Spicy Level : 1/3*
Weirdness Level : 3/3*
What Is Gopchang?
Gopchang is probably one of the weirdest thing you can eat along live octopus and jokbal. Gopchang is basically intestines from either pig or cow. And, yes, it sounds gross, and if you go to a bad restaurant it even smells. But if you go to a really nice restaurant that does proper gopchang, it is one of the best dish you can have in Korea.
If you are not feeling this cray dish, you can also find our 21 best dishes in Korea right here!
Gopchang Can Sound Horrifying to Eat, but Once You Go Gopchang, You Never Go Back
Gopchang can be either grilled over a BBQ or boiled in soup with all kinds of vegetable. And here is my top choices in Korea.
Where Should I Eat Gopchang in Seoul, Korea?
Like I said, it is important to find a good restaurant to enjoy gobchang. You can eat it two ways – grilled or soup.
Gopchang Jeongol 곱창 전골 (Gopchang Jjigae, 곱창 찌게)
Gopchang Jeongol is a soup for two people and Gopchang Jjigae is for one person’s portion. Usually Jeongol will be cooked in front of you and Jjigae will come out cooked. I will focus on Jeongol (for two people). It is usually spicy and has noodles and different types of intestine in it.
My favorite restaurant for Gopchang Jeongol is at DooRae Gooksoo (두레 국수). It’s been there around forever (since I was a kid), and I have been going there since forever. The owner is always there to make sure the quality on top, and it is on top. It is also known for a lot of celebrities coming to the restaurant.
Doorae Gooksoo Gopchang Jeongol Is the Best in Seoul, Korea
So let me be honest here now. Doorae Gooksoo is not mainly known for the Gobchang jeongol, but there noodle dishes. People line up during lunch for a quick delicious noodle soup.
Doorae Gooksoo put mugrot which is an alien vegetable in western country, but mugrot is the reason their noodle dish is very unique. But as much as I love the noodles at Doorae Gooksoo, Gobchang is the reason I keep on going. Their Gopchang Jeongol is the best in Seoul.
Doorae Gooksoo (두레국수)
Tel: +82 2-3444-1421
Addy: 28 Dosan-daero 37-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, 서울특별시 South Korea
Gopchang-Gui (곱창구이)
Gopchang-Gui is instestine grilled over BBQ. Many restaurants have their own way of cooking, but the best way is just cook with plain intestine. But usually if you get the no-sauce-intestine, it will be as expensive as having regular meat.
They will need the top quality and takes a lot of time and effort to make it non-smelly simple gobchange. So many places will cook with a lot of sauce to cover the smell (Especially the street food ones).
With my limited budget I opted for The Witch Gopchang (마녀 곱창). The witch Gopchang comes with chives which I love. I think I asked for extra like four times, because it was that good.
Witch Gopchang (마녀곱창)
Tel: +82 70-7528-6582
Addy: GXMR+WQ Seoul, South Korea
Wangsimni Gopchang Alley
The Witch Gopchang is probably the best in Itaewon, but the most famous place is Wangsimni Gopchang Alley. Once the most popular place to eat gopchang alley became gentrified and had to close down. But they have resurrected to a new location and you can find it below.
Going to Wangsimni Gopchang Alley can be daunting if you don’t know the area or can’t speak Korean. It is already daunting trying an intestine. Aunt’s Grilled Intestines (Gopchang) Restaurant
is quite well known for their clean food and service. Ilbeonji Gopchang Kkomjangeo Korean BBQ is close to Myungdong, but I can’t tell if it’s good because I haven’t been.
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