3-party wait for garlic gopchang fire show: Omokgyo Gopchang

Today I'm introducing a well-known Mokdong restaurant near Omokgyo Station — Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch. It's about a five-minute walk from Exit 1 of Omokgyo Station.

How long was the evening wait?

This was my first time coming to Omokgyo for a meal, and there turned out to be way more good restaurants around than I expected. Omokgyo Gopchang was one place where customers kept streaming in from early evening. When we arrived, there were about three parties waiting ahead of us, so we waited a bit before getting seated.

What we ordered and the basic banchan

The menu ranged from signature grilled dishes to regular grilled items, hot pots, set menus, and rice dishes. The signature items were the traditional handmade garlic gopchang and mixed gopchang. We ordered two servings of traditional handmade garlic gopchang, mixed gopchang, and Omokgyo dongchimi noodles. The handmade garlic gopchang in particular caught our curiosity even more because a banner outside the restaurant said it's limited to 20 servings a day.

The basic banchan included cheonyeop, green onion kimchi, and geotjeori — the cheonyeop was so fresh that the very first bite told me the banchan here was solid. Dipped in sesame oil, it was nutty and chewy, perfect as a drinking snack too.

Sundubu-jjigae comes as a basic side

The green onion kimchi had good savory depth too — good on its own or grilled together with the gopchang. And as soon as you sit down, they bring out sundubu-jjigae first thing. I was surprised it just comes automatically, no need to order it separately. The spicy broth and soft tofu were great for warming up the stomach before digging into the gopchang.

The garlic gopchang fire show and the taste

On one wall there were clippings from an appearance on SBS Today along with a bunch of celebrity autographs — it gave off the vibe of a place that's been loved for a long time.

And finally, the garlic gopchang arrived! It came piled high with gopchang plus bean sprouts, chives, onion, mushrooms, and potato. The moment the staff lit it, a fire show suddenly erupted right in front of us, haha. It's over quickly, but it's fun to watch and great for photos or video. When you cut into the garlic gopchang, you can see it's packed with garlic inside. First, I tried a piece plain, without dipping it in anything.

The mild garlic aroma paired really well with the chewy texture of the gopchang, and it was packed with fat, giving it a nice nutty flavor. The garlic seemed to cut through the usual richness of gopchang while also bringing out more of the fat's flavor. That said, after a few pieces it can start to feel a bit heavy.

What to do when it feels too rich

When that happens, it helps to follow the tips posted in the restaurant on how to enjoy Omokgyo Gopchang. Pairing it with their house-made long green onion kimchi, grilling it together with chive salad tossed in their special chili paste, or dipping it in the spicy house sauce all cut the richness noticeably. I especially liked dipping it in the sauce.

Finishing with dongchimi noodles

Finally, the dongchimi noodles we ordered went really well with the gopchang. The dongchimi broth, floating with ice, was refreshing, and the noodles were infused with plenty of dongchimi flavor, so it wasn't bland at all like I expected. After eating gopchang, your mouth tends to feel a bit greasy, but the dongchimi noodles at the end cleaned everything right up.

Overall, Omokgyo Gopchang felt like a place that puts care not just into the main gopchang but into every banchan — the cheonyeop, green onion kimchi, sundubu-jjigae. The garlic gopchang in particular, sold only in a daily limited quantity, has a charm all its own compared to regular gopchang, and it's worth trying at least once.

If you're looking for a good gopchang restaurant around Omokgyo or Mokdong, Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is worth a visit.