Insa-dong hanok bossam set with soft tofu: Goshine Donghae

Today I'm writing up my visit to Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch, a Gangneung-style makguksu and bossam restaurant you can find right here in Seoul. They said the heat had eased a bit, but it was still tiring weather to walk around in. I was hungry but had no appetite — and that's exactly when this Jongno restaurant, Goshine Donghae Makguksu, showed up at just the right moment!

Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch has a different, very Korean atmosphere from the Gangneung flagship, full of Insa-dong charm. Let me show you in detail how satisfying and delicious this meal was~

Where is Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch, and what are its hours?

Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch

• ⏰️ Hours: Monday–Sunday 11:00–21:30 (break time 16:00–17:00 / last order 21:00)
• 📌 Location: Less than 5 minutes on foot from Anguk Station Exit 6
• Join the Naver receipt review event! Write a review and get a drink or jeonbyeong (rice cracker) :-)

Walk a little from the main Insa-dong street and it's right in the middle, next to Insadong Ssamzigil! This Jongno restaurant in Seoul, Goshine Donghae Makguksu!

Why is the Insa-dong hanok full even before lunch?

We visited a bit before lunchtime, and there were more customers than I expected. I thought makguksu and bossam might feel a bit unfamiliar to foreign diners, but there were actually quite a few foreign customers there too.

Bossam, bibim-makguksu and mul-makguksu at this Jongno restaurant, Goshine Donghae Makguksu — menus loved equally by locals and foreigners alike. (Visitors who can enjoy these deeply traditional Korean dishes are honestly at an advanced level haha)

Here's what the inside feels like (photo dump incoming)

That cozy hanok atmosphere with black-and-white photos and a vintage-feeling chandelier. Why does it all go together so well haha. A hanok really is a jack-of-all-trades kind of building and space.

What to order: the 2-person set plus clear Chodang soft tofu

✅️ We added clear Chodang sundubu (soft tofu) to the 2-person set. Plenty of food, and it was delicious, so no secret that we finished it all.

There's a self-serve bar off to one side of the restaurant. If you need more side dishes, you can help yourself there.

A second-generation makguksu restaurant from Gangneung

Goshine Donghae Makguksu has its flagship in Gangneung, now run by the second generation of the family. In 2020 they were the first to develop memil gimbap (buckwheat seaweed rice roll) made with black vinegar-aged buckwheat noodles, and since then they've kept introducing distinctive menus made with good Gangwon-do ingredients — Yangyang deulgireum-makguksu, Chodang sundubu-makguksu, Gangwon-do kkamakjang-suyuk, and more. It's considered one of Gangneung's representative restaurants. (Knowing this backstory makes it taste even better, honestly :-)

Clear Chodang soft tofu as the starter

The sundubu came in a stone pot, steaming, nutty and soft, so we ended up eating it almost like a pre-meal appetizer haha. A warm flavor that never lets you down anywhere.

Bossam wrapped with pollock sikhae and green onion kimchi

The bossam (boiled pork wrap) was thick-cut but incredibly tender when you bit into it, boiled perfectly with no off odor at all — really delicious. You eat the boiled pork with pollock sikhae (fermented pollock) and daepa-kimchi (green onion kimchi), and this was my first time trying green onion kimchi — it was genuinely delicious.

Mul-makguksu or deulgireum-makguksu: which one to pick?

We ordered both mul-makguksu (cold broth noodles) and deulgireum-makguksu (perilla oil noodles). The mild, refreshingly cool mul-makguksu (genuinely enough to chase away all the heat) and the nutty deulgireum-makguksu drenched in perilla oil — hard to pick a winner. Either way, buckwheat noodles digest fast, so ordering the large size seems perfectly reasonable~~~ ha

A lunch stop on a Bukchon and Insa-dong walking route

There are so many restaurants around Anguk Station in Jongno and Insa-dong that it's always hard to decide where to go, but Goshine Donghae Makguksu has thoughtfully prepared food, great flavor, a Korean atmosphere, and a location close to anywhere in Anguk Station and Insa-dong. If you're heading to Bukchon this week, take a slow walk and stop by Goshine Donghae Makguksu, a restaurant near Insa-dong Ssamzigil :-)