Gangneung restaurant with kimchi buckwheat pancake: Gossi's Makguksu

When you travel to Gangneung you want makguksu (buckwheat noodles), you want Chodang sundubu (soft tofu), and honestly you also want at least one properly Gangwon-do dish. Gossi's Donghae Makguksu, which I visited this time, solved all of that at once, so I want to put it on my Gangneung recommendation list. The menu ranges from makguksu to sundubu to buckwheat gimbap and buckwheat pancakes, and it's right across from Gangmun Beach so I could see the ocean before and after eating.

Is Gossi's, right in front of Gangmun Beach, dog-friendly?

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is located at 25 Changhae-ro 350beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, directly across from Gangmun Beach. It's close to St. John's Hotel, Seamarq Hotel, and Chodang Sundubu Village, so it fits easily into a travel route. It's also a designated pet-friendly business in Gangneung, so you can bring your dog along. You can walk over to Gangmun Beach together and then eat, which makes this a solid pick if you're searching for a Gangmun Beach restaurant in Gangneung that welcomes dogs.

Gossi's opening hours and parking at Gangmun Beach

Weekdays run 10:00–20:30, Saturdays and Sundays 08:00–20:30, with a break time from 15:30–17:00 and last order at 20:00. For parking, just use Gangmun Beach Public Parking Lots 1 & 2 right out front — 90 minutes are free. Between the location and the parking, this was an easy Gangneung restaurant to drop into mid-trip.

How the CatchTable waiting list works at Gossi's

Gossi's is known for building up a wait during meal times. There's a CatchTable kiosk at the entrance, so if there's a line you register there and wait. If you're visiting during peak travel season or around lunchtime, I'd recommend building in some extra time.

Gangwon-do souvenir corner on the 1st floor

As soon as you walk in, the 1st floor has a Gangwon-do gift corner. You can browse perilla oil and other local products, and one wall is absolutely covered in celebrity autographs, which was fun to look through while waiting. Add in the fact that this is a second-generation local restaurant, and it starts to make sense why locals in Gangneung come here too.

3rd-floor ocean-view seats over Gangmun Beach

We were seated on the 3rd floor, and Gangmun Beach was visible through the floor-to-ceiling window — the view was genuinely great. This isn't just a place to eat and leave; you can have a whole meal while looking at the ocean, which is a clear plus. If you're after a Gangneung restaurant recommendation that also delivers on ocean view, the atmosphere here should be satisfying too.

What's on the menu at Gossi's

The menu is bigger than I expected. From water-based makguksu, mixed makguksu, and perilla oil makguksu to spicy and perilla-seed sundubu, kalguksu, boiled pork, buckwheat pancakes, and buckwheat gimbap, there's enough range that everyone in a group can pick something different even with different tastes. You don't need to hunt down a separate lunch special — the regular menu alone gives you plenty of options for a full meal.

Once we decided, we ordered on the tablet. We ended up choosing a wide spread: flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap, soy-braised pork buckwheat gimbap, kimchi buckwheat pancake, spicy sundubu, and perilla oil makguksu. It's nice that at a Gangneung makguksu spot you can also try sundubu and sides all together.

The banchan and table setting at Gossi's

The basic table setting came out clean and unfussy. With several main dishes already coming, it was actually nice that the side dishes weren't overcomplicated — we just sat there waiting for the food, haha.

Buckwheat gimbap made with noodles instead of rice

The buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll) isn't your typical gimbap — instead of rice, it's rolled with black-vinegar-aged buckwheat noodles. The flying fish roe version has fresh vegetables plus flying fish roe that pops with each bite, while the soy-braised pork version is packed with charcoal-smoky soy-braised pork — two completely different charms. It's more like a keto-style gimbap that cuts down on carbs, so it feels totally different from regular gimbap!

Kimchi buckwheat pancake (jeonbyeong) packed with filling

You can't skip buckwheat pancakes when you're in Gangwon-do. The kimchi buckwheat pancake comes as a pair, golden brown on the outside with kimchi packed generously inside. It's a great bite to have alongside the makguksu or sundubu — a solid side to add on.

Spicy Chodang sundubu (soft tofu stew)

The spicy sundubu is Chodang sundubu — soft tofu coagulated with clean East Sea seawater brine — served with a special spicy sauce. The nutty softness of the tofu combined with the fiery, savory broth gave it a completely different charm from the makguksu. If you don't have time in Gangneung to separately track down a dedicated sundubu restaurant, eating it here alongside everything else works just fine.

Perilla oil makguksu: nutty buckwheat noodles

This was the dish I'd been most looking forward to — perilla oil makguksu! They use 100% domestic organic perilla oil cold-pressed by master producer Kim Yang-hee in Yangyang. The nutty perilla oil scent really comes through — I ate it plain at first, and once I was about halfway through I added a splash of broth, which brought out a whole different depth of savoriness. This dish made it clear why this place is known as a top makguksu restaurant in Gangneung.

Is Gossi's worth a meal near Gangmun Beach?

I assumed this would be a place specializing only in makguksu, but the range — from buckwheat gimbap to sundubu to buckwheat pancakes — made it more satisfying than expected. On top of that, there's the Gangmun Beach ocean view, easy parking, and dog-friendly seating, all clear pluses for travelers. If you're searching for a Gangneung restaurant recommended by locals and want to try several dishes at once, or want a properly Gangwon-do-style meal among Gangneung restaurants, I'd recommend Gossi's Donghae Makguksu. This is a place I'd want to come back to on my next Gangneung trip to try the other makguksu dishes!