Snow crab set with free corkage at Palpal Hoesenta, Sokcho

This summer was unusually hot and humid, so I was desperate for clean, clear sea air. That's how I ended up in Sokcho, Gangwon-do, with its emerald-blue water — and you can't talk about Sokcho without talking about fresh raw fish and snow crab. While searching around for good places to eat, I kept hearing about a snow crab spot in Sokcho that's basically a must-visit. That's Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch. Supposedly you can enjoy consistently delicious snow crab at a reasonable price and in generous portions, so I made a Naver reservation for the day we went and here's how it went.

Location and basic info for Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch

• Address: 59 Daepohuimang-gil, Daepo Fish Market Building S, 1st Floor Units 13, 14, 15, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00 – 22:00
• Parking available, pet-friendly, Naver reservations, corkage allowed, wheelchair accessible

What are the exterior and menu lineup like?

Palpal Hoesenta, a snow crab specialty restaurant running for three generations since 1988, apparently operates both a main branch and a branch location. We visited the branch, a 5-minute walk from Cassia Sokcho, located inside Building S of the Daepo Port Fish Market, so it was easy to find. Since it's a crab restaurant wrapped around Daepo Port, the view was fantastic too.

The menu was split into crab sets and raw fish sets, and we ordered the Crab Set C for 2.

Free corkage, and food from banchan to crab

Since Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch offers free corkage, we enjoyed our meal alongside the Dassai 23 sake we brought.

I love raw fish restaurants that give you a big spread of banchan (side dishes), and I was genuinely amazed by the amount of sukgadi (side dishes) at Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch.

The spot shrimp, abalone sashimi, sea squirt, and squid were all so fresh that even the texture of each bite was excellent. And it's not easy to find spot shrimp given as a banchan, but Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch does exactly that!! Though — they came skewered and still twitching, which made them a little hard to eat because they looked so alive, haha, poor things. But they were incredibly fresh!

Maybe because the fish was so fresh, the mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) was sweet, tangy, and refreshing, and really got our appetite going before the crab, haha.

Instead of the usual frozen shrimp tempura, they fry up actual snow crab legs, which made me feel the owner's real dedication to the banchan spread. Overall, the side dishes were fresh and delicious.

The raw fish platter included in the crab set — made up of flounder, rockfish, and spotted flatfish — was genuinely great value for the price.

I watched the ajumma right next to us catch a still-flopping, fresh live fish and slice it into sashimi right there, and the freshness was insane!! Every single piece had a texture and flavor on a completely different level from what you'd get at your average neighborhood raw fish restaurant, so satisfaction was high.

Complimentary steamed whole squid

The complimentary steamed whole squid let us enjoy rich, creamy squid innards along with the squid itself.

It's a genuinely unique dish that's hard to get anywhere except right in front of the Sokcho sea, and the fact that they give it away for free honestly made me gasp. Felt like it was a good call to come to Sokcho for vacation, haha.

The main event: one whole extra-large snow crab

While we were still enjoying the fresh seafood, the steaming main dish arrived — one whole extra-large snow crab, neatly prepped for easy eating.

The plate itself looked big, but this extra-large crab still completely filled it!! The owner said they only handle S-grade crab, and I could totally see why.

The legs were packed full of meat inside, and I really understood then why they call it S-grade.

This crab meat, the kind you probably can't get anywhere but Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch, was plump and generous, and there was real satisfaction in picking it all apart and eating it.

The best part was that the innards from inside the crab body were turned into crab roe fried rice, which made them even better to enjoy.

Free red crab ramyeon with a Naver reservation, and jjamppong-style soup to finish

If you visit with a Naver reservation, you get free red crab ramyeon (instant noodle soup), and I was shocked to find a whole red crab dropped in — the broth was seriously incredible and refreshing, haha. The Dassai 23 felt like it was curing our hangover already.

And of course, after raw fish, what better palate cleanser than spicy fish stew?! It's basically an unwritten rule for Koreans, haha. With a different kind of refreshing flavor from the red crab ramyeon, and with flounder bones added for extra depth, it was the textbook ending to a raw fish meal!

Final verdict

Overall, from start to finish, there wasn't a single dish that wasn't delicious — the freshness and flavor were outstanding, and the owner and staff at Palpal Hoesenta Daepo Port Market Branch were super kind. If you ever find yourself in Sokcho, definitely pay them a visit. You won't regret it — highly recommend!!