Sokcho crab course dinner for two, corkage free: Hanggu Hwareo

Where Hanggu Hwareo is and when it opens

Hanggu Hwareo is at 59 Daepohang huimang-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea, Daepohang Fish Market S-dong No. 9. It's open daily 11:30–04:00 (last order 02:30), closed every other Wednesday.

• Parking available, group-friendly, takeout available, corkage available (free)
• Parking voucher provided if parked at Daepo Harbor Parking Lot 2

I took Friday off and went on a trip to Sokcho! I've been seeing a lot of people staying at Kasia Sokcho lately, so we stayed there too this time — that'll be a separate post haha. There were so many crab and sashimi restaurants near Daepo Harbor, but this time we tried Hanggu Hwareo.

Picking your live fish and snow crab from the tanks

At Hanggu Hwareo you can check the spread lineup outside the shop beforehand, and apparently the lineup changes a little with the seasons.

You go inside and pick your sashimi or crab yourself.

It was nice being able to check the fish tanks right away too.

What time to arrive for a sea-view window seat

Hanggu Hwareo's big advantage is being able to enjoy snow crab or fresh sashimi while looking out at the sea.

I visited around 7pm and there were no window seats left, which was a bit of a shame. If you want to properly enjoy the sea view, I'd recommend going a bit earlier or reserving a window seat in advance :)

Snow crab D-course for two vs the E-course

I took a photo of the menu too. Of the 2-person snow crab courses, we ordered the D-course — apparently the difference between the D-course and E-course is that the D-course comes with a slightly bigger crab.

Before digging into crab on a Friday night, we mixed up a somaek (soju + beer) right away. Drinks on a trip always taste a little sweeter, haha.

What comes in the banchan spread

The base spread came with garlic, ssamjang (dipping sauce), peppers, wasabi, seasoned bracken fern, seasoned peppers, seasoned seaweed, acorn jelly, and pasta salad.

Chicken katsu, takoyaki, and 2 pieces of sushi came out with it too.

Kimchi pancake, and

lettuce was also prepared.

And for seafood, abalone, sea squirt, and raw squid sashimi came out.

The three kinds of assorted sashimi

Next came the three kinds of assorted sashimi.

We got flounder, amberjack, and rockfish. Personally, the rockfish was the best.

We ate the sashimi wrapped in lettuce and dipped in soy sauce with wasabi in all sorts of ways, and before we knew it we were already waiting for the crab. Ordering as a course like this was great because you get to eat other dishes while waiting for the crab.

How big the D-course snow crab is and how much meat it gives

Finally, the crab arrived. We basically came to Sokcho just to eat this crab.

The crab wasn't huge, but the meat yield was good. It was cut into pieces that were easy to eat, so it was simple to pop the meat right out. The claws were packed full of meat too..

Hanggu Hwareo is apparently corkage-free, so bringing a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc during the day and pairing it with crab sounds really nice! My husband must have thought I looked cute eating the crab because he took a ton of photos :)

Finishing with crab fried rice and spicy fish stew

When I eat snow crab, this crab fried rice is my favorite part. It's stir-fried with crab roe, and it was so savory and delicious.

Finishing with the spicy fish stew at the end was just right.

Naver booking perks, coffee and restrooms

On the way out there's a spot where you can get yourself a coffee, and there's an event running where you get a free soju or drink for a Naver receipt review, so keep that in mind. Also, if you visit after making a Naver reservation, you get a free nurungji (scorched rice) squid sundae, so booking ahead seems like the way to go, right?

The restrooms in the building were separated by gender, and since they're password-protected for customers only, they were fairly clean.

Hanggu Hwareo has been running at Daepo Harbor for over 40 years! On weekends it apparently runs as a late-night spot until 2am, so it's worth keeping in mind for anyone arriving in Sokcho late. If you're looking for a good crab restaurant at Daepo Harbor like I was, I'd recommend Hanggu Hwareo for the sea view alone. Next time, I want to come during the day, sit by the window looking out at the sea, and have crab with a glass of wine :)