Sokcho Korean restaurant for potato hot-pot rice lunch: Sokcho Geu

You just have to eat fresh seafood in Gangwon, right?!?! For lunch on day two of our Gangwon trip, we went to Sokcho Geu Badaro (속초그바다로), which we'd booked ahead.

50 minutes from Jumunjin, 11am reservation

I'd been curious about this place because of its high Naver ratings, and since my husband and I both love seafood, the menu seemed perfect for us. We drove from Jumunjin, and it took about 50 minutes to reach Sokcho. Since we had an 11am reservation, we arrived a bit early and stopped by Expo Park before heading to the restaurant on time.

Haemuljang and seafood hot-pot rice restaurant Sokcho Geu Badaro / Hours 10:30–21:00 (last order 20:30) / Break time 16:00–17:00 / Parking 🅿️ available

Spacious, clean interior — customers poured in right after we ordered

The inside was really spacious and clean!!! Just as we ordered and started taking photos, people came pouring in. Sokcho Geu Badaro really is a hot spot :) We ordered potato hot-pot rice and haemuljang (seafood soy sauce platter).

What's in the haemuljang — from octopus leg to abalone and scallop

The haemuljang wasn't just one kind of seafood — it came with octopus leg, shrimp, salmon, crab, abalone, and scallop, so it looked incredibly generous just from the sight of it.

With so many kinds of seafood, it was fun picking through one by one, and I loved being able to enjoy so many different textures and flavors at once. The haemuljang portion was also bigger than expected, so a staff member kindly showed us the best way to eat it.

Dipping it in egg yolk

They cut the seafood into bite-sized pieces with scissors and told us to dip it in egg yolk. So we followed the instructions and dipped a piece straight into the yolk — it was genuinely delicious.

Not salty or fishy at all!

The thing I care about most with haemuljang is saltiness and fishiness. Sokcho Geu Badaro's haemuljang wasn't salty or fishy at all. It wasn't the kind that forces you to eat a ton of rice to balance out the usual strong saltiness — instead, you could really taste the seafood itself, and my chopsticks kept going back for more.

The octopus leg was chewy, the shrimp was plump, and the abalone and scallop both had great texture. Between the salmon and crab too, dish after dish emptied out before we knew it.

The potato hot-pot rice was also a standout!

This was also so good. And Gangwon means potatoes, right!!! The warm hot-pot rice was full of potato, light yet nutty-tasting, and topping it with haemuljang made for a really great combination. I already love hot-pot rice, but now I definitely have to try making it with potatoes at home haha.

The savory, umami-rich haemuljang paired so well with the light potato rice that I couldn't stop eating lol. And every single side dish was delicious too. I'm pretty honest when it comes to food and don't force myself to eat things I don't like, but here there was truly nothing I'd leave uneaten. With both the main dish and the sides being this good, it really felt like a proper lunch.

Haemuljang is also sold in-store

What made it even better after tasting it was finding out that the haemuljang is sold separately in the store!

If you want to enjoy it at home or share it with family after your Sokcho trip, it's worth picking some up.

Worth it for lunch near Sokcho Beach?

If you're looking for a seafood restaurant in Sokcho or a lunch spot near Sokcho Beach, I'd recommend Sokcho Geu Badaro. It's especially satisfying if you want to enjoy haemuljang loaded with a variety of seafood alongside warm potato hot-pot rice. What I loved most was that the haemuljang wasn't salty or fishy at all, and it's a place I'd love to revisit next time I'm in Sokcho. 😊