Tofu restaurant in Sokcho serving 8 a.m. cheonggukjang: Kongbatteul

I went on a trip to Sokcho, and the Sono Felice Delpino breakfast was so expensive that I went looking for the soft tofu village nearby instead. There are re-e-eally so many restaurants there, but I went to Kongbatteul, a genuine gem where you can enjoy soft tofu and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) together. This is the story of a hearty, healthy morning at Kongbatteul's tofu table.

Where Kongbatteul Sokcho Branch is, and its opening hours

• Address: 134 Wonamhaksapyeong-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon, South Korea
• Open 08:00 / Close 16:00
• Regular closed day: Thursday

Big windows and high ceilings: an easy spot for the whole family

Kongbatteul sits in the quiet sundubu village, and the huge windows open up a view of the greenery outside, which makes the whole space feel wide open. It rained the weekend we traveled, but that actually made it feel even more atmospheric. There are plenty of seats and the ceilings are high, so it was really nice to visit with the whole family.

Ordering at the table kiosk, with plenty of hot-pot stews

You order from a kiosk right at the table. Kongbatteul Sokcho Branch has a lot of single-bowl stone pot dishes, and most of them are healthy, hearty menus made from soybeans. Cheonggukjang | sundubu | jjamppong sundubu | seafood sundubu | kongbiji — so many options that are great to eat early in the morning.

The side dishes came out neat and tidy. Healthy, plain flavors, like something you'd get at home.

Tofu sweet-and-sour pork, tofu kimchi, tofu tteokgalbi and kongtang, all included

True to its name as a tofu specialty spot, this Sokcho restaurant serves tofu sweet-and-sour | tofu kimchi | tofu tteokgalbi | kongtang as standard sides. These side dishes were seriously delicious too. I visited with my parents, and they were already completely won over by these side dishes. Tasty enough that a bowl of rice alone would be enough to polish off a whole meal 👍

Cheonggukjang 10,000 won · kongbiji 10,000 won

• ☑️ Kongbiji (10,000)
• ☑️ Cheonggukjang (10,000)

While looking up Kongbatteul the day before, the dish I most wanted to eat was cheonggukjang. As a kid I wouldn't even touch cheonggukjang, but as I've gotten older it's become so delicious to me. Now I've reached the point of buying it out, and Kongbatteul's cheonggukjang came out so hot it could scald the roof of your mouth, packed full of meat | tofu | cheonggukjang, and I loved it.

How did the cheonggukjang taste?

Scoop a bit onto your rice and mix it in — that right there is a true Korean table. The crumbly texture of the tofu, the crunchy kimchi and radish, the slightly spicy yet rich cheonggukjang broth — nothing was missing, it was absolutely perfect. Kongbatteul's cheonggukjang is, in my ranking, the best cheonggukjang I've ever had. It's genuinely that good. So good to eat in the morning, ㅠㅠ.

The kongbiji stew my parents ordered

My parents ordered the savory kongbiji (soybean pulp) stew. Kongbatteul Sokcho Branch's kongbiji stew had that distinctive plain-yet-rich nuttiness that comes from ground soybeans, and it was really charming. The portion was massive too. With its soft, crumbly texture, it was gentle on the stomach but still filling.

A breakfast worth the trip near Sono Felice Delpino

It turns out Kongbatteul Sokcho Branch was already famous enough to have been on TV. We found it just because it was close to Sono Felice Delpino, but it turned out to be a meal we were a thousand percent satisfied with. If you're looking for a healthy, hearty, good-value meal during a trip to Sokcho, I recommend Kongbatteul Sokcho Branch~!