Yeonsinnae jokbal restaurant, half mild half spicy: Gwihanjokbal

Today I was trying to figure out what to eat for dinner in Yeonsinnae, and I ended up at a jokbal restaurant worth introducing — Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae!

Just eating plain jokbal felt like it might leave something to be desired, and I also wanted the spicy fire jokbal, so this time I ordered the half-and-half jokbal. Getting both flavors at once turned out even better than expected.

Where is Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae, and what are the hours?

• 20-14 Yeonseo-ro 29-gil, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor
• About 200m from Exit 7 of Yeonsinnae Station
• Mon–Thu 15:00–24:00
• Fri–Sat 14:00–01:00 (next day)
• Sun 14:00–22:00
• Reservations available via Naver
• No dedicated parking / use nearby paid or public parking
• Gender-separated restrooms inside the restaurant

Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae is just a short walk from Yeonsinnae Station, so it's really easy to get to by public transit. It's located in the Yeonsinnae restaurant alley, which also makes it a great spot for a second round after dinner!

If you're driving, there's no dedicated parking lot, so it's better to use a nearby public or paid parking lot. Evenings get busy, so if you're visiting on a weekend or during peak hours, booking ahead through Naver Reservations is a good idea!

What the restaurant looks like inside

Walking into Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae, the space was cleaner than I expected. There are plenty of tables set up, so it looks like a good spot to come with friends for dinner or a group hangout with drinks and jokbal.

Rather than the old, rustic feel typical of jokbal restaurants, the overall vibe here was clean and pleasant, making it comfortable to eat in.

The restrooms are also gender-separated inside the restaurant, so no awkwardness there!

Ordering the half-and-half jokbal: plain and spicy in one plate

Gwihanjokbal has a wide menu beyond plain jokbal, including bossam (boiled pork wrap) and fire jokbal. What we chose was the half-and-half jokbal!

If you only order one flavor, it can get a little tiring toward the end, but being able to enjoy both plain and spicy jokbal together was great. When in doubt, half-and-half really is the answer haha.

They set up the whole table really nicely too — the sauces, the kimchi, all of it!

The first thing that caught my eye the moment the jokbal arrived was the shine. The skin on the plain jokbal was springy and chewy, and the meat was soft and easy to eat without being dry.

There wasn't much of the gamey smell jokbal can sometimes have, so I kept reaching for more.

It's tasty with a bit of salted shrimp on top, and wrapping it in lettuce with garlic and ssamjang (thick dipping sauce) for a full bite — that's how jokbal should be eaten!

How spicy is the fire jokbal, and how does it taste?

The best thing about half-and-half jokbal is being able to switch things up with the spicy version in between bites of the plain one!

The spicy jokbal, with its seasoning added on top, definitely felt more like a drinking snack. Eating a bite of the plain, chewy jokbal and then a bite of the spicy one, switching back and forth between the two flavors, kept it interesting all the way to the end.

Personally, I felt like ordering the half-and-half instead of just one flavor was the right call!

Radish salad, kimchi and makguksu: how to eat jokbal here

The real kick of Gwihanjokbal is the radish salad (musaengchae) and kimchi!! Seriously, the combo with jokbal is unreal~~

This jokbal restaurant in Yeonsinnae was close to the station and easy to get to, and I liked how clean the interior was.

We also added mak guksu, and the mak guksu + jokbal combo is basically the banana-and-Nutella of Korean food hahahahaha

Is Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae worth a visit?

Ordering the half-and-half jokbal let me enjoy both the plain and spicy flavors at once, and I was very satisfied! If you're in Yeonsinnae looking for jokbal and drinks or trying to decide on dinner, Gwihanjokbal Yeonsinnae is worth a visit :)