Daepo Harbor sashimi restaurant with sea-view seats: Hanggu Hwareo

Hi, I'm Anna, a food blogger. My husband and I headed to Daepo Harbor in Sokcho for dinner. You can't skip fresh sashimi when you're in Daepo Harbor, so this time we ordered a wild mixed sashimi platter. Being able to try so many different kinds of fish in generous portions made it feel like the right choice for dinner. Today I'll walk you through the wild mixed sashimi and all the side dishes we had at Hanggu Hwareo, a Daepo Harbor sashimi restaurant.

Hanggu Hwareo at a glance: price and what you get

• Located at S-dong 9, Daepo Harbor Fish Market, with the 2nd parking lot available
• Ate at a window seat overlooking the sea, taking in the Daepo Harbor scenery
• Thick, chewy wild mixed sashimi with a wide variety of side dishes (sukkidasi)

Where is Hanggu Hwareo in Daepo Harbor, and where do you park?

Hanggu Hwareo is located at S-dong 9, Daepo Harbor Fish Market, Sokcho, Gangwon. If you're driving, park at the Daepo Harbor Fish Market 2nd Parking Lot and walk into the harbor area — following the S-dong row of shops, you'll spot Hanggu Hwareo at unit 9.

Since it's close to the water even within Daepo Harbor, you get an open harbor view while eating.

It's about 440m (5-minute walk) from Cassia Sokcho Hotel and about 500m (6-minute walk) from Ramada Sokcho Hotel, close enough to stroll over from either place.

What are the sea-view window seats inside Hanggu Hwareo like?

At the entrance of Hanggu Hwareo there are tanks full of live fish and seafood, so you get a sense of freshness even before ordering.

The clean tanks are packed with fresh seafood.

The inside was bigger than I expected, with plenty of space between tables. Overall it felt bright and tidy.

We were seated at a window table with a sea view. Through the big window, the scenery of Daepo Harbor and the ocean stretched out beautifully, and I kept glancing over throughout the meal.

Eating delicious food while looking out at the harbor with my husband, I really felt glad we'd come to Sokcho. The nice weather made the trip even more enjoyable.

Hanggu Hwareo menu prices and the medium seasonal sashimi platter we ordered

Hanggu Hwareo's menu includes king crab, snow crab, and crab courses, plus wild live fish sashimi, seasonal mixed sashimi, and farmed mixed sashimi. We ordered the medium seasonal mixed sashimi platter (₩150,000) so we could try a bit of everything.

The king crab course ranged from ₩300,000 for 2 people to ₩450,000 for 5 people, and the snow crab course was ₩250,000 for 2 or ₩380,000 for 4. The seasonal mixed sashimi came in small (₩120,000), medium (₩150,000), and large (₩200,000), while the farmed mixed sashimi ranged from small (₩100,000) to extra-large (₩200,000).

How did the wild sashimi, side dishes and spicy fish stew taste?

Before the sashimi arrived, Hanggu Hwareo set out a variety of side dishes. Acorn jelly, seasoned vegetables, pasta, and seaweed salad were among the light appetizers, and it was fun tasting a bit of each.

They also brought out ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), garlic, and chili peppers.

Next came a generous serving of fresh seafood — abalone, sea squirt, and squid. The abalone had a crisp, springy texture, and the sea squirt had a strong ocean fragrance. With sushi added in too, the table was already full before the main dish even arrived.

Warm dishes came out as well — kimchi pancake (kimchijeon), pork cutlet, and takoyaki. The kimchi pancake had crispy edges and a bit of spice, making it a great bite to have between servings of sashimi.

The wild mixed sashimi we'd been waiting for finally arrived, piled high on a large plate. From reddish cuts to clear, translucent white fish, the variety alone made it look mouthwatering.

Each piece was sliced nice and thick, so you could really feel the texture as you chewed. True to wild-caught fish, the flesh was firm and springy, with a subtle sweetness that came through the more you chewed.

The fish was so fresh that just a light dip in soy sauce was plenty. Piling sashimi, garlic, and chili onto a lettuce leaf with a bit of ssamjang gave a whole different experience — the crunch of the vegetables against the chewy sashimi worked really well together.

Having a glass of soju with my husband at the window with the sea view really brought the evening mood of our Sokcho trip to life.

To finish, we got a hearty, spicy fish stew (maeuntang). It was loaded with fish, bean sprouts, and green onion, and simmered bubbling right at the table.

The broth was refreshing and clean, warming up our stomachs after all the cold sashimi. It had just the right amount of spice, so the spoon kept going back for more, and it paired well with the leftover soju too.

Is Hanggu Hwareo worth it? Final verdict on this Daepo Harbor sashimi restaurant

Hanggu Hwareo let us enjoy a generous spread — from fresh, thick-cut wild mixed sashimi to a variety of side dishes and a hearty spicy fish stew. Eating sashimi at a window seat overlooking Daepo Harbor really captured the feel of a Sokcho trip. If you want to enjoy fresh wild mixed sashimi along with plenty of side dishes at Daepo Harbor, this place is worth checking out.