Gimpo gopchang restaurant, fried rice finish: Daebak Hwangso Gopchang

Let me leave a record of my visit to Daebak Hwangso Gopchang, a Gimpo Jangi-dong restaurant that's great to seek out whenever you're craving gopchang (grilled beef intestines). Gopchang is a dish I love, but it's also one that makes me hesitate — worries about smell, worries about tough texture. This visit to Daebak Hwangso Gopchang made me think, "yeah, gopchang really is best grilled," rather than dwelling on those worries.

It's located in the Jangi-dong food alley area, so it's easy to access, and it's known as a gopchang restaurant that a lot of local residents visit.

Where is Daebak Hwangso Gopchang, and what are the hours?

• Name: Daebak Hwangso Gopchang
• Hours: (Sun–Thu) 11:00–23:00 / (Fri, Sat) 14:00–24:00
• Last order: 22:00 / 23:00
• Closed: None

Daebak Hwangso Gopchang, a Gimpo Jangi-dong restaurant

One of the advantages of Daebak Hwangso Gopchang is that it's easy to visit at a relaxed pace. Most gopchang restaurants get crowded around dinner time, but this place runs with no break time, so it's relatively easy to fit into your schedule.

It's good for a simple meal, and it also suits a soju drink after work. The menu features a variety of parts — gopchang, daechang, makchang — and if it's your first visit, I'd recommend the mixed platter, which lets you try several parts at once. Rather than picking just one item, it's a composition that really lets you feel the charm of a gopchang restaurant, so I think satisfaction is especially high when visiting with a group.

Raw liver and cheonyeop in the free base spread

Mixed platter

The base spread is impressive too, isn't it? Refreshing bean sprout soup, Daebak Hwangso Gopchang's signature chive salad, and the special sauce as well~~

They also give a generous serving of raw liver and cheonyeop (beef tripe), both incredibly fresh — the nutty flavor was excellent.

What comes on the mixed platter, and how does the gopchang eat?

What we ordered that day was the mixed platter — a menu that lets you taste various parts like gopchang, daechang, makchang, and heart all at once. The moment it first hit the grill, the portion size was quite generous and caught the eye.

Gopchang can lack chew when it's too thin, and can get tough when it's too thick, but Daebak Hwangso Gopchang's just-right thickness let me really feel the chewy texture. In particular, the distinctive nutty flavor of gopchang came through, and it seemed to get better the more I chewed.

Honeycomb tripe you rarely find at other gopchang restaurants

Golden and crisp on the outside, moist inside. In particular, honeycomb tripe — something almost never found at other gopchang restaurants. I heard it takes too much hand-prep to serve grilled, which is why most places skip it, but this Gimpo Jangi-dong restaurant, Daebak Hwangso Gopchang, has it. Dipped in the onion sauce, it had a fun chewy-yet-crispy texture.

Chive salad with the chili and onion sauces

A point you can't skip at Daebak Hwangso Gopchang is the side dishes. Gopchang can get a little greasy if you keep eating it because of its rich flavor, but the accompanying chive salad handles that part.

The crisp chive salad pairs well with the nutty gopchang, and it was a combo I kept reaching for. There's also cheongyang chili sauce and onion sauce prepared, so you can pair it to your taste. Spicy sauce suits the nutty gopchang well, and when you want to enjoy it more plainly, the onion sauce combo was good too. I realized that an ordinary piece of gopchang can feel completely different depending on the sauce and side dish you pair it with.

Meal menu and the fried rice finish

When you go to a gopchang restaurant, it can feel strongly like a drinking-food place, so some people worry about what to eat as a proper meal. Daebak Hwangso Gopchang has meal menu items too, so it's easy to visit even if you're not drinking. There's a daechang rice bowl, chadol (beef brisket) rice bowl, gopchang chicken stew, naengmyeon (cold noodles), fried rice, and more — good whether you're eating them alongside the gopchang or visiting specifically for a meal.

And after eating gopchang, the finishing fried rice is a course you can't skip. With the nutty flavor left on the grill added in, it was satisfying all the way to the last bite.

Is Daebak Hwangso Gopchang worth a visit?

Gopchang is a food where ingredient management and prep really matter, so satisfaction can vary a lot depending on where you eat it. I felt that Daebak Hwangso Gopchang, thanks to its generous mixed platter and variety of side dishes, is a great spot to visit with a group.

It's good for evening get-togethers with friends, and it also suits a family meal out or a casual drink. If you're in Gimpo's Jangi-dong and craving chewy gopchang and nutty daechang, I'd recommend trying the Daebak Hwangso Gopchang mixed platter.