Buckwheat mak-guksu and gimbap in Insa-dong, Seoul: Goshine Donghae

Today I'm sharing a great Insa-dong restaurant I ate at for dinner after seeing an exhibit at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Since the museum's Seoul branch is near Samcheong-dong and Insa-dong, I went looking for somewhere to eat dinner nearby, and I found a place serving handmade mak-guksu (buckwheat cold noodles).

What really caught my eye was the buckwheat gimbap menu! Gimbap (seaweed rice roll) alongside mak-guksu is already a nice pairing, but gimbap made from buckwheat noodles? That's new to me. And best of all, it's a menu that doesn't feel heavy even for dinner, so both my sister and I were sold. No hesitation — we went right away.

The place I visited was Goshine Donghae Makguksu (고씨네동해막국수) Jongno branch, an Insa-dong favorite. It turned out even better than I'd hoped, so if you're near the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art or Insa-dong and want a meal that's light but filling, I'd recommend it!

Location and hours of Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno

Goshine Donghae Makguksu is about a 5-minute walk from Anguk Station Exit 6. It's in the alley right next to Ssamziegil, so it's very easy to find — it's the very first shop in that alley.

Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch

• Hours: Monday–Sunday 11:00–21:30
• Break time 16:00–17:00 / Last order 21:00
• Open as usual during Korean holidays, closed the day after
• No parking — use nearby public parking lots

Exterior & interior atmosphere

Here's the exterior of Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno.

There was a sign at the entrance that read something like: "Goshine Donghae Makguksu, now run by the second generation in Gangneung, was the first to develop buckwheat gimbap made with black-vinegar-aged buckwheat noodles in 2020, and continues to offer distinctive menus using quality Gangwon-do ingredients — Yangyang perilla oil mak-guksu, chodang sundubu mak-guksu, Gangwon-do kkamakjang boiled pork, and more — as a representative Gangwon-do restaurant." And apparently the buckwheat noodles are handmade in-house!

Once inside, the space was much bigger than I expected. I'd booked an 8:30pm reservation that night, and since it was close to closing time I figured there wouldn't be many customers left — but nope! Even at that late hour, it was packed. As soon as I walked in, I already had a feeling: this must be a good spot!

There were a lot of foreign customers too. Given the Insa-dong location, I guess a lot of international visitors come here. When we first walked in it was too crowded to get good interior shots, so I took more photos of the space once things quieted down toward the end of our meal.

They bring out some banchan (side dishes) to start, and the rest are self-serve at a corner station.

Menu and prices

Let me walk you through the menu at Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno.

Boiled pork sets · buckwheat mak-guksu

• Solo set ₩21,000 (mak-guksu + boiled pork)
• 2-person set ₩38,000 (2 mak-guksu + boiled pork)
• Water mak-guksu ₩11,000
• Perilla oil mak-guksu ₩12,000
• [Pollack-jeotgal] mixed mak-guksu ₩13,000
• [Chilled] pine nut sundubu mak-guksu ₩14,000
• Spicy pepper mixed mak-guksu ₩12,000

Meals

• Clear chodang sundubu ₩10,000
• Spicy chodang sundubu ₩12,000
• Galbitang ₩18,000
• Eggplant stone-pot bibimbap ₩12,000
• Flying fish roe stone-pot bibimbap ₩13,000
• Avocado stone-pot bibimbap ₩14,000
• Pork bulgogi stone-pot bibimbap ₩15,000
• Beef bulgogi stone-pot bibimbap ₩16,000
• Eel stone-pot bibimbap ₩20,000
• Cheese pork cutlet ₩16,000

Keto buckwheat gimbap

• Salad buckwheat gimbap / flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap ₩7,000
• Cream cheese buckwheat gimbap ₩7,500
• Spicy pepper buckwheat gimbap ₩8,500
• Avocado buckwheat gimbap ₩9,000
• Soy pork buckwheat gimbap / spicy pork buckwheat gimbap ₩9,000
• Snow crab stick buckwheat gimbap ₩9,000
• Eel / salmon buckwheat gimbap — sold out

Besides the meal menu, there are also plenty of drinking snacks, sides, and drink and alcohol options! The menu is so extensive I had a hard time deciding — there was too much I wanted to try.

What we ordered — solo boiled pork set, mixed mak-guksu, two buckwheat gimbap

After much deliberation, here's what we picked at Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno: the solo set (water mak-guksu + boiled pork), [pollack-jeotgal] mixed mak-guksu, flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap, and spicy pork buckwheat gimbap.

You order via tablet at each table. The noodles are made fresh the moment you order — true handmade noodles! I love mak-guksu, so I was extra excited!!!

I took pictures of the descriptions for what we ordered too. Mak-guksu aside, I was most curious about the gimbap made with buckwheat noodles instead of rice. Apparently it uses black-vinegar-aged buckwheat noodles, aged in three stages, and it's even a patented noodle that doesn't go soggy!

They bring out the broth for the mixed mak-guksu along with pickled onion, yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), and radish first — I also grabbed some diced radish kimchi from the self-serve station. The yeolmu kimchi was seriously delicious!!!!!! Real deal.

The seasonings for the mak-guksu are next to the tablet. Cute little wet wipes too~

We ordered a wide variety and it all came out pretty fast. First up was the boiled pork, served with scallion kimchi instead of cabbage kimchi. The scallion kimchi is a bit sour, so if you're not into sour kimchi, pair it with the yeolmu kimchi instead. That yeolmu kimchi really is... the best.

Since the food came out quickly, we even got a group shot. It looked really generous and appetizing. And honestly, looking at the buckwheat gimbap, you can tell they don't skimp on ingredients — the flying fish roe and pork are piled on.

Water mak-guksu vs. pollack-jeotgal mixed mak-guksu — which wins?

You have to try the handmade water mak-guksu. Between the water and mixed versions, both were delicious, but the one I kept thinking about afterward was the water mak-guksu. At first I thought the mixed version was tastier, but the more I ate, the more I kept reaching for the water noodles.

The broth is cold and clean, not aggressively salty or heavily seasoned, so it feels really refreshing. There's a subtle savory depth that keeps you coming back for more. Paired with the chewy buckwheat noodles, the combination was excellent — the noodles' nutty flavor and chewy texture matched perfectly with the cold, clean broth.

I don't usually drink this much broth when eating mak-guksu, but that day the broth was so good I kept going back for more. Haha. Even when I was too full and telling myself to stop, I kept eating.

The mixed mak-guksu was full of sweet-and-tangy seasoning flavor. If the water version is clean and understated, the mixed one has that sauce really soaked into the noodles, giving it a more punchy, appetite-grabbing flavor. Both were delicious, but if I had to pick just one... it's the water mak-guksu, no question! Haha.

Flying fish roe and spicy pork buckwheat gimbap — noodles that don't go soggy

Now the buckwheat gimbap — flying fish roe and spicy pork. Honestly, before coming I'd read a review recommending the spicy pork gimbap and had my mind set on ordering that. But once I saw the menu, the flying fish roe gimbap was listed as the recommended pick. My friend also loves flying fish roe, so after some back and forth, I ordered one more roll.

And this is the dish I really want to recommend — the flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap. Can you see how much roe is piled on top? They're incredibly generous with it, so the visual alone was amazing from the first look.

When I went to take a bite... if you have a big mouth you might manage it in one go, but if you've got a small mouth like me, don't get greedy. The fillings are so generous that trying to eat it in one bite will definitely spill everywhere. Haha. I ended up splitting mine in half on a side plate, eating the gimbap, then scooping up extra roe separately.

But what really amazed me was the buckwheat noodle itself. Seriously, how do they turn buckwheat noodles into gimbap like this??? Usually when noodles are involved, they go soggy! But with this buckwheat gimbap, the chewy texture stayed exactly the same from the first bite to the last. The clean, nutty flavor of the buckwheat noodles paired beautifully with the popping texture of the flying fish roe. It's a dish where you can really taste the natural flavors without anything overpowering. I highly recommend the flying fish roe buckwheat gimbap — if you want to try something different, this is it.

I thought I'd only be taking photos of the spicy pork one too, haha. It was also delicious, and piled so generously you'll want to split it onto a plate before eating. I love pork bulgogi, so I really wanted to try the spicy pork version — I've had the pork on its own before, but eating it together with the buckwheat noodles in one bite is so much better. Eating the pork alone can feel a little dry, but the buckwheat noodles seem to balance that dryness out.

Final verdict — 200% return visit intent

I genuinely kept gasping in delight the whole meal. My sister and I kept saying this is a place we want to keep coming back to. It's a restaurant that basically forces you to sing its praises. Return visit intent: 200%!!!!! Next time I'll have to bring my dad along too. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Insa-dong or Anguk Station, I highly recommend Goshine Donghae Makguksu Jongno branch.