Sokcho Korean restaurant for seafood sundubu: Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu

A sundubu stop after Museum X, before heading to Gangneung

After visiting Museum X, we suddenly got hungry before heading over to Gangneung, so we stopped by a nearby great sundubu spot in Sokcho.

I usually have seafood jjamppong sundubu in a large pot, in medium or large portions, but Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu had it in an individual ttukbaegi (earthenware pot)! So of course, I tried it right away.

It looks like a good restaurant from the outside, right?? A place lots of older people go = a good restaurant. That's basically the rule, and when we walked in and saw groups of older diners, I thought, this place has to be good.

Opening hours and a spacious parking lot

Hours are 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m., with last orders at 7 p.m. It may close early when ingredients run out, and it is in Haksapyeong Tofu Village! I already loved that they make their tofu in-house.

The parking lot is big enough for 30 cars and 8 large buses, so you can come without worrying about parking.

There were already lots of families and groups when we came in. I took this photo away from where people were sitting, but the dining area is spacious too, so it seems like it can fit a lot of people.

Sundubu menu and takeout

The menu! It was nicely simple, so it was easy to choose. Spicy sundubu is ₩14,000 and seafood jjamppong sundubu is ₩17,000, with a bowl of rice included.

They sell side dishes too. If I had been heading straight home, I would have wanted to take away the seasoned pollack sashimi👍 If you write a Naver photo review, you can also get acorn jelly or a drink on the house♡

They have high chairs, and you can take home a block of handmade tofu for ₩7,000!

Everything else on the menu is available for takeout too, so I also recommend taking some home if you want to quickly drizzle Chodang sundubu (soft tofu) with soy sauce. They even offer uncooked takeout. We saw someone getting uncooked food to take away while we were eating, and wondered whether we should take some back to our accommodation for another meal, but the sun was so hot that day, which made me nervous. Next time, I need to come on a colder day, eat there, and take some away too.

Neat basic side dishes and a self-service bar

The food came out quickly and beautifully arranged, and if you run short on the basic side dishes while eating,

you can use the self-service bar.

The braised potatoes were so distinctive. Even without the familiar soy-sauce color, they were sweet and pleasantly chewy. The japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) was delicious too, and the seaweed-stem kimchi—everything was good, with nothing left out.

The difference between seafood jjamppong sundubu and spicy sundubu

On the left is seafood jjamppong sundubu, and on the right is spicy sundubu. They look similar, but they are really different. If I had to choose just one, I would have seafood jjamppong sundubu again next time. My boyfriend had the spicy sundubu, and he said it was more pleasantly spicy than hot, and fairly light. The seafood jjamppong sundubu was heartier and hotter thanks to its rich jjamppong flavor, and even though the broth looked oily, the soft tofu meant it did not feel greasy at all!

Seafood in the jjamppong sundubu

Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu's seafood jjamppong sundubu has everything from abalone and squid

to pinecone-cut squid, scallops, and shrimp—so much seafood!! I ate it with a buckwheat jeonbyeong (pancake roll), too.

I also had it with japchae, and piling the sundubu onto the side dishes was so delicious. I have been all about protein lately, and with so much soft tofu in it, I felt like I was really filling up on protein👍

There was also one whole abalone in it, which was great because I got a full mouthful.

It was delicious mixed with rice, too. I was eating mine with plenty of broth, and then,

I saw my boyfriend mixing his with rice in front of me too hahaha. That is how you know it is a good restaurant haha.

There was even coffee that was perfect for dessert! My stomach still felt comfortable after the seafood jjamppong sundubu, and the owner and staff were all so kind. From the side dishes to the rice and sundubu, everything at Jinsol Halmeoni Sundubu was delicious.