Sokcho makguksu restaurant open at 9:30 a.m., 50,000 won for 3: Topgol

Hi, this is Honeyne! Last week I took my parents to Sokcho, my mom's hometown. Before heading back home, I asked my mom what she wanted to eat, and the first thing she said was makguksu (buckwheat noodles). Since I'd never had makguksu in Sokcho before, I searched for famous restaurants and found one that even holds a trademark registration for 'deulmemak,' so I decided to visit.

Sokcho perilla oil makguksu, deulmemak. Let me share a detailed review of my visit to Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch.

Where is Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, and what are its hours and parking?

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is located at 12 Haeoreum-ro 188beon-gil, 1st floor, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do. Hours are weekdays 9:30am–9pm, weekends 9:30am–10pm, with last order 30 minutes before closing.

• 🎯Location🎯 12 Haeoreum-ro 188beon-gil, 1st floor, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do
• ⏰Hours⏰ Weekdays 9:30am–9pm / Weekends 9:30am–10pm
• ✅ Last order: 30 minutes before closing
• 🚗Parking🚗 Sokcho Beach public parking lots 1, 2, 3 — free parking for 2 hours

We parked at Sokcho Beach public parking lot 1, and since it was a weekday morning, there were plenty of open spots. Even when it's full, there's another public lot right nearby, so parking shouldn't be a worry.

The storefront, the dining room and how quiet 9:30 a.m. feels at Topgol Makguksu

This is the storefront of Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch. There's lighting below the sign, so it looked easy to find even in the evening.

Walking in, there's a waiting area on the left of the entrance, and tables further inside. Since we came right at opening time, there weren't any customers yet, so we could sit down at leisure.

Around the restaurant you can find signs explaining deulmemak, and seeing the trademark registration certificate made it clear why Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is considered the holy site of Sokcho deulmemak.

The buckwheat noodles for the makguksu are freshly made to order, apparently mixed with powders like squid ink and agarikon mushroom.

What is on the self-serve bar: mu-saengchae and yeolmu kimchi

There's a self-serve bar set up on one side of the restaurant where you can help yourself to as much mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad) and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) as you like.

What three people ordered at Topgol Makguksu for 50,000 won

Menu ordering is done through a kiosk at each table. Since there were three of us, we ordered one deulmemak (13,000 won), two buckwheat makguksu (20,000 won), and one potato pancake (17,000 won), for a total of 50,000 won.

How long the noodles take: cut to order, served in about 10 minutes

Soon all our food arrived. As the sign explained, the noodles are made fresh at order time, so it took about 10 minutes for the food to come out.

Buckwheat makguksu: perilla oil, vinegar and dongchimi added to taste

This is the first buckwheat makguksu. There's seasoning sauce drizzled over the noodles, and you can add perilla oil, vinegar, and dongchimi broth to taste. ✅ Check the kiosk for how to eat each menu item. Adding the sauce really brought out the savory flavor and made it even tastier.

Deulmemak, the perilla oil makguksu: nutty even mixed plain

This is Sokcho Topgol Makguksu's signature dish, deulmemak perilla oil makguksu. It looked incredibly appetizing right from the start — the perilla oil was already generously poured over it, so even mixed plain without any extra seasoning it was nutty and delicious. I mixed it well and then added a bit of the seasoning sauce on top, which made it even better. After tasting the signature dish, I understood why this place is called a famous Sokcho makguksu restaurant.

Potato pancake: crisp outside, chewy inside, best with dongchimi

The last dish was the potato pancake. My dad couldn't stop exclaiming when it arrived — the look of it was great, but it was especially delicious being both crispy and chewy at the same time. It was almost a shame that I couldn't drink makgeolli (rice wine) with it since I had to drive.

Instead of makgeolli, I drank dongchimi broth poured into a paper cup, and it paired really well with the potato pancake. I recommend trying them together.

On the way out after our meal, I noticed a photo booth machine set up to the right. Taking a photo after eating could make for a fun, different kind of memory.

Is Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch worth a visit?

That wraps up my review of Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, famous for Sokcho perilla oil makguksu. It's conveniently located near Sokcho Ai and Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, and it's a Sokcho perilla oil makguksu restaurant that even holds a trademark for deulmemak. Besides the signature deulmemak, they also serve potato pancake and suyuk (boiled pork), so if you're looking for a good restaurant in Sokcho, be sure to check out Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch.