Bangi-dong bar with spicy gopchang hot pot and egg risotto: Horanggul

Drinks tonight: 1.5 bottles of soju per person

Hi everyone, today I went exploring in Bangi-dong. This was my second visit here — first time I had the beef intestine hot pot, and today I tried the gopchang (small intestine) hot pot!

Gopchang hot pot vs beef intestine hot pot at Horanggul: what's the difference?

The beef intestine hot pot is basically the Japanese motsunabe everyone knows, and Horanggul makes the broth red. The gopchang hot pot swaps out the beef intestine for gopchang, giving it a cleaner taste, I'd say.

Craving broth today? Want to combine a meal with round one of drinks? Don't want cheap pojangmacha-style broth? I recommend the gopchang or beef intestine hot pot here at Horanggul. As far as I know, this is pretty much the only motsunabe franchise in Korea. The shop is on the main Bangi-dong alley — when you hit the Y-shaped intersection, turn right and it's just a short walk!

Horanggul Bangi Branch prices, seating and how long you wait

At ₩15,900–18,900 per serving, that's a decent price for something that's both a drinking snack and a meal, for a hot pot. The place has a Japanese-style interior with 2-top and 4-top tables.

There aren't many tables, and I had to wait on my first visit, so keep that in mind if you're going on a weekend during peak hours!

(A little jingle plays here in the original — something like 'Yeondu, Yeondu, everyone uses Yeondu when cooking')

Hours (open daily): Lunch 11:30–15:00 / Dinner 17:00–24:00

After the 10-minute timer: the red-broth gopchang hot pot

They bring it out in a big stone pot and set a 10-minute timer for you. Just wait patiently... and right as my patience was running out, ta-da!

Like I mentioned, it's a red base. The original Japanese version uses a soy sauce or miso base, but here it's red, so even the rich, slightly greasy beef intestine goes down easily!

Oh, and by the way, their Beomgye branch is the flagship, and it was selected for a Blue Ribbon award for its motsunabe!

You make a little bundle of gopchang, fried tofu, and tofu, and dip it in yuzu soy sauce. The gopchang had a good amount of gopchang (intestine fat) in it, and the broth had that clean, sharp gopchang-hot-pot-meets-spicy-fish-stew vibe!

You can choose your spice level — I ordered it at around Shin Ramyun level, and the broth was exactly the kind that keeps the soju flowing nonstop. Soju lovers, come here. It's not the heavy, deep flavor of classic motsunabe, so pick gopchang or beef intestine nabe based on your preference.

And that tofu! Really good. I'm guessing it's the expensive kind...

The side to always order: chicken skin gyoza

Oh, and if there's gyoza (dumplings) on the menu, I have to order it, you know? And they had chicken skin gyoza here. I remembered how good it was at Menzuru a while back, so I ordered it, and it was insane. Officially a must-order side dish.

The gyoza wrapper isn't flour — it's wrapped entirely in chicken skin. So you get the juices plus the savory, oily richness of the chicken skin. This is straight-up soju territory. I did a shot with every single piece. I think the owner here really knows their soju.

Finishing with egg risotto, plus Horanggul's lunch special

For dessert, I ordered the egg risotto. It's exactly like the porridge at Deungchon Shabu, minus the minari (water dropwort). Owner, if you see this, please add minari!! Looking at it again even though the visuals are what they are, I'm drooling just thinking about it.

If you work nearby, the lunch special looks great too! Especially the buta-don (pork rice bowl) set — there aren't many places doing it well these days, so I'd like to try it.

Final verdict and score for Horanggul Bangi Branch

• Want a delicious, sharp hot pot? Come here
• Want something clean-tasting? Gopchang hot pot
• Want to get hit hard with a heavy flavor? Beef intestine hot pot
• Love dumplings? Add the chicken skin gyoza
• Okay? Got it?

• Taste: 4/5
• Value: 4.5/5
• Soju pairing: 5/5
• Location: 4.75/5
• Overall: 4.5/5

Next time, I'll come back with an even better soju pairing spot.