Daniel B.
Yelp
Gopchang on Fire is a one-of-a-kind restaurant in metro Atlanta. Gopchang refers to intestines and, in this case, cow intestines which are cooked pretty much Korean BBQ style on grills at every table. I'm generally not a fan of intestines. The kinds I've had often had an unpleasant smell or taste, but not here. The intestines here are actually quite delicious, among the best I've ever had. So, I'd set aside any preconceived notions about intestines and give this place a try. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
This restaurant is located in the Assi shopping plaza on Old Peachtree Rd in Suwanee. If facing Assi, Gopchang will be to the left. This is a small, casual place, almost a hole in the wall, with seating for I guesstimate roughly 40-50 customers tops. There was about a 10-15 minute wait when we arrived for our 7pm Saturday night dinner.
The food menu is simple (first four items are beef):
Gop chang - small intestine - $12.99
Dae chang - large intestine - $12.99
Mak chang - upper lining of last stomach - $12.99
Tuek yang - upper lining of first stomach - $15.99
Beef rib meat - $19.99
Pig intestine - $12.99
Small intestine stir-fry - $12.99
Spicy small intestine soup - $29.99 (for 2 people)
There are two combos. Both combos come with gop chang, dae chang, mak chang, and tuek yang. The difference between the two combos is one combo, Combo A, is designed for 3 people ($34.99) and the other, Combo B, is designed for 4 people ($44.99). They also have ramen and kimchi fried rice on the menu.
Beverage-wise, they have beer, wine, and soju. Alcohol commonly accompanies gopchang meals.
Two of us visited for dinner and ordered the gop chang, dae chang, and mak chang, all a la carte. We could've ordered Combo A, but were unsure of portion sizing (and probably should've asked). I still could've eaten after we finished our food, so I'm thinking Combo A probably would've worked for us even though there were just two of us.
It was pretty obvious which organ was which. The gop chang was placed in the center of the grill. It was coiled up. The dae chang looked like kielbasa sausages, bigger than the gop chang of course. The mak chang looked like a flat, spongy blob. Also served was what I think were small slices of liver, but I could be wrong. On the edges of grill were slices of daikon radish, white onion, and sliced mushrooms.
Banchan consisted of kimchi, spicy bean sprouts, two types of spicy scallions/green onions, and a spicy tofu soup with enoki mushrooms and chopped scallions.
The intestines and stomach tasted great. I wasn't expecting everything to be so savory and flavorful. It didn't really taste too much different than various thin cuts of steak. The flavors were beefy and smoky. Expectedly, the textures were different than steak. My favorite was the dae chang. It seemed to be the fattiest as well as the tastiest. In general, the gop chang, dae chang, and mak chang all had soft and somewhat chewy consistencies. The dipping sauces (soy sauce, sesame oil with salt & pepper) are almost essential, so be sure to use them.
Service was terrific. Servers cook and cut (with scissors) all of the intestines and stomach at your table.
This place is a hike for intown folks like me, but I would definitely be up for a return visit.