How to spend a day at Incheons beaches with coffee and (gluten-free) seafood

Since I came to Korea, I kept hearing about how beautiful the ocean is, especially in winter. So, last November, I finally took the opportunity to visit the beaches in Incheon with a friend.

Since Incheon is an island, the beaches are conveniently close to the airport. This makes Incheon an ideal destination, not only for those living or traveling in Seoul and the nearby, but also for those with a layover at Incheon Airport, wanting to make the most of their several hours of downtime.

You can take the Airport Railway train from Seoul Station or Hongdae to Incheon Terminal 1 in just around 45 minutes. From there, it’s only a good 20-minute bus ride to the beaches, cafes, and restaurants, especially famous for their seafood and clams.

Upon checking various Korean blogs and reviews about popular seafood restaurants we finally stumbled over this one (and I could also eat gluten-free grilled clams there!):

현미네 조개구이 (Hyeonmine Chogaegui)
Thursday~Tuesday 11:00~21:00 (last order until 20:00) , closed on Wednesdays
Instagram: hm_grilledclam
Google Maps
Naver Map

현미네 조개구이 (Hyeonmine Chogaegui), is a typical Korean seafood restaurant with its round wooden tables, each equipped with a grill in the center. When we talked to the owner about my gluten allergy because of which I couldn’t eat soy sauce and chili paste, she was incredibly helpful and even shared that her daughter had some allergies too, so she knew, how it felt. She stayed close to our table most of the time cooked our food and told us how to eat and combine different dishes the best way.

Especially popular are the naturally grilled clams (조개, Chogae = clam(s)), but they also offer shrimp and clam soup, among other things.

The plates we received right at the beginning were actually huge shells (pictured on the top, right), served with rice and raw clam with sesame, sesame oil, and soy sauce (picture below. For me, without soy sauce, but I could have brought my own gluten-free version).

In our second round, we ordered grilled clams, served with cheese. The cheese included rice cakes, which I skipped due to potential gluten. While I couldn’t really tell what the cheese contained, it was absolutely heavenly paired with the clams—too tempting to resist.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so full in my life, and it was only half past eleven in the morning. Because of the proximity to the sea, the wind in Incheon can be quite strong, but since we were dressed warmly, we walked from the 15-minute 현미네 조개구이 (Hyeonmine Chogaegui) to Masian Beach within 15 minutes. Buses do run, but not as frequently in Seoul, so it’s better to either create a good time schedule or dress weather-resistant (although there are taxis available, since the airport is not far away, but you still have to order one).

보테가 (커피앤키친) (Botega)
Monday~Sunday 10:00~20:30 (last order 19:30)
Instagram: bottegacoffee_official
Google Maps
Naver Map

We went to Cafe Botega at Masian Beach, which had a fantastic view of the sea. But to be honest, there are so many large cafes with good views along Masian Beach that it hardly matters which one you choose. But be careful; at the rear end of the bay, there are no more cafes, but mainly clam restaurants.

On the beach, there were plenty of shells and starfish.

And we were far from being the only ones on the beach in winter. It’s not just a great destination for day trips with friends but also for dates. (By the way, Incheon also has some famous wellness hotels with spa and swimming areas accessible with or without an overnight stay. So, if you want to warm up or stay overnight after a winter day by the sea, Incheon has you covered.)

When it got dark, we visited Eurwangni Beach (을왕리해수욕장) two bays away (I recommend taking the bus).

By the way, in the first street that turns left and leads to the beach, there is a stand that offers not only Tteokbokki and Danghulu (fruit on skewers coated in sugar, which by now can be found in almost every corner of Korea) but also 500 won pastries made 100% from rice flour and filled with cheese!

On top of the picture, though a bit hard to recognize, in the upper corner of the stand, it’s written on the brown background:
우리쌀 100% (100% rice)
밀가루 0% (0% wheat flour)
글루텐 (Gluten) 0%

When we chatted with the seller at the stand, he was so friendly that he even gave us a free portion of Tteokbokki! (The Tteokbokki was also made from rice flour, but the sauce most likely wasn’t gluten-free.) He said he wanted me, as a foreigner, to experience the best of Korea. And indeed, just like him, most people in restaurants, have been really friendly to me, especially when I tried to explain my allergy in chaotic Korean.

We ate on the beach while watching the sunset and just when we were about to leave, a group of cheerful Korean schoolgirls approached us and asked if I could take a photo of them (I was really surprised that they asked me (in Korean) and not my Korean friend.)

Living abroad can be lonely at times. It can be frustrating, feeling excluded despite all the effort to learn the language and culture, struggling to communicate. Sometimes I feel like that without anything particularly bad happening. But also just like that, small encounters like with that group of girls, or the friendly Tteokbokki vendor, or the people working at the clam restaurant, always give me the feeling of being welcomed and a part of the whole.