Free baby makguksu near Shilla Monogram Gangneung: Samgyori Dongchimi

When I traveled to Gangneung in 2024, a friend recommended this makguksu spot to me!! I went to try Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu and was genuinely blown away by how good it was, even though it was winter... Back then I went to the Gangneung main branch, but this time I booked my stay at Shilla Monogram, and since the Namhangjin branch was nearby, I headed there instead!!

A must-visit near Shilla Monogram Gangneung!

Hours, parking, and baby chair info

• 🕖 Hours: Wed–Mon 10:20–20:30 (closed every Tuesday)
• 🅿️ Parking: Space in front of the building
• 📍 Address: 42 Gonghang-gil 127beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-teukbyeoljachido, South Korea
• ✅ Baby chairs: Yes

Parking

There's plenty of parking right in front of the restaurant, and lots more available near the beach too!

Seaside vibes — what's the atmosphere like?

The colorful paintings hanging around the restaurant give it a real beachy feel! I noticed a lot of local Gangneung residents dining there too — a place where locals eat has to be good, right,,, (getting excited, excited)

So green — there's even a little courtyard inside the restaurant.

Okay to bring a baby? Free makguksu for kids under 48 months

They have plenty of baby chairs ready, and for children under 48 months, they even give free baby makguksu? My baby was napping so I didn't order it, but I was so grateful ㅠㅠ Restaurants where you can share a meal with your baby are the best.

They also sponsor overseas children's charities — amazing ㅠㅠ

Menu and ordering

We ordered makguksu, hoe-makguksu, and since we were in Gangwon-do, memil-jeonbyeong (buckwheat crepe) too! They give you yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) and ssammu (pickled radish wrap) as basic side dishes.

They also had a receipt review raffle? First prize is a whopping ₩50,000 Shinsegae gift card! No reason not to enter lol

Buckwheat crepe (memil-jeonbyeong)

The wrapper is chewy and a little spicy. It felt like meeting a chewy buckwheat skin with a kimchi-mandu-like filling — of course it's delicious.

How to eat dongchimi makguksu the right way

The makguksu and hoe-makguksu came out. The hoe-makguksu is topped with seasoned raw pollack.

Pour the dongchimi broth from the cute jar bowl with the ladle — slurp!

They actually wrote out how to eat it deliciously, so follow along — three ladles of dongchimi for the plain makguksu, one ladle for the hoe-makguksu!!

There's sugar, mustard, vinegar, perilla oil, and bibim sauce on the table, so you can add them to taste! Sugar might seem like an unexpected addition, but it's actually kind of the secret weapon.

The dongchimi broth isn't overly sweet-and-sour or intense at all — it pairs really well with the clean, plain buckwheat noodles. Slurp, slurp, I inhaled the noodles with the broth ㅠ and wrapped some with the ssammu too,,,

Makguksu vs. hoe-makguksu

The plain makguksu is delicious on its own, but adding the seasoned pollack brings a sweet-and-sour flavor that makes it a real specialty. Eating it with the yeolmu kimchi adds extra crunch too! I was so hungry I just inhaled it, slurp slurp... and when I came to my senses, my husband said he wanted some too but there was none left..;;;;;;;;;;;; (sorry, you should've eaten faster ㅠ..) Whoever eats fast wins — that's just how the world works. lol...

After the meal, a stroll on Namhangjin Beach

On my way out, I noticed a bunch of celebrities had visited too — of course, it's a famous makguksu spot in Gangneung,, Not sure if they still sell the coffee gunbbang (hard biscuit), but I've had it before and it was tasty!! Once you're stuffed, taking a walk on Namhangjin Beach right in front of the restaurant seems like it'd be lovely. It wasn't too crowded and felt pleasantly quiet, which made it even nicer. It's also close to Shilla Monogram Gangneung where I stayed, so if you're booking a stay there, this place is worth stopping by too!