Sokcho crab restaurant with a 1.6kg snow crab set: Hanggu Hwareo

A snow crab set worth remembering at a Sokcho Daepohang raw fish restaurant

📍 Address: 59 Daepohanghuimang-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea, S-dong Unit 9, Daepohang Fish Market ⏰ Hours: 11:30–4:00 (next day), last order 2:30 Closed every other Wednesday

Why we chose Hanggu Hwareo at Sokcho's Daepohang

Hi, this is Ko-gwajang. Every time I go to Sokcho, it's just so nice. I see the ocean, eat good food, and even when I just go for some fresh air, I always end up finding a good restaurant and eating haha. This time too, I went to Sokcho and decided to have dinner at Daepohang.

There are so many raw fish restaurants at Daepohang that I hesitated a bit over where to go, and this time I ended up at a place called Hanggu Hwareo (항구활어). Honestly I've been to Sokcho dozens of times, not just once or twice, and I've eaten sashimi or snow crab at Daepohang quite a few times before. So this time I just thought I'd have a solid, ordinary meal, but it turned out more satisfying than I expected, so I wanted to write it down.

What comes in the Hanggu Hwareo snow crab set

This time we ordered the snow crab set. I wanted both crab and sashimi, so I thought about ordering them separately, but with the set you get to eat a bit of everything, which seemed good for a family meal.

The dishes started coming out one by one and the table filled up fast. It wasn't just crab — live squid, sea squirt, and abalone sashimi came out too. I personally love this kind of seafood so I grabbed a piece as soon as it landed. The live squid was as chewy and delicious as ever, and the sea squirt and abalone sashimi were clean-tasting too.

Side dishes: acorn jelly, kimchi pancake, croquettes and chilled jelly soup

What I liked more than expected were the basic side dishes. Usually at a sashimi restaurant there are tons of side dishes, but honestly a lot of them you never touch. Here though, there was acorn jelly, kimchi pancake, croquette, and mukguk (jelly soup) among others, and overall it felt clean and well put together. It wasn't just a lot of dishes for show — they were actually good to eat, which I liked. Especially with family, the adults can eat sashimi while kids eat these side dishes, so it quietly matters.

About 1.6kg of snow crab: how well cleaned, how much meat?

And finally, the snow crab! This time the crab was about 1.6kg. It came already cleaned and ready to eat. I love snow crab but cracking the shell every time is a chore haha. Especially with the claws, you end up with your hands a mess trying to pick out the meat, so having it pre-cleaned was definitely convenient.

When I opened up the crab, the innards were pretty full too. I'm the type who pays attention to the crab innards when eating snow crab, so this mattered — the innards were plentiful, and dipping the meat in it was rich and delicious.

And the claw meat! I opened the claw and the meat was packed so full I felt like I had to take a photo. There wasn't an empty spot — the meat was completely packed in, and to me the yield looked like 90% or more. With snow crab, even at the same weight, how much actual meat you can eat matters a lot, and this time the meat was so substantial I barely felt any disappointment while eating.

Live-fish sashimi: flounder fin, mullet and other white-fleshed fish

While eating the crab, we had some sashimi alongside too. Since it's a crab set, I figured the sashimi would just be a small accompaniment, but the live fish sashimi lineup was actually pretty good. There was flounder fin, and mostly in-season white-fleshed fish like mullet. I personally love white-fleshed fish, so this lineup was actually right up my alley.

Crab innard fried rice and spicy stew at no extra charge

Going back and forth between crab and sashimi, I got pretty full, but you have to finish with fried rice haha. After eating snow crab, crab innard fried rice is simply a must. The savory crab innard flavor soaked well into the rice, making it the perfect finish after the crab. Best of all, the crab innard fried rice and the spicy stew both came with no extra charge.

And last was the spicy stew. Maybe because of the bean sprouts, the broth was refreshing and clean-tasting. After eating crab and sashimi for a while, things can feel a bit heavy toward the end, but one spoonful of the stew broth and my stomach felt completely reset. We ate all the way through the fried rice and almost finished the stew too haha.

Service and atmosphere at Hanggu Hwareo

What stuck with me as much as the food this time was the staff. They kept being friendly and attentive throughout the meal, so we ate comfortably without anything bothering us. Honestly, even if the food is good, if the staff are unfriendly you don't really feel like going back — but here, I felt good the whole time I was eating. So along with the taste of the food, I think the overall dining atmosphere was great.

Is Hanggu Hwareo worth it for a Daepohang seafood meal in Sokcho?

Having gone to Sokcho dozens of times and eaten all kinds of things at Daepohang, this meal was quite satisfying. With about 1.6kg of snow crab, I also got to eat seafood like live squid, sea squirt, and abalone sashimi along with the live fish sashimi, and the basic side dishes came out clean and well-made. Finishing with the crab innard fried rice and spicy stew left me full and satisfied. But what I liked most of all was that the staff were friendly. It might seem like a small thing, but when they take care of you comfortably and treat you kindly during a meal, it just makes you feel good.

This place would be fine to come back to next time

That's what I found myself thinking as we left. If you're looking for a Sokcho Daepohang raw fish restaurant where you can eat both snow crab and sashimi in one place, Hanggu Hwareo seems like a solid choice. Next time I go back to Sokcho, I plan to visit again. If you want to eat both snow crab and sashimi at Daepohang, remember Hanggu Hwareo, the Sokcho Daepohang raw fish restaurant I visited this time.