Sokcho makguksu: perilla kalguksu, Naver review dumplings, Topgol

Sokcho, Gangwon: "Topgol Makguksu"

A makguksu spot you must try when you come to Sokcho: patented perilla oil buckwheat noodles, with a nutty perilla seed and perilla oil aroma that is off the charts

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch: hours and location

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch (속초탑골막국수 본점) is at 12 Haeoreum-ro 188beon-gil, 1st floor, Sokcho-si, Gangwon, South Korea. It is open 9:30–21:00 Monday to Friday and 9:30–22:00 on weekends.

I stopped in Sokcho during a trip around Gangwon. Sokcho is famous for makguksu (buckwheat noodles), right? I heard the first perilla oil buckwheat makguksu in Korea to get a patent and trademark was here, so I went!!!

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch!

How does the wait work at Sokcho Topgol Makguksu?

Topgol is known for its queues, so there is a shade awning in front of the restaurant and waiting seats inside too. It must be such a famous spot that they set up an awning out front to block the sun!

There is also a nostalgic bubble-style land-grabbing game (땅따먹기, a floor drawing game). Kids hate waiting, so this looks great for passing the time~

Where to park at Sokcho Topgol Makguksu

Park at public parking lots 1, 2 or 3 right in front of Sokcho Beach and you get 2 hours free! We parked in a spot you can see straight from the restaurant~

There are waiting seats inside too, so you can wait comfortably! Topgol says it makes its own noodles from 100% Bongpyeong buckwheat flour mixed with squid ink and reishi (yeongji sanghwang) mushroom. That taste exists nowhere else in the country, so more and more people come on purpose, they say~

We arrived before lunchtime and it already looked close to full~ Lots of travelers, but plenty of locals too! On the wall there is a sign that the mukbang YouTuber "Hibab" has been here!!

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu self-serve bar and menu

Topgol has a self-serve bar, so if you run out of side dishes you can freely grab more~~

The Topgol menu! Besides perilla oil buckwheat makguksu, buckwheat makguksu, buckwheat perilla kalguksu and buckwheat giant dumpling soup, there are potato pancake, suyuk (boiled pork), acorn jelly, giant dumplings, buckwheat jeonbyeong (rolled crepes) and every other dish made with buckwheat!!

Naver review event: 2 giant buckwheat dumplings

If you do the Naver review event at Topgol, you get 2 giant buckwheat dumplings, and they are seriously good, so I really recommend doing it!! Looking at the tables around us, almost everyone did haha

What we ordered

• Deulmemak (perilla oil buckwheat makguksu) ₩13,000
• Buckwheat perilla kalguksu ₩12,000
• Potato pancake ₩17,000
• Solo suyuk ₩17,000

The basic sides! Young radish kimchi and seasoned radish strips are friends of the makguksu~ Ssamjang and salted shrimp are friends of the suyuk~

Our food arrives! It came out fast, so the turnover seems great too!

Deulmemak (perilla oil buckwheat makguksu) ₩13,000: should you add the dongchimi broth?

Topgol's deulmemak comes topped with perilla seeds, perilla leaf and seaweed flakes, served with a cold dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth~ The noodles are springy~ coated in perilla oil, and the aroma hits your nose!

I ate it plain for a while, then poured in the dongchimi broth~ and it became a whole other dongchimi makguksu! I liked this colder, tastier version more, but Ppangddong's dad says it has more savory depth plain! To each their own^^

Solo suyuk ₩17,000

The solo suyuk comes with dried radish strips and radish kimchi.

The meat is tender and the kimchi is so appetizing, completely delicious! Meat lovers, definitely order it~~

Potato pancake ₩17,000

The potato pancake came with a pizza cutter~ I thought about cutting it pizza-style, but made square cubes so it is easy to pick up!

I picked one up and it is so chewy~ chewy, mild and delicious~

Buckwheat perilla kalguksu ₩12,000: how is the perilla broth?

Topgol's buckwheat perilla kalguksu is buckwheat noodles in a thick perilla broth. I really love perilla dishes, so when it comes to kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) I like the perilla version~

The noodles are buckwheat, so it is easy on the stomach too!

The perilla broth was definitely different from what I have had elsewhere!! Thicker, and the nuttiness is no joke~ haha

2 giant buckwheat dumplings from the review event

The 2 giant buckwheat dumplings from the Topgol review event! Please eat these~ I was about to burst, but... they were so good..!

They are packed full inside too!!! I would have been in big trouble if I had skipped these~~~!

Can you buy Topgol buckwheat noodles separately?

The main branch sells buckwheat noodles separately, for ₩9,000! As I paid and walked out, I noticed they sell the noodles~

There is also an instant photo booth, and at Topgol it was a great camera for making good memories!!

If you go to Sokcho, please visit Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, the perilla oil makguksu spot with house-made noodles you can't taste anywhere else!!