Gangneung makguksu restaurant, holiday morning table for three

Where is Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu Namhangjin branch?

Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu Namhangjin branch is an ocean-view makguksu restaurant right near Namhangjin Beach in Gangneung. It's just a 3-minute drive from Anmok Beach, so it's a great stop for lunch after checking out Anmok. On a Liberation Day holiday trip from my relatives' place, I found this Gangneung makguksu restaurant near Namhangjin Beach.

• Tue - Sun 10:30 - 20:00
• 15:20 - 17:00 break time
• Last order 19:20
• Closed every Monday
• Free 🚗 parking available
• Separate men's/women's restrooms (well kept)

A Gangneung makguksu restaurant with real history — first opened in 1998!!! Worth noting, the place was remodeled in 2023, so both the inside and outside feel really clean and pleasant now.

How long was the wait on a holiday Sunday morning?

Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu Namhangjin branch has a ✅ waitlist registration kiosk right next to the entrance, so you need to register there first if there's a wait. If you're visiting, I'd recommend heading straight for the kiosk the moment you arrive.

For reference, we got there around 10:55am on a Sunday, thinking it was a bit early for lunch rush so we'd have some breathing room — nope! The place was already full. Luckily, even with lots of customers, turnover was pretty fast, so we didn't wait long. Less than 10 minutes after registering, we were seated!

Fitting for a restaurant with a wait, there were chairs set up outside so you could sit comfortably while waiting.

Inside Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu and the sea-view window seats

The inside of Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu Namhangjin branch felt clean and pleasant overall. Seating was spacious, so it looked good for family meals as well as bigger group get-togethers. Even with lots of weekend customers, the wide layout made it feel comfortably relaxed.

The window seats in particular were the real charm — one of the few ocean-view makguksu restaurants even in Gangneung. It's rare to find a place where you can eat makguksu with an open sea view this close!!! Worth remembering if you want a good meal with the ocean while traveling in Gangneung.

The menu at Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu and how to order

For ordering, just use the tablet at your table!

Fitting for a makguksu specialty restaurant, the menu is built around makguksu. The two signature dishes are dongchimi makguksu and pollack sashimi makguksu, plus they also sell boiled pork, dumplings, and buckwheat pancake to pair with, depending on your taste!

We ordered three dishes total! Pollack sashimi makguksu (₩13,000), makguksu (₩11,000), and buckwheat pancake (₩8,000), and shared them nicely between the three of us.^^

Just so you know, they're also running a no-fail raffle event you can join by writing a review! After a good meal, writing a review and trying your luck at the raffle sounds like a nice add-on.

The basic side dishes are yeolmu kimchi (young radish greens kimchi) and shredded radish! They said the side dishes are made in-house, and maybe that's why the kimchi tasted so good.

There's a separate guide on 'how to eat makguksu the tasty way,' so first-timers should check it out and enjoy it to their taste! Following the steps and adding things in one by one apparently brings out even more of the makguksu's flavor~

🍽️ What we ordered 🔺Pollack sashimi makguksu ₩13,000 🔺Makguksu ₩11,000 🔺Buckwheat pancake ₩8,000

Makguksu, 11,000 won — three ladles of dongchimi broth

The plain makguksu that my mom and I ordered. The basic makguksu is clean and refreshing!

The dongchimi flavor really matters at a makguksu place, and the cold, clean dongchimi broth here went really well with the buckwheat noodles. They pour in three ladles of dongchimi broth! Fully ice-cold dongchimi broth, the whole deal!! Heat totally gone >-<

Instead of a punchy, spicy flavor, you get mostly the nutty taste of the buckwheat noodles and the cool tang of the dongchimi, so it never feels heavy. Especially on a hot day after wandering around Gangneung's beaches, this dish would hit even harder! Mixing in dongchimi to your own taste makes the noodles moist and brings out even more of that refreshing flavor.

What does the pollack sashimi makguksu (13,000 won) taste like?

Makguksu topped with pollack sashimi. Bottom line: the nutty buckwheat noodles plus the savory pollack sashimi gave it a definitely different charm from the plain version!

Unlike the regular makguksu, it comes topped with pollack sashimi, so you get the sweet-and-tangy sauce plus the chewy texture of the pollack at the same time. Mix the tangy-spicy sauce and pollack sashimi well into the noodles, then take a sip of the dongchimi broth — so clean.

Buckwheat pancake, 8,000 won, ordered as a side

Also recommend the buckwheat pancake as a side! We felt like just makguksu alone would be a bit of a shame, so we ordered the buckwheat pancake too (really glad we did^^)

Crispy on the outside and packed with spicy kimchi filling inside — delicious!! The combo of the mild buckwheat wrapper and the kimchi filling was just right.

Verdict — sea-view makguksu in Gangneung at Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu Namhangjin branch

For ocean-view makguksu in Gangneung, it's Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu Namhangjin branch. Being close to both Anmok Beach and Namhangjin Beach means you get to eat while soaking in that Gangneung beach atmosphere, which is this place's real advantage. I also liked being able to enjoy a range of things — the cold dongchimi, homemade side dishes, and the pollack sashimi makguksu. If you're looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Gangneung on a weekend, I'd recommend it as a local favorite lunch spot too. If you're craving cold, clean makguksu in Gangneung, go go to Samgyori Dongchimi Makguksu Namhangjin branch!!