Gopchang restaurant near Daerim Station, Seoul: Gimga-ne Gopchang Gui

Maybe because it has held its ground in the same spot for over 32 years, but the atmosphere felt different the moment I walked in.

A long-running restaurant within walking distance of Daerim Station

It was a five-minute walk from Daerim Station, and the red neon sign was so noticeable that it was easy to find. Several TV-feature and restaurant-certification stickers were posted at the entrance, which definitely raised my expectations. The interior is not flashy, but it has that comfortable, old-school long-running-restaurant feel. There were older diners too, and it really had the feel of a place with regulars.

Prices were about average for a gopchang restaurant, and you can order by the single serving, so I think it would be manageable even alone. Their garlic gopchang seems to be really famous, but I can't eat garlic—such a shame!—so I ordered assorted gopchang and pork belly instead.

Interestingly, they even have floor seating tables here. It was completely giving old-school local-favorite restaurant vibes.

A satisfying spread of side dishes

Once we sat down, the basic side dishes were brought out one by one. There were wrap vegetables such as carrot, spicy green pepper, and garlic; sesame oil salt dip and chojang (sweet-spicy vinegar sauce); two plates of dressed chives; and even liver and cheonyeop (beef omasum). It was quite a substantial spread. For a gopchang place, there were a lot of side dishes, and you could tell they had put care into each ingredient!!

Assorted gopchang and pork belly

Gopchang, daechang (beef large intestine), and makchang (beef abomasum) went onto the grill, and they cook them in a way that renders out the fat well, so they felt less rich. A staff member even cut everything up with scissors, so all we had to do was sit back and eat. King oyster mushrooms and onion were grilled alongside them, doing a great job of keeping any off smell from the intestines at bay. Wrapping the gopchang with the dressed chives kept it from feeling greasy, and I kept reaching for more.

We ordered pork belly as well, and it was so good that it lived up to the restaurant's gopchang-specialist reputation!

Why the gopchang had almost no off smell

Honestly, the biggest worry before going to a gopchang restaurant is the off smell, but this place must do a very thorough pre-prep because I could barely detect any. It tasted clean both lightly dipped in sesame oil salt and dipped in spicy chojang. The daechang in particular came in thick pieces with a definite chew, while the gopchang was comparatively tender, so it was fun alternating between the two.

Finishing with fried rice loaded with seaweed flakes

After finishing the gopchang, we wrapped things up with fried rice in the remaining fat, and this really felt like the signature here. They did not hold back on the gim garu (roasted seaweed flakes), so the nutty aroma spread right out, and you could practically see every grain of rice coated in oil as it fried. I was so satisfied that I wanted to take home the fried rice alone, packed full of chives and seaweed.

What I really loved was that it was not salty, making it so easy to keep eating spoonful after spoonful!

Gimga-ne Gopchang Gui is such a great place for a group dinner when you're craving gopchang. This visit proved it again: places full of older diners are good restaurants! The best part was how free it was of any off smell, with none of that cloying feeling. It is absolutely perfect for either a group dinner or a date!!

Overall verdict

• It is walkable from Daerim Station and has the comfortable atmosphere of a long-running restaurant.
• The side-dish spread was substantial, and staff handled the cutting, making the meal easy to enjoy.
• The carefully prepared gopchang was clean-tasting and free of off smells, while the daechang had a satisfying firm texture.
• The finishing fried rice is the signature, so if you love gopchang, I definitely recommend having the fried rice too.
• Its atmosphere works for solo meals as well as group dinners, making it an easy stop; it is a satisfying choice if you want old-school character alongside reliably good food.