Return Trip Keeper · 6 stories

A Reason to Return

I write about meals and visits to restaurants in Gangwon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Stays · Cafés

PlaceDonghae, GangwonRestaurants

Octopus seafood hotplate restaurant in Mukho: wasabi beef belly, Onda

Onda Donghae Mukho Main Branch (온다 동해묵호본점) is an octopus and seafood hotplate restaurant on the second floor near the Kkamakbawi raw fish village in Mukho, Donghae, Gangwon. The writer went around 1 pm with her fiancé, took a big-window sea-view seat and shared the Donghae octopus seafood hotplate for two (₩58,000) with octopus, abalone, hard clams, shrimp and beef belly, then finished with a self-serve fried rice stirred with the seasoned lettuce side dish. Tender octopus and beef belly dipped in wasabi sauce made this a very satisfying sea-view lunch at Onda.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceTaean, ChungnamStays

Taean pension with a sunset ocean-view BBQ after rain: The Classic Spa

The Classic Spa Pension (태안더클래식스파펜션) is an ocean-view spa pension right in front of Cheongpodae Beach in Namyeon, Taean, Chungnam. The writer stayed in Orchestra Room 302 on the 3rd floor and moved to the 1st-floor sea-view BBQ area for a sunset barbecue once the rain stopped. The writer then used the ocean-view spa at night and borrowed free gear for a mudflat outing in the morning. At around 100,000 won on off-season weekdays, The Classic Spa Pension is a good-value stay that combines BBQ, spa and mudflat in one trip.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho beef restaurant, no gamey smell: mushroom bulgogi, Soyachon 338

Soyachon 338 (소야촌338) is a hanwoo (Korean beef) restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building on Wonamhaksapyeong-gil in Sokcho, Gangwon, near Seoraksan. Before heading to Seoraksan, the writer and her fiancé had the hanwoo mushroom bulgogi, a meal dish simmered in a pot. The seasoning was neither too sweet nor too salty, so even her fiancé, who is sensitive to meat smell, ate it happily. With a spacious mountain-view dining room, mild side dishes and plenty of free parking, Soyachon 338 is a good place for a filling meal on a Sokcho trip.

Written Oct 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiCafés

Castella bakery in Bucheon: half-and-half cream family dessert, Jinsim

Jinsim Castella Bucheon is a castella bakery in Solarium Building B near City Hall Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. For a family dessert, the writer took home a half-and-half fresh cream castella (Jinsim fresh cream and chocolate cream, 9,700 won) and a chocolate castella (8,700 won); the castella was soft enough to chew with your gums, and the fresh cream was light rather than sweet. If you want a soft castella generously filled with cream as a family snack or gift, Jinsim Castella Bucheon is a good fit.

Written Jul 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan crab restaurant that won over a spicy-crab fan: Huni Gejang

Huni Gejang Cheonan Main Branch (훈이꽃게장 천안본점) is a Korean restaurant specializing in marinated blue crab (gejang) on Taejosan-gil in Dongnam-gu, Cheonan. On a weekday around 3pm the writer walked in with no wait and ordered the crab set for two (50,000 won): 2 soy-marinated crabs, 1 spicy marinated crab and 2 soy-marinated shrimp with stone-pot rice and side dishes, so soy-crab and spicy-crab fans could each eat their favorite. Because Huni Gejang's soy crab had no fishy taste, even the writer's fiancé, a spicy-crab fan, ate the soy crab without rice, which made it a satisfying meal.

Written Jul 31, 2026Sponsored
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