The story
Before he ever stepped into a kitchen, he spent years on stage. The owner of 온도 came to cooking late — after a career as a professional dancer, he married, and cooking became his new form of expression. He built his technique in Japanese restaurants, learning the foundations of dashi and precision. When his wife's hometown of Sokcho called them both back from Seoul, he spent a year as creative director at a local resort, watching what tourists ate and what they missed. He signed the lease on this space in winter 2023 — a narrow room on the Yeongrang coast — and spent six months preparing before opening in June 2024.
“가쓰오다시랑 한국 양념을 층층이 쌓아야 제 맛이 나요. 오징어볶음 하나도 여덟 번, 제육볶음도 아홉 번 — 그 과정이 있어야 제대로 된 감칠맛이 나오거든요. — 'You have to build the katsuobushi dashi and Korean seasoning layer by layer. Eight passes for the squid stir-fry, nine for the jeyuk — that's what it takes to get proper umami.'”
Owner, Ondo Kitchen
What they stand for
온도 is not a specialist restaurant. The owner thinks about the whole meal — the rhythm from dish to dish, how each item earns its place on the table. He shops the Sokcho fish market and the traditional market every morning, adjusting to what came in. On days when the East Sea is rough and fish is scarce, he turns to dried fish, braised until the house smells like something a grandmother would make. The Japanese technique runs through everything: katsuobushi and kombu dashi layered into Korean seasonings, eight or nine passes on a single dish, until the flavor sits exactly where he wants it.
Behind the signature
Fresh cod is the thing Sokcho does that almost nobody else does, and 온도 does it in forms you won't find at the crab houses: a clear broth (지리탕) with hand-cut sujebi noodles alongside; a spicy stew (매운탕) built on house dashi rather than powdered stock; a steamed cod (대구찜) made from the head, collar, and body together, under a sweet-spicy house sauce. The cod belly pancake is a quiet side dish that surprises people. The owner says steamed cod from fresh fish is nearly impossible to find anywhere else in Sokcho — most places work from frozen. He will also serve dishes that aren't on the menu: cod liver preparations, offal, whatever came in that morning and is worth doing something interesting with.
Local tip
온도 is on Yeongrang-haean-1-gil, the coastal road beside Yeongrang Lake — a 10-minute drive north of downtown Sokcho. Take bus 1 or 3 to the Yeongrang-dong stop and walk five minutes toward the water. The restaurant sits on the ground floor of a small building at the edge of the 영랑 포차 거리 (Yeongrang pojang macha strip). Evening only — the kitchen opens at 4:35 PM, closed Tuesdays.
Seasonal note
Fresh cod availability depends on the East Sea fleet. In rough weather the menu shifts toward braised dried fish and rotating specials. The handmade potato pancake, rolled egg (계란말이), and chawanmushi appear and disappear with the season; call ahead if you have a specific dish in mind.
For travelers
A group of about twenty foreign guests from a Seoul guesthouse discovered 온도 in its first summer and has been returning every year since. Two people run the entire operation — cooking and serving — so the pace is slow and deliberate, which suits guests who want to settle in for the evening. The owner's goal is simple: he wants the meal to become a good memory of the trip. Guests have told him it was the best food they had in Sokcho. No English menu, but pointing at the Naver page works and the staff will walk you through what's available.
