Euljiro 1-ga garlic jokbal M-size with rice balls: Miss Jokbal

Miss Jokbal Myeongdong Branch is a great spot to visit when you're craving jokbal (Korean braised pig's trotters) in Myeongdong. Here's an honest review of the garlic jokbal M-size and rice balls, introduced as a Euljiro 1-ga Station favorite and solid group-dinner spot.

We decided to grab dinner around Myeongdong and, after some back and forth about what to eat, went for jokbal again after a while. This time we visited Miss Jokbal Myeongdong Branch.

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch

Why we chose jokbal for dinner in Myeongdong

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch is a jokbal place that's good for eating with a group. Myeongdong has so many restaurants that picking one can honestly be tricky, but going with something like jokbal that's meant for sharing among several people seems to lower the odds of a bad choice. The table next to us even had a group of Korean diners!

Especially if you're meeting up with a group after work, it pairs nicely with a drink and fills you up properly — so jokbal is a pretty solid dinner pick if you're looking for a good restaurant near Euljiro 1-ga Station.

The menu at Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch

Garlic jokbal M-size: the garlic topping you notice first

We ordered the garlic jokbal M-size and rice balls. Jokbal is tasty plain, but I love the versions with garlic on top, so I went straight for the garlic jokbal. Once the food arrived, the first thing that caught my eye was, of course, the garlic topping.

A good portion for two people on a date. The garlic was piled generously on top of the jokbal, so much that you could practically smell the garlic just looking at it.

The jokbal had a nice sheen and the lean meat and fat were well balanced. There's a fair amount of fat, and it just melts. Taking a bite, the lean meat wasn't dry at all — soft and tender. The signature chewy skin texture was great too.

Garlic plus the three dipping sauces

Eating it together with the garlic really brings out the flavor. The garlic's sharp bite cuts through the richness of the jokbal, so I kept reaching for more than I expected.

Even people who usually can't eat much jokbal because it feels too greasy would probably find it much easier to enjoy paired with garlic.

And what you dip it in matters a surprising amount at a jokbal place — pairing it with the three dipping sauces changes things up again! Personally I think jokbal tastes best warm, and with the garlic aroma added to warm, tender jokbal, it worked really well as a drinking snack too. Which is probably why I'd recommend this pretty confidently to anyone looking for good jokbal in Myeongdong.

Adding rice balls to make it a full meal

And the rice balls we ordered alongside.

Eating jokbal on its own can feel like something's missing after a while, but adding the rice balls makes it feel like an actual meal. It's good with a piece of jokbal on top, and it also went well eaten with the garlic. Especially handy when there's a group — order one to share. Since jokbal itself leans more toward a drinking-snack vibe, having a rice dish on the table makes the meal much more filling.

What the dining room is like for a group dinner

The atmosphere is a bit chaotic, but it's the kind of place that's easy to visit with a group, so it seemed like a solid choice for a friends' gathering or a work dinner.

Myeongdong has a lot of office worker foot traffic and is easy to get to as a meeting spot, which is a plus for gathering after work.

So if you're looking for a group-dinner spot near Euljiro 1-ga Station, jokbal seems like a pretty good option. In particular, jokbal works well because it's easy for a group to share, and even people who don't drink can still enjoy it as a proper meal.

If you're looking for dinner in Myeongdong and are tired of eating the same thing every time, I'd recommend switching things up with jokbal.

Especially if you're looking for dinner near Euljiro 1-ga Station and want to handle both food and drinks in one go, Miss Jokbal Myeongdong Branch was a pretty convenient choice to visit. Jokbal packed with garlic flavor plus rice balls on the side — good stuff.

If you're looking for a spot for a get-together or work dinner in Myeongdong, this is worth considering. That said, the store isn't the cleanest 🥹 It seemed popular with foreigners — most of the customers there were foreign visitors!

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch: the verdict

• Garlic jokbal where you really taste the garlic
• A menu that suits friend gatherings or work dinners well