Sokcho Jungang Market street food on a weekday: Seomin Gapbu Sijang

A Sokcho Jungang Market food spot. Here's my review after visiting Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip!

When is Sokcho Jungang Market least crowded?

Sokcho Jungang Market is always packed! Even visiting on a weekday afternoon, it was buzzing with people. Though honestly, this is the calm version..! On weekdays, it gets super crowded around evening, and on weekends — let's just not talk about it. Seriously, watch out for the crowds. I'd recommend going early to avoid mealtimes, or going later.

Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip sits right in the middle of Sokcho Jungang Market. The size of the place is massive..! Other shops are long and narrow too, but I don't think I've seen one this big.

What Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip sells, from dakgangjeong to stuffed squid

There's basically nothing Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip doesn't have. Starting with the famous boneless dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken) that's a must at Sokcho markets,

there's also squid sundae and abai sundae, which have just as many devoted fans as the dakgangjeong,

and of course the gorgeous-looking, insanely tasty tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) is there too!

There's also crispy-outside, soft-inside potato pancakes being griddled right on the spot,

plus susu-bukkumi (sorghum pancakes), fried shrimp, and all kinds of fried snacks — seriously, there's no menu missing. It felt like you could find every single type of market street food at Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip. Legendary, honestly. You don't need to fight through the crowds going shop to shop buying bits and pieces — you can just conquer all the good stuff in one spot!

Here's the menu board..! They've got set menus too! If you're torn on what to order, a set menu might be the way to go.

Anyway, the options are really varied. Besides dakgangjeong, they also sell regular fried chicken. Does anyone else know that market-style fried chicken hits different?

Garlic dakgangjeong to go, eaten back at the room

I ordered the garlic dakgangjeong to go — this was what I was most curious about here!

The box was bigger than I expected, which caught me off guard;; it was pretty heavy too.

I held back the urge to eat it right away, and when I opened it up back at the lodging, this gorgeous color was waiting for me;; hello there, gorgeous?

Being boneless, it was super easy to eat, and above all, that sweet, signature dakgangjeong sauce flavor was so addictive and delicious..! The nuts sprinkled on top added a nice crunchy texture that kept it from being one-note! And best of all, the batter wasn't chewy/tough and the chicken inside wasn't dry..! This was the tastiest dakgangjeong I've had in a while!!!

There's especially fried garlic sprinkled all over, which is the real kicker! If you don't like fried garlic, you're not Korean. Agreed? They also have deodeok (bellflower root) dakgangjeong alongside the garlic version, so now I'm curious what that one tastes like.

Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip's business card. Looks like there are extra flavor options too, like spicy, honey sweet, and honey ttangcho. Mission complete — demolished some amazing dakgangjeong at this Sokcho Jungang Market food spot!

Is Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip worth a stop?

Seomin Gapbu Sijang Dakjip, a food spot in Sokcho Jungang Market. It's located right in the middle of the market, with plenty of staff so orders move fast, and the range of food they handle is seriously massive — heads up! The dakgangjeong is sweet and absolutely delicious too.