10 Best Local Restaurants in Goseong

Namgyeong Sigdang is a restaurant loved by Goseong locals both for its incredible local dishes and relaxed setting. Located near Bongpo Beach, you can drop in after spending time on the beach and enjoying the waves or simply head down to fulfil your seafood cravings.

One of their most famous dishes, muneo gopchang jeongol is a spicy and hearty stew of octopus, beef giblets, and crisp vegetables served in a hot pot. After you’ve finished the stew, add some rice into the pot and enjoy fried rice soaked in all the remaining goodness. Regulars recommend Nangmyeong Sigdang’s gopchang (tripe), which goes incredibly well with some soju.

Geojin Hangeo Chongyeh Wareohoe Senta is a well-hidden local gem for foodies in Goseong. This is a live fish centre in a fishing village that happens to also serve up some of the freshest seafood dishes in town.

You can select your own fish and have the friendly auntie prep your dish with knifework tempered by long years. Grab a seat at the dining area and prepare to dig into the succulent, freshly cut fish, crab, or any other seafood selections that you fancy.

Soguri Seolleongtang specialises in seolleongtang or ox bone soup prepared with cloudy, rich broth, juicy beef slices, and vermicelli noodles. The humble restaurant’s menu primarily consists of 2 dishes, the regular and special soup as well as suyuk so or beef slices. As at any restaurant in Korea, your meal will be accompanied by other side dishes such as kimchi and rice.

When their seolleongtang is so good, it’s easy to see why they’re confident enough to serve only their eponymous dish for more than 30 years. Make yourself comfortable at this quaint yet spacious restaurant and get ready to feast.

Gyodong Makguksu serves up good local Korean dishes at budget-friendly prices in Goseong. This has made them a big hit with locals and travellers who are in the know. Upon entering, you’ll be greeted with a well-lit dining area with low tables, and you’re in for a treat when the local workers are eating there.

Their main dishes are makguksu (buckwheat noodle soup) and bibimbap (rice dish), with ssambap being one of their highlighted menu items. It’s a massive spread of banchan (side dishes) and fresh ssam (leafy vegetables) to make a wrap. Put some rice onto the vegetable, add a dish that catches your interest from the banchan spread, add some gochujang sauce, roll it into a wrap, and eat it in one go. Make your next wrap with different fillings and keep going. Their ssambap is good for 2 diners, so go in hungry with your friend or family.

Sanbuk Makguksu is a restaurant in a mountainous part of Goseong that distinguishes itself from many other similar local spots in town. They do so by making their own buckwheat noodles. You can see the owner herself making the noodles or preparing the vegetables to be pickled, and her care for the food is reflected in everything served here.

Stepping into the restaurant feels like going to a friend’s house to have a meal. The makguksu here comes served with pure buckwheat noodles, toasted seaweed, boiled egg, sesame seeds, and the house’s sauce. Take a bite of the noodle first to savour the pure buckwheat flavour before mixing everything up and adding other seasonings such as sesame oil or perilla oil to your taste.

Gyeongdong Banjeom is a restaurant that has been serving up jjamppong (spicy seafood soup) and jjajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles) to hungry Goseong locals for over 30 years. Often regarded as a fast-food meal and certainly as some of the most commonly ordered foods to be delivered to homes in South Korea, both dishes are taken to the next level here.

Aside from their renowned jjajangmyeon and jjampong, Gyeongdong Banjeom remains true to its roots in Chinese cuisine. Their sweet-and-sour pork has garnered rave reviews, and the ganjajang (dry, stir-fried cousin of jjajangmyeon) is also worth writing home about. If you’ve got a hankering for something that a local would go for in Goseong, this is the place to check out.

Sujebijip is the place to go in Goseong for sujebi or hand-pulled, hand-torn wheat strips in spicy soup. Akin to a dumpling soup, but with extra satisfying chew, Sujebijip has done theirs extremely well and has achieved a loyal local following.

It’s a more savoury version than the common, old-fashioned sujebi that may have a pronounced bitter tone. As a result, it is very popular. Don’t miss out on their pajeon (fried scallion pancake) with clams and mussels mixed into the batter to go with your spicy bowl of Sujebi.

Baekdosusan is a very unique culinary experience in Goseong for any seafood lover. One of Goseong’s best-kept secrets, the unassuming restaurant is located next to the sea and you can order live scallops, caught off Goseong shores by the kilo and grill them yourself.

The hands-on cooking process adds a layer of anticipation and makes for a great moment to have a chat with your friends at the table. The succulent scallops go really well with some beer or soju, so grab some and raise the glass while saying, “geonbae!” (cheers) to everyone around.

Wonjojangsu Sikdang is a Goseong restaurant that has that mom-and-pop feel to it. That translates into their menu – a selection of home-style Korean foods that are just right for breakfast. We’re talking about a comforting galbitang (beef rib soup), homemade pickles, jeyuk rice bowls, and a whole slew of banchan (side dishes) to start your day.

Everything at Wonjojangsu Sikdang has that rustic flavour and that makes this humble restaurant among the top go-to spots for trying homemade Korean flavours. It’s a place to add to your list of authentic culinary spots for a feel of how locals eat in Goseong.

Seoyun Dolsotbap is famous for its highly acclaimed dolsotbap,  a rice-based dish cooked in a sizzling hot stone bowl. The restaurant’s proximity to Daejin Port Marine Park makes it a solid place to hit if you’re in the area.

Among the highlights here is the jeonbok dolsotbap with rice, nuts, and other ingredients topped with an abalone. The banchan (side dishes) are also plentiful and most certainly will satisfy even the big eaters in the group.