Ilsan Lakeside Diner · 110 stories

Gyeonggi Restaurant Journal

I write about visits to restaurants in Gyeonggi Province. · Writes about: Restaurants · Beauty products · Cafés · Shopping · Stays · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceGangneung, GangwonRestaurants

Gangneung cockle bibimbap & old soju bottle display: Yeonhwa Maeul

Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap is a cockle bibimbap and mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) restaurant beside the lotus fields of Pungho Village in Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung. To avoid the parking trouble and long waits at famous spots, the writer drove there on a weekday. The writer had the savory cockle bibimbap and an assorted seasonal-fish mulhoe in slushy, ice-cold broth, finished with somyeon (thin wheat noodles), with sets starting at 48,000 won for two. Yeonhwa Maeul Kkomak Bibimbap is a good fit if you want cockle bibimbap and mulhoe together, with no wait, in a quiet countryside setting.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGimpo, GyeonggiCafés

Rice paddy view brunch in Gimpo: burger and ricotta salad at Nillai

Nillai (닐라이) is a rice paddy view brunch café in Wolgot-myeon, Gimpo, on the road to Ganghwa. After a trip to Yeongjongdo, the writer stopped at Nillai on the drive and had the Nillai Original handmade burger (17,900 won) and a ricotta cheese salad (12,900 won), with green paddies, a canal and fountains beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Food took a little while on a weekday, but the burger and the paddy view alone make Nillai worth another stop.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnsan, GyeonggiRestaurants

Ansan sashimi spot, roe fish stew & mini platter: Eochongye 1beonji

Eochongye 1beonji (어촌계1번지) is a live-fish sashimi restaurant on Bandalseom in Ansan that also serves its sashimi in mini sizes. After a weekend outing to Geobukseom, a couple had dinner there: the mini seasonal sashimi platter (32,000 won), altang (fish roe stew, 28,000 won) and rice. The mini sashimi was thick-cut and generous, and the altang was full of roe and milt. Eochongye 1beonji is a good Bandalseom pick for two light eaters who want both sashimi and a hot stew.

Written May 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonStays

Sokcho family motel, 5th stay with a free second lot: Winners Motel

Winners Motel is a motel near the food town in Gyo-dong, Sokcho, Gangwon, run in the same spot for 20 years. On a fifth visit, for the first night of a windy, rainy Sokcho trip, the writer stayed in twin room 702 at Winners Motel and found the free private parking, the roomy renovated bathroom and the hair straightener provided easy to use. For a familiar, reasonably priced family stay in Sokcho, Winners Motel is a reliable choice.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHongcheon, GangwonCafés

Hongcheon brunch café on the way to Sokcho: mango juice at Cafe Iseo

Cafe Iseo Hongcheon Branch is a brunch café near Palbongsan Tourist Area in Seomyeon, Hongcheon, Gangwon. On the drive to Sokcho, the blogger ordered an avocado cobb salad (16,500 won), a bolognese ragu pasta made spicy (19,500 won), coffee and a sugar-free real mango juice blended from two mangoes. Portions were generous and the flavors clean, making Cafe Iseo a good brunch stop on a road trip to the east coast.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho hanok restaurant breakfast near Balhae History Museum: Bigeumdo

Bigeumdo (비금도) is a hanok-style Korean set-meal restaurant at 5 Sinheung 2-gil in Sokcho, Gangwon, open every day from 8:30 a.m. For a travel breakfast, the writer ordered two servings of Bigeumdo's pressure-cooker pollack gukbap (rice soup, ₩14,000 per serving), served in the pot itself: a mild, refreshing broth with tidy side dishes, the stir-fried potatoes a standout. Bigeumdo is worth recommending as a Sokcho route: a filling breakfast first, then a visit to the nearby Balhae History Museum.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho sharing café: Neorae Pudding & Mont Blanc at Cafe Neorae

Cafe Neorae (카페너래) is a large bakery café with Ulsanbawi Rock views, on the 2nd floor of Yetgoeul Sundubu in Haksapyeong Kongkkot Village (Soft Tofu Village), Sokcho. The writer, a regular who stops at Cafe Neorae on every Sokcho trip, came straight after a meal, skipped the bakery and had the signature Neorae Pudding, an Americano and one Mont Blanc. Opening at 9 a.m. with easy parking, Cafe Neorae is a good rest stop on a Seoraksan trip.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoseong, GangwonCafés

Goseong view café: corn flowerpot cake & merch tumbler at Bellemons

Bellemons Cafe (벨르몬스) is a dessert café on a hilltop in Toseong-myeon, Goseong, Gangwon, set on the second floor above a pension with window views of Ulsan Rock (Ulsanbawi) and Seoraksan. At Bellemons Cafe, the writer had a nutty cream latte, a strawberry latte, cookies and a corn cake served in a flowerpot, then bought a Bellemons merch tumbler. Bellemons Cafe suits Goseong and Sokcho travelers who want fun desserts and mountain scenery in one stop.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeoju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yeoju IC dakgalbi brunch on the road to Sokcho: Seorak Makguksu

Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi Yeoju IC Branch is a restaurant serving charcoal-grilled dakgalbi (marinated grilled chicken) and makguksu (buckwheat noodles) right in front of Yeoju IC on Sejong-ro in Yeoju, Gyeonggi. On a Sunday brunch stop en route to Sokcho, the writer ordered one portion each of charcoal spicy dakgalbi and charcoal soy dakgalbi (₩16,000 each) with pine nut broth makguksu (₩10,000), and was pleased with the yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), the dongchimi (radish water kimchi) and the dakgalbi the staff grilled and set on a two-tier grill. Seorak Makguksu Chuncheon Dakgalbi is a good place for a filling meal before a long drive past Yeoju IC.

Written Oct 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho makguksu spot for a first-day brunch: extra pollack, Topgol

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch (속초탑골막국수 본점) is a makguksu (buckwheat noodle) restaurant in Sokcho, Gangwon, near the Sokcho Beach public parking lots and the Sokcho Eye Ferris wheel ticket office. On the first day of a Sokcho trip, the writer had a brunch of deulmemak (perilla oil buckwheat makguksu) and pollack-salad buckwheat makguksu with extra pollack salad for 4,000 won, plus a shredded potato pancake for 17,000 won, and the nutty perilla oil and tasty pollack salad were the highlights. Sokcho Topgol Makguksu is a good first meal right after arriving in Sokcho.

Written Jun 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonStays

Sokcho couple's motel room with separate beds, ₩70,000: Winners Motel

Winners Motel (also written Winners Hotel) is a budget motel near the Gyo-dong food street in Sokcho, Gangwon. On the last day of a Sokcho trip, the writer returned to Winners Motel and stayed in renovated room 702 (a double bed plus a single bed, 70,000 won on an off-season weekday), where she and her husband each had their own bed and slept quietly. Winners Motel offers motel prices with hotel-level facilities, and the writer would book it again on her next Sokcho trip.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonShopping

Sokcho snack shop: oranda even a sweets-hater loved, Sokcho Yetgokgan

Sokcho Yetgokgan (속초옛곳간) is a traditional snack shop near the entrance of Sokcho Jungang Market in Sokcho, Gangwon, selling handmade oranda (puffed rice clusters bound with syrup), sticky rice yugwa (crispy fried rice crackers) and gangjeong. On the last day of the trip, the writer sampled the nut, jocheong (rice syrup) and yuzu oranda, and even the writer's husband, who doesn't usually enjoy sweets, said they were good. The writer then bought 2 packs of oranda (₩5,000 per pack) and 1 bag of handmade sticky rice yugwa (₩10,000). For a nostalgic, affordable souvenir from Sokcho Jungang Market, Sokcho Yetgokgan is an easy choice.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored