Family meal at Gangmun Beach, Gangneung: grilled makguksu and pork at

I think makguksu (buckwheat noodles) is one of those dishes you just have to eat when you visit Gangneung. We've been to plenty of famous makguksu spots on trips through Gangneung and Sokcho, but Gossi's Donghae Makguksu & Sundubu Kalguksu Main Branch had a charm that was a little different from what we'd tried before. The broth for the water makguksu especially wasn't the usual dongchimi (radish water kimchi) style — it was soy-based, reminiscent of soba, so it felt clean but rich at the same time, and it worked well for eating with a kid too.

Best of all, it's right across from Gangmun Beach, so you can eat your makguksu while looking out at the sea. If you're looking for makguksu near Gangmun Beach, this is a Gangneung restaurant I'd recommend like a local.

Location and parking right across from Gangmun Beach

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu Main Branch is on Changhae-ro 350beon-gil in Gangneung. The biggest perk of the location is, of course, Gangmun Beach. The sea opens up right in front of the restaurant, so it's easy to duck in for a meal while wandering the beach, or take a walk along the shore afterward.

You can eat while looking out at the sea from inside too, which really gave off that Gangneung trip feeling. Parking is easy since there's a public parking lot right in front of the restaurant, so it's convenient if you're driving.

Hours and break time at Gossi's Donghae Makguksu

On weekdays it's open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and on weekends and holidays a bit earlier, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. During summer peak season, mid-July through mid-August, it runs from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Break time is 3:30 to 5 p.m., and last order is 30 minutes before closing, so if you're visiting at an odd hour it's worth checking ahead.

Especially in summer, a lot of people probably combine this with a Gangmun Beach visit, so it's worth building in some buffer time.

Menu and prices: what our family of three ordered

We ordered three things: water makguksu (10,000 won), bibim makguksu (12,000 won), and a medium kkamak-jang boiled pork platter (28,000 won).

Since we were visiting as a family, rather than just each getting a bowl of makguksu, we added the boiled pork too, and the combination turned out really well. There's also a good-value boiled pork set menu, which looked like a solid option depending on group size or appetite. I heard the sundubu kalguksu (soft tofu noodle soup) is good too, so I'd like to try it next time we visit on a chillier day.

Kkamak-jang boiled pork that stays warm until the last bite

The kkamak-jang boiled pork came out first. The pork itself was tender, but what I really liked was that it stayed at temperature the whole time we ate. Boiled pork is usually great when it first arrives, but if you're chatting and eating slowly, it can cool down fast — kind of a letdown.

Here, they put the pork on a tabletop brazier, so it stayed warm through the whole meal. A bite of makguksu followed by a warm slice of pork was a great combo. The medium size at 28,000 won was a good amount for a family to share alongside the noodles.

Soy-based water makguksu that worked well for eating with a kid

Personally, the water makguksu was the most memorable thing here. I've had various styles of makguksu in Gangneung and Sokcho, but the version at Gossi's Donghae Makguksu was a bit different from what I expected. The broth is soy-based like soba, but the flavor is clean yet quite rich.

There's no sharp spiciness to it, so it felt like a good dish to share not just among adults but with a child too. When you're traveling with kids, you have to think about what the parents want to eat and what the child can eat at the same time, and this made that easier. If you've only ever had dongchimi-broth makguksu, the water makguksu here will feel like something a little different.

Bibim makguksu with pollock sikhye

If the water makguksu is the clean side, the bibim makguksu (mixed makguksu) definitely has the opposite appeal. It's made with myeongtae sikhye (fermented pollock), which really brings out the umami.

If you personally like bold flavors, the bibim makguksu might actually suit your taste better than the water version. The spicy, rich sauce combined with the distinct flavor of the pollock sikhye kept me reaching for more.

So if two of you are visiting, I'd recommend ordering one water makguksu and one bibim makguksu to share. The clean water version and the bold bibim version are so different in character that it's fun to alternate between the two. Add the warm kkamak-jang pork on top and it makes for a pretty solid meal.

Buckwheat gimbap to take out to Gangmun Beach

One menu item that caught my eye this time was the buckwheat gimbap (seaweed rice roll). I heard it's one of the restaurant's famous items, and while it's nice to eat in the restaurant, I personally thought it would also be great to take out and eat right at Gangmun Beach nearby. Since the beach is so close, on a nice-weather day, packing buckwheat gimbap to go and sitting on the sand to eat it would make for a pretty great part of a Gangneung trip.

Overall verdict: who this is for

I've had makguksu many times in Gangneung and Sokcho, but Gossi's Donghae Makguksu stuck with me because each dish had such a distinct character. The clean yet rich soy-based water makguksu, the bold bibim makguksu with pollock sikhye, and the kkamak-jang boiled pork that stayed warm on the brazier all the way through the meal — the combination of all three worked well. Especially for a family trip, being able to share the mild water makguksu with a kid who can't handle spicy food was a real plus.

Above all, eating makguksu while looking straight out at Gangmun Beach is a vibe you can only get in Gangneung, and I really liked that. If you're looking for a meal near Gangmun Beach, or want to try a slightly different kind of makguksu in Gangneung, Gossi's Donghae Makguksu Main Branch is worth stopping by as a local favorite.