Sokcho sashimi takeout a Goseong Airbnb host sends guests to: Hoega

The question my guests ask most

It's been three years since I started running a small Airbnb in Goseong, Gangwon. A lot of guests have come through, and funnily enough, almost every one of them asks me the same thing.

"Where should we eat sashimi in Sokcho?"

Honestly, I was a bit stuck at first. I didn't really know either, so I just pointed people to places that show up a lot online. But the guests came back with lukewarm expressions.

"The portion was smaller than I expected." "It felt like they only cater to tourists, which was a little disappointing." Every time I heard that, I felt sorry myself. I was the one who recommended the place, after all.

So I decided that wouldn't do, and started doing the legwork myself. On every day off, I visited one place, looking for somewhere I could recommend to guests with a straight face.

Finding good sashimi takeout in Sokcho is harder than you'd think

If you come to the sea, you want a plate of sashimi to feel like you've really traveled. But when you actually try to find a decent sashimi place in Sokcho, it's not easy at all.

Maybe because it's a tourist town, prices are higher than Seoul, yet many places don't live up to expectations. After a time or two of that, guests are let down, and since I'm the one who recommended it, I feel awful.

On top of that, many of my guests are families. Sitting calmly through a restaurant meal with small kids is no easy feat. So most of them want to take the sashimi back and eat comfortably at the stay.

So for me it was really important to find a place with neat packaging, great flavor and a friendly price. There are plenty of good sashimi restaurants in Seoul these days, and I don't want anyone coming all the way to Sokcho only to go home disappointed.

Hoega basics and location

• Name: Hoega (회가), Sokcho
• Address: 18-2 Beonyeong-ro 43beon-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: 11:00 AM – 10:30 PM (last order 10:00 PM)
• Regular closures: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month

After all my wandering, there's now just one place I name to guests with confidence: Hoega. It's easy to reach from Sokcho IC and close to Sokcho Jungang Market, so it's perfect to stop by while shopping or browsing.

The shop isn't big. It's a snug place with about four or five tables, and I actually like that more. You can feel them looking after each customer carefully.

Why locals keep coming back to Hoega

Hoega has been run by a married couple in the same spot for over 30 years. The owner wrote a note by hand and stuck it on the wall, and reading it genuinely touched me.

"Why is sashimi more expensive right next to the sea?" "Surely someone out there wants a good, affordable shop even in a tourist area." "Where on earth do the locals eat their sashimi?"

That's where they started from, they said. They thought about it from the customer's side, even just once more.

Small mixed sashimi plus mulhoe for ₩60,000, enough for three adults

When I got takeout elsewhere, three people ended up paying ₩80,000 or ₩90,000. At Hoega, a mixed sashimi platter and mulhoe together came to ₩60,000 and still filled us up. I was a little shocked when I first did the math.

The fish itself is really fresh, too.

Having been in business so long, they have solid ties with the fish market, and I heard the owner picks the fish by eye every dawn.

If you hear "small" (소) for the mixed sashimi and assume it's skimpy, you're badly mistaken. Ordered with mulhoe, it's enough to fill three adults.

The side dishes aren't as fancy as at Seoul sashimi restaurants. Still, the sashimi alone makes a solid, satisfying meal.

The slices are a good thickness with a nice chew. They serve whatever fish is in season, so there's fun in eating it each season too.