Sindang-dong gopchang restaurant with no gamy smell: Jinseong Hanwoo

How long is the Friday evening wait at Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang in Sindang?

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Sindang Direct Branch, a beef gopchang spot known in Sindang-dong, had about a 30-minute wait on a Friday evening. I could kind of tell what was coming when I saw people already lined up outside as soon as I arrived, but I really wanted gopchang with a shot of soju after a long time, so I waited it out.

📍 Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Sindang Direct Branch / 243-1 Dasan-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea ⏰ Hours: Sun–Thu 11:00–23:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–24:00

Even while waiting, new customers kept showing up, and tables that finished eating and left were refilled almost instantly. Part of it is just that it's Friday evening and busy, but seeing the line never let up made it obvious this place is famous in Sindang haha.

Inside was packed and buzzing with customers too. There were tables of friends having a casual drink and bigger groups all mixed together. It had that lively energy typical of a gopchang restaurant — great vibe for a drink after work haha.

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang menu and prices

The menu at Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang is pretty simple: hanwoo gopchang, hanwoo daechang, and hanwoo makchang. Hanwoo gopchang is ₩19,000, hanwoo daechang is ₩19,000, and hanwoo makchang is ₩20,000.

We ordered 2 servings of gopchang and 1 serving of daechang.

Three house-made kimchis: the scallion kimchi is the standout

Even before the food came out, one thing I already loved was the kimchi 😲 It comes with three kinds — gat kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi), scallion kimchi, and chonggak kimchi (ponytail radish kimchi) — and it's genuinely delicious. They said it's all house-made, and the moment I tasted it I understood why they'd sell it separately.

The scallion kimchi in particular was so much my style I wanted to take some home. It had that perfectly ripened umami kick and crunchy texture, and paired with the rich, fatty gopchang or daechang, the combo was just too good.

Hanwoo gopchang: how much gop inside, and does it smell?

When we cut into the hanwoo gopchang, the inside was really packed with gop (intestinal fat), and there was almost no trace of the usual gopchang smell. The grill was piled high with gopchang plus chives, mung bean sprouts, tteok (rice cakes), potato, and kimchi — it looked delicious from the moment it hit the pan.

One bite and the savory gop spread through my mouth — my lips were basically glazed in oil at this point haha.

I think even people sensitive to smell could eat this without worry. The outside was seared golden brown while the inside stayed packed with gop, so it got more savory and chewy the more you chewed. It's great on its own, but dipping it in the minari (water dropwort) and garlic sauce that comes with it cuts through the richness perfectly — the best!

Plump hanwoo daechang eaten with scallion kimchi

The plump daechang (large intestine) was also incredibly good... The moment I bit into it, the fat burst and that distinctive rich flavor hit right away. The outside grilled up golden and the inside was full of fat, so it got more savory with each bite.

Eating daechang non-stop can get a little heavy, and that's exactly when the house-made kimchi comes in clutch. For me, pairing it with the scallion kimchi specifically was the best combo.

Vegetables on the grill and the free steamed egg

The chives, mung bean sprouts, potato, and tteok grilled together in the gopchang fat were amazing too. The potatoes soaked in gopchang fat were savory, and the tteok, seared golden on the outside, was a nice little treat. Steamed egg also comes free, which was great to eat in between. A bite of warm, soft steamed egg, then back to the gopchang — you could go in circles like that forever haha.

Finishing with kkakdugi fried rice

And at Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang, finishing with kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice is a must! We were already stuffed from the gopchang and daechang, but fried rice is a whole separate category, right? Haha.

With the spicy-tangy kick of kkakdugi topped with dried seaweed flakes, egg, and garlic, it felt like it swept away all the richness from the gopchang. The portion was more generous than a typical fried rice too, so I walked out completely stuffed haha. We waited about 30 minutes on a Friday evening, but after eating, the wait didn't feel like a waste at all — a real Sindang-dong gopchang gem.

From the gop-packed hanwoo gopchang to the plump, savory daechang, plus the house-made kimchi and kkakdugi fried rice — totally satisfied! I usually worry about the smell when eating gopchang, but Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang let me enjoy the savory flavor without any smell, which made it even more satisfying.

If you're craving gopchang and soju in Sindang and looking for a great beef gopchang spot, I highly recommend this place!!! On Fridays or weekend evenings there's pretty much always a wait, so I'd suggest coming with some time to spare haha. I would come back 10000%.