Gopchang for two with Hangang ramyeon finish near Daerim Station

I was craving gopchang, so I headed to Gimga-ne Gopchang Gui Daerim Station Main Branch near Daerim Station.

Hours and parking

• Hours: Daily 14:00–24:00
• Parking: Two spots in front of the restaurant
• Extra space available in the side alley
• 1 hour cash reimbursement if using Guro-ri Park underground parking lot

It's right near Daerim Station, so it's easy to get to by public transit, and it has that cozy, worn-in feel of an old-school gopchang joint.

Gimga-ne Gopchang Gui says it only uses domestic bull intestines. Gopchang has a particular smell that means you really have to pick your restaurant carefully, but here there was almost no gaminess, so I could really enjoy the flavor of each cut.

What's the vibe like inside

The interior is fairly spacious, with a familiar, comfortable old-school feel. There was actually an ajumma-and-ajeossi group dinner happening, and most of the crowd felt like neighborhood regulars — it has that local favorite feel.

What I ordered

Here's the menu at Gimga-ne Gopchang Gui. I ordered the mixed gopchang for two and had Hangang ramyeon partway through. I wanted to try the kimchi fried rice too but was too full... haha.

The tableside grilling

A staff member grills the gopchang from start to finish. You don't need to touch the grill or the fire while it cooks — just wait and follow their lead. Since you don't have to flip anything yourself, it's cooked just right and there's relatively less grease splashing on your clothes or smell clinging to you.

The basic sides are sauce, dongchimi (radish water kimchi) and vegetables. The garlic, peppers and pickles that come with it are great for cutting through the richness between bites.

The sauce did a great job of cutting the heaviness that inevitably comes with grilled gopchang dishes. It was tangy with cheongyang chili mixed in, which I really liked.

Liver and cheonyeop (beef tripe) come as complimentary sides too. I don't usually get to eat raw liver, so I grilled it thoroughly on the pan — it was mild yet nutty, a surprisingly nice treat. If eating it raw feels intimidating, it's fine to cook it alongside the gopchang.

The grill was piled generously with gopchang, daechang (large intestine), makchang (abomasum) and more, with enoki mushrooms in the middle.

The ajumma at the next table grilled everything for us first, which was so convenient. Gopchang cuts are trickier than regular grilled meat — cook them wrong and they get tough, flavorless, and lose all the fatty goodness inside — but since she grilled it all, I just had to eat.

Once things were cooked enough, she piled on a generous helping of chives to grill together. The chives soak up the gopchang's fat, wilting slightly while adding a nutty flavor that pairs really well with the gopchang.

The owner grills everything to perfection and brings it over to our table.

Cut by cut — daechang, gopchang, makchang, heart

The first thing that caught my eye was the plump daechang. It was packed full inside and grilled golden on the outside, releasing a nutty richness with each bite.

Even though it's a fatty cut, pairing it with the sauce cuts the richness so you just keep reaching for more.

The sauce, made with chili and green onion, keeps the nutty flavor of the gopchang intact while cleaning up the aftertaste.

The gopchang itself was full of that rich, nutty inner fat. Golden on the outside and moist inside, the texture and flavor unique to gopchang really came through.

There was no gaminess at all, so it was delicious even without extra seasoning, and even cleaner when paired with the chives and sauce.

I like makchang grilled crispy on the outside, so I cooked it thoroughly until the end. Even fully cooked, it stayed chewy rather than tough, getting nuttier the more I chewed.

The heart was chewy and delicious too, and the complimentary raw liver, once grilled, turned out really soft and tasty. Each cut has a clearly different texture, so it's fun to switch between them.

Finishing with squid jjamppong Hangang ramyeon

About the time I'd made my way through most of the gopchang, I used the Hangang ramyeon machine in the restaurant.

You can choose between Shin Ramyeon and squid jjamppong, and the price is a very reasonable ₩3,000. I was craving something spicier that day, so I went with the squid jjamppong!

It's simple to operate too. You put the noodles and seasoning packets into the provided container, set it in the machine, and just press start. The timing is set automatically, which is so convenient.

The spicy broth cleared away the lingering richness from the gopchang in one go. Fried rice is a nice way to finish off gopchang, but if you want to end with a fiery broth instead, I'd recommend the squid jjamppong.

Final verdict

Gimga-ne Gopchang Gui is a place where the strengths of every cut really shine — nutty gopchang with no gaminess, plump daechang, and chewy makchang. You get to eat comfortably without grilling anything yourself, and being able to finish with cheap Hangang ramyeon is a nice bonus. It's a place I'd want to come back to whenever I'm craving properly grilled gopchang near Daerim Station.