10 Great Restaurants in Incheon

The first place that comes to mind when trying to think of a good place to have raw fish in Incheon is Yeonanbudu Pier Raw Fish Street in Hang-dong, Jung-gu. There are hundreds of raw fish restaurants clustered near the pier where ships and barges arrive and depart, including fish markets, raw fish shops and food stalls. Every restaurant on this street offers fresh raw fish at a reasonable price.

Restaurants on the Yeonanbudu Pier Raw Fish Street are famous for the generous amount of side dishes they offer. Some of them even have more than 60. There's another raw fish street specialised in Baendaengyi hoemuchim (sliced raw large-eyed herring seasoned with vinegar) nearby.

Soraepogu Port has many raw fish restaurants where you can enjoy fresh meals at reasonable prices. Visit the traditional fish market and nearby stores and enjoy the market's unique vitality and hearty welcome.

At Sorae Fish Market, located across the street from the traditional fish market, you can choose raw fish yourself from the market on the first floor and enjoy the sliced raw fish dish at the restaurant on the second floor by paying a table fee. Just pick any restaurant, and you'll be treated to a variety of raw fish dishes and generous side dishes at a low price.

If you're travelling to Incheon, don't miss the chance to go to Bukseong-dong Jajangmyeon Street and enjoy the original flavour of jajangmyeon (black-bean-sauce noodles) in Chinatown. The dish is said to have first been a cheap and easy meal for Incheon wharf workers, but its popularity has made it loved across South Korea.

The large and small restaurants on the black-bean-sauce noodles street have a long history and unique recipes from house to house. The Jajangmyeon Museum nearby is worth visiting.

Yeonghyeon-dong Multeombeong Street, located near Yonghyun Market in Michuhol-gu, is famous for blackmouth angler dishes. In the past, blackmouth anglers were thrown back to the sea by fishers because they considered them useless. They also nicknamed the fish 'Multeombeong-yi' after the sound it made when entering the water. Blackmouth angler dishes are now a popular speciality of Incheon. The blackmouth anglers are freshly caught in Incheon Port, so the soft meat melts in your mouth.

You can enjoy dishes like agwi-jjim (braised blackmouth anglers), agwi-tang (blackmouth angler stew), agwi-twuigim (deep-fried blackmouth angler) and agwi-tangsuyuk (sweet and sour blackmouth angler). The taste of the rice fried in the remaining braised blackmouth anglers is also fantastic.

Located close to Incheon Port and Manseokbudu Pier, it's easy to find fresh and delicious food in Manseok-dong Webfoot Octopus Street, Dong-gu. Webfoot octopus restaurants with a long history are clustered together near Manseok Bridge. There’s a saying: 'webfoot octopus in spring and small octopus in autumn', and it’s true that webfoot octopus is especially delicious in spring. Their flesh is chewy at this time, and the more you chew, the more flavour you get.

You can dip the blanched webfoot octopus in red chili paste with vinegar or enjoy it as jukkumi bokkeum (stir-fried webfoot octopus). The spicy and sweet taste of the stir-fried dish with red pepper sauce and water parsley will make your day.

Songdo Blue Crab Street grew from the stalls where blue crabs were sold at the roundabout in front of Songdo Amusement Park a long time ago. You can now enjoy a variety of blue crab dishes in the area, like kkotge-tang (spicy blue crab stew), kkotge-jjim (braised blue crab), saeng-ge muchim (seasoned raw crab), kkotge bumbeok (spicy blue crab with vegetables), ganjang-gejang (soy-sauce-marinated crab) and yangnyeom-gejang (spicy marinated crab).

Restaurants on the Songdo Blue Crab Street harvest blue crabs in the peak season and freeze them. You can savour the rich taste of fresh crab dishes here all year round.

Yeonrakgol Loach Village in Namdong-gu is home to many chueo-tang (loach soup) restaurants. Now known as Unyeon-dong, Yeonrakgol was an ordinary farming village whose residents enjoyed loach soup in an area where loaches were abundantly caught.

Instead of the typical fermented soybean paste broth, restaurants here use a spicy red pepper paste broth with small pieces of dough for the loach soup. By adding generous amounts of dough, noodles, courgettes, potatoes and garlic, the soup tastes rich and savoury. Loach soup is a popular stamina food in summer and said to be good for your skin.

Songhyeong-dong Sundae Alley is located opposite Songhyeon Market in Songhyeon-dong, Dong-gu. Its long history dates back to when Sumuntong Market opened in the 1960s and restaurants began selling sundae gukbap (Korean sausage and rice soup) as a cheap and easy meal for port and factory workers.

The secret of the soup in Sundae Alley is that the sausages are made with plenty of meat and glutinous rice. You can feel the tradition of 60 years from the way they combine the spicy and rich broth, savoury head meat and internal organs and chewy, plump sundae (Korean sausages). Kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi) and regular kimchi also complement its rich flavour.

Yeongjongdo Eulwangri Beach is a popular destination for all seasons, and grilled clam dishes are popular here. The beach is close to the metropolitan area and has beautiful natural scenery. Since many restaurants around Eulwangri Beach specialise in grilled clams, it has become a speciality of this place.

You can enjoy various clams such as scallops, big clams and cockles grilled on a plate and dipped in sauce. Clams will lose their texture if you cook them too long, so it's best to eat clams when they’ve just opened their mouths. Having grilled clams with a drink while listening to the sound of the night sea will be a memory to treasure.

Hwapyeong-dong Cold Noodle Street is known for its huge servings of cold noodles. Legend has it that noodles here were once sold in regular portions, but factory workers kept asking for more refills, so portions became increasingly large. This became the dish named sesut-daeya Naengmyeon, or 'washbasin-sized cold noodles'.

Hwapyeong-dong cold noodles are cold buckwheat noodles with yeolmu naengmyeon (young summer radish kimchi). The spicy and dry taste of young summer radish blends with the chewy texture of the noodles to create a special dish. The price is cheap considering the generous amount, so you can enjoy it casually as a budget meal.