Gangneung noodle restaurant for sunset dinner with a toddler: Gossi's

While looking for somewhere to eat with a kid on our Gangneung trip, I found a place with suyuk (boiled pork) and makguksu (buckwheat noodles) on the menu — and a view over Gangmun Beach. Here's my review of Gossi's Donghae Makguksu ✍️

Where Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is, plus parking and hours

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu, a Gangneung favorite, is at 25 Changhae-ro 350beon-gil, Gangneung, Gangwon, South Korea. You can park at Gangmun Beach public parking lots 1 and 2. It's 2 minutes from Seamarq Hotel, 4 minutes from Skybay Hotel Gyeongpo, and 5 minutes from Shilla Monogram, so anyone staying nearby could easily walk over.

• First hour after entry: free (ask at the counter if over 30 minutes)
• Leave before 11am / enter after 6pm: free
• Overtime fee: ₩600 for the first 30 minutes / ₩300 per 10 minutes after

They're open daily 10:00–20:30, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00.

Here's the exterior of Gossi's Donghae Makguksu. It's a three-story building, so there's plenty of seating.

What's on the menu: Gangneung buckwheat makguksu and buckwheat gimbap

The menu at Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is fairly varied, with Gangneung-style buckwheat makguksu and buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll) among the options.

The buckwheat gimbap looks like it would be great to take out and eat by the beach.

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is well known locally, and plenty of celebrities have visited too.

The first floor of Gossi's Donghae Makguksu handles both takeout orders and dine-in seating.

2nd-floor sunset ocean view and seats for families with a toddler

Here's the overall look of the second floor. The sunset over the sea through the window was unrealistically beautiful. It was a busy weekend evening, so there were a lot of customers.

The window seats are for two, so with our kid making three of us, we couldn't sit there, but eating while watching the sunset over the sea looks like it would be lovely.

There are also baby chairs available, so families with young kids can eat without any hassle.

What we ordered at Gossi's: suyuk, perilla sundubu kalguksu and bibim makguksu

We ordered the kkamak-jang suyuk (medium), perilla sundubu kalguksu, and pollock sikhae bibim makguksu.

Here's the basic table setting: yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), pickled radish, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), salted shrimp, garlic, ssamjang (dipping sauce), lettuce, and perilla leaves. They also gave us scissors and tongs to cut up the pork for our kid.

It made for a generously spread table.

Kkamak-jang suyuk (medium): soy-braised pork kept warm over a candle

We ordered the medium kkamak-jang suyuk (soy-braised boiled pork) mainly to feed our kid. When it arrived, they'd lit a candle underneath it, so it stayed gently warm the whole time we ate — I loved that.

Our kid said the pork was tender and ate it up happily. If you're visiting with a child, ordering the suyuk to feed them while the adults treat it as a side dish seems like the perfect move.

I love wrapping things in lettuce, so I wrapped mine in lettuce and perilla leaves. The meat was firm and clearly good quality.

Perilla sundubu kalguksu: how the soft tofu noodle soup tasted

For the perilla sundubu kalguksu (soft tofu noodle soup), I was torn between perilla makguksu and kalguksu since it was getting chilly, and went warm with the kalguksu. With sundubu (soft tofu) and perilla, both things I love, it had a nutty, hearty flavor — a real standout dish.

It looked perfect for warming up on a cold day. Definitely try the perilla sundubu kalguksu if you visit.

Pollock sikhae bibim makguksu: spicy fermented pollock over buckwheat noodles

Since this place is known for makguksu, we had to order some — pollock sikhae (fermented pollock) bibim makguksu. The sikhae wasn't tough at all, it was nice and soft.

The sauce wasn't too sharp either, with a tangy, slightly sweet flavor that went great with the pork. 💯

Extra side dishes were available self-serve, so it was easy to grab more if we ran short.

After dinner: the 1st-floor Gangwon food shop and a walk on Gangmun Beach

After a satisfying meal, we checked out the Gangwon-related food items sold on the first floor — makguksu noodles, kkamak-jang sauce, various liquors, and more. Worth a browse if you're curious.

The autumn night mood at Gangmun Beach is wonderful. A walk after dinner is a great idea too.

Is Gossi's worth it with a toddler? Final verdict

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is a well-known Gangneung restaurant recommended by locals.

• Lots of tasty buckwheat makguksu varieties
• Buckwheat gimbap is good for taking out
• You can eat while looking out at the sea