Gunsan beef offal restaurant, 450g trimmed grill: Makchang Ilbeonji

Makchang Ilbeonji, a beef offal restaurant in Gunsan, Jeonbuk — highly recommended for the value of its grilled and hot pot set.

There are a lot of great gopchang (beef offal) spots in Gunsan. Among them, Makchang Ilbeonji is a favorite with locals. It specializes in beef gopchang, and both the grilled offal and the thick, spicy gopchang hot pot are clean and free of any funky smell. They have set menus combining grilled offal and hot pot, generous in portion and well put together for the price — a genuinely great-value gopchang restaurant in Gunsan.

Where is Makchang Ilbeonji? Location, parking and hours

Makchang Ilbeonji is located in Nawoon-dong, Gunsan, in the alley across from Susong Neighborhood Park. For parking, you can park in front of the restaurant or use the nearby public parking lot — the lot next to A Twosome Place is open for use.

Makchang Ilbeonji is open from 11:30 to 22:00. The lunch special, available only at midday, was especially good value — from 11:30 to 2:00 you can get yukhoe bibimbap, beef radish soup, or beef bone soup at a cash price of ₩6,000. Break time runs from 2:00 to 5:00, and dinner service runs from 5:00 to 10:00. I visited in the evening for the grilled gopchang.

The interior of Makchang Ilbeonji was clean and tidy. The tables weren't cramped together, which was nice, and each table comfortably fit 2–4 people. You could also push tables together, making it a good spot for group dinners.

Menu and prices at Makchang Ilbeonji — soju ₩4,000

Here's the menu board at Makchang Ilbeonji.

Lunch specials from 11:30 to 2:00, starting at ₩6,000

• Yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef tartare rice bowl) ₩6,000
• Yukhoe bibimbap, large ₩8,000
• Beef radish soup ₩6,000
• Beef bone soup ₩6,000

And here's the dinner menu at Makchang Ilbeonji.

• Makchang Ilbeonji Set A ₩50,000
• Makchang Ilbeonji Set B ₩30,000
• Beef gopchang hot pot (per serving) ₩15,000
• Yuk-sashimi ₩25,000 / Yukhoe ₩25,000
• Beef gopchang ₩20,000 / beef makchang ₩20,000 / daechang ₩18,000 / premium beef tripe ₩25,000 / pork belly ₩15,000
• Naengmyeon (cold noodles, water or spicy) ₩6,000 / somyeon noodles ₩5,000 / retro lunchbox ₩4,000 / flying fish roe rice ball ₩4,000 / pot ramyeon ₩4,000 / scorched rice soup ₩4,000 / fried rice ₩3,000 / egg soup ₩3,000 / bowl of rice ₩1,000

A place where soju is still ₩4,000 — not common these days! Best-value spot ever, honestly. Overall, the prices were really reasonable. I ordered Set A, which comes with a mixed grilled offal platter plus gopchang hot pot.

They say the yuk-sashimi is butchered and trimmed in-house the same day, making it extra fresh and chewy. Sadly it was sold out when I visited, ㅜㅜ

What side dishes come with the meal?

These are the side dishes (banchan) at Makchang Ilbeonji. The default spread alone was varied and generous.

• Raw beef tripe, spinal cord, liver
• Aged kimchi (mukeunji)
• Pan-fried lung
• Stir-fried fish cake
• Bean sprout soup
• Shredded scallion
• Scallion kimchi
• Sauce and soybean powder
• Garlic, ssamjang, chojang

I'm not usually one for raw meat, but grilled it was really good. The lung mixed with seasoning was also nutty and delicious.

Makchang Ilbeonji Set A (₩50,000): what's on the plate

Makchang Ilbeonji Set A, ₩50,000. It comes with 450g of gopchang, makchang, daechang, hongchang, and beef heart, plus a gopchang hot pot.

The gopchang, makchang, and daechang all come pre-grilled from the kitchen, and the owner trims them by hand at your table first, which made it much easier to eat. He even showed us how to cut and grill it for the best flavor!

How to grill Korean beef gopchang in the right order

First, once the beef heart is cooked, eat that, then grill the gopchang, makchang, and daechang until golden. Daechang takes the longest to cook, so save it for last. Mushrooms, potatoes, and onions grilled in the rendered fat are also delicious eaten alongside!

The gopchang hot pot included in Set A

Set A comes with a gopchang hot pot — and wow, it's seriously incredible. Easily the best gopchang hot pot I've ever had... It's packed with gopchang and meat, and the perilla seeds on top make the broth even nuttier and richer. The best.

Isn't there just so much gopchang in here?? How is this whole combo only ₩50,000... Gunsan's No. 1 best-value restaurant, Makchang Ilbeonji. It made me really want a shot of soju, but I'd driven, so that was a bummer...

The grilled gopchang was also getting golden brown on the stone plate. Personally, I loved how the fat rendered out completely, leaving it crispy.

I took my first bite of beef heart — chewy and paired perfectly with the sauce. It was even better than expected, making me want to dive into the other cuts right away.

How each cut tastes — gopchang, makchang and daechang

The gopchang was packed full of fat inside, with zero funky smell, nutty and rich. The makchang was chewy but soft, so it wasn't tiring to chew, and it melted in the mouth. The daechang had that nutty fat plus a soft texture — a can't-go-wrong choice. Overall, it was truly delicious and satisfying — Makchang Ilbeonji, a great gopchang spot in Gunsan. I'm not even a huge gopchang person, but it was so clean, nutty, and fresh that I saved it on my map the moment I finished eating..! If you're visiting Gunsan, this is a place I'd definitely recommend.

The way it was grilled golden brown, with the fat fully rendered out so the outside was crispy and the inside stayed soft, was really delicious. And the potatoes and mushrooms grilled in the fat were unmissable too — I scraped the plate clean!

Who should eat at Makchang Ilbeonji in Gunsan?

I had Set A at Makchang Ilbeonji in Gunsan, and with grilled gopchang, makchang, daechang, plus the hot pot, I left completely full. The owner was really kind, and the menu was so satisfying that I could see why it's a well-known spot among Gunsan locals. The gopchang hot pot in particular was so good I thought a hundred times about getting some to take home! If you're looking for a great gopchang restaurant in Gunsan, I recommend Makchang Ilbeonji :)