Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Korea is rich in seafood and can be easily found. Also, there are a wide variety of types of seafood produced with different water temperatures on each coast. In particular, on the west coast, you can easily find oysters, cockles, cockles, and mountain octopus due to the influence of the tidal flats, and also, since snakes, bandangs, and rockfish are mainly caught in the West Sea, you can enjoy fresher and tastier cuisine when visiting mountainous areas. It comes out all year round, but for some reason, you can enjoy seafood that tastes better in the winter season, enjoy the winter sea on the west coast, and enjoy delicious seafood.
Famous fishery ports and fish markets worth visiting on the west coast include Ganghwa Oepo Port Salted Fish Market, Incheon Soraepo-gu General Fish Market, Gungpyeong Port Gungpyeong Fish Market in Hwaseong City, Gungpyeong Fish Market at Taean White Sand Beach Port, Gungri Port Gungpo District, Hongseong Namdang Port Fish Market, Boryeong Daecheon Port Fish Market, Boryeong Gocheon Port, Seocheon Hongwon Port Fish Market, Gunsan Gunsan Port General Fisheries Center, Gunsan Gunsan Port There are Buan Geoppo Port Fish Market, Buan Gomso Port Fish Market, Buan Gomso Port Fish Market, Gochang Gusipo, and Mokpo Suhyup Fish Market at Mokpo North Port.
Famous places for bandangi on the west coast include Boryeong Sujung Restaurant, Yesan Tosunne Restaurant, and Ganghwa Cheonggang Sashimi Restaurant. Restaurants for grilled shellfish and shellfish soup include Yeongjong Island in Yeongjongdo, Donghwan-ne in Daebudo, Boryeong Daecheon grilled shellfish, Seocheon Wellness Kalguksu, Buan Gyehwa Hall, and Buan Jwasyeong Sashimi Restaurant. Zugumi, cockle shabu-shabu, and cuttlefish restaurants include Hongseong Isne Fisheries, Hongseong Manjung Ine Fish Market, Hongseong Onnuri Saejeonju Sashimi Restaurant, Taean Mongdae Sashimi Restaurant, Taean Mongsanpo Sashimi Restaurant, Taean Wonpoong Restaurant, Taean Iwon Restaurant, Taean Wonbuk Park Nakjitang, Muan Muan Restaurant, Muan Seungdal Garden, Muan Jeewon Restaurant, Muan Jeewon Restaurant, Muan Guro Sashimi Restaurant, Ha Muk Street There are Mokpo Dokcheon Restaurant, Mokpo Songhak Octopus Hall, Mokpo Sinan Octopus, and Mokpo Buchon. Oyster restaurants include Seosan Kun Maeul Nutritious Oyster Rice and Seosan Ganwoldo Delicacy Nutritious Oyster Rice. Rockfish soup restaurants include Taean Pinfield Garden, Taean Wonpoong Restaurant, Seosan Sanhae Delicacies, Seosan Seosan Flower Crab Market, and Taean Todam Restaurant. Here are 5 of the best seafood restaurants you can visit while traveling on the west coast in winter.
1. Soft texture and rich aroma at the same time! 'Cheonggang Sashimi' in Nae-ri, Ganghwa-gun
Image source: yeana1226 on Instagram
Image source: yeana1226 on Instagram
“Cheonggang Sashimi Restaurant†is the original bandang cuisine specialty restaurant that first introduced bandang sashimi in Ganghwa-gun. Word of mouth about bandang sashimi, which was presented to hikers visiting Mount Mani in 1983, spread, and the number of restaurants selling bandang around the store increased one by one. The signature menu is “bandangi sashimi,†where the luster flowing over the light pink flesh enhances the taste. It's greasy, so it boasts a savory flavor that spreads as you chew it, and a texture that melts smoothly in your mouth. Other than that, you can also find a variety of bandang dishes, such as “bandang sauce,†which is a spicy and sour sauce mixed with bandang sashimi and vegetables, and “wanja-tang,†which is made by grinding bandang bones into a meatball.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 19-1, Haeannam-ro 2845beon-gil, Hwado-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon
▲Opening hours: 10:30 — 20:30 every day, closed on Wednesday
â–²Price: Bandang sashimi 40,000 won, Bandang sauce+Wanjatang 50,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Shikigami Yeongshim): I stopped by during my trip, but it turned out to be a famous place. I ate bandang with sashimi and sauce, and it was nice to feel really fresh. There was plenty of food, so I went with my family, and everyone ate to their heart's content.
2. “Manjung Ine Hoesan†at Namdang Port in Hongseong, where you can feel fresh in your mouth
Image source: _mhmh_123's Instagram
Image source: qkr082 on Instagram
“Manjung Ine Hoesanâ€, located near Namdang Port, has a cool sea that spreads out over the window, adding flavor. If you order food, plenty of seafood such as oysters, sea cucumber, and kaibu are served as side dishes. The signature menu, “cockle shabu-shabu,†is prepared with a broth pot containing Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, and sweet pumpkin, and fresh colored cockles. Once the broth starts to boil, you can slightly boil the cockles and eat them with a variety of vegetables. The cockles, which are moist in the broth, have an excellent chewy texture and subtle sweetness. “Kalguksu,†which is eaten by removing vegetables and adding kishimsu sari to the broth left over from eating, is also a delicacy.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 5, Namdanghang-ro 213beon-gil, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do
▲Opening hours: 08:00 — 22:00 every day
â–²Price: Chicken clam shabu-shabu 70,000 won, kishimen noodles 3,000 won
â–²Testimonials (One million good meals): None of the cockles were fishy and were delicious. The soup also has a variety of vegetables, so it's delicious even if you just eat the soup. At the end, add kishimen noodles and finish with carbohydrates!
3. Enjoy grilled shellfish of your choice, 'Yeongjong Island' in Yeongjongdo, Incheon
Image source: kang1983a's Instagram
Image source: kang1983a's Instagram
“Yeongjong Island†is popular as a date spot due to its sentimental interior and terrace seats overlooking the sea. The signature menu is “grilled shellfish,†where you can enjoy various types of clams such as cockles, scallops, shellfish, conch, and petrified fish, and rabokki all at once. It's good to enjoy the original flavor without any seasoning, and it's also good to choose from a variety of types, such as clams topped with mozzarella cheese, clams topped with spicy sauce, and clams topped with savory cream sauce, according to your preferences. It's a great place to enjoy a drink with salty yet chewy ripe clams as a snack while looking out at the sea.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 1, Eunghasu-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon
▲Opening hours: 10:00 — 00:00 every day, 7 days a week
â–²Price: Grilled shellfish (small) 40,000 won, silumido set 80,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Shikigami sovist so): I went to eat grilled shellfish, but first of all, the atmosphere was really nice. The clams aren't small, and the flesh is plump inside the large shell, so it feels like grilled clams have been eaten properly. There's also a set menu, so I'll try it the next time I visit!
4. Seosan “Sanhae Delicaciesâ€, a refreshing soup that relaxes the inside
Image source: content_monster_yoopd's Instagram
Image source: content_monster_yoopd's Instagram
“Sanhae Delicacies†is located between Seosan City Hall and Seosan Bus Terminal. Finely prepared side dishes such as oysters, white kimchi, pickled garlic, water kimchi, herb sauce, and stir-fried anchovies add richness to the meal. The signature menu, “Rockfish soup,†is made by putting rockfish in rice broth, seasoning it with shrimp sauce, and simmering it quickly. Add green onions, onions, peppers, and minced garlic to it and cook once more to add a deep flavor. The soup, which contains the flavors of various ingredients, has a refreshing yet sharp flavor, and many customers like it for haejang. The soup, which has a refreshing flavor as it is boiled, blends in harmony with the light tofu and crunchy texture of rockfish.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 10, Daesa-dong 5-ro, Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do
▲Opening hours: 09:00 — 21:00 every day, closed on Sundays
â–²Price: Rockfish soup (small) 25,000 won, soy sauce crab 30,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Shikigin Shun): The dried rockfish is plump and the soup is really delicious. It had a different appeal from the sharp spicy soup.
5. “Hadang Food†in Mokpo, where you can feel fresh at a glance
Image source: Sindongjo29's Instagram
Image source: Sindongjo29's Instagram
“Hadang Food†was recently broadcast in famous media, and tourists from afar are continuing to visit. If you make tantang, they also offer stone crabs and jogi-yaki that are nicely baked according to the number of people, so you can feel at ease. The signature menu is “abalone, beef, and octopus soup,†which uses only domestic ingredients for yukhoe, octopus, and abalone. Finely chop the octopus from Mokpo North Port, add yukhoe and thick minced abalone, mix with seasonings such as salt, green onions, cheongyang pepper, and garlic, and finish by sprinkling sesame seeds. The variety of flavors and textures offered by combining crunchy abalone, rich yukhoe, and chewy octopus is fascinating. Tangtang is fun to enjoy in various combinations with side dishes such as seaweed, kimchi, and cucumber sauce.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 98 Sinheung-ro, Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do
▲Business hours: 12:00 — 00:00 every day, closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday
â–²Price: Abalone, beef, and octopus soup (2 people): 50,000 won, extra early bird 10,000 won
â–²Testimonial (shikigin crab croquette): I fell in love with the visuals once and the taste twice! Even though I tried octopus and yukhoe together, it was amazing to see abalone in it! The sauce is really delicious, and it's delicious even if you dip it in the soy sauce crab sauce that comes with it.