Gwacheon hot pot restaurant for a late dinner with parents: Horangigul

Horangigul Gwacheon Branch, a Japanese-style gopchang jeongol (beef offal hot pot) spot near Hillstate

A late-evening visit to Horangigul Gwacheon Branch in Jungang-dong

I'd gone out with my parents for a hospital appointment, and by the time it wrapped up it was pretty late. We were hungry, but not many places were still open at that hour. While wondering what to eat, something with hot broth sounded perfect, so we ended up at Horangigul Gwacheon Branch.

⏰ Hours / Mon–Sat 11:00–23:00 (break time 15:00–17:00) / Closed Sundays / Nearby public parking / Local currency accepted

How to get to Horangigul: Exit 11, Government Complex Gwacheon Station

Horangigul Gwacheon Branch is fairly close to Exit 11 of Government Gwacheon Complex Station and sits right near Hillstate. If you're driving, you'll need to use the nearby public parking lot. It's often full, so it's more convenient to come by public transit if you can. If you're visiting with parents or coming by car like I did, I'd recommend checking parking availability before you head over.

Is Horangigul Gwacheon Branch comfortable enough to bring parents?

I figured it'd be empty this late, but there were people who'd finished work and were having a drink, so the place was almost full.

With its wood-tone interior, it felt like an actual local restaurant in Japan, but without too strong a bar atmosphere, so it didn't feel out of place bringing my parents there for dinner.

The tables were neatly arranged, and the vibe suited both people coming for an evening drink and those coming to have a proper meal!

What we ordered: gopchang jeongol for three and three bowls of rice

At Horangigul Gwacheon Branch you order via a QR code at the table, so I ended up being in charge of ordering haha. We got gopchang jeongol (beef offal hot pot) for three and three bowls of rice. There were also things like fried rice and risotto on the menu, but since it was a meal with my parents, we kept it simple with the hot pot and a bowl of rice each.

We sat where we could see the kitchen, so we got to watch our hot pot being made haha.

Tableside cooking: staff set a timer and tend the pot

They set a timer for us at the start, and when it went off, a staff member came over and cooked it to just the right point for eating. Going to a restaurant with my parents, this kind of thing is honestly nice — no need to keep staring at the pot wondering 'is this ready to eat yet?' haha. They take care of getting it to the right state, so in the meantime you can just relax and chat.

The gopchang jeongol looked appetizing from the moment it arrived, loaded not just with gopchang (beef offal) but plenty of tofu, fried tofu, chives, and various vegetables.

As it started boiling, the vegetables wilted down and the broth and seasoning soaked in, turning thick and rich.

From tofu and yubu to the gopchang, finishing with rice in the broth

At first, we scooped out the well-cooked tofu and fried tofu. Dipped lightly in the yuzu soy sauce on the table, it tasted refreshingly different from the hot pot broth, which was nice. The gopchang jeongol itself is fairly rich in flavor, so having vegetables in between helped reset the palate each time.

After it simmered a bit longer, it was finally time for the gopchang! As the broth kept boiling, the savory flavor released from the gopchang deepened the broth even more than before.

All three of us ordered a bowl of rice each, and plain rice really does go well with hot pot. A spoonful of rice, a piece of gopchang, then a spoonful of hot broth — perfect combo. Between the three of us we finished three servings of gopchang jeongol and three bowls of rice, and it made for a pretty filling dinner.

Final verdict on gopchang jeongol with parents at Horangigul Gwacheon Branch

I was a little worried whether my parents would enjoy it, but in the end I felt like I'd picked the right menu. After a full day of appointments, I was craving something hot and filling rather than anything fancy, and with gopchang jeongol plus rice, it felt like a proper meal.

It was also nice that the staff came by to cook it for us along the way, so we could just relax and chat with my parents while eating. Plenty of people probably come here for dates or drinks, but as someone who came for dinner with their parents, it fit surprisingly well — a solid spot in Jungang-dong, Gwacheon. If you're near Gwacheon Hillstate or Government Gwacheon Complex Station looking for something hot and hearty, give the gopchang jeongol at Horangigul Gwacheon Branch a try!