Sadang gopchang restaurant with no Monday wait: Bareun Hwangso

Hello! Today I'm writing about a gopchang (beef intestine) restaurant in Sadang that I'd heard has a real line out the door — I went with a friend to check it out.

Location and hours of Bareun Hwangso Gopchang in Sadang

Bareun Hwangso Gopchang in Sadang 🚩Location: 1F, 4 Dongjak-daero 7-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea ⏰Hours: Daily 16:00 – 23:00 (last order 22:00)

Bareun Hwangso Gopchang is already a well-known Sadang restaurant, so much so that my friend who came with me already knew about it.

The place is already covered in celebrity autographs, so I was really excited even before we started eating.

Was there a wait on a Monday at 7pm?

I'd heard this place normally has a wait, but we visited on a Monday at 7pm and got lucky — there was one table left, so we sat down right away.

There's a reason this place is a real Sadang favorite! They apparently bring in Korean beef (hanwoo) gopchang fresh every day and clean it themselves. They even had info posted about the health benefits of hanwoo gopchang — at this point, isn't it basically a diet food??

The wall decorated with soju bottle caps was really striking too.

They also hand out these cute wet wipes — I picked the "jackpot" charm one because, well, I want to hit the jackpot too.

Two of us ordered two servings of assorted gopchang

The two of us ordered two servings of assorted gopchang (gopchang + daechang + makchang) for ₩24,000!

Side dishes and fish cake soup

They serve sauce, perilla leaf pickle, and chives as basic sides, and the chives were fresh and really tasty.

On top of that, Bareun Hwangso Gopchang also gives you fish cake soup with tons of fish cake and even bean sprouts inside — it was so refreshing and clean-tasting it put a lot of bars to shame.

My friend loved it so much she actually clapped.

Pre-grilled gopchang, and eating the heart (yeomtong) first

After waiting about 10 minutes, the main event — the gopchang — arrived! It comes out pre-grilled once already.

They also give you kimchi and garlic separately if you ask, so just let them know if you want some!

Since it comes pre-grilled, it was easy to dig into right away, and true to a well-known Sadang gopchang spot, the portions were generous.

The kind owner told us to eat the heart (yeomtong) right away since it toughens up fast, so we did — and it really had no funky smell at all, just nutty and delicious.

At first they stir-fry it with chives, and the chives were fresh and spicy-sweet — eating them together with the gopchang was such a treat!

The makchang was also packed full and not overly greasy, with a crispy outside — I instantly understood why this is one of the most popular gopchang spots in Sadang.

It's really delicious eaten together with the chives, so make sure to try that combo! The beef gopchang was exactly the crispy-outside, juicy-inside style I love, so after they grill it for you, I'd recommend starting with the heart.

Finishing with kkakdugi fried rice — go easy on the mayo

We also ordered two servings of the finishing kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice for ₩4,000, and the portion filling the hot plate was huge! If you don't eat much, one serving should be plenty.

The owner also gave us mayonnaise to drizzle on top, and since we're mayo lovers, we went a little overboard with it^^.. I'd recommend using a moderate amount — we used way too much and it got a bit greasy.

Instead of eating it right away, letting the bottom crisp up into a scorched-rice crust makes it so much nuttier and tastier — everyone should let it cook a bit longer!

We finished everything from the gopchang to the fried rice at this Sadang favorite, Bareun Hwangso Gopchang!

Final verdict

Taste: 🐂🐂🐂🐂🐂 (There was zero funky smell from the intestines, so it was easy to eat! It's already a trusted, well-known gopchang spot in Sadang. If you like gopchang with a crispy outside, I'd strongly recommend Bareun Hwangso Gopchang.) Friendliness: 👍👍👍👍👍 (Genuinely super kind! It was a busy place, so I really appreciated the kindness.) Atmosphere: 🐷🐷🐷🐷 (A bit of an old-school restaurant feel, but the interior is clean!)