Jumunjin sashimi restaurant with free sides and stew: Minja Hoetjip

Came to Gangneung, looked at the sea to my heart's content, and ate a ton of good food — here's the review 🌊💕 Can't come all the way to Jumunjin without sashimi, right?! We ducked in without much expectation since we found it in a rush, but Minja Hoetjip turned out more satisfying than I thought 🐟

Turns out they've been running this sashimi restaurant in Jumunjin Market for about 40 years! Voted the #1 spot for squid mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) on the TV show "6 O'Clock My Hometown"! ^^ Gotta try the squid mulhoe next time!

What came on the medium mixed sashimi platter at Minja Hoetjip

We ordered the large size of Minja Hoetjip's signature mixed sashimi platter. When ordering, they asked first whether we wanted salmon included, and we asked them to leave it out. I liked that they checked our preferences ahead of time like that 😊

What impressed me was that the thickness of the slices differed by fish. Flounder was cut thick, while pufferfish was sliced relatively thin ^^

That day we also got to try cheongbok (a type of pufferfish), which they said was a summer specialty. It was chewy yet clean-tasting, and since it's not something I run into often, it left an impression.

Another thing that caught my eye was jeonbokchi (an abalone-adjacent fish). It's not an easy one to taste normally, so I was curious. The flesh was firm and springy with great umami — I loved that one platter let us try so many different kinds of sashimi 🐟✨

The free side spread: abalone, sea squirt, shrimp and more

I heard the table setting fee and stew at Minja Hoetjip were free, so I assumed we'd just get basic sides — but it turned out much more varied than I expected.

Abalone and sea squirt, my daughter's favorites, came out first, followed by shrimp, fried abalone, and abalone porridge. Pretty generous for a free spread 😳

The abalone porridge in particular was nice and filling to eat between bites of sashimi, and the fried abalone was crispy enough that my kid ate it happily.

Arriving at 8 a.m. opening: inside Minja Hoetjip

We visited right at opening time, so the place was quiet at first, but by the time we finished eating, quite a few seats had filled up.

There were regulars who'd clearly been coming for a long time, as well as travelers like us, so it seemed like a place locals keep coming back to in Jumunjin.

Everyone was kind — from the floor staff member who's worked alongside the owner for over 20 years, to the owner slicing the fish, to the younger staff. Even though it was our first visit, they explained things and took care of little details, so we could eat comfortably 🥰

The free spicy fish stew, finished with ramyeon noodles and rice

For me, the meal's real finish was the spicy fish stew 🔥 Usually the stew you get after sashimi at these places is just a light taste, but Minja Hoetjip's stew was spicy and rich enough that I kept going back for more.

We ended up ordering rice to go with it, too. Ramyeon noodles are essential ^^ Adding noodles to the broth made it so much more filling and delicious haha.

A spoonful of rice in the stew broth, plus the noodles, and I ended up clearing the whole bowl of rice 🍚 The sashimi was great, but that final stew really rounded off the meal properly.

Minja Hoetjip address, hours and parking in Jumunjin

3-3 Sijang 2-gil, Jumunjin-eup, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea. It's near the entrance of Jumunjin Fish Market, so I didn't have to wander long inside the market to find it. If you're driving, using the Jumunjin Haean Parking Tower looked convenient — you can get a parking voucher if you park there.

They're open daily from 08:00 to 21:00, closed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, so it's worth checking before you go.

The restaurant has various seating types starting from tables for four, so it looked fine for family meals or larger groups too.

Is Minja Hoetjip worth it for sashimi in Jumunjin, Gangneung?

Eating at a tourist-area spot is always half excitement, half worry, but Minja Hoetjip let us enjoy a full spread all at once — mixed sashimi, cheongbok, jeonbokchi, a bunch of side dishes, and the stew 😊

What stood out most was getting to try several kinds of sashimi and how generous the free spread was, and the stew with ramyeon noodles at the end really stuck with me. If you're craving fresh sashimi during a trip to Jumunjin, Gangneung, this place is worth a stop 🐟💕