Sokcho makguksu restaurant before the noon line: 11:20 a.m. at Topgol

📍Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch

Bottom line: the suyuk (boiled pork), perilla oil buckwheat noodles, and mul-makguksu were all equally good — order all three.

I really love perilla oil buckwheat noodles. So I went to the most famous, always-waiting makguksu (buckwheat noodle) spot in Sokcho. I checked out of my hotel and got there around 11:20, and my timing worked out perfectly. Right at noon the line started forming. If you want to skip the wait, I recommend arriving before 11:30. I still think about that mild, savory deulgi-mak... genuinely delicious, I want to go back.

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is known for makguksu, perilla oil buckwheat noodles, suyuk, and potato pancakes. Great lineup, right? I especially recommend the suyuk. It's a buckwheat noodle specialty restaurant — so why is the suyuk this good too?... It truly melted in my mouth, and the portion was generous for the price, so skipping it would've been a real regret.

I gently poured in the icy broth to make mul-makguksu. Even the perilla oil buckwheat noodles can take on a whole new flavor if you add broth partway through eating. But I'm firmly on team mild perilla noodles, so I kept mine broth-free and just enjoyed the nutty combo of perilla oil, sesame, and perilla leaf toppings.

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch: address and opening hours

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is located at 12 Haeoreum-ro 188beon-gil, 1st floor, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do. Naver rating 4.83, with 7,957 reviews.

• Address: 12 Haeoreum-ro 188beon-gil, 1st floor, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 9:30–21:00 / Sat–Sun 9:30–22:00

I'd also recommend booking ahead through Naver. The wait suddenly picked up right at noon. Given it's makguksu, turnover is fast, but if you're set on going, booking the day before through Naver is still a good idea. This place is truly famous for its perilla oil buckwheat noodles, so ordering the deulgi-mak is a must.

What goes into the buckwheat noodles pressed to order

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch makes its buckwheat noodles fresh, to order, every single day. No wonder they're delicious — it's a different level entirely. The noodles are made with Sokcho squid ink and powder from Mt. Seorak sangwhang mushroom and reishi mushroom. Just hearing the ingredients makes it sound healthy.

Seating and side dishes at Sokcho Topgol Makguksu

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch has a good mix of 4- and 6-person tables, and the restaurant was spotless. They also serve yagwanmun tea, so you can sip a warm cup while you wait, and before long the side dishes arrive. Clean, simple banchan too.

The yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) was genuinely crisp, and the mu-saengchae (spicy shredded radish salad) — need I say more, so tasty and refreshing. A perfect match with the perilla noodles, and it was nice that only clean, well-made side dishes came out.

Suyuk, 30,000 won a plate: how much pork do you get?

This place is a suyuk (boiled pork) spot too — you have to order it. I was torn between it and the potato pancake, but went with suyuk, and I would've genuinely regretted skipping it. It comes with a generous serving of myeongtaehoe (seasoned raw pollack) and mu-saengchae, so I was devouring the plate — a bite of mu-saengchae with pork, then pollack with pork, on repeat.

Suyuk, one plate: ₩30,000

Makguksu alone can leave you hungry again pretty quickly, but ordering the suyuk alongside it made the meal so filling and satisfying. It was cooked so tender and springy I was curious about their secret.

It pairs so well with the makguksu too, and it's great for getting some protein in. Noodle dishes tend to be carb-heavy, but ordering suyuk alongside balances out your carbs, protein and fat nicely. At ₩30,000, the portion is genuinely generous — this suyuk was worth more than the price.

Perilla oil buckwheat makguksu, 13,000 won: mild and nutty

Perilla oil buckwheat noodles: ₩13,000

The deulmemak comes with freshly made buckwheat noodles, sesame seeds, plenty of perilla oil, perilla leaf, and roasted seaweed flakes — truly mild yet somehow addictive, the kind of flavor that just clings to your mouth. The perilla leaf's aroma made it even better. If you go to Sokcho, this is a must-eat, confirmed.

The flavor isn't intense at all — genuinely mild, but with a quiet, lingering charm. The noodles are so fresh straight from being made, and chewy, and they didn't skimp on the perilla oil at all, so it was so nutty.

You absolutely have to order the deulmemak. I'm already planning to order it again on my Sokcho trip next year. There's a generous amount of perilla leaf too, so the aroma was fantastic. Anyone who loves perilla oil buckwheat noodles, you have to go.

Mul makguksu, 10,000 won: buckwheat noodles in cold broth

Mul-makguksu: ₩10,000

The mul-makguksu has its own charm too. You add broth and eat it cold and refreshing. The combination of the seasoning and broth was really good, and since the buckwheat noodles are freshly made, that clinging texture came through here too.

After a quick, wait-free meal at Topgol, the holy land of deulmemak, I headed from Sokcho back to Seoul — and the suyuk was delicious, the makguksu was delicious, the perilla oil buckwheat noodles were delicious, a choice I had zero regrets about.