Mania Tonkotsu vs Karai Ramen at a Sokcho ramen restaurant: Ichiba

On the first day of our Gangwon trip, my boyfriend and I went out drinking, so the next day we needed something to fix our hangover — that's how we found Ichiba Ramen! We ended up eating spicy Karai Ramen, Mania Tonkotsu, and gara-age (Japanese fried chicken), and somehow talked ourselves into ordering beer too, turning our hangover cure into a hangover-in-progress... haha.

Ichiba Ramen 📍 348 Jungang-ro, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do 🕙 Daily 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM 🅿️ Parking available

Hi, this is Onyul :-)

Why Ichiba Ramen was our hangover cure on day two in Sokcho

We had a wild time partying with my boyfriend on the first day of our Gangwon trip. So the next day, looking for something to warm up our stomachs, we discovered Ichiba Ramen, a well-known ramen restaurant in Sokcho.

Inside Ichiba Ramen: seating, and does solo dining work?

Walking into Ichiba Ramen, the interior was as clean as the exterior had suggested.

With wood tables and a bright, tidy overall vibe, it was comfortable to eat in, and there were bar seats facing the open kitchen that looked great for solo dining too. The tables had plenty of space, so the two of us sat comfortably.

Ordering is done through a kiosk, and it was easy to browse everything from ramen types to side dishes at a glance.

Mania Tonkotsu and Karai Ramen: one bowl each, then swap

We ordered one milky-broth ramen and one spicy ramen!

The milky broth looked rich and smooth just by looking at it, and it tasted savory and heavy in a way that matched the salty noodles perfectly. Topped with egg, wood ear mushroom, and meat, one bowl was more filling than expected.

The spicy ramen, on the other hand, was a direct hit for the hangover... Maybe because we'd been drinking the night before, but the slightly spicy, piping hot broth felt like it instantly cleared out our stomachs. Swapping broths back and forth let us enjoy both the mild and the spicy flavors at once, which was even better.

Gara-age and draft beer at Ichiba Ramen: hair of the dog

Ramen alone felt like it wasn't enough, so we ordered gara-age too. Crispy outside, juicy inside, it was perfect for picking at between bites of ramen. Up to this point we were clearly two travelers responsibly curing their hangover at a great Sokcho ramen restaurant, but the moment we took a bite of gara-age, there was no way we weren't clinking beer glasses... In the end my boyfriend and I couldn't resist... alcohol strikes again ☆

Cold draft beer with gara-age, then back to a hot sip of ramen broth — that combination was just too good. We clearly came in to cure our hangover, but before we knew it, there we were holding beer glasses again... but that's what travel is for, right? Haha.

In the end we drank almost all the broth and left properly full. When you're touring Gangwon and eating raw fish or seafood nonstop, sometimes you crave a hot noodle dish in between — and this Sokcho ramen restaurant was a great stop for exactly that.

Who should eat at Ichiba Ramen in Sokcho?

It's especially great as a hangover meal if you drank the night before and need something spicy, and also recommended if you want ramen with gara-age and a draft beer in the evening. Just like us, you might go in to cure a hangover and end up starting the drinking again..?

When you travel, you end up eating all sorts of delicious things, and having a hot bowl of broth in the middle of it really resets your stomach. In particular, ordering one spicy and one mild ramen and sharing them with my boyfriend meant we never got tired of either. If you're looking for a Sokcho ramen restaurant that handles a filling meal and a hangover cure at once, this is a solid choice~ This was our Sokcho recommendation, Ichiba Ramen, from a boyfriend and me who properly enjoyed our second day in Gangwon!