Songpa gopchang restaurant with staff grilling: Midang Hanwoo Gopchang

I was craving gopchang (grilled beef intestine) in Seoul and went looking around, which led me to Midang Hanwoo Gopchang near Gareak Market. I've always liked gopchang and wanted to try proper hanwoo (Korean beef) gopchang, and since it happened to be near Gareak Market, I paid a visit.

Where is Midang Hanwoo Gopchang? A short walk from Garak Market Station

Midang Hanwoo Gopchang is located in Garak-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, and it's fairly close to Gareak Market Station. It was a great find when I was looking for somewhere to eat near Gareak Market.

One order of hanwoo gopchang, a full table of food

We went back and forth on the menu that day but ended up simply ordering hanwoo gopchang. While waiting for the food, though, I was surprised at how full the table ended up being.

We had ordered gopchang, but they threw in heart and honeycomb tripe and a few other cuts as a complimentary extra. We'd originally planned to just eat gopchang, but when you get to try other cuts for free, how can you say no? Personally, I really liked being able to taste a bit of several different cuts at one gopchang restaurant.

Staff-grilled hanwoo gopchang with the gop still inside

And then finally, the hanwoo gopchang arrived. Watching it grill up golden brown, I was reminded that gopchang really does taste best grilled fresh at the table.

A staff member helped with the grilling too, so we could eat comfortably without worrying about timing. If you overcook gopchang it can get chewy or lose the fat inside, but they grilled it to just the right point for eating. Taking a bite of the well-cooked gopchang, the outside was golden brown and the inside held that smoky, savory fat — the more I chewed, the more that rich flavor came through.

What I especially liked was that it didn't have the strong gamey smell gopchang can sometimes have — it was clean and easy to eat. Anyone who loves gopchang knows: it's exactly that smoky flavor that keeps your chopsticks coming back. It was good dipped in sauce, but eaten plain you could really taste the richness of the fat itself, and personally I enjoyed it plain just as much.

Free heart and honeycomb tripe: a different texture in every cut

I also tried the complimentary heart, which had that clean, chewy texture unique to heart — good to eat in between bites of gopchang.

The honeycomb tripe had a completely different texture — crunchy and satisfying to chew — and it was interesting how much the texture varied by cut even within the same gopchang restaurant.

We'd only ordered hanwoo gopchang, but thanks to the complimentary extras, we ended up trying a nice variety of cuts. And of course, the side dishes you can't do without when eating gopchang came along too.

Eating the smoky gopchang together with sides like onion or kimchi cut through the richness and kept us going. Gopchang can start off delicious but get a little heavy the more you eat, so pairing it with the sides made it much easier to keep eating comfortably.

Who should eat at Midang Hanwoo Gopchang?

What I noticed that day is that gopchang really is best eaten hot, right off the grill. Picking it up right when it's browned on the grill, the smoky fat spreads through your mouth along with that chewy texture — it was delicious. It's a good spot for people like me who want to order one menu item and still taste a variety of cuts a little at a time.

It's also a great place to come with friends or a partner for gopchang, and it suits a group visit with drinks just as well. Above all, we went that day for hanwoo gopchang and ended up enjoying a much wider variety than expected, thanks to the complimentary heart, honeycomb tripe, and other cuts.

If you're looking around Gareak Market for gopchang and can't decide where to go, and you're a fan of hanwoo gopchang, save Midang Hanwoo Gopchang for later.

Next time I visit, I'd like to try some of the other menu items too.

If you're craving gopchang near Gareak Market and want to eat proper hanwoo gopchang, this place is well worth a visit.