Sokcho Korean restaurant for seafood soy sauce platter: Geu Badaro

I ate so many things in Sokcho, but if I had to pick just one of the best places, it would be Sokcho Geu Badaro (속초그바다로) 🦀

Actually, on a previous trip to Sokcho, I went to a seafood restaurant that was supposedly super famous. I went in with huge expectations, but the fishy flavor was so strong that I became a little hesitant about eating seafood after that ㅠㅠ So I debated whether to come here this time too, but I really would have regretted skipping it. In my opinion, it is a must-visit restaurant when you come to Sokcho, so let me introduce it properly :)

Sokcho Geu Badaro location and hours

• Location: 1F, 171 Expo-ro, Sokcho-si, Gangwon State
• Hours: Daily 10:30 AM–9:00 PM
• Break time: 4:00–5:00 PM
• Last order: 7:30 PM
• Free parking available
• High chairs available

It is near Cheongcho Lake and Expo Park. It is a great spot to come for a meal after looking around Cheongcho Lake or Expo Park during a Sokcho trip, so it also makes planning your route easy.

The parking lot is around 200 pyeong, so I do not think you need to worry about parking!

Ordering the two-person seafood platter set

As you would expect from a place known for pot rice, there are several kinds of pot rice. I visited at lunchtime on a Monday, and there were more locals than travelers; people seemed to order pot rice from the lunch menu more often than the set meals!

We wanted to try several kinds of seafood at once, so we ordered the two-person haemul modeum-jang (assorted seafood marinated in soy sauce) set for ₩70,000! The set includes two potato pot-rice bowls. At ₩70,000, I initially wondered if it was a little pricey, but the moment the food came out, I completely understood +_+

Haemul modeum-jang with none of the fishiness I worried about

As soon as the food arrived, we both thought, wow, we need to take photos first—what a spread..! The huge bowl was absolutely overflowing with seafood. It looks generous even in the photos, but it is even more generous in person. There was everything from abalone and scallops to shrimp, crab, octopus, and salmon, so it was fun picking out one thing at a time.

The fishy flavor was what I was most worried about, but as soon as I tasted it, I realized I had worried for nothing. There was hardly any seafood smell, and the soy sauce seasoning was neither aggressively salty nor sweet. With seafood jang, a strong seasoning can become tiring after just a few bites, but this one is lightly seasoned, so I kept reaching for more.

It was not just the main dish that was abundant—the side dishes and pot rice made it feel like a proper full table setting, so the set felt even more substantial haha.

A spoonful of warm pot rice wrapped in gim (roasted seaweed) with a tiny dip in soy sauce was delicious, and adding a piece of seafood made it such a rice thief. The side dishes were not heavily seasoned either, so they paired perfectly with the haemul modeum-jang. I also liked that each side dish came in its own small bowl—it looked clean and neatly arranged.

From the photos, I thought the portion might be too small, but it was actually very generous. It was exactly the right amount for two people—not too little and not too much.

Tuna dipped in egg yolk

The tuna was cut thick, and I loved the way it melted softly in one bite. It was good on its own, but dipping it generously in the egg yolk served alongside made it much richer and nuttier.

Soy sauce shrimp with a gentle sweetness

The soy sauce shrimp were plump and springy, and I liked that the soy sauce had not soaked in too intensely. Sometimes soy sauce shrimp can be so salty that they are hard to eat without rice, but here the shrimp's gentle sweetness came through more than the saltiness!

And then there was the soy sauce marinated crab! It was full of roe and tomalley, which was great. No fishiness or unpleasant smell at all—so good.

The potato pot rice included in the set had a lovely fluffy potato aroma and texture. Adding warm water to make nurungji (scorched-rice tea) was the perfect finish~ It freshened up my mouth, and it really felt like a complete meal!

The most memorable meal of my Sokcho trip

I visited several good restaurants on this Sokcho trip, but Sokcho Geu Badaro was personally the most memorable and delicious one ♥ They also offer takeout, so make sure to stop by :)