Beolgyo, Boseong
Cockle set meal
Blanched cockles served dressed, in pancakes and in salads across a full table. There is a knack to twisting the shells open with a spoon.
Regional food guide
What to eat in South Jeolla
Written by hand, not generated. Dishes, markets, timing and prices for South Jeolla.
Tidal flats, an archipelago and wide farmland in one province make for unusually deep supply. Tables come loaded with side dishes, and each city has its own signature ingredient — cockles in Beolgyo, octopus in Mokpo, mustard leaf kimchi in Yeosu.
What people eat here
Start with the local defaults
Mokpo
Sebal nakji (thin-legged octopus)
A slender long octopus, eaten in clear soup or dressed with sesame oil.
Suncheon and Boseong
Jjangttungeo tang (mudskipper soup)
Mudflat fish ground and simmered with soybean paste.
Yeosu
Seodae hoe muchim (sole salad)
Sole cured in rice wine vinegar and tossed with vegetables, served alongside mustard leaf kimchi.
Damyang
Rib patty with bamboo rice
Chopped and grilled ribs served with rice steamed inside a bamboo tube.
Where the food is
Markets, streets and harbours
Gyodong Market, Yeosu
A seafood market with a street of evening food tents alongside it.
Restaurants nearby
Mokpo Croaker Street
In Manho-dong, Mokpo, restaurants specialize in croaker sashimi and soup. Summer is the season, and the standard order is a course of raw, pan-fried and stewed croaker.
Restaurants nearby
Beolgyo cockle street
A street given over to cockle set meal restaurants.
Restaurants nearby
Damyang Tteokgalbi Street
Across from Juknokwon, Damju-ri in Damyang-eup is lined with minced-rib patty houses. Charcoal-grilled tteokgalbi with rice steamed in bamboo is the Damyang table.
Restaurants nearby
Araetjang, Suncheon
One of the largest periodic-and-permanent markets in the province.
Restaurants nearby
Naju Yeongsanpo Skate (Hongeo) Street
Yeongsanpo, a Yeongsan River port, is where Koreans began fermenting skate (hongeo) in the Joseon era; a 600-year-old skate specialty street stands here today.
Restaurants nearby
Gwangyang Bulgogi Street
Along the Seocheon stream in Gwangyang-eup, restaurants specialize in Gwangyang bulgogi. Thin beef is grilled straight on a charcoal grate, which sets it apart from other regional bulgogi.
Restaurants nearby
Haenam-eup 5-Day Market
Haenam-eup's traditional 5-day market, relocated to its current site in 1931. Opens on days ending in 1 and 6, gathering seafood from nearby tidal flats and local produce.
Restaurants nearbyWhen to go
- Cockles are a winter food, November to March. In summer both supply and flavour drop sharply.
- Croaker is eaten around Mokpo as a summer restorative, June to August.
- Spring is the season for webfoot octopus and common octopus.
Worth knowing
- 1Many set-meal restaurants only serve two or more people.
- 2Accommodation and parking around the Yeosu waterfront are very tight at weekends.
- 3Mustard leaf kimchi has a strong aroma. Taste a little before buying if it is new to you.
- 4Cockles are sold out of season too, so outside winter it is worth asking where they came from.
What it costs · Per person, roughly
A cockle set meal runs around KRW 20,000 per person, and braised hairtail about KRW 50,000 for two.
South Jeolla
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