Sokcho Korean restaurant for crispy buckwheat pancakes: Topgol

A makguksu feast on a birthday trip to Sokcho

A Sokcho trip for my boyfriend's birthday! Gangwon is all about buckwheat makguksu, so we visited this super-delicious makguksu spot right in front of Sokcho Beach!

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch location and parking

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch provides a parking discount voucher if you use the public parking lot in front of the restaurant, so keep that in mind!

Here is the exterior of Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch, located on the first floor! Check the hours—there is no break time! Dogs are welcome too, but you must enter with their carrier or stroller cover securely closed!!

Spacious table seating and the menu

This is the table-filled interior of Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch! It is so spacious that it would be great for group gatherings or family meals too!

The menu had a wide range of buckwheat makguksu, plus plenty of sides to go with it! We picked buckwheat makguksu, deulmemak, single-serving suyuk, and buckwheat pancakes, haha.

If you take part in the review event, you can get jumbo buckwheat dumplings on the house, so I recommend joining and enjoying the makguksu-and-dumpling combo! So exciting!

Our basic setting arrived with cool water and side dishes! Since we ordered suyuk, there was ssamjang and salted shrimp too! A sign said water refills are self-service at the dispenser!

For any extra side dishes, you can take as much as you need from the self-service bar! Everything was neatly arranged besides the basic banchan (Korean side dishes), too!

And then, our table-full feast! Haha, the visuals were insane.... It would be such a good place to bring my parents on our next Sokcho family trip too! Haha.

Perilla oil buckwheat makguksu: deulmemak

First up, deulmemak! Deulmemak is short for deulgireum memil makguksu, or perilla oil buckwheat noodles, and apparently it is a menu item with a trademark application filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office!

First, give it a quick mix and eat it for that nutty perilla oil flavor—seriously, the nuttiness was no jokeㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was drunk on the delicious aroma, drunk on the flavor~

Buckwheat makguksu with pickled cucumber and radish

Second, the buckwheat makguksu! It came topped with pickled cucumber and radish, and that was the secret touch that made the texture even better! The seasoning was seriously delicious too, so I recommend it!

Single-serving suyuk with buckwheat makguksu

Third, suyuk (boiled pork)! They offer a single-serving portion, so it is great for two people to share! It also comes with seasoned pollack, dried radish strips, garlic, and peppers, haha.

The suyuk was pure tender, soft perfection! The ratio of lean meat, fat, and skin was nice! It was incredibly moist and delicious!

Every way of pairing the suyuk was absolutely, absolutely delicious!!!! Maybe because the meat itself was so good~? Haha.

And the buckwheat makguksu pairing was impossible to resist~~ Even just one piece of suyuk on the makguksu was delicious, but delicious + delicious = even, even, even more delicious!!!!

Large, crispy buckwheat pancakes

Fourth, the buckwheat pancakes! They were super crispy outside, generously filled inside, and seriously huge!!

They went perfectly with the garlic sauce served alongside them, and the filling was seriously delicious!!!!!! Crispy buckwheat batter with a spicy kimchi filling!!!!

Finishing with dongchimi broth and perilla oil

Partway through, we added dongchimi broth! The sweet-and-tangy dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth was perfect for finishing the meal! It was so refreshing—it really felt like the finale! You can enjoy both the original flavor and the dongchimi version, so it is two makguksu experiences in one, booi booi~~

Each table has mustard, perilla oil, sugar, and vinegar, which is great for adjusting things to your own taste! I added perilla oil for extra nuttiness! Everyone, you absolutely have to do this.... It gets even tastier!!!!

On the way out, I noticed a waiting area by the entrance! Haha. There was even a machine for taking photos, so my boyfriend and I snapped one memory shot~! Haha.