Daejeon gopchang grill with single-portion raw liver: Uhwa Gopchang

🏠 1083 Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon 🕓 Daily 17:00–24:00 (Naver Reservations available) 🚗 Basement parking in the building (free for 2 hours) - Outdoor patio seating available April–November! -

Back at Uhwa Gopchang in Dunsan-dong in midsummer

It was so hot out and I had zero appetite (?), but I suddenly craved gopchang (grilled intestine) like crazy, so I went back to Uhwa Gopchang! I've been a regular since early on, so there was no hesitation this time either :)

Even on a weekday, the place was fully booked the moment we arrived — still just as popular, clearly 👏 It was too hot for the outdoor patio to be open, but apparently when the patio is running, it gets packed. If you want to enjoy that patio vibe too, I'd recommend visiting once the weather cools down haha.

One portion of gopchang and two of daechang instead of the assorted platter

I was craving daechang (large intestine) so hard that day, so instead of the assorted platter I ordered small intestine (1 portion) + large intestine (2 portions)! Ordering is simple via the tablet at the table — no need to flag down staff, you can just order whatever you want right away :)

The tables were also spaced out nicely, so I didn't feel too aware of the next table over! Most grill restaurants cram tables together, which feels a bit chaotic, but here it felt comparatively relaxed!

Take a look at the how-to-eat guide once, too

Scallion kimchi, seaweed soup and tteokbokki: the side dishes at Uhwa Gopchang

The side dishes came out one by one! Among them, grilling the scallion kimchi in the gopchang oil feels like straight-up cheating (?) it's so good! Gopchang can get a little greasy as you eat, but the tangy, sharp scallion kimchi cuts right through that.

And the seaweed soup was way better than I expected! Honestly I took a bite with zero expectations, but it was so good I kept going back for more! There's meat in it too, so the broth is richer, and it's clean and refreshing to eat between bites of gopchang — it went surprisingly well together and was delicious!

The tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) was seriously cheating too... I wanted a refill but held back to save room for more gopchang...🤤 And I can't skip the gopchang dipping sauce either! It's slightly tangy and refreshing, which cuts through the greasiness of the fatty gopchang! Dipping it in the sauce instead of eating it plain made me keep reaching for more.

Raw liver and tripe served as a small single portion for the one who eats it

They also check in advance whether you eat raw liver and tripe when you order — I personally don't eat either, so I appreciated that they asked beforehand! We told them only one person in our group would be eating it, and they prepared a small single portion separately just for that :) I really liked this thoughtful touch — not forcing a full serving onto people who won't even eat it!

Beef brisket and heart on the same grill

! Fi na lly ! The small intestine (1 portion) + large intestine (2 portions) we ordered arrived, along with small portions of brisket and heart! Being able to taste a bit of each type made for a really full spread — rice cakes, bean sprouts, chives, mushrooms, kimchi, garlic ,, a genuinely perfect combo!

After a first pass of pre-grilling, the staff came and grilled everything piece by piece to perfect doneness! No need to grill it yourself — just sit back and wait, and an amazing platter appears! Especially the large intestine — they cut each piece into easy bites and grilled it carefully all the way through to the inside, which I think is honestly the killer move here! The usual greasy heaviness of daechang was toned down while the nutty flavor really came through🤤 I love grilled scallion kimchi so I asked them to grill that alongside too!

Finishing with flying fish roe fried rice

You can't skip the fried rice after a good meal! How do you resist fried rice after eating gopchang...? I ordered it immediately! As always, frying it in the leftover gopchang oil made it delicious! Rather than eating it right away, they let it sit for about a minute, then you fry it up to your liking. I usually regret eating fried rice because it feels too greasy afterward, but Uhwa Gopchang's fried rice wasn't greasy at all — it was so good that I enjoyed every last bite. Eating my way from gopchang through to fried rice, filling and satisfying — the perfect ending!