Sokcho market tempura takeout to eat at the hotel: Hwangbuja Twigim

One thing you can't skip on a Sokcho trip is the food at Sokcho Jungang Market (속초 중앙시장)!! We stopped by the market on this family trip to Sokcho, and honestly there was so much food that we spent ages deciding what to eat!! There were tons of tempura shops in the market especially, and out of all of them I picked ⭐️Hwangbuja Twigim!⭐️

Even among all the food stalls in Sokcho Jungang Market, this place had a seriously long line — and I get why now…!!

Hwangbuja Twigim location, hours and parking in Sokcho

Hwangbuja Twigim is at 26-27, Sokcho Tourist Fish Market, 16 Jungang-ro 147beon-gil, Sokcho, Gangwon. It's open Mon-Sun 08:00-20:30 and closed every Wednesday.

• ✅ Closed every Wednesday
• ✅ Mon-Sun 08:00-20:30
• 🅿️ Parking at the Sokcho Tourist Fish Market public lot — ₩400 per 30 minutes
• 🅿️ Spend over ₩15,000 and they'll give you a parking voucher too!!

Why we chose Hwangbuja Twigim among Sokcho Jungang Market's tempura stalls

Sokcho Jungang Market has so many tempura shops! From squid tempura to shrimp to squid sundae and all kinds of seafood, there's so much variety it's hard to decide where to go! The reason I'm recommending Hwangbuja Twigim is that the oil looked really clean! I think oil condition is what really determines how good tempura tastes!!

📌 The shop even had signage saying they insist on clean oil and good ingredients when they cook! And seeing the tempura in person, it really did look super clean?!

Tempura is always love… and there was such a variety of menu items!

What is on the Hwangbuja Twigim menu?

Hwangbuja Twigim's menu has more variety than I expected! There's squid tempura, king prawn, Abai sundae (blood sausage), baby crab, and more, plus you can order assorted tempura or set menus — great for tasting a little of everything!

There was so much variety and it all looked clean and delicious just by looking, I honestly wanted to eat everything…!!! 💗💗

I wanted to try nurungji sundae and Abai sundae both, and it was great that they let you do half-and-half!! 💗

Squid sundae fried to order right in front of you

Squid sundae being fried right in front of us!

After you order, you wait and they fry it right in front of you — and the second it comes out of the fryer, it looks so good?! We grabbed it while it was piping hot and packed it to go right away!!! 🔥🔥

Watching from the front was fun too… haha, they fried it so carefully and thoroughly!!

How the takeout is packed, and the tempura we opened in the car

Packed so neatly…!!

They packed it up so neatly and cleanly, so we got it while it was still warm!

We were planning to take it out and eat at our accommodation, but the problem was — as soon as we got in the car, the smell was just too good…? In the end we couldn't hold out until the hotel and ate one in the car, and wow, so good…!💗

Eating it truly fresh out of the fryer, it was so crispy and delicious?! I told myself I'd take pretty photos at the hotel first and then eat… but of course eating came first… hahahaha

Squid sundae half-and-half and king prawn tempura eaten at the hotel

Now for the real feast, back at the hotel

Once we were properly settled at the hotel, we dug in! I had squid sundae + nurungji squid sundae half-and-half, plus king prawn tempura!

I've had a lot of squid sundae before, but this one had really clean oil and a more generous portion than I expected, so sharing it with my husband felt less like a snack and more like an actual meal?!✌🏻

Sokcho Jungang Market has so much food, but this ended up being one of the most memorable. Eating it comfortably at our accommodation, taken out during the trip, gave the whole Sokcho Jungang Market food experience an extra layer of fun!?😳🫶🏻

The little secret behind Hwangbuja Twigim

Turns out there's an interesting story behind Hwangbuja Twigim! It originally started as a sundubu (soft tofu) restaurant in Sokcho's Nohak-dong, and while making snacks like tempura, tteokbokki, and mandu for athletes who came to Sokcho for training camps, they ended up switching entirely to a tempura shop… haha!

So! With the mindset of wanting to give customers clean, delicious food made with care even if it means less profit, they select clean oil and good ingredients for cooking! After hearing this story, it made total sense why the oil and ingredients looked so good!! The staff were also super kind! haha

Looking for something to eat at Sokcho Jungang Market?

If you're looking for food at Sokcho Jungang Market, definitely stop by Hwangbuja Twigim! There are so many tempura shops in Sokcho Jungang Market, but seeing it in person, the oil really did look clean, and I loved that they fry everything fresh after you order!

Sokcho Jungang Market has plenty of delicious food stalls, but if you're after freshly fried tempura among all the Sokcho Jungang Market food options, this is the place I'd recommend! Especially on a Sokcho trip, you've got to try the squid sundae and Abai sundae too…!!haha⭐️