Gangneung noodle restaurant with eel buckwheat gimbap: Gossi's

When I think of Gangneung, sundubu (soft tofu stew) and makguksu (buckwheat noodles) are the first things that come to mind! For lunch, we went to Gossi's Donghae Makguksu, a local favorite in Gangneung that both adults and kids can enjoy.

Overall verdict first: our parents loved it, and it was perfect for dining with a baby! Taeri ate the perilla oil makguksu and boiled pork so well that I already started thinking we'd have to come back haha.

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu hours, parking and how to order

The main branch of Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is open from 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM, with a break time from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

Parking was available at the public lot right in front of the restaurant, payment happens on the 1st floor, and dining is on the 2nd–3rd floors.

The Gangmun Beach public parking lot was free for the first hour, with an extra 30-minute extension available haha. Payment is handled at the 1st floor counter.

Which buckwheat gimbap does Gossi's serve in Gangneung?

Apparently Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is the originator of Gangneung's buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll), made with aged buckwheat noodle wrap. Flavors ranged from salad, flying fish roe, cream cheese, spicy pepper, snow crab stick, soy sauce pork, spicy pork, avocado, salmon, to eel 😃

As a popular Gangneung spot recommended by locals, there's a wait during peak hours.

And a good restaurant wouldn't be complete without celebrity visits! One whole wall was covered in signed papers proving it.

As soon as you go up to the 2nd floor, the refreshing view of Gangmun Beach comes into sight haha.

Even though it was a bit past lunch hour, there was still a wait and the place was packed with customers.

Menu lineup and what comes in the two-person set

Here's the menu at Gossi's Donghae Makguksu, a Gangneung favorite recommended by locals! From sundubu kalguksu (soft tofu noodle soup) and rice to buckwheat makguksu and buckwheat gimbap, it was full of healthy options.

There's a one- or two-person set combining tender boiled pork with buckwheat noodles, so we added one set for our baby Taeri.

There were plenty of buckwheat makguksu options too — water makguksu, bibim (mixed) makguksu, and nutty perilla oil makguksu! The seasonal yeolmu (young radish) makguksu also looked like it would taste amazing haha.

If you're craving warm sundubu, there's spicy sundubu kalguksu, perilla seed sundubu kalguksu, and buckwheat cheese pork cutlet too — all great for coming with kids and parents 👍

And there were buckwheat gimbap varieties we were trying for the first time. We added eel gimbap too, for a hearty meal on our trip!

The tender boiled pork was the thing that made our Taeri eat all her rice haha.

We had another stop planned, so we couldn't try the delicious fresh makgeolli (rice wine) 😭 Next time I definitely want to try it!

How the three makguksu styles and eel buckwheat gimbap taste

The makguksu and buckwheat gimbap from Gossi's Donghae Makguksu, a Gangneung favorite recommended by locals, arrived!

First up was the two-person set we'd ordered. We chose boiled pork with perilla oil makguksu and water makguksu as the set,

and I had the spicy large-portion bibim makguksu.

The nutty perilla oil makguksu that kids love too tasted like something you'd keep thinking about after one bite haha.

The water makguksu with its deep-flavored broth was also super popular! The cool broth left a refreshing finish.

And the final finale — the eel buckwheat gimbap I'd been curious about!

The eel was so big it covered the whole buckwheat gimbap, and its nutty, tender flavor was a hit with our parents too 👍

Is Gossi's in Gangneung easy to visit with a baby?

At Gossi's Donghae Makguksu, a Gangneung favorite recommended by locals, feel free to help yourself at the self-serve side dish corner if you run short.

There were quite a lot of customers visiting with kids everywhere. There are plenty of baby chairs prepared, so it seemed like no problem at all for families 😃

It would be a shame if you could only eat at this great Gangneung restaurant in Gangneung itself, but there's also a directly-run Seoul branch, so keep that in mind haha.