangkalguksu kept me spooning up broth again and again.

Because the noodles are thick, the rich broth clung to them nicely too. So this place felt less like just getting a bowl of Sokcho jangkalguksu and more like eating a full course, from seafood to noodles.

Free ice cream for writing a Naver review

One more thing not to miss after the meal! When we visited, there was a Naver receipt review event running. Write a review and you can get a Häagen-Dazs mini cup or Baskin Robbins ice cream.

We got a scoop of Very Berry Strawberry, and after eating hot, spicy jangkalguksu, finishing with cold ice cream turned out to be a great combo, haha.

Is Sokcho Haemul Kkot Jangkalguksu worth it for seafood lovers in Sokcho?

I've had jangkalguksu in Sokcho many times before, but eating seafood piled high on a tray shabu-shabu style, then finishing with noodles boiled in that broth, was quite a distinctive experience. Above all, the amount of seafood relative to the price was generous, and the ingredients were fresh, which made the whole meal satisfying.

Going through abalone, shrimp, clams, octopus, squid, and beef, then finishing with jangkalguksu deeply infused with seafood flavor, made for a truly filling meal.

And I'll remember the owner's explanation that the crab I thought was blue crab was actually Jeju yellow crab, known for its good broth and sweetness.

If you're looking for something hot with plenty of seafood in Sokcho besides raw fish or mulhoe, this jangkalguksu restaurant is worth a visit. It would also suit a meal with parents or a hearty last meal on the final day of a trip. Next time I go back, I think I'll order the seafood-packed menu again. :)