Gangmun Beach noodle restaurant: 8am eel buckwheat gimbap at Gossi's

A first meal in Gangneung: Gossi's Donghae Makguksu opens at 8am

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu & Sundubu Kalguksu Main Branch (고씨네동해막국수&순두부칼국수 본점) opens at 8am every day, so even if you get to Gangneung early you can sit down to breakfast right away at this makguksu (buckwheat noodle) restaurant by Gangmun Beach. With peak summer vacation season here, I took a 2-night, 3-day trip around Gangwon-do, and in a schedule packed with Gangneung and Yangyang, the very first stop was a famous Gangneung makguksu place.

After wandering around Gangmun Beach in the blazing midsummer sun, I escaped the heat for a cool makguksu spot! We left at 6:30am so we wouldn't hit traffic, haha, and got there in 3 hours. Is it too early..? No need to worry, because this hardworking restaurant opens at 8am and serves breakfast. Let's GO.

At Gossi's we stuffed ourselves with the sundubu (soft tofu) makguksu I'd been curious about, perilla oil makguksu, and two kinds of buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll) :)

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu & Sundubu Kalguksu Main Branch, Gangneung / Daily 08:00-21:30 / Break time 15:30-17:00

Group seating, takeout, delivery, reservations, Wi-Fi, separate men's and women's restrooms, high chairs, a waiting area, simple payment, parking, and dogs are all available.

What kind of place is Gossi's Donghae Makguksu?

Gossi's is a second-generation Gangneung makguksu restaurant that started as Donghae Makguksu in Jeongdongjin and moved to the Gangmun Beach area in 2020, changing its name. Gangmun Beach is probably the Gangwon beach I've visited most often, so after taking in the familiar scenery and the sea, we went to try the ocean-view makguksu place that's so hot these days!

I heard the first-generation owner started with Donghae Makguksu in Jeongdongjin, moved in 2020 to the Gangmun Beach side with a sea view and renamed it 'Gossi's Donghae Makguksu' (고씨네동해막국수), and now the second generation runs it!

It has appeared on TV a lot, including KBS's Gangwon-do Is Good (Gangneung, the town of noodles episode) and MBC's Live Tonight Dinner (Gimbap Day episode), and plenty of celebrities have visited this Gangneung makguksu favorite. It's even recommended by locals, so what more is there to say :)

What's the Gangmun Beach ocean view like?

Gossi's is an ocean-view restaurant where you can see all of Gangmun Beach through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I gasped the moment we went up! I'd guessed the view would be great from outside, and the place is spacious and pleasant, and with the whole sea laid out through the glass, it's hot outside but the sea looks even cooler and prettier from inside..* If you're looking for an ocean-view makguksu place in Gangneung, this is it!

They make the noodles in-house, pulling them as soon as you order, so the buckwheat noodles are fresh and springy. Besides buckwheat makguksu, there's a wide range of buckwheat gimbap and sundubu kalguksu (soft tofu knife-cut noodle soup) too.

What did the two of us order?

The two of us ordered cold pine nut sundubu makguksu, perilla oil makguksu, eel buckwheat gimbap, and spicy pork buckwheat gimbap. I really wanted the cold pine nut sundubu makguksu, and I was curious about the perilla oil makguksu too, so I talked my boyfriend into it (haha). It looked like too much food, but I was so curious that I also ordered one each of the eel and spicy pork buckwheat gimbap. Order done!

There's a row of couple seats right in front of the big windows, so I snapped my makguksu-with-the-sea-behind-it photo the second the food came out, haha. Stunning.. just dreamy..

And then, since the sun was still beating down on us and it was hot, haha, we moved back to a cool seat inside to eat.. nothing beats the heat, hehe. You can see the ocean from the inner seats anyway^^

How is the pine nut sundubu makguksu different from kongguksu?

Gossi's Chodang pine nut sundubu makguksu is a cold makguksu made with 100% Chodang sundubu and pine nuts, and its broth is finer-grained and nuttier than kongguksu (cold soy milk noodles). It's a local Gangneung favorite that makes unusual dishes from fresh Gangwon-do ingredients, and I especially wanted to try Gangneung's original sundubu noodles, which are hard to find elsewhere! I like cool buckwheat noodles more than kalguksu, so I chose the cold pine nut sundubu makguksu.

Chodang pine nut sundubu makguksu

They say it's Korea's first pine nut sundubu makguksu, made with 100% Chodang sundubu and pine nuts, nuttier and richer than kongguksu. You can add sugar or salt to taste, but it's savory and rich enough to eat as is, mild and delicious!

First, the broth is really thick, just like sundubu, and it felt different from kongguksu broth. The texture is much softer, finer and smoother, like sundubu ground fine and served as is, with no gritty bits or clumps, and clean overall.

The broth is pure, rich sundubu, but since it's a cold pine nut sundubu it's refreshing, with that distinctive pine nut aroma and nuttiness, so it's a totally healthy summer specialty! They say it's the first in Korea and even patent-pending, and it really is unique and excellent.

The pine nut sundubu broth is tastier than cream soup >< totally smooth and nutty and super addictive. If you go to Gossi's, promise me you'll try this..*

Not long after we started eating, the two buckwheat gimbap came out too, and I missed the shot of the full spread (?).. so this big spread shot will have to do, haha

How should you eat the perilla oil makguksu?

With Gossi's perilla oil makguksu, pour in a little of the broth served alongside after you're about halfway through and mix it, and it turns moister and more savory. They say it uses 100% domestic organic perilla oil cold-pressed by a Yangyang master, so the deep flavor and aroma of perilla oil come through.

Perilla oil makguksu

They sprinkle on loads of seaweed and ground sesame, so the nuttiness explodes, and the perilla oil aroma wafts up like crazy.

It comes with broth too, so after eating about half, add a little broth and mix for an even moister, more savory bite! My boyfriend ordered it so I just had one taste, but I could have finished a whole bowl in a flash. I'm a big perilla oil noodle lover anyway, but the aroma and flavor were so good, and the noodles so springy, that I'd call Gossi's a proper perilla oil makguksu place :)

Buckwheat keto gimbap: eel or spicy pork?

Gossi's buckwheat gimbap is keto gimbap that uses black-vinegar-aged buckwheat noodles instead of rice, with 11 toppings to choose from. And of course I had to try Gossi's special patent-pending buckwheat keto gimbap! The noodles are aged in black vinegar in three stages, so they don't get soggy over time and stay springy to the end. After much agonizing over the 11 toppings, I picked two: eel and spicy pork..haha Of course eel is my pick^_^

Eel buckwheat gimbap

It's a diet keto gimbap packed with black-vinegar-aged buckwheat noodles instead of rice and plenty of fresh vegetables, topped with sea eel brushed in teriyaki sauce.

Honestly, I had my doubts about how it could be keto gimbap with buckwheat noodles in it..? haha. But when I lifted the big piece of eel, the vegetables far outweighed the noodles.. Crunchy, with sweet pickled radish and burdock(?) too, so the texture was great and it was delicious! A different charm from egg-sheet keto gimbap.

The eel itself was plump and tasty too! Eel gimbap like this for ₩13,000 is a total bargain.. even half an eel over rice is well over ₩20,000! The sweet, chewy eel and the crunchy buckwheat gimbap pair well.

Spicy pork buckwheat gimbap

It's a charming gimbap with a generous pile of smoky, spicy stir-fried pork on top of buckwheat keto gimbap. The egg sheet is fried artistically thin and wrapped round the gimbap, which makes it even nuttier.

It's spicy with a strong smoky flavor, so it was a bit more intense than the other dishes, but that made it a nice accent to eat once in a while, a dopamine burst. Highly recommended if you like spicy food!

There's also a Gangwon-do gift corner on the 1st floor

On the 1st floor of Gossi's there's a big gift corner selling Gangwon-do liquor and snacks. On the way out after eating, I noticed the Gangwon-do liquor selection is incredibly varied..? It would be great to pick up liquor or snacks as gifts here.

A Gangneung makguksu place with a full Gangmun Beach view and top marks for taste and quality! Gossi's Donghae Makguksu & Sundubu Kalguksu is loved by tourists and locals alike, and I really recommend a visit if you're in Gangwon-do this summer. Trying a variety of special buckwheat dishes is the start of a Gangwon-do trip and a dopamine hit all in one :)