Mokdong Korean BBQ: garlic beef rib meat instead of gopchang, Omokgyo

Where is Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch and when is it open?

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is close to Exits 1 and 2 of Omokgyo Station on Line 5, so it's an easy Mokdong restaurant to reach on foot or by transit. The address is 1st floor, Mokdong-ro, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul (lot number: Mokdong 406-75, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul) :)

• Mon–Thu 16:00–22:40 (last order 22:00)
• Fri 15:00–22:40 (last order 22:00)
• Sat–Sun 12:10–23:30 (last order 22:50)
• Parking: Mokdong public parking lot or E-Mart Mokdong branch parking lot

The vibe and the wait at Omokgyo Gopchang

The inside of Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch was spacious and clean enough for a group dinner!! It seemed like it's already well known among Mokdong locals as a date spot, a family dinner place, and a team dinner spot~

We showed up right at opening time, so luckily we got to eat dinner without waiting, but as time went on more and more customers kept pouring in, to the point where we might've needed to wait ourselves haha

Omokgyo Gopchang side dishes: scallion kimchi and free sundubu jjigae

Omokgyo Gopchang serves generous side dishes, including house-made scallion kimchi and a spicy sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) that comes free as standard. As soon as we walked in, the savory smell of gopchang already sizzling on the grill nearby almost made us dizzy (?) haha, and then the sheer amount of side dishes surprised us all over again! The scallion kimchi, made from a recipe passed down from the owner's mother, was also house-made.

And here's the really surprising part about Omokgyo Gopchang! They just hand you this spicy sundubu jjigae, which is sold for 8,900 won on the menu, made with their special chili paste — the umami and heat were no joke 👍🏼 And the portion is huge!!

What's on the menu at Omokgyo Gopchang?

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is most famous for its 30-year-tradition handmade garlic gopchang, made with domestic beef cattle and Korean beef that's slaughtered the same day and given a precisely timed pre-grill, they say. There was just no way it could taste bad!

• Gopchang and beef: traditional handmade garlic gopchang, assorted gopchang, hwangso gopchang, daechang (grilled large intestine) skewers, makchang (grilled abomasum) skewers, special beef tripe skewers, garlic beef short rib skirt, beef brisket, spicy gopchang hot pot
• Meals and sides: raw beef spinal cord platter, gopchang hot pot, fried rice, spicy sundubu jjigae, Jumunjin gol-bimyeon, bibim guksu, dongchimi noodles, freshly harvested rice

Garlic beef short rib skirt (180g) for 25,000 won, tried instead of gopchang

Omokgyo Gopchang's garlic beef short rib skirt is 180g for 25,000 won. My spouse and I set aside the hugely popular traditional handmade garlic gopchang and decided to try the somewhat leaner garlic beef short rib skirt instead! It seemed like plenty of people order beef brisket and gopchang hot pot instead of just gopchang and makchang, too haha

At Omokgyo Gopchang, every meat dish is pre-grilled generously on the pan along with potato, chives, onion, and garlic, just like the gopchang — I found that so interesting! The special garlic marinade added a deep savoriness that made it sweet and absolutely delicious 💗

And when you order, beef heart also comes out alongside it, so you can enjoy a wider range of textures and flavors. In particular, Omokgyo Gopchang's secret sauce is a special spicy sauce made by aging 15 ingredients for 72 hours, and that was the real kicker 👍🏼 The savory sweetness combined with a spicy umami kick was truly something I still can't forget...

Once the garlic beef short rib skirt was nicely browned, we dipped a piece into the special secret sauce and wow... the savoriness was no joke!!

Chives, bean sprouts, onion, and garlic were all served generously too, so grilling them together and eating them alongside the meat was incredibly sweet and delicious~?! Add in the refreshing 30-year-tradition scallion kimchi they make themselves, and it's the kind of flavor that just deserves applause 👏🏼

The garlic beef short rib skirt didn't release much fat, so there wasn't a moment of greasiness, and eating it with the house-made scallion kimchi, various sauces, and pickles gave it real depth of flavor!!

Signature Omokgyo fried rice platter, 6,900 won

Omokgyo Gopchang's signature dish, the Omokgyo fried rice platter, is 6,900 won. After finishing two servings of the handmade garlic beef short rib skirt, we figured Koreans run on rice power, so we ordered the fried rice platter too.

Antibiotic-free eggs are laid around the edge, so once they're nicely cooked you just mix them into the fried rice! It's made by frying five ingredients in beef fat, which is probably why it was so wonderfully savory.

It's fried right there on the hot plate, so it stays nice and warm, which I loved 👍🏼 And despite the bright red look, it's not salty at all — mixed with the antibiotic-free eggs, it was full of savory flavor :)

A clean finish with Omokgyo dongchimi noodles, 7,000 won

Omokgyo Gopchang's Omokgyo dongchimi noodles are 7,000 won — cold noodles loaded with icy slush in dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) broth, meant to settle the stomach after eating meat. The weather had turned properly autumn-cool, but after loading up on grease(?), I always end up craving a cold noodle dish like this anyway!

With dongchimi radish, cucumber, and half a boiled egg, it had a mild yet sweet-and-tangy flavor. The noodles weren't overly seasoned either, letting the fresh, refreshing dongchimi broth shine through, and it wrapped up our dinner very cleanly.

The self-photo studio at Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch

Did you know Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch has a self-photo studio — basically a little photo booth to capture the memory? haha After a delicious dinner, I'd recommend leaving with a small keepsake like this! If you've been searching for a Mokdong team-dinner restaurant near Omokgyo Station, be sure to stop by Omokgyo Gopchang's main branch :D