Dunsan-dong gopchang restaurant with free parking: Uhwa Gopchang

With the weather cooling down lately, it's finally the season to enjoy eating outdoors haha. So before watching a movie with my family, I went looking for a place in Daejeon where we could eat dinner outside, and ended up at Uhwa Gopchang, well known for gopchang (grilled beef/pork intestine) in Dunsan-dong. It was great being able to enjoy both the gopchang and the autumn atmosphere at the same time.

Where is Uhwa Gopchang, and is parking free?

Uhwa Gopchang is located in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, near Galleria Department Store. It's in the Dunsan-dong restaurant alley area, so it's fairly accessible, and easy to stop by before a movie or after shopping. From the outside, it didn't look like an old-school worn-down place at all — more like a neatly maintained grill restaurant.

Parking in Dunsan-dong can be surprisingly tricky, but here you can just ask a staff member and get a 2-hour free parking voucher, so it was fine to visit by car. By the way, checking Naver Reservations, it looked like they were open and taking reservations during the Chuseok holiday and even on Chuseok Day itself. Worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a family restaurant during the holidays.

Patio tables run April to November, first-come only

At Uhwa Gopchang you can sit either indoors or outdoors. There are about 7 indoor tables, and about 7 outdoor patio tables that only run from April through November.

The outdoor seats had lighting added, which gave off a much more atmospheric vibe than I expected. Since the patio doesn't take reservations and runs first-come, first-served, if you're planning to visit on a nice day it might be worth going a little early. When I visited, I saw couples having a casual drink as well as a table of coworkers out for a work dinner. The weather was nice that day, so we grabbed a patio table too.

Uhwa Gopchang menu and prices, ordered by QR code

• Gopchang platter (per person) ₩23,000
• Beef gopchang ₩21,000
• Hanwoo daechang / beef makchang ₩19,000
• Hanwoo gopchang hot pot ₩35,000
• Flying fish roe fried rice ₩5,000
• Yukgaejang jjolmyeon ₩12,000
• Uhwa highball ₩6,900

Ordering was done through a QR code at each table.

Since we wanted to try several different parts, we ordered: ✔️ Gopchang platter (₩23,000) x 2 servings ✔️ Flying fish roe fried rice (₩5,000) The gopchang platter comes with a mix of gopchang, daechang, makchang, beef heart, and beef brisket, so it's a great order if it's your first visit and you're not sure what to pick.

What comes as side dishes: tteokbokki, seaweed soup, raw liver and tripe

The basic side dishes were a bit impressive on their own. They bring out tteokbokki (spicy stir-fried rice cakes), pickled onions, and seaweed soup — and the seaweed soup actually had meat in it, so the broth was pretty rich. It felt like a nice way to warm up your stomach before diving into the fattier gopchang.

It was also unusual that raw liver and tripe come out as standard sides. Seeing this kind of basic spread made me feel like this place pays attention not just to the food itself but to the overall experience.

The gopchang platter, grilled by staff: how each cut tasted

When the pre-grilled gopchang platter comes out, the staff grills the meat for you directly. A lot of people these days prefer places where staff do the grilling, and here too, they handled it from start to finish, so we could just focus on eating.

Gopchang is a dish where timing matters a lot — it can easily get tough — but since the staff flipped and cut each part according to its own grilling time, it was easy to eat comfortably.

The daechang (large intestine) was really plump — thick enough that it had to be split in half to cook through. The outside grilled up golden while the fat inside slowly melted, and the more we chewed the more savory it got. It's a part that can easily be too greasy, but it never felt heavy, probably thanks to the accompanying sauce, chives, and kimchi.

The gopchang was quite full of gop (fat inside the intestine). You get that savory richness first, and the more you chew, the more of a clean flavor comes through. Most importantly, there was almost no off smell or fishy taste, which made it feel like the ingredients were well managed.

The makchang (beef bung) had great texture — slightly crispy outside with a chewy bite still left inside, which made it fun to eat while really bringing out that distinctive makchang savoriness. The beef heart and beef brisket were also really tender. Compared to other gopchang restaurants in Dunsan-dong, what I liked most was that none of the meat felt tough overall.

Flying fish roe fried rice at ₩5,000, nearly enough for two

And of course, last up was the flying fish roe fried rice. They bring it out topped with egg yolk, dried seaweed flakes, and chives, and my husband got into it like a staff member, stir-frying it and shaping it into a heart. The gopchang fat had naturally soaked into the rice, giving it a really deep savory flavor.

The portion of fried rice was bigger than I expected — calling it a single serving felt like an understatement, since it was almost enough for two. If you're visiting with 2-3 people, just one order of fried rice would probably be plenty.

Verdict: a Dunsan-dong gopchang restaurant for family dinners, dates and work dinners

Even though this place has been operating for a long time, it was kept clean and well maintained, and between the fresh gopchang and the tableside grilling service, it was overall a satisfying gopchang restaurant in Dunsan-dong. The patio atmosphere was nice enough that it worked well for a family dinner, a date, a work dinner, or even just as a good spot for a drink with food. If you're looking for a currently trendy spot in Dunsan-dong, it might be worth visiting in the evening and enjoying the patio vibe too. This time we had the gopchang platter, but if I come back on a colder day, I'd like to try the hot hanwoo gopchang hot pot next.

Uhwa Gopchang business information

• Location: 1083 Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon
• Hours: Daily 17:00–24:00
• Parking: 2 hours free