Lake Youngrang, seen through the square windows of GU Tea’s Sokcho location, is nothing short of spectacular. Kyungduck Park, head of the café, enjoyed drinking tea in the company of others while studying design in Italy. Once he returned home, he jumped right into the world of teas. And he fell so deep in love with Lake Youngrang that he decided to take his roots in Sokcho. And visitors to the café, invariably, will tell you this: that it’s been forever since they last enjoyed tea and conversations against such a beautiful and peaceful backdrop without ever checking their phones. An experience like that will turn people into tea lovers for life.
And Park highly recommends such a lifestyle. “I wanted to build a café that would encourage people to make tea drinking a part of their everyday life,” Park said. “That’s why we have a dedicated tea class here.” You can make reservations at your preferred time slot on Instagram. GU Tea is the first official Korean importer of pu-erh tea, and it is also served at the Sokcho location, along with other GU products. GU Tea brand was launched in 2002 around groups of people who enjoyed pu-erh tea. It’s more of a cooperative than a franchise. Each location has its distinctive feels to it. Park also displays natural wine and incense sticks, or anything or everything that fits his tastes and philosophy. And it makes the Sokcho café such a special place.
Address 106 Intraum, 575 Yeongrang Hoban Gil, Sokcho, Gangwon Province
Inquiry +82-33-631-5634
Instagram www.instagram.com/gutea_sokcho

Jung Dahin and Lee Joo-young, co-heads of the café Hindajung, are certifiable ‘geeks’ for bingsu, or shaved ice. They serve the usual lineup of milk bingsu, matcha bingsu and other types topped with fruits. And Jeong and Lee channel their inspirations into new bingsu. They were preparing to open Hindajung while living in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, and they would take a deep dive into how to create new types of bingsu after coming home from work. That habit has stayed with them. Those types are collectively called ‘guerilla bingsu,’ and they’re only available in limited quantities over a certain period of time. Some of the popular guerilla bingsu have been crème brulee bingsu, mint chocolate bingsu, avocado bingsu and black sesame bingsu.
Once Hindajung unveils new guerilla bingsu on Instagram, bingsu lovers won’t be able to resist the temptation. Jung and Lee always do their work a day ahead of time, preparing ice and making ice cream for the following day. They invest so much time and effort into each and every dish, and there’s no time for us to waste before we sample their bingsu offerings. The café isn’t all that busy on autumn afternoons, and now is the perfect time of the year to enjoy the warm and cozy ambience of Hindajung. Though it’s mostly famous for its bingsu, Hindajung also serves beverages made of matcha from Boseong, along with pudding, tiramisu and other types of desserts with Hindajung’s unique touch.
Address 248 Subok-ro, Sokcho, Gangwon Province
Inquiry +82-70-8830-9322
Instagram www.instagram.com/cafe_hindajung

Finally, there’s a restaurant in Sokcho you can visit for warm soups that aren’t sundaeguk (blood sausage soup). Maeja Sikdang is a Vietnamese pho diner that opened in 2017. It rose to prominence earlier this year after getting featured on a popular television program. Kang Hyung-eun, owner of the restaurant, was born to a mother who managed a butcher shop and had a grandmother who ran a noodle shop. Kang was trying to decide what could be the thing her family could do in Sokcho while staying true to their roots and identity, and settled on pho. “Maeja Sikdang isn’t an authentic Vietnamese pho place, but we make the kind of rice noodle soups that only our family can make,” Kang explains. The name of the restaurant comes from Kang’s grandmother. She still makes her noodle, albeit a slightly different type, and Kang’s mother still handles meat. Kang comes to the restaurant at 3AM every day to start making broth. Three generations of the family work together to bring us delicious bowls of noodle soup. The hard-working Kang, who also waits tables, helps adding extra warmth to each and every dish.
Address 17 Beonyoung-ro 105 beon-gil, Sokcho, Gangwon Province
Inquiry +82-10-9193-0807
Instagram www.instagram.com/kayrish7

Donga Bookstore is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. One of Sokcho’s most famous bookstores, Donga is now run by Kim Young-geon, the third-generation owner. Kim has his fingerprints all over this cozy bookstore. He organizes his own pop-up exhibitions and works with publishers for special events. Book shelves and stands at just the right heights will make you want to reach out and grab books. Even volumes that may have been unfamiliar at first will keep you engaged.
“A good book may be something with some brilliant insight from the author, or something that has been put together by great editors or designers,” Kim said. “There are many different definitions of a good book. And we try to showcase those books so that people who stop by won’t feel let down by books but will instead be tempted to pick them up.” At one corner of the store, you’ll find messages written by visitors. You can feel the connection between them and the store that transcends the typical customer relationship with shops. Anyone who has been to Donga Bookstore, even for just once, will want to see it stay in business for a long time.
*For more on beauty of Sokcho, as shared by Kim, see this earlier story on LHM.
Address 108 Subok-ro, Sokcho, Gangwon Province
Inquiry +82-33-632-1555
Instagram www.instagram.com/bookstoredonga

Do you feel overstimulated when in a new place? Do you have to write down your feelings with pen or pencil on a piece of paper? If you have an experience like this in Sokcho, then you should head to Moondan. It’s a stationery store that sells, in its own words, ‘writing tools that inspire creators.’ It is run by Lee Hae-in, director of the Sokcho-based Moonwoodang Bookshop. The word ‘Moondan’ has multiple meanings. It can be translated into ‘a literary circle’ or ‘a paragraph.’ And it can be short for ‘stairs at Moonwoodang Bookshop.’ Lee has turned the staircase between the first and second floors of the bookshop, which had once been storage, into Moondan. And it isn’t your average stationery store. With carefully chosen music and just the right amount of light, even a pencil will look much different there. With its limited space, Moondan doesn’t overflow with goods. But you’re bound to pick up a notebook or a pen to your liking. The ‘artist memo pad’ with a black cover, designed by Lee herself, is the most popular item. The simple-looking, sketchbook-like item is also quite practical.
Address 45 Joongang-ro, Sokcho, Gangwon Province
Inquiry +82-10-3023-8055
Instagram www.instagram.com/moondan.text

“A child grows up through books, and a grown-up meets the child inside through books.” The words on the small poster hung inside Chilsung Book Salon tells you all you need to know about this store. Chilsung sells picture books for children and adults alike. ‘Perfect Days,’ a Sokcho-based bookstore and guesthouse, is in charge of curation, with a focus on environment, animals and human rights for minorities. Chilsung doubles as a select shop offering eco-friendly brands. The salon promotes zero waste and sustainability. You can pick up bamboo toothbrushes and natural sponges by the eco-friendly brand My Island, or t-shirts gracing the images of endangered species made by the organic lifestyle brand Green Bliss. Chilsung Book Salon is located inside Chilsung Boatyard Salon, a museum/café/cultural space housed in a boatyard used from 1952 to 2017. Buying an illustrated book at Chilsung Book Salon and reading it at Chilsuing Boatyard Salon, with a backdrop of Lake Cheongcho? That’s not such a bad way to spend your day.
Address 45 Joongang-ro 46 beon-gil, Sockho, Gangwon Province 
Inquiry +82-10-5721-2309
Instagram www.instagram.com/chilsungbooksalon

KAB will destroy whatever old stereotypes you may have had about beer pairings. Operating under the concept ‘chef’s beers,’ KAB serves you unique beer-food pairings. Chef Choi Hyun-kab, trained in the New York-based Culinary Institute of America, and operating manager Kim Hyun-ki joined forces after first meeting as a brewer and a marketer at MoonBear Brewing in Goseong. Before bringing in food, they serve malt biscuits made of brewery sludge and welcome beers. That’s just the start. ‘Gravlax,’ or cured salmon, and ‘scallop with cauliflower soup,’ made with butter and chicken stock, among other Nordic dishes are paired with the leading Gangwon craft beer, Belgian Trappist Ale. “Depending on textures and sauces, different types of seafood go well with different types of beers,” Kim said. “If you want to expand the spectrum of your taste when it comes to beers and food, then you should come visit us.” KAB is preparing to open up a new location, on a larger site complete with its own brewery, in the mid-October. Check its Instagram for updates.
Address 1st floor, YM Building, 58 Joyang-ro, Sokcho, Gangwon Province
Inquiry +82-33-631-1014
Instagram www.instagram.com/kab_pairing

Gelato, the Italian-style ice cream, is a must-eat dessert in Sokcho today. Latoraeyo serves gelato made with fresh local ingredients. The shop strives to serve types of gelato that can only be enjoyed in Sokcho. The name of the place comes from the last two syllables of ‘gelato’ and the Gangwon dialect ‘raeyo,’ which is often used at the end of sentences. The signature item here is potato gelato, with potatoes being the staple of the province. Heo Seong-beom, head of the shop, left his hometown of Sokcho to study baking, and then came home to come up with the popular gelato. It has been served since Day 1 of the shop. It has the texture and taste of cold mashed potato, and the real kicker is ground black pepper on top. We recommend picking up a cup for two flavors and ordering potato and mugwort gelato. Gelato may seem unfamiliar to some, but most people will find ingredients here easy to like. On top of all this, Latoraeyo works with Gangwon-based artists to create gelato characters and use biodegradable plastic containers.
Address 3938-1 Donghae-daero, Sokcho, Gangwon Province
Inquiry +82-10-5755-4156
Instagram www.instagram.com/latoraeyo

LOTTE RESORT SOKCHO stands on Oeongchi Hill, which is surrounded on three sides by the ocean. It’s famous for its breathtaking view of the sea from every room. The state-of-the-art water park is a major hit for families. The resort also has a pub serving a wide variety of local craft beers and a buffet restaurant with a grill section, among other dining spots.
Address 186 Daepohang-gil, Sokcho, Gangwon Province 
Inquiry +82-33-634-1000
Website www.lotteresort.com/sokcho