Crispy grilled daechang after work in Baekseok food alley: Chodaechang

Where is Chodaechang Baekseok Branch, and when is it open?

Chodaechang Baekseok Branch (초대창 백석점) is a grill house for beef intestines (yangdaechang) at 39 Gangsong-ro 87beon-gil, Ilsan-dong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea (1st floor), in the food alley by Baekseok Station. It is open 16:00–24:00 Monday to Saturday and 16:00–23:00 on Sunday.

After work, I headed to the Baekseok Station food alley to have a drink with a friend for the first time in a while.

I really love offal like daechang (beef large intestine) and makchang (abomasum), but I don't just go anywhere. I only visit regular spots I know are reliably good! So I came to Chodaechang Baekseok Branch, which is famous as a top Baekseok Station restaurant.

What is the atmosphere at Chodaechang Baekseok Branch like?

Chodaechang Baekseok Branch has a retro feel, with floral wallpaper and neat tablecloths. It has won a Blue Ribbon three years in a row, so I went in with high expectations, and the moment I opened the door it felt like stepping into old-time nostalgia.

What did we order at Chodaechang Baekseok Branch?

We ordered the assorted grill B set and hangover udon (haejang udon), since a hot broth sounded perfect alongside the daechang.

The assorted grill B set comes with daechang, makchang and teugyang (a special cut of beef tripe). Since I'm not a big fan of heart, the B set was just right for me 👍🏻

They lit the grill and brought the side dishes and sauces, which were generous even before the daechang arrived, so we started on a fresh round of drinks.

Which sauce goes with daechang, makchang and teugyang?

Chodaechang Baekseok Branch pairs a sauce with each cut: soy sauce for daechang, makjang (seasoned soybean paste) sauce for makchang, and gim wasabi for teugyang. As the menu explains, dipping each grilled cut in its own sauce gives you the best combination!

Eating them as the menu says, daechang with soy sauce, makchang with makjang sauce and teugyang with gim wasabi, the combinations really were great.

Do the staff grill the meat at Chodaechang Baekseok Branch?

Yes, the biggest plus of Chodaechang Baekseok Branch is that the staff grill everything for you from start to finish.

Daechang and makchang are surprisingly hard to grill. Get it wrong and they turn tough or lose their fat and flavor. Here the staff grill them to the best possible state, so we could just relax, drink and chat.

Then the daechang, makchang and teugyang we'd been waiting for started cooking one by one, and they looked special from the start. The staff kept grilling and flipping so nothing burned, and there was nothing for us to do, which was so comfortable. We just waited for it to cook ✨

Flat daechang grilled until crispy

Many places cut daechang into round pieces, but Chodaechang Baekseok Branch grills it flat. That way you can eat it crispy, and it's a real treat.

How did the daechang, makchang and teugyang taste?

The daechang at Chodaechang Baekseok Branch in particular was among the best I've ever had.

When the staff said the golden, well-grilled daechang could be moved to the side to eat, I dunked it deep into the special sauce.

The daechang, with its burst of nutty richness, is a perfect match for the savory soy sauce.

It wasn't greasy at all, and the nutty fat spread right through my mouth! Eaten with the shishito peppers grilled alongside, it's 1000 times cleaner-tasting.

The chewy makchang dipped in the savory makjang sauce is a combo you keep reaching for.

Makchang and makjang is always a winning pair, I think.

Teugyang gets even more flavorful with gim and wasabi. Having a different sauce for each of daechang, makchang and teugyang is the charm of Chodaechang.

In the end we added one more portion of daechang partway through. It was so good we couldn't resist.

The staff grilled the extra daechang nicely too. Next, let me show you the side dishes.

What about the sides: hangover udon and doenjang sulbap?

The hangover udon at Chodaechang Baekseok Branch has a spicy, refreshing broth that makes the drinks go down easily. It's so spicy you can see why they named it hangover udon. A spoonful of udon broth and a shot of soju gives you daechang and street-stall udon (pojangmacha udon) in one combo.

It came with plenty of daedagi (seasoned chili paste) and chili oil, so I stirred it in well and ate it that way.

Partway through I thought about ordering yangbap (fried rice), but I was too full, so I added doenjang sulbap (soybean paste stew with rice, to go with drinks) instead. It was loaded with tofu and vegetables, and the hot, refreshing doenjang broth and rice filled my stomach up once more.

Would I recommend Chodaechang Baekseok Branch in the Baekseok Station food alley?

If you want an easy after-work drink with a friend and are looking for a daechang place where the staff grill for you, I'd recommend this Baekseok Station pub, Chodaechang Baekseok Branch.

Personally, it was among the most satisfying daechang I've had, so I plan to go back. If you're looking for a good spot in the Baekseok food alley or near Baekseok Station in Ilsan, it's worth a visit :)