Gangneung sundubu and makguksu with a self-serve kimchi bar: Gossi's

I went on a trip to Gangneung, Gangwon-do! This place is famous for sundubu (soft tofu stew) in Gangneung, and I heard they make their own noodles fresh to order for dishes like buckwheat gimbap, perilla sundubu, boiled pork, and Yangyang-style perilla oil makguksu! Maybe that's why so many locals were there eating makguksu too??

It's a restaurant in Gangneung where you can eat sundubu, makguksu, and bossam (boiled pork wraps) — and with the ocean view, both the food and the scenery were amazing! Let's go check it out??

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu opening hours and how to find it in Gangneung

The main branch of Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is open daily from 08:00 to 20:30, with a break time from 15:30 to 17:00 and last order at 20:00. The address is 25 Changhae-ro 350beon-gil, Gangneung, using floors 1 through 3.

• Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 08:00 - 20:30
• 15:30 - 17:00 break time
• 20:00 last order

It's a great restaurant that's very close to nearby Gyeongpo Beach and Gyeongpo Lake! It's also near the SeaMarq Hotel and St. Johns Hotel, so a lot of hotel guests come by too! It's about a 10-minute drive from Shilla Monogram, Arte Museum, Gyeongpo Aquarium, Gangneung Station, and the Gangneung Intercity Bus Terminal, so keep that in mind!

I arrived at Gossi's Donghae Makguksu! It's an ocean-view restaurant looking out at Gyeongpo Beach, one of Gangneung's hot spots, so I was really looking forward to it haha

What each floor is for: takeout on 1, group seating for 30+ on 3

Gossi's Donghae Makguksu also lets you dine on the 1st floor, and it handles takeout, delivery, group reservations, wheelchair access, and dog-friendly seating all in one place. When I walked in, there were people eating on the 1st floor??

Think of the 1st floor as more for takeout and that kind of thing! You can also make advance reservations, orders, and delivery through Naver, so keep that in mind! For groups of 30 or more, the 3rd floor can even be used exclusively??

This restaurant has been on TV a lot too? And apparently a lot of famous celebrities have visited?? Just from that, you can tell it's a well-known spot among locals in Gangneung!

Shall we head up to the 2nd floor?? Time for Gangneung sundubu and makguksu!

There was also a gift corner selling makgeolli (rice wine) and various other snacks??

And they also have branches at Gimpo Hyundai Outlet, Timevillas Suwon, and Seoul Insadong, so keep that in mind!! Just head up the stairs~~

The second-floor ocean view over Gangmun Beach

The 2nd-floor hall at Gossi's Donghae Makguksu is really spacious, with a view of the ocean at Gangmun Beach. There are also menu items reinterpreted from local Gangneung dishes, and having the ocean view makes it even better!

The place is also clean and pleasant, so it's great for a simple meal during a family trip to Gangneung or a date with friends??

The menu is also posted on the wall, which was handy for reference!

There's also a self-serve corner, so I could go grab extra kimchi and other side dishes myself!

The menu at Gossi's and what we ordered

The menu ranges from Gangwon-do makgeolli to buckwheat pancake, black-sauce boiled pork, kid-friendly fried dishes, buckwheat gimbap, sundubu kalguksu, perilla sundubu kalguksu, spicy sundubu, perilla sundubu, buckwheat cheese pork cutlet roll, mul-makguksu, perilla oil makguksu, spicy bibim-makguksu, pine nut sundubu, young radish noodles, and set menus too! I ordered mul-makguksu, bibim-makguksu, flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap, and kimchi buckwheat pancake!

The basic side dishes came out! Diced radish kimchi, young radish kimchi, and radish wraps~~

The food I ordered arrived! Isn't it amazing being able to eat with an ocean view like this??

They say good-looking food tastes good too, and it's so pretty! Made using a 30-year-old traditional Donghae makguksu recipe, finished with perilla oil flavor — it was the best!

Perilla oil makguksu and fish-broth mul-makguksu, compared

This is the perilla oil makguksu! It's buckwheat makguksu, and they say they only use domestic organic perilla oil that's grown themselves and cold-pressed!!

And here's the mul-makguksu! The broth was really delicious?? Instead of a dongchimi (watery radish kimchi)-style broth, they use a fish broth, giving it a deep, rich, new flavor! Tangy and sweet — the best??

Flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap, made without rice

And here's the keto-style flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap, which has no rice in it at all! It was so good that I kept eating even though I was already full?? Slightly tangy and sweet? Since there's no rice — it's buckwheat instead — and it's loaded with flying fish roe, it seems great for dieting too??

I'll mix the mul-makguksu a little and eat it that way! The broth is the best! It would be even better eaten in summer!

The perilla oil makguksu is great eaten plain, but it's also good with the broth on the side — since it's cold-pressed perilla oil, the aroma is incredible!

What does the kimchi buckwheat pancake taste like?

The kimchi buckwheat pancake I ordered came out too!

It's freshly fried right when ordered, so it's really warm, and the outside is crispy enough you can hear it crackle!

The inside of the buckwheat pancake is packed full, and since it's a kimchi pancake, it's slightly spicy and so delicious!

Look at how much flying fish roe is piled on top — such great value??

I ate a bit of the perilla oil makguksu and then added some broth to it too! It was mild and not overly seasoned, which I loved!

Final verdict, plus buckwheat gimbap packed to go

The buckwheat gimbap was so good that I even packed some to go! I'll have it with makgeolli back at the accommodation haha! If you're visiting Gangneung, I really recommend this place! It's a Gangneung must-eat — from makguksu to sundubu to pine nut dishes, there's so much to try, so I'll definitely come back again!!