Sokcho croquette bakery capping red crab at one per set: Samsam Goroke

We came to Sokcho for a weekend trip :)

If you're in Sokcho, a food tour through Sokcho Jungang Market (속초 중앙시장) is a must! There's so much food packed into this market that just grabbing a few things to go could count as a full meal. It's not just about filling up, either — there are genuinely tasty spots, which is why we end up stopping by every time we visit Sokcho.

Where to park at Sokcho Jungang Market on a weekend

Weekends mean crowds at Sokcho Jungang Market, and parking gets competitive to match. Since we had two cars, we parked one in the Sokcho Jungang Market underground lot and the other at Centum Mark parking before heading into the market. Parking tip: park at Centum Mark and buy something, and you get 2 hours free.

Samsam Goroke, the croquette shop inside Sokcho Jungang Market

This time we stopped by Samsam Goroke, a bakery and Sokcho Jungang Market favorite. I hadn't noticed it last time we were at the market, but this time it caught my eye, so I picked some up. It's great for a quick bite while wandering the market, and also good to pack up and bring back to your accommodation — solid pick for Sokcho Jungang Market food.

Samsam Goroke set menus and the local liquor shelf

Samsam Goroke offers set menus too — a 6-piece croquette set and a 3-piece croquette set. Buying as a set comes with a discount, so it looked like a good option if you want to try several flavors, or if you're looking for a Sokcho bakery gift.

What surprised me here was that they also sell local Sokcho liquor. Some other shops around the market charge fairly high prices for local liquor, but Samsam Goroke's prices were close to supermarket level, which was nice. They seem to carry some bottles you don't often see in supermarkets, so I'm planning to grab one next time, haha.

Which Samsam Goroke croquettes you should not skip

What especially caught my eye at Samsam Goroke, a Sokcho croquette favorite, were the Sokcho red crab croquette — limited to 200 a day — and the abai croquette, filled with squid sundae (blood sausage). If you've made it all the way to Sokcho, shouldn't you try these region-specific flavors instead of a plain croquette? The red crab and abai croquettes especially capture that Sokcho feel, so if it's your first visit, make sure to get one of each.

The receipt review gift: makgeolli or a free croquette

After buying a set at Samsam Goroke, you can write a receipt review and get a free bottle of Sokcho traditional makgeolli or 1 croquette of your choice. We only stopped by briefly while waiting for food at Taegyeong Grilled Fish, so we had to rush back and only snapped photos without reading closely. I only realized this later while looking back at the pictures. Argh, haha. Next time I visit, I'm definitely participating.

Buying a 3-piece set? Make the red crab croquette your one

The handmade croquettes are also sold in a 3-piece set where you can pick your own flavors. However, it seems the red crab croquette is limited to just one per set. So if you're doing the 3-piece set, make sure to include one red crab croquette!

Croquettes that go with Sokcho makgeolli and Donghae soju

Summer in Sokcho really means the cool East Sea. After a swim, coming back to your accommodation and pairing croquettes with a makgeolli or Donghae soju sounds like a great simple drinking snack. If you're looking for a Sokcho bakery gift, don't just buy the croquettes — check out the makgeolli and Donghae soju too.

Opening the Samsam Goroke 6-piece set

We packed one of each flavor from the Samsam Goroke 6-piece set. It ended up being surprisingly heavy once we picked it up. Out of everything we bought while going around Sokcho Jungang Market that day, Samsam Goroke was the heaviest one, haha. That heaviness matched how filling it turned out to be!

The croquettes were fried to a golden brown outside, and each one had a different filling inside, which made it fun to pick and choose. The stickers on the packaging were also super cute — I wanted to keep those too, haha.

Sokcho potato croquette

If you're visiting Gangwon-do, you have to try the potato. The Sokcho potato croquette had a slightly more layered filling flavor than a typical potato croquette. The distinctive fluffy texture of the potato was great too, and maybe because I was on a trip, it tasted even better.

Abai croquette with squid sundae

One of the dishes you often eat on a Sokcho trip is abai sundae (blood sausage). But how about an abai croquette instead this time? You can really taste that distinctive abai sundae flavor, and it pairs with the croquette surprisingly well. Personally this was right up my alley! It has a clear regional character too, so I'd recommend it as Sokcho Jungang Market food.

Gochu japchae (pepper and glass noodle) croquette

Gochu japchae (spicy stir-fried noodles with peppers) is slightly spicy and salty, which pairs well with the croquette. There's a reason gochu japchae is a steady seller at pretty much every croquette shop. If you want a safely delicious pick, go with gochu japchae!

Pollack roe cream croquette

The pollack roe cream has cream mixed in, making it soft and mild overall. It's not a strong flavor, so it seemed good for kids too. That said, I personally lean toward spicy croquettes, so this one felt a little rich for my taste. If you like soft, creamy flavors, this one will suit you better.

Sokcho red crab croquette, 200 a day

And the one I want to recommend the most is definitely the Sokcho red crab croquette! After trying it, I understood why they limit how many you can pick in a set. No matter how full you are, make sure to have one Sokcho red crab croquette. Crab meat croquettes exist elsewhere too, but of the ones I've tried, Samsam Goroke's red crab croquette was the tastiest. Add in the fact that it's such a fitting thing to eat while you're actually in Sokcho, and it's officially a Sokcho croquette favorite!

Fire jjamppong croquette

If you like spicy food, I'd recommend the fire jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) croquette. Given the name, I expected it to be quite spicy, but maybe because it's a croquette, it wasn't as intense as I thought. Even our kids ate it fine, so if you like spicy flavors, you can enjoy this one without much worry.

A easy snack to carry on a Sokcho trip

We cut each croquette by flavor and shared them around, which was great for tasting a little of everything. It's especially perfect as a snack after swimming on a Sokcho trip when you're a bit hungry. Eating right there in the market is nice, but packing several to bring back to your accommodation to share is also a good move.

If you're looking for Sokcho Jungang Market food, or a slightly different Sokcho bakery gift, give Samsam Goroke a try. Personally, if it's your first visit, I'd recommend definitely getting the Sokcho red crab croquette plus the abai croquette.