Sokcho makguksu spot with buckwheat dumpling soup and half suyuk

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is open daily from 09:30 to 22:00, year-round, and has parking available.

Why Sokcho Topgol Makguksu near Sokcho Beach earned a third visit

My family loves Sokcho so much we come two or three times a year, and whenever we're here, lunch is always at this place, no question. It's a makguksu specialist that actually presses its own perilla oil from scratch — the only place in Sokcho selling perilla oil makguksu — and the patented perilla oil noodles are so good that once you've had them, you keep thinking about them. That's Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch.

Whenever I look for a good restaurant near Sokcho Beach, nothing beats this place, so this is already my third visit. There's a huge public parking lot right in front, which is super convenient, and they even give out parking vouchers.

There's a cute photo spot to make travel memories, and seeing all the autographs from celebrities and public figures on the walls, you really feel how popular this Sokcho makguksu restaurant near Sokcho Beach is :)

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu menu and what to order together

At this Sokcho Beach favorite, the menu revolves around the patented perilla oil makguksu, plus the regular water-based or spicy mixed makguksu, and you should absolutely order sides to go with them — potato jeon (pan-fried potato pancake), suyuk, buckwheat mandu (dumplings), and buckwheat jeonbyeong are all must-orders, so I recommend getting a good variety. Prices are reasonable for these inflation-heavy days too — house-made buckwheat noodles from real buckwheat flour, topped with their own patented perilla oil, for around ₩10,000-something. That's honestly a steal.

A full order of suyuk is a lot, so they also sell a half-portion, which is perfect to pair with rice for the kids. Whenever we come to this Sokcho Beach spot, we always order suyuk as the kids' dish while the adults go straight for perilla oil makguksu, jeonbyeong, and either mandu-guk or buckwheat mandu — those are non-negotiable for us haha.

The radish salad and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) are top-notch too. Mild but so well made — even my mom raved about the house-made kimchi when we came with her last year — and coming back a year later, this Sokcho makguksu was just as delicious as ever. The staff are kind and the dining room is spacious, making it a great spot for a family group.

Buckwheat jeonbyeong: the dish worth saving for this restaurant

I didn't even buy buckwheat jeonbyeong at the market. Why? Because I knew I'd definitely be having lunch at Topgol Makguksu and wanted to order it here instead haha. Paired with the makguksu, the jeonbyeong at this Sokcho Beach favorite tastes even better than usual. It's fried perfectly crisp, so it's never greasy, and the kimchi filling inside has just enough spice to cut through any richness. So even when I'm completely full, I still pick up that very last piece haha.

Buckwheat dumpling soup, ordered for the first time

Every time I've come to Topgol Makguksu, I've ordered buckwheat mandu on its own, but this was my first time trying the mandu-guk (dumpling soup) version. It was incredible... honestly, can mandu-guk really be this good? I was genuinely shocked that it beat dedicated mandu-guk restaurants haha. It was that good — and it's not even winter.

I was craving something with broth and debated a bit before ordering the mandu-guk, and wow — it was packed with dumplings, the broth was rich and deep, and it was loaded with vegetables and egg. I mixed some into the kids' rice, and the adults ended up drinking straight from the bowl haha.

My beloved jeonbyeong and mandu-guk :) Honestly, every single dish at this Sokcho Beach favorite is good — you really can't go wrong with anything you order.

How to eat the patented perilla oil makguksu

Here comes the patented perilla oil makguksu. It arrives topped with a generous scattering of gim (seaweed flakes), julienned perilla leaf, and crushed sesame, with their own pressed perilla oil sitting underneath the buckwheat noodles — you just mix it all together. The broth for the water-style makguksu comes separately in its own little jar. So you start by mixing everything and enjoying the pure perilla oil flavor first, then pour in the broth to eat it like a water-based makguksu. That way, you basically get two dishes in one.

Everything on the menu goes so well together, and since the noodles are house-made buckwheat, your stomach never feels uncomfortable after. It's healthy buckwheat noodles that won't pack on weight, so you can eat without worrying. This is genuinely the top makguksu restaurant in Sokcho as far as I'm concerned, which is why lunch always ends up here whenever I'm looking for a good spot near Sokcho Beach. In summer, ice-cold makguksu is exactly what you want in the heat, while in winter, the mandu-guk is probably the perfect fit. Everything is just so good, seriously ㅠㅠ

The good stuff, on video :)

Why Sokcho Topgol Makguksu works with a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old

We ordered rice and they gave us heaping bowls ㅠㅠ haha. For our 5- and 7-year-olds, splitting the rice between them and getting a half-order of suyuk as a side dish is just right. The radish salad isn't spicy so we gave that as a kimchi substitute, and mixing rice into the mandu-guk broth also went down really well with them. So if you're looking for a good restaurant near Sokcho Beach with kids in tow, Topgol Makguksu is the best spot where both adults and children can eat well. Baby chairs and kids' dishes are all ready to go, and parking is easy too.

Total wipeout haha. It's been a while since I've seen a table cleaned this thoroughly. The kids said the suyuk was so good they finished all of it along with their heaping rice bowls, and even though the portions are all pretty generous, my husband and I finished off our makguksu, jeonbyeong, and mandu-guk completely too. If you're looking for a restaurant near Sokcho Beach, Topgol Makguksu really is a long-running, true buckwheat specialist — I highly recommend trying it.