Potato pancake brunch at Daecheongmaru, a Sokcho tofu restaurant

Today I'm sharing an honest review of Daecheongmaru, a place I hit up for brunch during a Sokcho trip that's word-of-mouth famous as a Gangwon-do favorite.

I found this place myself and paid with my own money — 100% honest, no-frills review coming up.

I ate until I was stuffed at Daecheongmaru, a Sokcho favorite. Let me run through the menu and taste review quickly!

Where is Daecheongmaru and how far is it from downtown Sokcho?

Daecheongmaru is at 430 Gwangwang-ro, Sokcho-si, Gangwon, and has its own parking lot, which is handy for travelers with a car. It's a bit away from downtown Sokcho, but about 10 minutes' drive wasn't a hassle at all while traveling by car, and the parking space is well set up, so I'd recommend it as part of a Sokcho itinerary.

Daecheongmaru Address: 430 Gwangwang-ro, Sokcho-si, Gangwon, South Korea Hours: Daily 07:20 - 21:30 (break time 15:30 - 17:00) Parking: Available - dedicated lot

Is there a wait at Daecheongmaru if you skip breakfast hours?

Daecheongmaru, which I'd recommend for Sokcho breakfast, takes waitlist entries through the Tabling app.

I arrived at 10am on a Friday and walked right in with no wait!

Right when I arrived, I saw a wave of customers leaving, so the tip for skipping the Daecheongmaru wait seems to be avoiding breakfast hours slightly! Going for brunch means you dodge peak time and eat comfortably~

Does Daecheongmaru really give away tofu lees for free?

Daecheongmaru makes its own Chodang sundubu (soft tofu) and gives out the leftover tofu lees for free. You end up eating so much tofu during a Sokcho trip, right? Grab some lees to take home and make tofu lees stew afterward, and your Sokcho trip is complete.. ★

Daecheongmaru's menu and how ordering works

The signature Chodang set feels generous, and against today's prices, it feels like decent value.

At Daecheongmaru, a Sokcho breakfast favorite, you order via tablet and pay after eating! We ordered without hesitation — the popular Chodang sundubu, pollack hangover soup, and potato pancake, a must during a Gangwon-do trip.

What does the 14,000 won Sokcho Chodang sundubu taste like?

The signature dish of Daecheongmaru, a Sokcho Chodang sundubu favorite, is soft tofu in a pale, milky broth. There's no seasoning at all — it's just tofu itself — yet it's mild, nutty, and delicious. This Sokcho local favorite's Chodang sundubu is made using 100% domestic soybeans and coagulated with East Sea seawater, apparently. Total health food! Maybe that's why there were so many elderly customers in the restaurant. A Sokcho spot that'll win over grandparents' tastes on a family trip.

Sokcho dried pollack hangover soup, 15,000 won, and the side dishes

Sokcho pollack hangover soup was a bit unfamiliar and distant to me. But the broth was really rich, with a flavor you won't find anywhere else, so I'd definitely recommend trying it. Honestly, even though I don't usually like fish soup, I ended up mixing rice into it. On top of that, the basic banchan that came with the meal were also a cut above.

A Sokcho lunch favorite, Daecheongmaru comes with a mild tofu-lees stew as standard, plus soy-marinated shrimp and various namul banchan! Overall the side dishes had a mild, nutty charm, and among them the cucumber banchan was crunchy and refreshing — a surprising highlight.

The soy-marinated shrimp were small, but thanks to that the shells were soft too, which made them easy to eat in one go even for someone like me who usually dislikes shrimp shells. Among the standard banchan there's also grilled tofu, so if you're torn on the menu, try the grilled tofu as a side, and order more if the meal isn't enough! Banchan is refillable and rice comes with each dish, so with one dish per person plus the side, the portion was on the generous side for two.

Can two people finish the 16,000 won potato pancake?

The potato pancake we ordered as a side is one of those dishes you have to eat when you come to Gangwon-do, right?

With one dish per person plus a side for Sokcho breakfast between two people, the portions were so generous we got too full, so we packed up the leftover pancake. Eating it in the car on the way home after the trip, it was still chewy and satisfying.

Is Daecheongmaru worth a second visit in Sokcho?

I scraped every bowl clean down to the last bite. Honestly, Daecheongmaru was satisfying enough that I wouldn't mind paying with my own money and coming back again — a Sokcho favorite! Personally, it felt the most like true Gangwon-do Korean food and the healthiest of anywhere I ate on this trip, so I'm calling it my number one. If you're trying to decide on a restaurant to visit with family during a Gangwon-do trip, this is worth a stop.