Isu Station gopchang hotpot with udon noodles: Baekho Yangdaechang

My friend came all the way to Isu to hang out, so we went to Baekho Yangdaechang together! The daechang and gopchang were so good, and since the staff grilled everything for us, it was such a comfortable, satisfying meal — here's my review.

Where is Baekho Yangdaechang, and what are its hours and parking?

🐯 Baekho Yangdaechang 📍 30 Dongjak-daero 25-gil, 1st floor, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 🚶 About a 2-minute walk from Exit 10 of Isu Station, Lines 4 and 7 🕒 Hours Mon–Sat 16:00 - 24:00 Sun 16:00 - 23:00 🚗 Parking: Paid parking available at Hana Bank Isu Station branch

It's really close to Isu Station, so it seems like a great spot for group gatherings too.

Menu and prices: why the mixed grill has no gopchang

Mixed grill 200g ₩19,900 Yang & daechang grill 200g ₩23,900 Daechang grill 150g ₩15,900 Teukyang grill 130g ₩17,900 Gopchang grill 130g ₩17,900 Makchang grill 150g ₩18,900 Yeomtong grill 150g ₩11,900 Wooshamgyeop grill 150g ₩10,900 Hotpot medium ₩32,900 Hotpot large ₩38,900

We were debating ordering the mixed grill at first, but we found out it doesn't include gopchang, so we ordered daechang grill and gopchang grill separately, one serving each. If you're visiting specifically because you love gopchang, I'd recommend ordering the grilled items individually like we did.

Inside Baekho Yangdaechang: seating and atmosphere

The interior isn't huge, but round tables and square tables were arranged evenly throughout. The spacing between tables wasn't too tight either, so it didn't feel cramped during the meal — a comfortable atmosphere whether you're there for a casual drink with one friend or visiting with a bigger group.

Side dishes: seasoned chives and pickled onions

The basic side dishes, chive salad and pickled onions, went really well with the grilled meats. Gopchang and daechang are naturally savory and fatty, so they can get a little heavy after a while, but pairing them with the tangy pickled onions or chive salad cleaned up the palate and kept me reaching for more. The green chili peppers were spicy too, which helped cut through the richness.

Do the staff grill the gopchang for you?

The most convenient part of eating at this Isu gopchang spot, Baekho Yangdaechang, was that a staff member grilled everything for us. The pre-cooked gopchang and daechang were grilled piece by piece over charcoal while the staff watched for doneness, so we didn't have to worry about timing at all — we just ate as it came.

Gopchang gets tough if it's overcooked and has an odd texture if it's undercooked, but they grilled it to exactly the right point for the best taste, so this place would be great for anyone looking for gopchang in Isu without wanting to deal with the hassle of grilling it themselves.

Once everything was cooked, they neatly arranged it to one side! Green pepper skewers came out too, and the combination was great.

How the gopchang and daechang grills tasted

First, the gopchang grill! The first thing I noticed on the first bite was that it wasn't tough at all. The outside was grilled over charcoal so it had a slightly chewy, savory flavor, while the inside was tender — the texture was really great.

The daechang was really good too. The outside was grilled golden and slightly crispy, while the inside had a soft, moist, savory fattiness. Daechang can get tiresome quickly if the fat flavor is too strong or if it's tough, but at Baekho Yangdaechang it was tender with a charcoal aroma on top, so the savoriness came through before any greasiness. Eating it with the pickled onions was a great combo, since the tangy flavor balanced out the fattiness of the daechang.

Gopchang hotpot: udon noodles included as standard

As soon as the hotpot arrived at the table, I could tell the portion was quite generous, and there was more gopchang inside than I expected. Most notably, udon noodles come included by default, and there was a lot of it, so it made for a filling meal.

The broth was spicy but also had a savory depth from the perilla powder. It wasn't just aggressively spicy — the savory flavor from the gopchang combined with the perilla aroma made the broth rich and hearty.

The broth soaked well into the udon noodles too, so it was fun to fish out the noodles first, and there was plenty of gopchang in there so I never felt like it was running low until the end. In particular, the gopchang in the hotpot wasn't tough either. Since it's simmered for a long time, it could easily get tough, but it was chewy yet tender with almost no gamey smell, making it easy to eat alongside the broth.

Is ordering both grill and hotpot worth it?

With the grill, you get to enjoy the charcoal aroma and savoriness, and with the hotpot, you get to experience gopchang in a completely different way, through a spicy, rich broth — ordering both menus together was the right call. Baekho Yangdaechang says it weighs its portions honestly and uses ingredients aged at low temperature for 48 hours, and eating there, both the gopchang and daechang really were tender with absolutely no gamey smell.

The mixed grill lets you try several parts at once, like teukyang, makchang, and yeomtong, so next time I want to order that. It was such an easy meal thanks to the clean, well-kept space and the staff grilling everything for us — getting to eat tender, gamey-smell-free gopchang and daechang without lifting a finger to grill it myself was so satisfying!