Makchang restaurant near Cheonho Station, Seoul: Hwarangdae Gopchang

There are days after work when you suddenly crave something rich and savory like makchang, haha! Cheonho-dong Rodeo has so many restaurants that it's hard to decide where to go, but there's one place in Gangdong I keep coming back to whenever gopchang comes to mind.

It's Hwarangdae Gopchang! I went again today and demolished it, haha. Once I visited the first time, I just kept coming back whenever the craving hit. The taste is so consistently good and the place is clean, so it's great for a casual drink with a friend or for group gatherings without any pressure. So today I wanted to introduce this Cheonho makchang restaurant that I visit often. ^^

Where is Hwarangdae Gopchang Gangdong Cheonho branch, and when is it open?

Hwarangdae Gopchang Gangdong Cheonho branch is located on the 1st floor at 17 Cheonho-daero 155-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, near Cheonho Station Exit 5. It's open daily from 17:00 to 00:30.

• 📍 Location: 1F, 17 Cheonho-daero 155-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea (near Cheonho Station Exit 5)
• ⏰ Hours: Daily 17:00 – 00:30

This is the first place that comes to mind when I want gopchang near Cheonho Station! There are really a lot of gopchang restaurants in Cheonho-dong, but surprisingly there aren't many that I actually end up going back to often.

Hwarangdae Gopchang, on the other hand, uses ingredients they age themselves — and when you eat it, you barely notice any of that characteristic gamey smell. It has just the classic, proper taste, which is why I'd recommend it as a Cheonho makchang restaurant to anyone looking for a gopchang restaurant in Gangdong-gu.

Above all, the location is great. It's right in the middle of Cheonho Rodeo, so it's convenient to set as a meeting spot, and easy to move on from for a second round. That's probably why a lot of people looking for a Cheonho Station restaurant-slash-bar end up here. It's just perfect as a Cheonho Station restaurant and bar!

What's on the menu at Hwarangdae Gopchang?

The Hwarangdae Gopchang Gangdong Cheonho branch menu is divided into stir-fries, hot pots, and fried dishes/sides. The stir-fries include vegetable gopchang and grilled makchang, and there are also rice balls and fried rice options to finish the meal.

Stir-fried dishes

• Vegetable/cheese/egg gopchang
• Grilled makchang
• Sundae (Korean blood sausage) stir-fry / plain sundae
• Sundae + gopchang
• Hwagop udon stir-fry
• Odolppyeo (cartilage)

Hot pots

• Gopchang hot pot

Fried dishes and sides

• Sundae/seasoned potato fries
• Sundae + potato fries
• Corn cheese/steamed egg/cheese steamed egg
• Pineapple sherbet
• Plain/cheese/flying fish roe rice balls

Ordering one serving of vegetable gopchang plus one serving of makchang

This time I ordered one serving of vegetable gopchang and one serving of makchang, haha.

A lot of places require you to order single dishes for two people or more, but here you can order each dish one serving at a time, which I love, haha. Thanks to that, you can taste a bunch of different menu items, haha.

Grabbed some mayonnaise from the self-serve bar too — now it's officially eating time! Haha.

Ta-da~ It all comes out on one griddle. The seasoned gopchang is ready to eat right away, so I dug right in. The seasoning coats the glass noodles and vegetables perfectly, giving you exactly the delicious vegetable gopchang flavor you're picturing in your head. Just the classic, textbook gopchang taste! Haha.

Wrapping it up together before the glass noodles get soggy — this is exactly it!! 👍 Especially since the noodles soak up the seasoning so well, eating them together is really delicious.

You can also adjust the spice level 🌶🌶🌶, and we went with level 3, which turned out to be a comfortable amount of heat that kept me reaching for more. There's plenty of vegetable mixed in too, so I wrapped and ate those together as well.

How was the makchang at Hwarangdae Gopchang?

Hwarangdae Gopchang's makchang is grilled golden brown on the outside and juicy on the inside, so the savory flavor hits you the moment you take a bite. It comes with both sesame oil sauce and vinegared gochujang sauce for dipping.

As I kept eating, the makchang finished grilling to a nice golden brown, and I tried it — out-of-this-world savoriness!

Why is it so delicious..? 😂🤣

The moment you take a bite, that savory flavor just hits you — truly delicious. Golden brown on the outside, juicy on the inside!

Dipping the savory makchang in sesame oil sauce doubles the savoriness, haha. It's delicious dipped in sesame oil, and just as good dipped in the vinegared gochujang sauce that comes with it! It's chewy without being tough at all, so I get why people call this a Cheonho makchang restaurant, haha.

Finishing with snowflake cheese fried rice

You've got to finish with fried rice, right?

When I ordered the cheese fried rice, they piled on the snowflake cheese generously!! Pressed down a bit and eaten crispy like nurungji (scorched rice), it's a real treat. It's one of those dishes with magical powers — you keep eating it even when you're already full.

Looking around, there were a lot of customers there for work dinners and gatherings too. It seemed like office workers looking for a Cheonho Station restaurant and bar visit often.

Why Hwarangdae Gopchang is worth it for makchang near Cheonho Station

Hwarangdae Gopchang uses self-aged ingredients to deliver a clean flavor without any gamey smell. The savory depth is great, the richness is great, and even the finishing fried rice is perfect! If you're looking for something to pair with drinks in Cheonho-dong, or searching for a proper Cheonho makchang restaurant or gopchang restaurant in Gangdong-gu, I recommend giving it a try. Like me, you might just end up becoming a regular after one visit. 😊