Vietnamese chili spicy jokbal near Sunae Station: Wangchang Jokbal

We spent the weekend leisurely at a café with family and then went bowling, and before we knew it, dinnertime had rolled around. Cooking at home felt like way too much effort, and I'd been craving jokbal for a while, so we went out as a family instead. Here's the review~!

Location and parking at Wangchang Jokbal near Sunae Station

• Name: Wangchang Jokbal
• Address: 11 Sunae-ro 46beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 16:00–23:00 / Sat, Sun 14:00–22:00
• Parking available

Wangchang Jokbal, a well-known jokbal spot near Sunae Station, is a 5-minute walk from Exit 1, so it's easy to get to. It's on the ground floor too, so it was easy to find. Parking is available in the building's basement.

In front of the restaurant, you could watch them slicing the jokbal in real time. Getting to enjoy it visually before even eating made me even more excited!

What was the vibe like on a Sunday evening?

For a jokbal restaurant, the interior was really clean and spacious — you could definitely fit a gathering or a company dinner in there. Even though we visited on a Sunday, the place was packed with customers. That's basically a certified local favorite near Sunae Station, right? By the way, Wangchang Jokbal runs an open kitchen, so you can watch the food being made cleanly, which gave me even more confidence in the place.

Menu and what we ordered at Wangchang Jokbal

Here's the menu board at Wangchang Jokbal. Original jokbal and spicy jokbal are the signature dishes, and you can also order half-and-half. They also had a range of good side dishes to go with it, like jaengban makguksu and herring roe bibimbap. We ordered a medium wangchang spicy jokbal and, since no jokbal meal is complete without it, the jaengban makguksu.

Side dish salted oysters and complimentary steamed egg

As soon as we ordered, they set out the basic side dishes — chive salad, ssamjang (dipping sauce), garlic, chili peppers, lettuce and perilla leaves, and then the jackpot: salted oysters (eoriguljeot) as a side dish too. This salted oysters side is seriously the kicker — jokbal can get a little greasy as you eat, but pairing it with the salted oysters in between cleared my palate right up and brought out even more savory depth.

And that's not even all — radish greens soybean paste soup and steamed egg came free too! Is the owner even making a profit here...? The steamed egg came up fluffy and in a really generous portion, and the soybean paste soup was warm and comforting, great for settling our stomachs before the jokbal arrived.

Portion and taste of the jaengban makguksu

While we were eating the steamed egg, the jaengban makguksu we'd ordered arrived! Look at the portion of makguksu — it was piled up like a mountain, they gave us a block of ice so it would stay cold for a long time, and it was loaded with fresh vegetables and nutty almonds.

I took a bite before the jokbal came out, and this place is seriously a makguksu restaurant in its own right!!! The noodles were cooked just right, really chewy, and the sauce wasn't too aggressive — tangy and nicely balanced.

And of course, no jokbal is complete without soju and beer, which they'll bring you too.

How spicy was the medium wangchang spicy jokbal?

Next up, the main dish — the spicy jokbal makes its appearance!! It comes stir-fried and coated in sauce — look at that visual, I'm drooling just typing this...

It was topped with a generous amount of Vietnamese chili seeds, and it didn't look too spicy at first glance, but once I actually ate it, it was deceptively spicy. A total bullseye for my family, who all love spicy food!

There was plenty of the chewy, collagen-rich part, and a good amount of lean meat too, so there was fun in picking which bite to go for — and of course, no jokbal is complete without gnawing on the bones. There were plenty of bones too, so happy~

Pairing the spicy jokbal with makguksu

No jokbal meal is complete without pairing it with makguksu and chive salad, right? Eating the spicy jokbal together with the tangy-sweet makguksu was such a great combination, and adding chive salad and pickled radish helped tone down the spiciness just enough, so we could keep eating without getting tired of it.

And lastly, perilla leaves wrapped with pickled radish strips and cheongyang chili!

And that's how we cleared every plate, side dishes included!

If you're in Sunae and want to enjoy a deliciously spicy jokbal with no gamey smell, with family or friends, I recommend Wangchang Jokbal, a well-known jokbal spot near Sunae Station~!