Gopchang grill in Garak-dong, Seoul with 3 house kimchis: Jinseong

I'd been craving gopchang (grilled beef small intestine) lately. I wanted a glass of somaek (soju mixed with beer) with it, so I headed to Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang (진성한우곱창) in Garak-dong.

Getting to Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak and the Friday wait

Come out of Garak Market Station Exit 4 and walk toward the Garak-dong eatery alley, and you'll find it easily. I went on a Friday evening and there was a big wait. I waited about 20 minutes before getting in. The inside is fairly spacious, so table turnover seems pretty good.

Location, hours, parking

• Address: 27 Songpa-daero 28-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon-Thu and Sun 12:00-23:00 / Fri-Sat 12:00-24:00
• Parking: use a nearby public parking lot

Menu and prices at Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak

Lots of places now charge over ₩25,000 for one serving of gopchang, but Jinseong's prices are fair. (Yangbap went up by ₩1,000, though.)

What we ordered

• Gopchang, 2 servings: ₩38,000
• Makchang (beef abomasum), 1 serving: ₩20,000
• Yangbap (tripe fried rice): ₩10,000
• Soju: ₩5,000
• Beer: ₩5,000

Inside on a Friday night

The place was packed with customers. Maybe because it was Friday, everyone was having a drink. Of course, Friday night calls for gopchang.

Minari special sauce and the three house-made kimchis

Jinseong serves a special sauce made with minari (water dropwort) and garlic, and it goes really well with gopchang. The sharpness of the garlic cuts the richness.

You also get three house-made kimchis: green onion kimchi, mustard leaf kimchi and chonggak kimchi (ponytail radish). All three are delicious, and when the gopchang starts feeling rich, one bite cleanses your palate completely.

I like that you can feel the owner's pride here. The gopchang is made from top-grade hanwoo (Korean beef), so the taste is guaranteed.

Egg custard included, with free refills

Egg custard (gyeran-jjim) comes as a side, and you can even get refills. In these high-price times, refills are seriously generous.

I ordered somaek. Gopchang and somaek are such a perfect pair haha

Do they grill the gopchang for you at Jinseong?

Yes, the staff here grill all the gopchang for you. A timer is set at each table, and when it rings, the staff working around the room come over to grill and cut the meat. It's such a convenient service. Thanks to the timer, you don't have to worry about it burning. You just wait and eat. It's not only tasty but the service is done properly too, so visiting puts you in a good mood.

Fat-filled hanwoo gopchang and makchang

I started with the nicely cooked gopchang, and it was truly packed with gop (the creamy fat inside). It's been a long time since I had gopchang, and this one, so full of gop, made me really happy.

This is the piece my husband picked up, and the gop is about to burst lol That's how gopchang should be. The plentiful gop was so rich and nutty.

If you top it with the chili pepper from the minari sauce, it wipes out the greasiness and leaves only the nutty flavor of the gopchang.

That day, the quality of everything, gopchang and makchang alike, was great. The owner has every right to be proud. I'll give Garak-dong's gopchang spot my approval lol With their house-made kimchi, I think I could eat three servings of gopchang by myself.

There's a good variety of sari (add-ons) such as rice cakes and potatoes, and grilled in the gopchang fat, they tasted even better.

Finishing with yangbap stir-fried on the iron plate

I suddenly wanted carbs, so I ordered yangbap (₩10,000, tripe fried rice). It comes on an iron plate like this and you stir-fry it yourself. With a fried egg and seasoned radish in it, there's no way it could be bad. And that garlic is the kicker. The sharp spiciness adds a boost of savory depth.

My husband and I finished the yangbap too, and I thought my stomach would burst. If you're looking for a good gopchang place in Garak-dong, I recommend Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak. I plan to visit again!