Gwacheon izakaya with beef offal hot pot, udon and risotto: Horangigul

The long-awaited holiday finally started~ haha. I wanted a good drink the night before the holiday, so I went to Horangigul Gwacheon Branch, a Japanese izakaya-style spot in Gwacheon. Horangigul has always been known for its beef offal hot pot, so I'd been wanting to try it. After eating it myself, it was even better than expected — now I get why it's so popular!

36 Saesulmak-gil, 1st floor, Unit 101, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / Daily 11:00 – 23:00 / Group seating available · Takeout available · Reservations available

Where is Horangigul Gwacheon Branch, and what is it like inside?

Horangigul Gwacheon Branch is well known as a restaurant near Gwacheon Hillstate, and it's also close to Government Gwacheon Complex Station, so it's easy to reach by public transit or on foot.

The inside was decorated like a Japanese izakaya! There was that cute Japanese vibe everywhere, so it almost felt like I was on a trip to Japan, haha. If you're looking for an izakaya in Gwacheon, it seems like a great place to enjoy the atmosphere too.

The seating was fairly generous, with space set aside for groups. It looked comfortable enough for several people to visit together for a first or second round of drinks. That said, since it's such a popular spot near Gwacheon Hillstate, there can be a wait depending on the time, so I'd recommend booking ahead!

What we ordered: beef offal hot pot for two and green onion bomb takoyaki

Horangigul Gwacheon Branch's signature dish is of course the gopchang (small intestine) and daechang (large intestine) hot pot, apparently popular enough that people come back for it again and again! After finishing the hot pot, you can also finish with noodles or risotto. We ordered the gopchang hot pot for two and the green onion bomb tacoyaki!

Apparently if you join their current review event, you get free fried tofu pouches (yubu jumeoni)! Since it pairs well with the gopchang hot pot, it might be worth joining in if you visit, haha.

Starter sides: pickled garlic scapes and yuzu soy sauce

The basic side dish was pickled garlic stems! They were salty and crunchy, and went really well with the gopchang hot pot as a bite in between, haha.

Each table also had yuzu soy sauce on hand, meant for lightly dipping the hot pot ingredients — the tangy yuzu and salty soy sauce combo went really well with the hot pot!

How the beef offal hot pot is served and the 8-minute timer

Next up was the beef offal hot pot I'd been waiting for! It arrives in a covered stone pot, and staff put it on the burner and let it simmer for about 8 minutes. They even set a timer, so we deliberately waited without peeking and checked it all at once, haha.

There was also a guide on the table for how to best enjoy Horangigul's gopchang hot pot! At first, you dip the tofu, fried tofu, fish balls, and vegetables in yuzu soy sauce, then let the gopchang and daechang cook another 2–3 minutes before eating. If you're planning to finish with noodles or risotto, the tip is to leave some broth behind — good to know, haha.

After what felt like a pretty long 8 minutes, haha, staff opened the lid — and the spicy-looking beef offal hot pot appeared, making my mouth water just from the sight...! Watching it bubble away looked so appetizing.

The beef offal hot pot, loaded with red pepper flakes, bubbling away really did look delicious. With that spicy aroma wafting up, there was no way I wasn't having a drink with this... haha.

So I ordered a draft beer too! Taking a sip of cold draft beer before diving into the spicy hot pot cleaned my palate and felt so refreshing, ㅠㅠ. A cold draft beer really does pair well with this kind of spicy hot pot, haha.

Staff gave it a good stir so the seasoning and vegetable stock blended together. The longer it simmered, the more the seasoning spread naturally through the broth, deepening the color and bringing out a stronger spicy aroma.

The beef offal hot pot was generously packed with tofu, fried tofu, fish balls, meat, and beef offal, plus a variety of vegetables like green onion and chives — the ingredients felt quite substantial!

How spicy is the spicy level?

I tried the broth first. We ordered it spicy, and the heat level was about the same as Shin Ramyun. It had that spicy, sharp kick alive in it — pure broth that any Korean person would like, haha. Especially thanks to the vegetable stock, it wasn't just harshly spicy but also had a clean, refreshing taste, which I really liked!

The fried tofu soaked up the broth well, so it was moist and had a nicely spicy flavor — delicious. The tofu, dipped lightly in the yuzu soy sauce, took on a tangy yuzu aroma, giving it a completely different flavor from the hot pot itself, and it was great!

The fried tofu soaked up the broth well, so it was moist and had a nicely spicy flavor — delicious. The tofu, dipped lightly in the yuzu soy sauce, took on a tangy yuzu aroma, giving it a completely different flavor from the hot pot itself, and it was great!

Finishing the pot with both udon noodles and risotto

After we'd nearly finished the beef offal hot pot, we added udon noodles to finish it off! The udon noodles come already boiled, so you just drop them into the remaining broth and let them simmer briefly.

The udon noodles had a springy, chewy texture that went really well with the spicy broth. The broth soaked into every strand of noodle, making it the perfect finish, haha.

After the udon noodles, I was pretty full, but I couldn't resist wondering about the risotto, haha. Staff make the risotto directly in the remaining broth, so you can enjoy the finish without any extra effort!

The risotto was really good — the spicy, rich broth from the beef offal hot pot soaked right into every grain of rice. With a slightly thick, savory finish, it had a whole different charm from the hot pot itself. It was the kind of finishing dish I kept reaching for even when full, haha!

Side order: green onion bomb takoyaki

We also tried the green onion bomb tacoyaki we ordered as a side! True to its name, it was piled high with green onion and bonito flakes, so it looked generous from the start!

Crispy outside, soft inside — delicious, and switching back and forth with the spicy beef offal hot pot turned out to be a surprisingly great combo, haha. The salty, savory sauce plus the crunchy green onion kept it from feeling greasy, and it was really enjoyable!

Is Horangigul Gwacheon Branch worth a visit?

The gopchang and meat were generous, and the broth was cleanly spicy, making it a great spot to pair with a drink. Finishing with both udon noodles and risotto made it even more satisfying. If you're craving a spicy beef offal hot pot in Gwacheon, I'd recommend Horangigul Gwacheon Branch!