Gunsan gopchang restaurant, sweetbread side dishes: Makchang Ilbeonji

A place that gets deliveries straight from the slaughterhouse every day — Makchang Ilbeonji in Gunsan. Here's my review of their plentiful, funk-free gopchang, makchang and daechang set.

As the evening breeze gets a little chilly these days, don't you keep thinking about chewy, savory grilled meat with a hot soup on the side? 🤤 I got off work and immediately craved that savory gopchang fat with a shot of soju! So on my way home I stopped by the famous Makchang Ilbeonji.

Once I actually went, it was way better than expected, ugh ㅠㅠ Even people sensitive to the usual funky smell of offal could eat it comfortably, and I got to try all sorts of extra parts you rarely see at a regular gopchang (grilled beef small intestine) place.

Where is Makchang Ilbeonji, and what are its hours and parking?

Makchang Ilbeonji is at 15-3 1st floor, Seosusongan 1-gil, Gunsan, right near Gunsan City Library, so it was easy to find. Hours are 11:30–22:00, last order at 21:00, with a break time from 14:00–17:00.

• Name: Gunsan Makchang Ilbeonji
• Address: 15-3 1st floor, Seosusongan 1-gil, Gunsan, South Korea
• Hours: 11:30–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Break time: 14:00–17:00
• Parking: Private lot available
• Closed: Every Sunday

Inside Makchang Ilbeonji: is it good for a group dinner?

The inside of Makchang Ilbeonji has a cozy, comfortable vibe. The tables are spaced generously too, so if you're looking for a Gunsan bar or grill spot for a gathering or company dinner, this would be perfect!

What comes in the Makchang Ilbeonji Set A?

We ordered the Makchang Ilbeonji Set A. It comes with gopchang + makchang + daechang + hongchang + heart + hot pot (450g), and since the hot pot is included in Set A, it's really good value.

All the grilled items use domestic Korean beef, and the owner apparently drives to the slaughterhouse every dawn to bring the ingredients back and trim them by hand, one by one!

Free side dishes: beef spinal cord and lung fritter

Makchang Ilbeonji serves fresh cheonyeop (beef tripe), sundae blood, and even lung fritter and sweetbread as basic side dishes — things you rarely see at a gopchang place...

The moment we ordered, the side dishes were set down on the table, and my jaw dropped 😲

Getting to eat this precious sweetbread as a basic side dish felt like winning the lottery ㅠㅠ Genuinely zero funky smell, all savory goodness!

How the gopchang, makchang and daechang tasted off the grill

Finally, the Makchang Ilbeonji Set A arrived! Glistening and glossy — an explosion just from looking at it 💥

The owner cut everything into bite-sized pieces for easy eating.

I took my first bite of heart... wow, it was so fresh. And the other parts got grilled up nice and golden too, right?

I ate the gopchang first, and it was packed with fat inside — the more you chew, the more savory it explodes. Because the owner personally brings it straight from the slaughterhouse every dawn and trims it by hand, there wasn't a trace of the usual gamy or funky smell!

The makchang was also delicious in a slightly different way from other places~!!! A taste that really lives up to the restaurant's name, Makchang Ilbeonji!

Dipping it in this bean-flour powder and sesame sauce makes it so savory and delicious~~!

My favorite daechang was also great haha

The potatoes soaked up the fat well and grilled golden and delicious too. The owner kindly gave us tips on how to eat everything to the fullest and let us eat at our own pace, which I really appreciated. The gopchang was chewy, the daechang melted savory in your mouth, and the makchang's texture was insane!

Eating it together with the pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi) that came with it makes the soju flow endlessly 🍶

Finishing with the gopchang hot pot included in the set

Usually when a set comes with hot pot, it's often just a tiny bit of broth, right? But the hot pot in Makchang Ilbeonji's Set A was genuinely loaded with ingredients, and the broth was spicy and tangy in a way that cuts right through the richness!

It felt like the true textbook definition of finishing a Gunsan gopchang hot pot Korean meal. I wanted to mix in a whole bowl of rice with it 🤤

Makchang Ilbeonji lunch special prices

Makchang Ilbeonji's lunch specials, at cash prices, are yukhoe bibimbap ₩6,000, hanwoo radish soup ₩6,000, and hanwoo gomtang ₩6,000. Turns out you can get a great-value meal at lunch too~! I'll have to come back for lunch sometime.

Final verdict on Makchang Ilbeonji

It was such a happy evening at a proper Gunsan gopchang restaurant, the kind I hadn't had in a while. You can really feel the owner's craftsmanship and hands-on care here, so I plan to visit again soon! If you're looking for a good meat restaurant or bar near Susong-dong in Gunsan, be sure to stop by Makchang Ilbeonji :)

• What I liked: Fresh ingredients brought from the slaughterhouse every dawn
• Precious cuts served as basic side dishes (sweetbread, lung fritter, etc.)
• An insanely good-value set that lets you enjoy grilling and hot pot together!
• Would I return: Absolutely!

Recommended for: anyone who wants real gopchang with no funky smell, anyone looking for a Gunsan bar or grill spot for savory grilled meat and soju after work, and anyone who wants a great-value combo set!