Gwacheon group dinner restaurant with mentaiko mayo gyoza: Horangigul

A group dinner restaurant near Jeongbugwacheon Cheongsa Station: Horangigul Gwacheon Branch

Looking for a good place to eat near Jeongbugwacheon Cheongsa Station? I have a Gwacheon family-gathering restaurant I can confidently recommend — Horangigul Gwacheon Branch! My husband and I are back here for the nth time. The beef gopchang and daechang hot pot is so good that I crave it once a month, haha.

When can you skip the wait? Weeknights after 8pm

My husband and I have never gone for lunch. We've almost always come on weekday evenings after work, which has let us dodge the wait. This time too, we arrived past 8pm and walked right in with no waiting!

By the way, there are also discounted lunch sets depending on the day of the week, so if you work around Gwacheon, give them a try :) Personally I'm curious about the Thursday buta-don (pork rice bowl) set!!

Inside Horangigul Gwacheon Branch

This seems to be a Horangigul trademark — small tables packed close together! Every other time we've squeezed into a tight spot, but this time we got lucky and were shown to a roomier seat since there was more space available. I'm quite pregnant these days, so sitting somewhere cramped is uncomfortable — I was so grateful they seated us somewhere spacious and comfortable!

How to order: table QR code only

Last time we visited, we ordered verbally, so it seems the ordering method has changed? Each table has a QR code for ordering — you scan it to order from the menu.

Today I told myself: hot pot plus risotto! But we changed our order at the last minute lol. What we ended up ordering was:

• Beef gopchang & daechang hot pot, mild, for 2 — ₩37,800
• Mayo pollack roe gyoza — ₩14,900
• Bowl of rice — ₩1,000

The total came to ₩53,700.

Yuzu soy sauce and pickled garlic scapes

If you join the review event at Horangigul, a Gwacheon family-gathering favorite, you can get some tasty extras! And every table has yuzu soy sauce, which is genuinely delicious!!!! Dip the offal hot pot in it and the flavor gets even richer~

The house-made pickled garlic scapes are great too! Just these alone can make the rice disappear.

The one side to order: mentaiko mayo gyoza, 14,900 won

This was our first time ordering the mayo pollack roe gyoza, and it's really, really good! It's very hot, so blow on it and let it cool a bit before eating. I don't usually like dumplings so I'd always skipped this menu, but ever since getting pregnant, dumplings have tasted amazing to me, haha hehe.

There's a generous amount of pollack roe and mayo, so it's incredibly tasty! Eaten together with the shredded cabbage underneath, it's not greasy at all, so you never get sick of it! If you're debating on a side dish, definitely order the mayo pollack roe gyoza!

Mild beef gopchang and daechang hot pot (motsunabe), cooked by timer

Horangigul's beef gopchang and daechang hot pot (motsunabe) lets you choose a spice level. The options are mild, regular, spicy, and extra spicy — this time we ordered mild. If you can handle spicy food, I'd recommend spicy over mild!

A staff member sets up the pot and the timer for you — you just wait until the timer goes off. You need about 2-3 more minutes to fully cook the gopchang, daechang, and other meats, but the vegetables are already good to eat. Since it keeps simmering as you eat, you can enjoy it piping hot all the way to the end. This is especially what I crave on a cold day!!!!

The fried tofu pouches soaked up the spicy broth are also so delicious!! They're great plain, but even better dipped in the sauce!!

I personally like daechang even more than gopchang, and maybe because it's beef offal, Horangigul's has no gamey smell at all and tastes really clean and delicious. The daechang isn't greasy either! Great texture, great flavor! If you're looking for a Gwacheon family-gathering restaurant, Horangigul is the one!

No broth refills, so save room for noodles or risotto

Tofu and fish cake are even better eaten together. Note that broth refills aren't available, so if you plan to add noodles or rice, manage your broth level carefully! We've always been too full to try the noodles or risotto, but we decided we'll definitely have them next time. Most people seem to add noodles or risotto, so it must be that good, right~?

I've tried a good variety of the sides at Horangigul, and personally the mayo pollack roe gyoza was the standout for me :) My top pick!!!!

Horangigul Gwacheon Branch: hours, address and prices

• Address: 36 Saesulmak-gil, 1st floor, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–23:00
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 14:00, 22:00
• Closed every Sunday