Jongro Gopchang

I was in New York for a week. So I have been eating different type of food but Korean bbq sounded very good to me. I was craving for it. So we found this place on Yelp. We uber there and ate for the first time I was beyond my expectations. It wasn’t all you can eat. We ordered out of la a carte the combo. It was satisfied my cravings. Lucky it was good too. Because it was our first time. So we wouldn’t know if it will be good or bad.

Jongro Gopchang is located on the 5th floor of the building that hosts Jongro BBQ, the famous K-BBQ restaurant. We arrived at 4:45 PM, they do not open until about 5 PM so we were allowed to sit there and wait until they opened. The atmosphere is nice, it feels like a mini market inside with a bar and multiple seating locations. Once 5 PM rolled around, they sat us right away. The service was quick and fast, and they kept refilling our water whenever needed. The food was very good. We got the marinated assorted gopchang, the raw beef sushi, dolsot bibimbap, and kimchi pancake. The kimchi pancake was very light and good, not too oily. The raw beef sushi was really good, but hard to hold with chopsticks so we decided to use our hands instead. The marinated assorted gopchang was very good, pieces were cooked very well and the marinade was sweet and a little spicy. However, I think next time we'd want to get the non-marinaded version so we could taste the flavor of the gopchang instead, as the sauce sorta overwhelmed the meat. The Banchan was really good as well, a steamed egg was prepped at the table and the sauce for the meats was pretty good. We were left pretty stuffed and had to take some back home. Overall a wonderful experience and would love to go back again.

I absolutely love Gopchang and Daechang, and this place is the best in New Jersey and New York!!! It’s insane… the servers grilling the Gopchang are perfect, and the portion size and taste are just on point. You know what I mean? And the perfect finish is the matcha cold noodles.

Hidden inside a building of K Town, Jongro Gopchang is an iconic kbbq spot for authentic korean grill and authentic dishes. The place is busy and packed yet the service is still excellent. Our server helps us grill the meat to medium rare, slightly crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. It is my BEST kbbq experience so far as I didn’t feel rushed throughout the whole meal. My bf has been here a few times and he also spoke highly of their food. ＊Large Beef Platter Highly recommend this beef platter if you are not sure which part of meat you like. It comes with five different cuts: 1. Rib eye: fatty, juicy, intense beefy flavor; heavenly at first few bites but feel greasy soon. 2. Brisket: thin sliced, rich beefy taste, good to dip into soybean paste and wrap into lettuce. 3. Skirt steak: my favorite cut; not as beefy as the previous two, but the fat ratio is lower while the meat remains tender. After grilling the first three cuts, they switch it to charcoal grill, giving the meat a smoky aroma. 4. Kalbi (marinated short rib): our favorite meat. it is very tender, juicy and bursting with sweet and savory flavors. 5. Marinated chuck: from the shoulder of a cow. served in cubes; not as tender as kalbi but still very delicious. ＊Kimchi Pancake The pancake is fried to perfection as the bottom is not soaked in oil. It is also not too spicy. The sweet and savory dipping sauce is a great addition to the pancake.

We love all the Jongro restaurants, and I would recommend trying this place. The menu is a little bit different from the second floor since they serve different kinds of intestines. We ordered the beef platter combo with beef large intestine, and it was really good. I’m not fond of intestines, but this one I loved it. P.S I forgot to take a picture of the large intestine 😅

Fast service, high quality food and ingredients. Very awesome and kinda retro atmosphere/decorations.

[Updated Feedback] I'm thrilled to share some recent, very positive updates about Jongro Gopchang! First, I want to applaud a server named 지희영 (Hee-young Ji). She truly knows how to grill the meats perfectly; having been helped by her numerous times, I can only say it's always been consistently incredibly good. Her customer service skills are also fantastic. I've even witnessed her patiently teaching other trainee servers, providing step-by-step guidance on grilling techniques, which was a welcome surprise given my prior annoyance with inconsistent meat grilling abilities from different servers. I'm also delighted that 계란찜 (steamed egg) is back as a complimentary appetizer! That was a much-welcomed return. Plus, while oil splashing is part of gopchang, I appreciate that they now offer one-time use aprons. It's a thoughtful touch. I'm sure my previous reviews, along with many others, contributed to these positive changes. I feel heard and applaud management for taking the initiative. ------ Having visited Jongro Gopchang around 20+ times, it's definitely time for a review. In my opinion, and having tried the other major gopchang spots in K-Town, this place consistently delivers the best, purely meaty flavor (if you prefer that over marinated options). It never misses for me. I usually get the combo (gopchang, makchang, daechang), but if you're new to gopchang, I recommend starting with the makchang/daechang as they aren't as much of an acquired taste. The vibe here feels like a natural extension of Jongro, the popular K-BBQ spot, complete with old-school K-pop music, which perfectly fits the restaurant's overall brand. Pro-Tip: Based on my experience, the grilling tends to be better on weekends. I've had a few weekday visits where the grilling was questionable. You want to avoid seeing the daechang fats exploding out – that's a sign it's not cooked properly yet and will likely end up rubbery by the time it is. Also, be wary of oil splashes as they unfortunately don't provide covers. I recommend wearing longer sleeves and not bringing your face too close to the grill. On a recent visit, I was a bit bummed to find that they've stopped serving the complimentary Korean-style steamed egg (계란찜) due to rising costs. While understandable, it hasn't been replaced with another appetizer, and it was always a great starter before the gopchang arrived. Also, the 김치말이 국수 (kimchi soup noodles?) has changed its flavor since they first opened and didn't taste good when I visited yesterday. I'd stick to the 냉면 (cold buckwheat noodles), which isn't the absolute best, but it's still a good refresher to combat the oiliness of the meats. The side dishes are pretty solid. I especially love that they provide several types of pickled vegetables. Overall, the service has been great. When it's not too busy, they're always thoughtful enough to separate the noodles for us, and the staff are generally very friendly. As a tip for the fried rice you can get after the meats, I personally wouldn't get the 날치알 (flying fish roe) because it seems more for texture and visual appeal and doesn't really justify the cost for what it adds. Sometimes you can't even feel the texture. Also, keep in mind that the taste of the fried rice can vary depending on who cooks it for you. I still remember the first time I came, the server was incredible at frying the rice, and I hope they're doing well! Though the bathroom can feel intimate and small on the men's section, it's never felt excessively dirty. I also appreciate the hand washing station outside the bathroom (at least in the men's section), which is incredibly convenient. I will absolutely return and bring friends, just as I have been!