Incheon makchang and hot pot, no Daegu trip needed: Yeonsu Gopchang

Tonight's Friday-night pick is... Yeonsu Gopchang, a great spot near Yeonsu Station!

What kind of place is Yeonsu Gopchang?

Yeonsu Gopchang (연수곱창) is a pork gopchang (small intestine) and makchang (pork large intestine) restaurant in Yeonsu-dong, near Yeonsu Station in Incheon. I hear it used to be Miro Gopchang Yeonsu branch and only the name changed. When I lived in Dongchun-dong, it was my go-to pork gopchang place on Baemin (a delivery app). Delivery is great, but there's a certain atmosphere you only get eating in the restaurant, right? Only the name changed and it's still delicious, so please go visit this Yeonsu Station favorite~

I suddenly had such a craving for makchang that I was thinking about going all the way to Daegu for it, and then I just came straight to Yeonsu Gopchang!!! TMI: it's also the place near Yeonsu Station I stop by every time I visit the orthopedic clinic in Yeonsu-dong.

Where do you park for Yeonsu Gopchang?

When you go to Yeonsu Gopchang, park at the Neulbom underground public car park or the Matgoeul-gil public car park, and you get 2 hours free. Watch out, though: they're often full on Fridays and weekends!

Is the pork gopchang at Yeonsu Gopchang free of gamey smell?

They say Yeonsu Gopchang prepares everything carefully every day: trimming it themselves, pre-grilling, then 24 hours of cold aging. Pork is sensitive when it comes to smell, and cleaning is really important, right? If it's even a little under-cleaned you can notice a gamey odor, but no worries about pork smell here, nonono!!

What comes in the Yeonsu Gopchang assorted set?

As always, I went with the Yeonsu assorted set~ It can be ordered by 2 or more people and it's a perfect menu for trying a bit of everything.

With the weather suddenly turning cold, I wondered for a moment, should I get gopchang hot pot~? Then I saw the assorted set includes the hot pot too, so order done with the set!!!

Maybe because it's Friday, a line started forming at Yeonsu Gopchang as soon as it hit 7 pm~~ This means it's a real good place, right?

The vibe is insane!!!! Windy autumn weather and fish cake skewers... in a kettle?? I think I'm getting autumn blues~~

Here are the basic side dishes at Yeonsu Gopchang~ I used the self-service corner for anything running low, and if you ask staff separately, they'll give you mayonnaise and garlic chives~

Yeonsu Gopchang is almost omakase-level!!!

Hot fish cake comes out first~ then warm sundae (Korean blood sausage) and liver. Looking at the other tables, people were even getting refills of the sundae.

Is the salt-grilled makchang at Yeonsu Gopchang worth skipping Daegu?

While you're working on the fish cake, the salt-grilled makchang and pork gopchang arrive.

And a whole heap of garlic chives~~ When I ordered delivery I always added extra chives, but eating in at Yeonsu Gopchang you get a whole bucketful of them!!

Why go to Daegu for makchang?? I cried, as I ate... The makchang at Yeonsu Gopchang has that chewy, nutty texture that also goes great as a snack with drinks.

For me, who was thinking about going to Daegu for makchang, being able to enjoy it like this in Yeonsu-dong is great!!

How is the seasoning on the stir-fried pork gopchang at Yeonsu Gopchang?

I had a sip of the hot fish cake broth~ and here we go again. This time it's pork gopchang~~ Back in college I ate pork gopchang five days a week, this Incheon girl... I know my pork gopchang. And yes, Yeonsu Gopchang is a real pork gopchang place.

Honestly, with stir-fried gopchang, if the seasoning is too strong it buries the flavor of the ingredient, and if it's too weak it can be disappointing, but Yeonsu Gopchang balances the gopchang and seasoning well.

The texture when you bite into the chewy gopchang is great, and the seasoning soaks in well, so my chopsticks keep going back. Dipped in mayo~ dipped in the special sauce~ or just plain, it's my style...

How was the gopchang hot pot at Yeonsu Gopchang on a chilly day?

The gopchang hot pot I'd been waiting for arrived. Nothing beats gopchang hot pot when the weather turns chilly, right? My husband kept telling me to take a photo~ look how full it is of gopchang~ and bean sprouts... The broth is what matters in a hot pot, and the one at Yeonsu Gopchang is spicy yet makes you keep reaching for the spoon, so it was nice to have in between bites throughout the meal.

Especially after the stir-fried pork gopchang or grilled makchang, having a warm broth dish alongside is a really good combination.

An extra soft drink here, please~~ Yeonsu Gopchang gives you 500 ml drinks, which I love!!!

How does the Yeonsu Gopchang assorted set end? Four-color fried rice

The finale of the Yeonsu Gopchang assorted set is the "K-dessert": four-color fried rice made with 100% sesame oil.

It has house-stir-fried kimchi and 100% sesame oil, so the nutty aroma is just everywhere~~

What should you order on a first visit to Yeonsu Gopchang?

Personally, if it's your first time at Yeonsu Gopchang, an Incheon pork gopchang favorite, I recommend the assorted set so you can taste a bit of everything: pork gopchang + grilled makchang + gopchang hot pot, plus four-color fried rice~