Anguk Station noodle house: perilla oil makguksu with broth, Goshine

Today I want to introduce a Korean restaurant I found near Insa-dong and Anguk Station — Goshine Donghae Makguksu, Jongno branch. It's a makguksu (buckwheat noodle) spot whose main location is in Gangneung, and my fiancé had tried it there and loved it. Since going all the way to Gangneung wasn't easy, I visited the Jongno branch close to home instead!

With refreshing makguksu, boiled pork, and buckwheat pancakes all on offer, it was a great spot for the two of us to have a hearty meal. Here's my honest review ☺️

Location and hours of Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch

• Location: 1st floor, 3 Insadong 12-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• 3-minute walk from Anguk Station Exit 6
• Hours: 11:00 – 21:30
• Break time: 16:00 – 17:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Open during Korean holidays, closed the day after
• No parking ❌ nearby Seoinsa-madang public parking available

Regular reservations can be made through Naver, and rooms or group seating are available for parties of 6 or more. It can accommodate up to 100 people, making it good for group gatherings too ✨

A hanok-style exterior tucked in an alley near Insa-dong, Ssamziegil, and Anguk Station

Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch is about a 3-minute walk from Anguk Station Exit 6. It's also close to Insa-dong's main street and Ssamziegil, so it's easy to drop by for a meal while wandering around Insa-dong.

It's tucked inside an alley, but it wasn't hard to find, and the hanok-style exterior fit nicely with the surrounding atmosphere.

Goshine Donghae Makguksu has been run for two generations in Gangneung, serving Gangwon-do's representative dishes. It's known as a famous makguksu spot even in Gangneung, so I liked being able to try it in Seoul without making the trip.

A warm hanok-style interior with self-serve stations

Walking inside, the wood interior gave off a warm, comfortable feeling 🤎 It matched Insa-dong's hanok vibe well, and everything was kept clean overall. The tables were spaced generously so I didn't feel crowded by neighboring tables. There are also group seats and rooms available, so it's a good option for family gatherings or work dinners :)

🎁 On one side there was a gift corner selling Gangwon-do specialty products. They sell buckwheat noodles and perilla oil so you can enjoy Gangwon-do ingredients at home.

✔️ There's also a self-serve corner where you can freely grab any banchan (side dishes) you need,

✔️ and aprons are provided too, handy if you're worried about splashes while eating.

🚻 The restroom is separated by gender inside the restaurant, so it's easy to use.

The menu board and what we ordered

📋 Here's the menu board at Goshine Donghae Makguksu :) True to a buckwheat specialty restaurant, there were plenty of meal options beyond makguksu, like bibimbap, sundubu (soft tofu stew), and keto buckwheat gimbap. Side dishes like boiled pork, hot pot, and buckwheat pancakes are also available, which seems great for sharing several dishes when visiting with a group. 🍶There's also a good variety of alcohol — dongdongju (rice wine), highballs, Donghae soju — that would pair nicely with the buckwheat dishes.

✔️ Ordering and payment can be done easily through the tablet at each table.

🧾 What we ordered

• Two-person set (2-person meal + boiled pork set) ₩40,000 — kkamak-jang boiled pork / mul-makguksu / perilla oil makguksu (+₩2,000)
• Buckwheat pancake half-and-half ₩9,000

Basic banchan and the full spread

The basic banchan included pickled radish and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), and they also gave us the special broth for the perilla oil makguksu and soy sauce for the buckwheat pancakes.

The food didn't take long after ordering, and once the whole spread was laid out, it looked hearty just by itself 🍽️

What does mul-makguksu made with fish broth taste like?

Goshine Donghae Makguksu's mul-makguksu (cold noodles in broth) uses a broth made by simmering fish thoroughly, instead of the usual dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth.

I'd expected something tangy and sweet, but it was less sharp than I imagined — clean with a deep flavor. The broth itself wasn't overly sour or sweet, so it was easy to enjoy in a light, mellow way.

The buckwheat noodle portion was quite generous too! The noodles held their shape without going mushy, had a pleasantly chewy texture, and carried a subtle buckwheat aroma. If you prefer a clean-tasting mul-makguksu over a heavily seasoned one, this would suit your taste well.

Perilla oil makguksu, two flavors in one after adding broth halfway through

Perilla oil makguksu is one of Goshine Donghae Makguksu's signature dishes. The house-made buckwheat noodles are evenly coated with nutty perilla oil, sesame seeds, and seaweed. ❥ The perilla oil they use is apparently cold-pressed from organic domestic perilla seeds grown by master farmer Kim Yang-hee in Yangyang.

From the moment I mixed the noodles with my chopsticks, the distinct nutty aroma of perilla oil came through strongly. The plain flavor of the buckwheat noodles combined with the nuttiness of the perilla oil, seaweed, and sesame made it a flavor that wasn't overpowering yet kept me reaching for more.

What I also liked about this dish is that it can be enjoyed a different way partway through by adding broth. After eating about half the noodles, pouring in the special broth turns the perilla oil makguksu into something closer to mul-makguksu.

The special broth had a subtle bonito aroma and added a savory depth, giving it a completely different flavor from the first half. The perilla oil makguksu was delicious on its own, but adding the broth gave it a whole new appeal, so I enjoyed it deliciously right to the end.

Kkamak-jang boiled pork included in the two-person set

✔️ Kkamak-jang boiled pork — the boiled pork included in the two-person set. Apparently it's pork belly slow-boiled with Gangwon-do's traditional kkamak-jang sauce and 11 other ingredients.

The pork came sliced to a good thickness with a glossy sheen that looked appetizing. It had no gamey smell and was tender without falling apart, with just the right amount of chewiness.

Paired with the green onion kimchi and pollock sikhye (fermented pollock) served alongside, it complemented the light flavor of the boiled pork nicely.

It was also clean-tasting paired with pickled onions, so there were many combinations to enjoy. Eating the makguksu together with the boiled pork was such a great combo 🫶🏻

Buckwheat pancake half-and-half — gondre and kimchi

✔️ Buckwheat pancake half-and-half — the last thing we ordered. Since it's a half-and-half option, we could try both the pancake filled with meat and gondre (mountain vegetable), and the one filled with kimchi, all at once.

The buckwheat pancakes were golden and crisp on the outside, moist inside, with generous filling.

✔️ The gondre buckwheat pancake had a mild, nutty flavor from the meat and gondre combination, while ✔️ the kimchi pancake was packed with kimchi filling for a spicier, more savory taste. The two flavors were distinctly different, which made me glad I ordered the half-and-half 💭👍🏻

To sum up

Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch is easily accessible from Anguk Station and Insa-dong, and it's a place where you can enjoy a range of Gangwon-do dishes in one sitting — from makguksu to boiled pork to buckwheat pancakes. In particular, the clean mul-makguksu, the nutty perilla oil makguksu, and the boiled pork all paired well together. The restaurant is spacious and clean, making it good for a meal for two, but with rooms and group seating available, it also looks like a solid choice for family gatherings or work dinners. If you're looking for a clean Korean restaurant or a good makguksu spot near Insa-dong, Ssamziegil, or Anguk Station, I recommend having a hearty meal at Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch!