Gangneung sashimi shop, ice-packed for the drive home: Ilchul Hoetjip

When you come back from a healing trip to Gangneung, there's one thing you just can't skip, right? Going all the way to Gangneung without eating sashimi (raw fish) just doesn't make sense.

But since we drove, ㅜ.ㅜ we decided to get it packed to take home instead.

Ilchul Hoetjip in Jumunjin, Gangneung: location, hours and parking

• 🚩Location: 4 Sijang 2-gil, Jumunjin-eup, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• ☎️Phone: contact the store directly
• ⏱️Hours: 10:00–21:00
• 🅿️Parking: public parking lot

Last stop of the Gangneung trip: taking live-fish sashimi home from Jumunjin Fish Market

After finishing up our whole itinerary and heading home, I thought — we came all the way to the coast, we can't skip fresh live-fish sashimi. Sitting down comfortably at a restaurant and enjoying a leisurely meal is nice too, but after a long drive we'd be tired, so I wanted to relax at home in comfy clothes instead. I looked up a well-known sashimi takeout specialist.

That's how we ended up at Ilchul Hoetjip in Jumunjin, Gangneung, known for neat packing. Walking into the alley of Jumunjin Fish Market, there were quite a few shops clustered together.

The owner greeted us warmly — we'd already called ahead to order the halibut and rockfish combo, and it was prepped and packed right on time.

I mentioned I was a bit worried about freshness since it would take a while to get home, and the owner said not to worry at all — packing two generously sized ice blocks carefully underneath the sashimi for a completely insulated pack.

With no worry about spoilage, I could head home feeling great and reassured.

What the 50,000-won set includes, from sea squirt to white whelk

As soon as I got home, I excitedly unwrapped each package on the dining table. Even after a fairly long trip, the two ice blocks the owner had packed in were still holding a solid chill, so the sashimi kept its cool, taut texture as if just sliced.

It really made me think, sashimi truly is best from Gangwon-do — the translucent color and thick cut overwhelmed the eyes. Opening the main sashimi platter, every single grain of the flesh looked alive, an impressive sight that made my mouth water instantly.

On top of the main live-fish sashimi, the complimentary seafood sides were surprisingly generous, more than expected. Fresh sea squirt full of ocean aroma and chewy, appealing white whelk were given generously, instantly turning the table into a feast rivaling a fancy Japanese course.

Green wrap vegetables like lettuce and perilla leaves, plus sharp sliced garlic and cheongyang chili, savory ssamjang, chojang, and soy sauce were all perfectly packed in — no need to pull out separate dishes or seasonings at home. Can you believe all this came in a ₩50,000 set?

Unpacking the sashimi at home: how fresh was it after the drive?

Excitedly picking up chopsticks, I first dipped the main sashimi lightly in wasabi soy sauce. The moment I chewed, a subtle sweetness spread through my whole mouth along with an on-another-level chewy texture, and the exclamations just kept coming.

The flesh wasn't mushy at all — so chewy and springy, it convinced me all over again that freshness sourced directly from Gangwon-do local waters really is the answer for sashimi.

The complimentary sea squirt, shrimp, and clams had zero fishy smell, carrying plenty of that distinctive cool, slightly bitter ocean scent, and the chewy white whelk was clean-tasting yet gave off a rich, nutty flavor the more you chewed — an absolute delicacy.

Away from the noisy, crowded atmosphere of a restaurant, eating in my most comfortable clothes while watching my favorite variety show felt like the perfect way to wrap up the trip. Thanks to this Gangneung Jumunjin sashimi restaurant, where the taste, freshness, and packing service were all flawless, I got a truly perfect finale to this trip. From now on, whenever I visit Gangneung, I'll definitely make a point of stopping by Ilchul Hoetjip again for takeout.

If you'd like to enjoy the taste of freshly caught seafood comfortably at home after a trip, I strongly recommend getting takeout from Ilchul Hoetjip in Gangneung without hesitation. (When traffic isn't bad, coming up quickly and enjoying it leisurely was pretty great too.)