Weeknight after-work gopchang dinner in Sindang, Seoul: Jinseong

A beef gopchang restaurant in Sindang-dong worth knowing about

📍Address 2 Muhak-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 🕚Hours Daily 12:00–23:00 Last order 22:00

Right outside Sindang Station Exit 7: an easy after-work meetup spot

Whenever I get a craving for beef gopchang, Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang is the first place that comes to mind. It's a good midpoint spot to meet a friend right after work, so I made a last-minute plan and headed to this beef gopchang restaurant in Sindang-dong that's genuinely delicious. It's right in front of Exit 7 of Sindang Station (Lines 2 and 6), so it's super easy to find. On the weekday evening I visited, the inside filled up completely around 6:30pm and a waiting line started forming.

Window seats and the open folding doors at Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang

The place is fairly large with plenty of tables. It's a good spot for couples or friends, but also works well for group gatherings. I arrived at 6pm and there were already quite a few people inside enjoying gopchang. Luckily a few seats were still open, so I grabbed a spot by the window. It was a cool autumn evening, and thanks to the folding doors being left open, it felt almost like eating outdoors — such an open, pleasant space.

What's on the menu at Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Sindang Direct Branch

They have domestic beef gopchang butchered the same day, plus daechang (large intestine) and makchang (abomasum), and you can order kkakdugi (radish kimchi) rice or anchovy noodles for dessert. Soju, beer, and other drinks are also available. I sat down and ordered by looking at the menu board on the wall.

First they brought out a nice cold glass of Terra, and while I was enjoying that...

Minari-garlic dipping sauce and seasoned chives

They bring out minari (water celery)-garlic sauce and chive salad first. They even attach a silicone shield on the grill to block oil splatters while the gopchang cooks — such a thoughtful touch.

It's a sauce made with house-minced pickled garlic, plenty of minari and chili peppers. I mix everything together well before the gopchang even arrives.

Free steamed egg and three house-made kimchis

Every table gets a free steamed egg dish first, which is great when you're hungry and want something warm right away.

House-made scallion kimchi, gat (mustard leaf) kimchi, and altari (young radish) kimchi arrived. A staff member cut them into table-friendly sizes for us. The gopchang at Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang is really delicious, but honestly the kimchi is a work of art too. The scallion kimchi is made entirely with domestic ingredients, and the sign detailing the exact region each ingredient comes from really shows their confidence in the flavor.

Two servings of Hanwoo beef gopchang, grilled on a timer

They brought our ordered two servings of beef gopchang to the table. On the grill, they piled on plenty of well-cooked napa cabbage kimchi, potatoes, cabbage, bean sprouts, rice cakes, and chive salad. They set a timer on the table, and when the alarm goes off...

a staff member flips the gopchang once, and once the other side is cooked, cuts it into bite-sized pieces and turns the heat down low.

Here's the finished spread of grilled beef gopchang. I picked up a well-cooked piece — crispy outside, richly tender inside — and tried it plain first.

I had a beer alongside the grilled gopchang as a snack. My friend, who declared she's quitting drinking and has actually stuck with it, toasted me with a zero-sugar cola instead. Even eaten plain, the gopchang isn't greasy and is actually pretty light, but dip it deep into the minari-garlic sauce and it's so refreshing that you just keep eating more and more.

Finishing with kkakdugi yangbap and anchovy noodles

If you order the kkakdugi rice, instead of frying the rice on the gopchang grill, they stir-fry it entirely in the kitchen using a proper frying pan, then top it with a big spoonful of finely chopped radish salad, kkakdugi, seaweed flakes, and pickled garlic. Mix all the ingredients together and, thanks to the light, chewy rice and crunchy kkakdugi, you'll be scraping the bottom of the bowl.

By this point I was getting pretty full, but I couldn't skip the janchi guksu (feast noodles).

They bring out individual bowls and a ladle for everyone at the table to share. Thanks to the clean anchovy broth, you get a refreshing soup with well-boiled chewy thin noodles, topped generously with scallions, fried tofu skin, and seaweed flakes. Topped with cloud-soft scrambled egg, it's the perfect way to end the meal.