Yangcheon gopchang restaurant dinner after work: Omokgyo Gopchang

On my way home from work, I suddenly started craving gopchang (grilled beef intestines), so I quickly made an impromptu plan and headed to Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch (오목교곱창 목동본점), near Omokgyo Station, where there are lots of good restaurants in Mokdong. I had been to the Mokdong area a few times for work dinners, but this time I visited with my younger sibling to eat delicious gopchang and have a relaxed chat.

As it turns out, this place is famous for its handmade garlic gopchang, made with a 30-year tradition. It seemed like it would be a good spot for a Mokdong work dinner, too.

What was the atmosphere like?

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is located among popular Mokdong restaurants often chosen for work dinners. There were plenty of tables inside, so it looked suitable for a visit with colleagues, and it also had a nice atmosphere for an after-work meal like ours.

There were broadcast notices and signed items in the restaurant, too. Apparently, it was featured on SBS's Live Today for its traditional handmade garlic gopchang.

Above all, Omokgyo Gopchang is a well-known Mokdong restaurant for handmade garlic gopchang, carrying on a mother's recipe with a 30-year tradition.

The gopchang we ordered and the prices

• Traditional handmade garlic gopchang ₩28,900
• Hwangso gopchang ₩27,900

The menu had a range of grilled intestine dishes, including assorted gopchang, Hwangso gopchang, daechang (beef large intestine), makchang (beef abomasum), and garlic gopchang. There were also set menus for trying several dishes together, plus meals such as gopchang hot pot, fried rice, and bibim-guksu (spicy mixed noodles).

I like Korean beef gopchang, so instead of an assorted platter, I ordered just the handmade garlic gopchang and Hwangso gopchang to try.

Jumunjin Golbimyeon event

There was also an event where you could try Jumunjin Golbimyeon for just ₩100 when ordering grilled intestines or hot pot. It is a premium bibim-guksu topped with whelks from Jumunjin, offered at ₩100 after an ₩11,900 discount from its regular ₩12,000 price. If you are planning to order grilled intestines or hot pot, it might be nice to add it on.

How to grill par-cooked gopchang deliciously

After ordering and waiting a little while, a bowl of sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) arrived.

Just as the soft tofu stew began to bubble, the par-cooked gopchang came right out. Omokgyo Gopchang's main branch says it sources domestic beef and Korean beef slaughtered that day and serves them par-cooked. Since it arrived partly cooked, it did not take long before we could eat, which was nice.

The banchan (side dishes) included liver, cheonyeop (honeycomb tripe), and other accompaniments that went well with gopchang. What especially caught my eye was the scallion kimchi. They said it was handmade in the restaurant, and it cut through the richness beautifully with the gopchang.

Then the owner personally showed us how to enjoy the gopchang at its best.

They said gopchang tastes best when grilled until golden brown, turning it often so it does not burn. Heart, on the other hand, can get tough if cooked too long, so they advised eating it as soon as the pinkness disappears.

The owner kindly even explained how to grill the gopchang. But while we were chatting and eating, we ended up burning quite a lot of it!

We tried the heart first, and I loved its chewy yet tender texture. Once the gopchang was grilled golden brown, its rich, nutty flavor really came through.

The different flavors of garlic gopchang and Hwangso gopchang

The traditional handmade garlic gopchang is made by stuffing Seosan six-clove garlic into the intestines. The subtle garlic aroma joined the gopchang's savory richness for a delicious flavor that felt quite different. It was packed full of garlic, so I recommend trying it if you love garlic. It had a different appeal from gopchang filled with fat.

It was delicious dipped in the house special sauce, and it was also great with the scallion kimchi.

The Hwangso beef gopchang and potatoes were tasty, too. The garlic-filled gopchang and regular gopchang each had a different flavor, so ordering both separately let us compare them.

As the two of us ate gopchang and talked about this and that, I completely lost track of time. Gopchang really does taste even better after work. It also seemed like a great place for a Mokdong work dinner.

Visit events and post-meal photos

There were lots of events and benefits available, too.

Takeout orders of two portions or more receive 20% off. If you post a photo review on Naver, Google, Kakao Map, or T Map, you can receive fried rice or grillable cheese, and adding the KakaoTalk channel lets you join a no-lose roulette event. Signing up for membership also earns 3% of the payment amount in points.

Near the entrance was a self-photo studio called Omokgyo Photo Studio. You can take commemorative pictures with your group after the meal and print them right away. It was a lovely way to keep a fun memory from after dinner.

Getting there from Omokgyo Station and parking

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is about 200 m from Omokgyo Station Exit 1, so it is convenient by subway. There is no parking at the restaurant, so if you are driving, I recommend parking at Mokdong Public Parking Lot next to The Hyundai Seoul and walking over. It is also fairly easy to reach for anyone looking for a place for a work dinner or gathering around Mokdong.

I visited Omokgyo Gopchang's main branch after suddenly making plans with my younger sibling on the way home from work! I went after hearing about its 30-year tradition of handmade garlic gopchang, and the owner kindly explained how to enjoy it; the Korean beef gopchang tasted great, too. If you are looking for a comfortable Mokdong work-dinner spot where you can eat gopchang and chat, or if you are craving gopchang near Omokgyo, it is worth a visit.