Myeongdong Korean restaurant for an early jokbal dinner: Miss Jokbal

A Friday night in Myeongdong, lively again

🔥 We agonized over where to have Friday-night dinner, then headed out to Myeongdong for the first time in ages. Woooow~ A few years ago, Myeongdong’s shopping district had clearly died down, with even first-floor spaces vacant and covered in for-rent signs. But now it was packed with international visitors! The food carts along Myeongdong’s main street were back too, and it really felt like the vibrant, energetic Myeongdong of old again.

A generous Emperor Jokbal feast in Myeongdong

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch: location and hours

📍 Location 178 m from Exit 5 of Euljiro 1-ga Station on Subway Line 2

Looking at the routes and accessibility in central Myeongdong, shopping and sightseeing often continue around Myeongdong Cathedral, and many people visit together with the Euljiro area, Shinsegae Department Store, or Lotte Department Store’s main branch~ It’s walkable from Myeongdong Station, and easy to reach from Euljiro 1-ga Station and Seoul Station too—such a conveniently located spot!

📍 Hours Daily 11:00 AM–3:00 AM the following day Last order: 2:00 AM

There may be a wait during the dinner rush (6:30–7:30 PM), so I recommend coming for a slightly early dinner or a little later. We visited around 4 PM, and there were still lots of international tourist guests.

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch exterior

Inside Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch

There were so many international guests. I was surprised it was this busy even at an early dinner hour. Okay then, let’s check out the menu.

What should we add to Emperor Jokbal?

📍 Menu The menu selection was seriously varied. From good-value lunch specials to jokbal with octopus in it.

What was especially GOOD: when you order jokbal or bossam (boiled pork slices), you get kimchi kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) included! Jokbal somehow doesn’t feel like a meal for eating alone, but the single-person lunch special seems great for nearby office workers having a solo weekday lunch. Since there were several of us, we ordered Emperor Jokbal for 3–4 people and added rice balls and buckwheat platter noodles.

Miss Jokbal says its pork is boiled fresh every day, prepared in batches at least three and up to five times daily to maintain a consistent flavor and texture whenever you visit. Korean-style jokbal may feel similar to the Chinese dish hongshao zhu ti (braised pork trotter), but the cooking method and flavor direction differ; it is mild and chewy, made to be an easygoing meal!

Included kimchi kalguksu and anchovy rice balls

First, when you order jokbal, you get a spicy kimchi kalguksu to simmer on a burner as a complimentary service. Its warming, refreshing broth makes it perfect as a drinking snack or to finish off after all that meat.

And the anchovy rice balls were sooo delicious. They were hot, so I cooled them down while shaping them with my hands.

Ta-da~ I make rice balls well, right? Hahaha

The Emperor Jokbal and buckwheat noodle combination

The main dish arrived right away: Em.per.or. Jok.bal.

It even comes with a little gimbap (seaweed rice roll), so three people would be full from this alone.

The buckwheat platter makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) had such a bright-red sauce. I’ll mix it up nicely. They gave us a lot of sauce compared with the amount of noodles.

The visuals are amazing.

Personally, I love eating meat with noodles the most~ The fastest route to gaining weight, hahaha. The jokbal at Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch itself was quite well seasoned, but with the pickled radish served alongside, it became even more addictive somehow—probably because it was so punchy, haha.

If you’re looking for a place that satisfies both your route through central Myeongdong and your meal plans, visit Miss Jokbal Myeongdong Branch for a naturally satisfying meal experience💚