Fresh-fried potato and fire jjamppong croquette 6-set, Sokcho market

Today I was torn between way too many snack shops in Sokcho's Jungang Market, but I heard there was a croquette spot worth visiting, so I went. They sell them hot, and eating one fresh out of the fryer was genuinely delicious 👍 Packed full inside and just the best. Here's my to-go review!!

📍 Location: 28 Jungangsijang-ro 6-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do ⏰ Hours: Mon–Fri 10:00–20:00, last order 19:40 / Fri–Sun 09:30–21:00, last order 20:40 🅿️ Parking: Nearby market parking available, parking assistance offered

Samsam Goroke's location, stall 42 in Jungang Market

Samsam Goroke, located in Sokcho's Jungang Market, sits at stall 42 near Manseok Dak-gangjeong, so it's easy to find! Walking by, the smell of fresh bread and the sight of the display stopped me in my tracks 😊

3-piece and 6-piece croquette set prices

Samsam Goroke has a 3-piece croquette set and a 6-piece croquette set — the 3-piece is ₩9,000 and the 6-piece is ₩17,000. Cheaper than buying individually, and best of all, you get to try a variety of flavors, which made it easy to decide on my first visit.

Croquette flavors and single prices

There were about six flavors.

• Sokcho red crab croquette ₩3,700
• Sokcho abai croquette ₩3,700
• Meat-packed jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) croquette ₩3,500
• Chinese-style pepper japchae croquette ₩3,500
• Sokcho potato croquette ₩3,300
• Sokcho pollack roe cream croquette ₩3,500

The red crab croquette is limited to just 200 a day!! Beyond the red crab one, there were plenty of other flavors too. After some deliberation, I packed a 6-piece set to go.

Sokcho-made makgeolli and soju also on sale

Besides croquettes, they also sell alcohol made locally in Sokcho — makgeolli, dongdongju, even Donghae soju!

• Sokcho saengtak makgeolli ₩2,000
• Abai makgeolli ₩2,000
• Corn dongdongju ₩2,000
• Donghae soju 17.5% ₩2,800
• Seorak soju 23% ₩11,000

The prices were really reasonable too! Also, Onnuri gift certificates and Sokcho Love gift certificates are accepted, which is worth keeping in mind!

Handmade croquettes fried continuously in an open kitchen

I also spotted the owner continuously frying inside the shop!! It's an open kitchen and handmade croquettes, so my expectations went up ♥️

Country-of-origin labeling is required, and they had it posted somewhere clearly visible, which makes it feel trustworthy to buy and eat!

Fresh-fried croquettes eaten right in the market

I bought the 6-piece set. The smell was so good I couldn't even wait to get back to the guesthouse — I decided to eat right there in the market. You know bread tastes best eaten right when it comes out!! (former baker here)

The outside was super crispy. Even with all the crowds in Sokcho market, I found a corner and started eating right there! Seriously, eat it right away!!! So good!! 😊♥️😊

Flavor stickers on the wrapping

Each wrapper had a sticker on it, so it was easy to tell which flavor you were picking up. The fire jjamppong and Sokcho potato were seriously so good!

They gave us a nicely packed box too, which seems perfect for gifting!

Sokcho potato and fire jjamppong croquette flavors

The Sokcho potato and fire jjamppong ones were packed so full inside that one alone was filling. My friends who came along kept saying how good it was, ㅠㅠ and even in that chaotic crowd we just kept eating without thinking ㅠ!!

Right before getting in the car we said let's have one more, so we finished almost all of them while still warm, haha.

What about the leftover croquettes back at the guesthouse?

Back at the guesthouse we ate the leftover croquettes too — less crispy than the first bite, but I could really tell why they're handmade. The dough was incredibly chewy and soft, and the shell was thin — amazing! 👍👍 If you're heading to Sokcho market, these make a great gift too, and if you have the chance to visit, I'd recommend stopping by Samsam Goroke!