Myeongdong jokbal spot where you mix your own rice balls: Miss Jokbal

Finding Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch from Euljiro 1-ga Station

Hey everyone, it's Dancing Pina. I was craving a bit of meat today, so after some searching I decided on jokbal (braised pork trotters). And the star of the show is Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch, a place near Euljiro 1-ga Station that's apparently a popular company dinner spot. I heard tons of foreign visitors come here too, and that ordering jokbal or bossam gets you free kimchi kalguksu and salad on the side — that got me curious. So today, off I went with my good-mood-meat friend Pina to Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch~

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch / 21 Myeongdong 3-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul / 178m from Exit 5, Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2) / Daily 11am–3am

I took Line 2 and got off at Euljiro 1-ga Station. Out Exit 5, it's just a 180-meter stroll toward Myeongdong Station and there it is — a ground-floor storefront.

One nice thing about taking the subway is not having to sweat it out waiting for a bus in this heat. It's gotten so hot lately that even though I used to prefer buses, I've been leaning toward the subway these days.

What the Original Jokbal M costs and what comes with it

I was surprised how many people inside were having lunch — probably because there's a lunch menu that includes jokbal. There was exactly one seat left, so we grabbed it fast and ordered. The Original Jokbal M serves 2–3 people and costs 43,000 won; add the 5,000-won flying fish roe rice ball and the 5,000-won Miss steamed egg, and the total comes to 53,000 won. Since this visit came with 50,000 won provided, we ordered the essentials and paid the extra 3,000 won ourselves.

Mixing the 5,000-won flying fish roe rice ball yourself

Disposable plastic gloves were tucked in with the utensils, ready for making your own flying fish roe rice ball. It's about a bowl of rice's worth, priced at 5,000 won. Myeongdong prices skew a bit high because of all the foreign visitors, but this still felt like decent value. Pair it with the Miss steamed egg, also 5,000 won.

Free kimchi kalguksu and salad, but only a few side dishes

The basic spread includes 3 sauces and 3 side dishes. Usually with bossam or jokbal you get a more generous array of vegetables, so this table felt a bit sparse. But this place is famous for giving you free kongnamul kimchi kalguksu (bean sprout kimchi noodle soup), cooked at your table, and salad, when you order a main over 40,000 won like bossam or jokbal.

Since it's a freebie, the kalguksu portion was about half a serving — think of it as a palate cleanser rather than a full course. We shaped the rice balls, set them in a little Japanese-style wooden bowl, and ate them one by one — they went really well with the jokbal.

Simmering the kalguksu on a tabletop burner in summer

Because the kongnamul kimchi kalguksu is boiled at the table on a burner, the shop had the AC going along with a fan on full blast. Luckily it had cooled down to about 33 degrees, so we boiled it quickly and turned off the burner as soon as the noodles were done. They also lit a solid fuel candle under the jokbal to keep it warm while we ate.

Seeing the jokbal piled up like a mountain, bones and all, put me in a good mood. This place is actually famous for its free kimchi kalguksu and salad service, so I found myself eating salad enthusiastically, which I don't usually do. I don't normally get enough vegetables in, so when I'm at a meat restaurant I try to make up for it with lettuce, perilla leaves, cucumber, or carrots.

Lettuce is not included: a 4,000-won add-on at Miss Jokbal

They said the Original Jokbal serves 2–3 people, and it really was a lot for two of us. The medium size is priced at 43,000 won. Noticing the table next to us had lettuce with their cheaper lunch jokbal, I asked staff about it separately. Turns out jokbal doesn't come with lettuce by default — if you want it, it's an extra 4,000 won. It's not on the kiosk, so I had no idea, but apparently they'll bring it if you pay separately, so keep that in mind if you're planning to order it.

That's it for today — Pina's dinner near Euljiro 1-ga Station at Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch. If you're looking for a jokbal restaurant in this area popular with foreign visitors, give this one a try.