If You Are Planning a Trip to Gangneung, Take Note!

Even Geumgangsan is Best Enjoyed After a Meal♡

The indoor temperature is nearing 30 degrees these days. I want to give a hard time to those who jump into the sea to fully enjoy the summer. Gangneung, which can be reached within about 2 hours by car from Seoul, is today's destination. So, I’d like to sneakily introduce a place that the editor loves and has saved in their heart as a must-visit spot whenever traveling to Gangneung. BUT! Active schedules are great, but don’t forget that even Geumgangsan Mountain is best enjoyed after a meal. Let’s GO!

Dokdone Cockles

‘Eomjine Cockles’ and ‘Dokdone Cockles’ exist as the two major players. The reason for introducing this place is simple. Placing cockles and bibimbap on perilla leaves, combined with the special side dish of pickled cucumbers, creates a perfect harmony. The more you eat, the more your appetite is stimulated by this charming dish. In addition to the main menu, about ten kinds of side dishes are served, making it fun to pick and choose. Among them, the best is definitely the seaweed soup. A large piece of meat floats in the deep and rich broth, tender and flavorful. If you go with people who cannot eat cockles, yukhoe (raw beef), or yuksashimi (raw beef slices), even just a bowl of rice will satisfy your hunger deliciously.

High School Days Curry Tteokbokki

This place is hard to classify as either a store or a street stall, but it sells curry tteokbokki. As soon as you enter, the aroma of curry fills the air. Long rice cakes, fish cakes, sundae (Korean blood sausage), eggs, and sundae are soaked in a red sauce. For fried items, there are chili peppers, gim-mari (seaweed rolls), squid, and dumplings, so you can enjoy according to your preference. The taste reminds one of seasoned fried chicken or tteokkochi (rice cake skewers) sauce, so it’s definitely different from the usual tteokbokki. Personally, I think it’s a flavor that makes you crave rice, and I’d like to try taking some home once and eating it with a ready-to-eat rice pack (Hetbahn).

Gomdori Mandu

Gangneung Jungang Market has so many famous and delicious foods. However, taking the time to visit Gomdori Mandu is also a good choice. They sell large king-sized dumplings for 1,000 won each, making them perfect for a snack. Kimchi dumplings are of course delicious, but here, you must try the meat dumplings. The dumplings are generously filled with juicy meat stuffing. TIP: The taste is quite similar to the famous 551 Horai dumplings from Osaka, Japan. If you enjoy them with a little mustard, you will surely experience an even richer flavor.

Photo by Yoon Eun-ae

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.