Steps Before Supper · 18 stories
I write about restaurant meals and small dining stops around Incheon. · Writes about: Things to do · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés
Cenacolo Artfore is an Italian restaurant on the 2nd floor of Building C at Artfore, near Songdo Central Park in Yeonsu, Incheon. For a weekend lunch without the kids, the couple booked ahead, took a window seat and shared mushroom cream gnocchi and a Jeju black pork tomahawk steak. The mildly spicy tomahawk sauce cut the richness of the creamy gnocchi, making Cenacolo Artfore a date lunch the two enjoyed to the last bite.
Songdo Barun Posture Correction (송도바른체형교정) is a new reservation-only, one-on-one posture correction studio on Incheontawo-daero 197beon-gil in Songdo, Yeonsu, Incheon. The writer, troubled by forward head posture, stiff shoulders and a body that felt twisted all over, received a lifestyle consultation, more than an hour of hands-on muscle work, before-and-after photo comparisons and home stretching guidance directly from the director. Songdo Barun Posture Correction will not change everything in one session, but the writer could personally feel a difference in shoulder line and neck position afterwards.
Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Incheon Songdo Branch (언양닭칼국수 인천송도점) is a Korean restaurant specializing in chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and dakgomtang (chicken soup), across from the food mart in Songdo Zone 1, Yeonsu, Incheon. On a family outing with two kids, we ordered chicken kalguksu, dakgomtang and chewy handmade dumplings; Eonyang cooked the kids' dakgomtang separately with less salt, and the portions were filling even without ordering a full four adult servings. With adjustable saltiness, roomy seating and high chairs, Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Incheon Songdo Branch is a good pick for a family meal with kids.
Songdo Jonghap Eosijang (송도종합어시장) is a sashimi restaurant on Haedoji-ro in Yeonsu, Incheon, popular for its 12,000-won-per-person lunch special sashimi set. On a day their child was at daycare, a couple ordered two lunch special sets plus one serving of salmon sushi and ramen noodles for the spicy fish stew, filling the table with sashimi, sushi, fried shrimp, steamed egg, sea squirt and spicy fish stew. Thanks to thick-cut sashimi and plenty of sides, the Songdo Jonghap Eosijang lunch special suits anyone looking for a good-value sashimi lunch set.
Ogong Donkatsu (오공돈까스) is a Western-style pork cutlet restaurant near Smart Square in Songdo District 5, Yeonsu, Incheon. A family of four with two kids ordered the Ogong Set (pork cutlet, fish cutlet and hamburg steak) and a large Ogong Katsu, and especially liked the high chairs, the roomy spacing between tables and the handmade sauce made from fruit without flour. For an easy Western-style pork cutlet meal with kids in Songdo District 5, Ogong Donkatsu is a solid choice.
Kongbatteul Sokcho Branch (콩밭뜰 속초점) is a Korean restaurant specializing in tofu dishes, located in the Sundubu (soft tofu) Village on Wonamhaksapyeong-gil in Sokcho, Gangwon. For the first meal of a family trip to Sokcho, the writer ordered a seafood sundubu (soft tofu stew) set and a kongbiji (soybean pulp stew) set for 20,000 won in total. The sides, including tofu tteokgalbi (tofu patty), sweet and sour tofu, kongguk (cold soy milk soup) and tofu kimchi, were generous enough that no extra dishes were needed. For families with kids looking for a filling, mild meal at a reasonable price, Kongbatteul Sokcho Branch is a good fit.
Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip (서민갑부 시장닭집) is a dakgangjeong (sweet, crispy Korean fried chicken) shop in Sokcho Jungang Market, Sokcho, best known for its garlic dakgangjeong topped with plenty of whole garlic cloves. On the last day of a family trip, we took away one whole garlic dakgangjeong in medium spice, and the owner packed a few pieces of plain fried chicken separately because the spice might be too much for the kids. Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip is a Sokcho dakgangjeong shop worth recommending to whole-garlic lovers and families traveling with children.
Samsam Goroke (삼삼고로케) is a croquette shop in Sokcho Central Market, Gangwon, selling unusual flavors such as red crab, pollock roe cream, jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and sweet red bean with seeds. The writer took home a 6-piece set uneaten from the trip and reheated it from frozen the next day in an air fryer at 170°C, and was happy with the crisp shell and the filling packed right to the tips. Samsam Goroke croquettes hold up well even when reheated later, making them a market snack worth recommending as a Sokcho souvenir.
Sokcho Hwanggeum Mulhoe Hoetjip (속초황금물회횟집) is a raw fish restaurant in Sokcho Jungang Market in Sokcho, Gangwon, serving mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and live-fish sashimi for dine-in or takeout. The writer took a mixed sashimi platter for two (₩45,000) back to their lodging, ended up eating it the next morning, and found the sashimi still springy with no fishy smell. For fresh sashimi takeout in Sokcho Jungang Market, the Sokcho Hwanggeum Mulhoe Hoetjip mixed platter is a reliable choice.
Yongchon Gogi-jip (용촌고기집) is a charcoal-grilled pork galbi restaurant in Toseong-myeon, Goseong, Gangwon. After eating seafood throughout a Sokcho trip, the writer brought the kids to Yongchon Gogi-jip for the last meal and ordered hand-cut marinated pork galbi and pollock hoe naengmyeon (cold noodles with seasoned raw pollock); the meat is served with the marinade weight subtracted, and the owner is especially kind. For Sokcho and Goseong travelers who want local pork galbi instead of raw fish or snow crab, Yongchon Gogi-jip is well worth a visit.
Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang Incheon Nonhyeon Branch is a new, kid-welcoming butcher-style Korean BBQ restaurant on Pogu-ro in Namdong-gu, Incheon, right next to Namdong Library. On a Sunday evening with two children, the writer had the half-pig set (500g, 42,000 won), hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap (Korean beef tartare rice bowl) and kids' seaweed soup; the 144-hour aged pork was nutty with no gamey smell, and the playroom with CCTV viewable from the table made the meal relaxed. Verdict: Hanmaeum Jeongyuk Sikdang is a great place to eat BBQ with kids after an afternoon at Namdong Library.
Sushi Doku The Songdo (스시도쿠 더송도) is a sushi set restaurant on the 2nd floor of Onesta Mall in Songdo, Yeonsu, Incheon. A regular visited Sushi Doku The Songdo on a Sunday evening with her two daughters, aged 5 and 3, and ordered her usual Premium Sushi Set (₩25,900), a first-time kids' set (₩9,900) and otoro (fatty tuna belly) sushi from a review event. The kids' set was so generous that the two girls shared it and still took leftover tonkatsu home, making Sushi Doku The Songdo an especially good Songdo sushi spot for families with young children.
