Korea's Top 10 Seafood Restaurants in Sokcho

The evening opens softly here: warm light over minimalist plates, a calm room that lets the ocean’s freshness speak through a seasonal course. Think delicate textures, clean flavors, and plating that mirrors Sokcho’s coastline without shouting. If you arrive right on time, you slip into your seat with no wait and the meal flows like a tide.

• Order this: The set course with recommended drink pairings for a balanced, seaside-influenced progression.

A few minutes toward the port and you meet “FOGO,” Portuguese for fire, where the team coaxes depth from each ingredient by managing heat, distance, and rest. Expect pristine seafood and grilled specialties that smell like a sea breeze meeting warm charcoal, paired with views that slow conversation in the best way. Polished service leans premium, and so do prices.

• Order this: Afternoon tea with a sea view, then the grill selections; ask about the day’s catch over fire.

If FOGO is about the art of fire, VISTA is about abundance. Families and groups love the spread of international bites alongside Sokcho-forward seafood, all framed by the East Sea’s horizon. It is easy and generous, the kind of place where everyone finds “their” plate and the table hums.

• Order this: Start with local seafood selections before moving to global stations for balance.

A few blocks inland, steam fogs the windows as same-day live red crab hits the table with that sweet, ocean-deep perfume. The name promises refills and the boats out back make it believable. Bring friends, roll up sleeves, and finish with crab-roe fried rice that makes everyone go quiet for a minute.

• Order this: Live red crab set with abalone; do not miss crab shell fried rice and a final ramen boil.

Head a touch north and you get the colorful bowl that defines many Sokcho trips: icy mulhoe and sea urchin bibimbap, bright with sesame and sea perfume. It is beloved by locals and travelers alike, with lines that move quickly and staff who keep the pace friendly.

• Order this: Mulhoe with sea urchin bibimbap duo for a perfect sweet-briny contrast.

When you want quiet elegance, this is the move. The sashimi course layers honmaguro, large flatfish, sea bream, and yellowtail with hot and cold small plates so even non-sashimi fans find a favorite. The garden frames Seoraksan ridgelines and the lake in the distance, and the room is calm without feeling stiff.

• Order this: Sashimi Course, then finish the Wagyu Bulgogi Hot Pot with added noodles or crispy rice.

South of Sokcho, the oldest crab house in Yangyang treats crab like a craft, focusing on high yield and quick, warm service. It is perfectly placed for beach days and temple visits, and the crab arrives steaming, sweet, and deeply satisfying.

• Order this: Hairy crab set and the roe-mixed rice in-shell to end on a buttery note.

Back in the city center, Badaro serves the kind of seafood meal that wins over every generation. Pot rice comes steaming and fragrant, sauces are tuned to heighten natural sweetness, and the dining room stays lively without tipping into chaos.

• Order this: Signature seafood pot rice with house sauces; add a soup for comfort.

A few minutes’ stroll from Chester’s Hotel, this specialist turns market-fresh fish into glossy, aromatic jjim that perfumes the table with soy, ginger, and ocean sweetness. The move to a new address brought easier parking without changing the recipe regulars crave.

• Order this: Signature braised fish with extra vegetables; spoon the sauce over rice for the last satisfying bites.

End by the harbor where the air smells like salt and smoke. Sooki’s plates golden-skinned grilled fish beside bubbling stone-pot rice and a seasonally changing parade of banchan. It tastes like coming home after a long day by the sea, and that is exactly the point.

• Order this: Barley-dried yellow corvina or marinated crab with hot stone-pot rice to catch every savory drip.