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What to eat in Gangwon

Written by hand, not generated. Dishes, markets, timing and prices for Gangwon.

Eating in Gangwon: a local guide

Mountains and sea sit close together here, so upland crops — buckwheat, potato, corn — and East Sea fish share the same table. The winters are long, which is why so much of the local food is dried, frozen and thawed, or otherwise preserved.

What people eat here

  • Makguksu (buckwheat noodles) Chuncheon and Inje

    Buckwheat noodles served in cold radish water kimchi broth or with chilli sauce. You choose which, and broth usually comes on the side.

  • Dakgalbi Chuncheon

    Marinated chicken and vegetables stir-fried on a hot plate; rice is fried in the leftover sauce at the end.

  • Hwangtae (freeze-dried pollack) Yongdae-ri, Inje

    Pollack hung through the winter and repeatedly frozen and thawed. Served as hangover soup or grilled.

  • Squid and abai sundae Cheongho-dong, Sokcho

    Sausages stuffed into squid bodies or large intestine, from villages settled by people displaced from the north.

  • Chodang sundubu (soft tofu) Chodang-dong, Gangneung

    Tofu set with seawater instead of brine. Many shops serve it as breakfast.

Where the food is

Chuncheon dakgalbi alley

A downtown alley densely packed with dakgalbi restaurants.

Sokcho Tourist and Fishery Market

Dried seafood, raw fish and fried chicken, all inside one building.

Gangneung Jungang Market

An old town market mixing street food with seafood stalls.

Anmok Coffee Street

Gangneung cafes lined along the beachfront.

Daegwallyeong

Highland restaurants working with mountain vegetables, beef and dried pollack.

When to go

  • Freeze-dried pollack is at its best in the winter drying season, December to February.
  • Winter fish such as snailfish and sandfish appear from December through February.
  • In the July and August peak, coastal roads jam and restaurant waits get long.

Worth knowing

  • Sokcho and Gangneung get very crowded for accommodation and parking on summer weekends; travel early in the morning.
  • Soft tofu places trade mainly at breakfast and may run out by late afternoon.
  • With makguksu, add only a little sauce at first to taste the buckwheat, then adjust.
  • Temperatures differ sharply between the mountains and the coast — pack accordingly.

What it costsDakgalbi runs KRW 14,000-16,000 per person, buckwheat noodles KRW 9,000-11,000, and a soft tofu set around KRW 10,000.

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What to Eat in Gangwon — Local Food Guide | TastyLog