Sokcho market tempura shop at Gate 6, bench picnic: Hwangbuja Twigim

Today I'm introducing Sokcho's famous nurungji squid sundae (rice-crust-stuffed squid blood sausage) spot :-)

Where is Hwangbuja Twigim in Sokcho Jungang Market?

Hwangbuja Twigim is located at 26-27 in Sokcho Jungang Market!

How to walk from the market parking lot to Hwangbuja Twigim through Gate 6

After parking at the Sokcho Jungang Market public parking lot, come in through Gate 6

Go straight, then at the first corner near Bukseolak Dried Seafood Discount Mart, turn left!

Keep going straight, then turn right at the next corner into Dakjeon Alley — it's on the left

Hwangbuja Twigim outside and inside

The place with piles of good-looking tempura is Hwangbuja Twigim

There's shrimp, red snow crab, squid, crab and all kinds of tempura

They also had cold hallabong-hyang citrus juice and sikhye! Tempura calls for beer, but if you can't drink because you're driving, the cold juice and sikhye pair perfectly~

A delicious smell hit my nose from the side and I looked over to see... Sokcho's famous nurungji squid sundae >_<!!!

Honestly this is the whole reason we came looking for Hwangbuja Twigim~ We'd heard the nurungji squid sundae here was seriously good, so we went to check it out!

We got to try a sample, and one bite in, I understood exactly why everyone talks about this. It's genuinely so good...🥹

Hwangbuja Twigim has a space to eat inside too, not just takeout. It really is best fresh out of the fryer, so I'd recommend eating in!

What is on the Hwangbuja Twigim menu?

From single tempura items to various jeon and half-and-half sets, there's a lot to choose from~ The set menus are great value too, so I really agonized over picking

What we ordered: nurungji squid sundae, Abai sundae, red snow crab tempura

Since bread isn't exactly rice, we sat on a nearby bench to eat. We'd originally planned to eat it back home, but the smell kept getting to us and we just couldn't wait..!!

Abai sundae and nurungji squid sundae!! Big, generous portions that looked so good, I couldn't wait to try them!

The red snow crab tempura my husband picked was bigger than expected too, so I had high hopes

Whoa... they packed the filling in so tight that the nurungji was spilling out the sides of the squid~ Already looks delicious.

Wow, I gasped after one bite. The chewy squid texture plus the nutty, savory nurungji flavor together were genuinely so good, my hand kept reaching for more!

The nurungji wasn't too hard, just crisped enough to be easy to chew~ Even deep-fried, it came through more nutty than greasy, so it didn't get tiresome!

The Abai sundae was just as savory and clean-tasting as the nurungji squid sundae~

The chewy sausage skin went so well with the rich filling, nothing overly seasoned, just deep umami — perfect for grabbing bite after bite

Next up, the red snow crab tempura! A crispy batter shell packed with soft, moist crab meat — such a good bite

The crab meat inside was so moist... not sure if they seasoned it somehow, but there was a faint sweetness lingering that made it really enjoyable!

Honest review: Hwangbuja Twigim takeout eaten on a market bench

We'd planned to just taste a bit and save the rest for home, but once we started we couldn't stop... ended up buying non-alcoholic beer too! The kind of flavor that demands a beer~~ Next time I'm in Sokcho, I'm definitely stopping by Hwangbuja Twigim to eat it right there with a real beer 🥹