Sokcho makguksu restaurant with pumpkin sikhye and jeonbyeong: Topgol

Arriving at Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, right in front of Sokcho Beach

The place I went looking for Sokcho's best perilla oil makguksu was Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, right across from Sokcho Beach. The way the sea and sky came together on this Sokcho trip was just gorgeous.

I honestly have no idea where July and August went, but seeing both the sea and the mountains put my mind at ease. This is the payoff of raising a kid — my son's filial road trip felt so good. If he keeps being this nice and then stops, his mom's going to be disappointed, haha, but I'll take all this generosity while I can, before he gets married. He drove us all the way to Sokcho and even gave his dad some fresh air.

Got to see this kind of easygoing moment too — though honestly my husband looks like he aged in the span of a month, haha. The crowds who came to swim at Sokcho Beach were massive.

Sokcho Beach was packed with people getting in their last swims of the season — such a lovely sight. After walking the beach, the spot I came to check off my list today was Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch.

We went a bit off peak lunch hours but haha, there was still a wait. Sokcho's perilla oil makguksu is famous as a must-try on any Sokcho food list, so I really wanted to visit.

Here it is.

Waiting area, parking and pet rules at Sokcho Topgol Makguksu

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch has waiting seats both inside and out — you'll spot red waiting chairs outside too. The photo above was taken on our way out after eating, and honestly it makes a nice Instagram-worthy shot, haha.

Pets are allowed inside, just note that a carrier is required. There's also 2 hours of free parking support at the public lot.

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch / 12 Haeoreum-ro 188beon-gil, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do / 2 hours free at the public parking lot / open year-round / no break time

It's right next to the Sokcho-I Ferris wheel and directly in front of the Sokcho Beach 1, 2, 3 shared parking lots, so it's perfect for stopping by after a swim or grabbing a meal after riding the Ferris wheel.

Makguksu is sold for takeaway too, and the free corkage service for wine and whiskey is a really nice touch.

The signature menu item at Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is the deulmemak, so definitely try that one — highly recommend! It's Sokcho's only shop specializing in perilla oil makguksu, so you can visit with confidence. ^^

While waiting, you can also take a free photo with your receipt, haha. A nice little memory to keep. ^^ ㅋ

Truly earns its reputation as Sokcho's best perilla oil makguksu spot — the customers kept flowing in nonstop. So many other tables were ordering the deulmemak too.

Ordering deulmemak, buckwheat makguksu, jeonbyeong and pumpkin sikhye

At Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch we ordered deulmemak and buckwheat makguksu, plus buckwheat jeonbyeong (buckwheat pancake roll). Since I wanted something cold and refreshing to drink, I added a pumpkin sikhye (sweet rice drink) too! So of course we had to try it all, haha. Table-order time.

Before the food arrived we had a glass of pumpkin sikhye — sweet and cold, just the thing to chase away the summer heat. Total thumbs up.

The basic side dishes are yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) and mu saengchae (spicy radish salad). If you need more, there's a self-serve side dish bar.

They let us know that buckwheat makguksu takes a bit of time since cooking only starts after you order. After the tasty wait, out came the deulmemak — the nutty smell of perilla oil is irresistible, haha.

And then the buckwheat makguksu showed up too, along with dongchimi (watery radish kimchi). This is the cheat code for enjoying both the deulmemak and buckwheat makguksu — pour it in near the end and it's amazing!

How to eat deulmemak, the perilla oil makguksu

This patented flavor of Sokcho's best perilla oil makguksu is not to be missed. The tip for enjoying deulmemak: eat it first without adding any extra seasoning, and once you've got a bit of noodles left, pour in the dongchimi broth — that's how they say to enjoy it best.

The nuttiness of the perilla really layers on top of the deep, deep flavor — words fail. Made from easy-to-digest buckwheat, this healthy Sokcho perilla oil makguksu — I cleared the whole bowl, no problem.

As we got near the end, we poured in the dongchimi to turn it into something like a cold water-based buckwheat noodle dish, and cleared every last bite.

Buckwheat jeonbyeong, griddled to order

The buckwheat jeonbyeong came out freshly griddled too — a perfect match. Warm buckwheat jeonbyeong~

The kimchi filling is packed in generously, and the thin buckwheat wrapper is grilled golden brown, adding even more to the flavor.

How was the buckwheat makguksu, my husband's pick?

I tried a bite of my husband's buckwheat makguksu too — oh, this is the classic done right, and delicious! If you're someone who loves the original buckwheat makguksu flavor, you'll really love this one too, highly recommend, haha.

My husband's noodle-mixing skills were no joke, haha. Unlike the deulmemak, with buckwheat makguksu you can add the dongchimi broth right from the start, to your own taste. I was worried the red seasoning might be too spicy, but it turned out to be a nice tasty level of spicy — my husband ate it plain for a while, then poured in the dongchimi partway through, and raved about how good it was. Seeing him eat so well was a relief — it really hits the spot for someone with a delicate appetite, haha.

Is Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch worth a stop?

On our Sokcho family trip, after visiting Sokcho Beach, the perilla oil makguksu and buckwheat makguksu we tried definitely live up to the hype. We ate really well. I'd give it a 200% return-visit rating.

My personal pick was the Sokcho perilla oil makguksu, while my husband prefers the buckwheat makguksu, haha. With such variety, this Sokcho buckwheat makguksu spot lets everyone enjoy it their own way — definitely worth a visit. Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, go check it out!