Songpa Korean restaurant for 8-minute gopchang: Jinseong

A Garak-dong beef gopchang spot I have visited since I was 20

I've been coming here regularly since I was 20. Seriously, it is one of the tastiest places for beef gopchang (beef small intestine) that I've ever had... No, it is simply my favorite beef gopchang place, haha. It is Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak Flagship (진성한우곱창 가락본점)!! If you live in Garak-dong, you may have heard of it at least once. It is such a longtime local favorite, and apparently it has appeared on TV several times too!

This is where it is, and it is close to National Police Hospital Station, so it was easy to get here by public transportation too.

Customers and a wait even on Tuesday evening

The interior is fairly spacious, with quite a lot of tables. Even so, customers kept coming in. I visited at around 8 p.m. on a Tuesday. Wait... was it really Tuesday at 8 p.m.?? There were seriously so many people, haha. The restaurant was packed, and can you see that waiting board too...?

It is really no jokeㅠㅠ I guess that is proof that people keep coming back to this Garak-dong favorite, right??

House-made kimchi that goes perfectly with gopchang

Once you sit down, kimchi and dipping sauce are set out, along with a confident(?) little note from the executive chef, haha. And the kimchi here is seriously delicious...

Do not think of it as ordinary kimchi from a gopchang restaurant!! They say they make the kimchi themselves, and apparently they even sell it separately. My favorite is the green-onion kimchi!! Put a bit of it on your gopchang and eat them together, and seriously... what more is there to sayㅠㅠ

And one more great thing here!! They give you steamed egg on the house, haha.

Having a warm steamed egg before the gopchang is so nice—it fills your stomach a little too.

How long do you have to wait for the beef gopchang?

Now, let’s properly get into the gopchang!!! There are several menu items, but whenever I come here, I am basically a gopchang-only person, haha.

I do not even look at the other menu items. The gopchang looked incredible the moment it came out... Can you see those lovely pieces of gopchangㅠㅠㅠ? There is also a mountain of vegetables alongside it, including mung bean sprouts, chives, and kimchi. Just looking at this makes me happy, haha.

You cannot eat it right away; they leave a timer on the table.

When the timer rings, a staff member comes over and grills it once, then you wait again... That is how it goes. Wait 5 minutes → wait 3 more minutes, and after about 8 minutes of waiting, you can finally eat the gopchang!!

When you are hungry, those 8 minutes feel incredibly long, haha. But once the delicious gopchang is ready, the wait does not feel wasteful at all. The gopchang is finally done!!

Gopchang packed with filling, chives, and kimchi

Seriously, look at that color... And when you cut into the gopchang, can you see how full it is of creamy filling??

Every time I see this, I am truly so happyㅠㅠㅠ You can pick up a piece of gopchang and lightly dip it in the sauce, and it is delicious,

It is delicious with the grilled chives, delicious with kimchi, and delicious with green-onion kimchi... It is delicious however you eat it. I especially love how the rich flavor of the gopchang comes together with the vegetables. That is probably why Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak Flagship is the first place I think of when I look for a Garak-dong favorite. I am not exaggerating—I think I come here regularly once every month or two, haha. Maybe because I keep eating something once I get hooked, this place comes to mind periodically...

The day I ended up adding another serving and soju

That day, I was going to eat a reasonable amount and leave at first... But the gopchang was just so delicious as I ate, haha. I ended up ordering one more serving.

You should never eat too little of something delicious^^ Rather than ordering a lot from the start, I think it is nice to try it and add more if it is not enough, haha. Grilling the gopchang with vegetables meant it was not greasy at all, and I just kept eating. I was not originally going to drink soju that day either... but my resolve crumbled so easily in front of gopchang, haha. I ended up ordering a bottle of soju too... Is gopchang with soju not totally unfairㅠㅠ?

If you like beef gopchang and are looking for a good restaurant near National Police Hospital Station or in Garak-dong, I would like to recommend Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak Flagship. It could also be a good choice for a work dinner or a gathering with friends around Songpa. But it is such a popular place that I think you will feel more at ease if you plan for a wait! I am already thinking about my next visit, haha. I have eaten here since I was 20 and still enjoy it, so it really feels like a Garak-dong favorite with staying power for me. If you love beef gopchang, you really should try it!!! If you like gopchang packed with filling, I do not think you will regret it, haha. I had such a delicious meal again today❤️