Songpa Korean BBQ with beef makchang and noodle soup: Jinseong

Every time I go to Bangi-dong, this popular spot always has a wait, and I finally went again! It is already famous, of course—Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Bangi Direct Branch! There is no Catch Table here; you have to wait in person, yet it is still just as popular! Let me tell you about this Bangi-dong favorite that I have visited many times as a regular!

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Bangi Direct Branch: hours and parking

It is on the first floor at 19 Olympic-ro 32-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Monday through Thursday, it is open 16:00–23:00, with last orders at 22:00; Friday hours are 16:00–24:00, with last orders at 23:00. Saturday hours are 13:00–24:00 and Sunday hours are 15:00–24:00; weekend last orders are at 23:00. Parking is not available in Bangi Food Alley.

I was so hungry that I scanned the menu the second I came in. There are no sets, haha. I ordered one gopchang (beef small intestine) and one makchang (beef fourth stomach)!

This is the dipping sauce for the gopchang. Water celery + Cheongyang chili + soy sauce + minced garlic—it is sooo good!!

Three kinds of Jeolla-do kimchi that paired beautifully with gopchang

Good restaurants always have good kimchi, haha. They give you three kinds of domestic Jeolla-do kimchi!! It is so, so delicious grilled alongside the meat or eaten on its own. With gopchang, the green onion kimchi was definitely the best match~!

Ingredient hometown, lol. Everything is domestic. The green onion kimchi must be popular because they actually sell it too!

Beef gopchang or beef makchang: which was better?

Our order of one serving of gopchang and one serving of makchang arrived! Personally, I absolutely love makchang, though I am usually on team pork makchang. But the beef makchang here is seriously delicious too, haha. I think it may be even better than pork makchang! The potatoes cooked in the gopchang fat were amazing too, and the kimchi served with them was delicious as well~!

The staff do all the trimming for you! I think that friendly service plus the tasty beef gopchang is why I keep coming back, even when there is a wait!

They also give you complimentary steamed egg in a generously sized ttukbaegi (earthenware pot). It was incredibly soft and exactly my kind of steamed egg—like the steamed egg at Yeopdduk—so tasty, haha.

When I asked for ice, the owner boldly brought it in a huge cup, lol.

I recommend the beef makchang—it was even better than the beef gopchang!

This beef makchang was just so delicious to meㅠㅠ My boyfriend is on team beef gopchang and I am on team beef makchang; both were great, but I kept reaching for the makchang! It was chewy and nutty with a lovely bite, yet tender too~! Hehe, this beef gopchang was so good I could not stop eating it. So excited.

The beef gopchang was, as expected, delicious!

The beef gopchang was full of rich filling, soft and nutty. Since it is on a stone griddle, it is insanely good when you cook it almost like frying it.

Sizzling beef gopchang, cooked perfectly, haha. I have loved gopchang since I was little, and I think I have eaten a ton of it this year (I am a bride-to-beㅠㅠ).

Why I recommend janchi guksu instead of fried rice

My boyfriend still wanted more gopchang, so we added another serving. It may look like a small amount, but because they cut it up for you, it feels like plenty as you eat. Everything here is great, but fried rice is not my style, so I did not order itㅠㅠ That is because they do not fry it directly on the griddle where you ate the gopchang; it comes cooked in a different pan insteadㅠㅠ Meaning no crispy scorched rice!!

After something rich, you need something warm too, right? The portion of janchi guksu (banquet noodle soup) is wild... As you would expect from a place that serves so generously, it is truly huge, haha. My boyfriend normally insists on bibim noodles, but he likes this place's janchi guksu and eats it every time we come!! If you are having soju, I absolutely recommend trying the janchi guksu too!!

• You cannot have fried rice on the stone griddle; it comes cooked in another pan instead (so no scorched riceㅠㅠ).
• The makchang is delicious, but so is the beef gopchang—it is impossible to pick a winnerㅠㅠ The kimchi is so good tooㅠㅠ
• If you drink soju, I absolutely recommend the janchi guksu~!

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang in Bangi-dong is such a good beef gopchang restaurant that I have visited about three times! If you are looking for a great Bangi-dong restaurant, consider Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang—the aunties are all kind, and the food is delicious.