Gopchang grill near Ara Station, Incheon: mixed platter at Hwang Gop

Where is Hwang Gop near Ara Station, and where do you park?

Hwang Gop Geomdan New Town Branch has been a famous gopchang (beef intestine) spot near Ara Station in Geomdan for a long time. It's located in the apartment mall of LH26 Complex near Ara Station, and parking is free if you enter through the back gate of 26 Complex and park in the outdoor lot.

Back when I lived near Ara Station, I used to eat here several times a week — after moving away, I finally made it back after a long while.

How long is the evening wait at Hwang Gop?

Since Hwang Gop is the best gopchang place near Ara Station, there's always a wait in the evenings. It used to mean waiting outside, but I noticed on this visit they've added an indoor waiting area, so it should be more comfortable now.

I went a bit before dinner rush, so I got a table without waiting. Even if you do have to wait, they'll call your phone, so you could hang out at a nearby shop or café instead.

Tables and seating at Hwang Gop

Most tables seat two to four, and I ended up at a round table for two — it didn't feel cramped or tight at all. The gaps between tables are also generous, so going back and forth to the self-serve bar wasn't awkward.

Hwang Gop menu: mixed gopchang platter and aged kimchi gopchang hot pot

Let me show you the Hwang Gop menu first. Everything looks good, but I went with the mixed gopchang platter. There was a standee for aged kimchi gopchang stew (묵은지 곱창전골), apparently a new menu item, and I seriously debated between that and the mixed platter, ugh. I'll be back soon to try the aged kimchi stew.

This is the troublesome new menu that gave me a hard time deciding. Aged kimchi and hanwoo (Korean beef) gopchang — how could that not be good.

The yukhoe and mukbap that come free with your order

Here's reason number one why this is the best gopchang place near Ara Station. Giving away side dishes like this doesn't even make sense. They serve yukhoe (raw beef) and mukbap (jelly noodle salad) for free, and both were so good we finished them the second they arrived. FYI, you can order more of both, but the gopchang portions are already so big we couldn't manage it.

Free yukhoe — does that even make sense!?? And the portion is pretty generous too, haha.

The banchan (side dishes) are excellent too, especially this aged kimchi — slightly sour, and it went surprisingly well with the gopchang. And do I even need to mention the mountain garlic leaves.

Even better, all the banchan are laid out at the self-serve bar so you can take as much as you want. I lost count of how many times I refilled the aged kimchi, haha. The sauces they give you go great with the gopchang too!

What the 42,000 won mixed gopchang platter includes

Reason number two is simply that the gopchang itself is delicious — and look at what you get in the mixed platter. This whole mixed platter costs ₩42,000, while at other gopchang places you'd pay at least ₩60,000 for the same thing.

Another great thing: the gopchang and daechang (large intestine) come pre-seared, so everything cooks at roughly the same pace and you can enjoy it all together. A mixed platter that cooks almost evenly across the board — magic.

Before eating, I made sure to study the '100% Enjoy Hwang Gop' guide. I nailed rules 1 through 3 and 5, but sadly couldn't manage rule 4 today, sigh.

They even grill it for you, so you can just sit back and wait for delicious gopchang.

Finishing with gopchang stew instead of fried rice

Most people finish with fried rice, but this time I ordered the gopchang stew with plain rice instead. The stew was packed with plenty of gopchang and the broth was richer than a lot of meat stocks — I polished off a whole bowl of rice.

Once the gopchang is fully grilled, wrap it with aged kimchi, mountain garlic leaves, and whichever sauce you like — daechang was the standout of the mixed platter for me.

Gopchang, makchang, daechang — they're all good, so while there are single-item menus, I'd recommend going with the mixed platter!

Writing this post made me crave it all over again — now I'm debating whether to head back to Hwang Gop for dinner tonight, the gopchang spot near Ara Station.