Gwangju Korean restaurant jokbal and noodles: Kkankkan Jjokbal

Kkankkan Jjokbal Suwan Branch location and parking

I had visited other branches before, but this was my first time at the Suwan Branch, so I came in excited! It is on Suwan-ro, and you can park in the alley. There are tons of parking spots, haha. It gets busy on weekends!

The exterior instantly had that Kkankkan Jjokbal feel! The hanok-inspired sign really caught my eye.

A spacious interior with a giant screen

The first thing I saw when I walked in was the huge screen! The interior is spacious and comfortable.

There were lots of tables for four, plus roomy seating that would be great for group dinners, so it looked like a nice spot for a family meal or gathering too.

Unfortunately, Kia was losing on the day I visited, but everyone was still cheering hard.

Charcoal-grilled jokbal and bibim makguksu set for two

There were so many options: old-style king jokbal (braised pig’s trotters), spicy flame-grilled jokbal, garlic jokbal, charcoal-grilled jokbal, charcoal-grilled bossam (boiled pork wraps), and flower cold-salad jokbal. In winter, lots of people also come looking for oyster bossam in Suwan, so keep that in mind! My mom and I ordered the couple’s set for two: charcoal-grilled jokbal plus bibim makguksu (spicy mixed buckwheat noodles). They are also running a receipt-review event, so don’t miss it, haha.

The complimentary side dishes arrived really quickly after we ordered. My mom said she was hungry, so it was nice not having to wait, haha. Wrap vegetables, dried shredded radish, pickled radish wraps, soy-marinated shrimp, garlic, ssamjang (seasoned soybean dipping paste), and doenjang (fermented soybean paste)—just the right spread for jokbal.

The salad with sweet dressing was great for waking up the appetite.

While we snacked on the sides and waited, delivery drivers kept coming in. As expected, Kkankkan Jjokbal is popular for delivery too.

Included soft tofu stew and steamed egg

A soft tofu stew comes with the meal. The quality is honestly too good to call it just a free side.

It was packed with tofu, and once we added the egg and let it bubble away, it was seriously delicious. Personally, I thought the soft tofu stew at the Suwan Branch was even better than at the other branches I had tried.

Steamed egg also comes as a basic side. It was soft and perfectly seasoned, and my mom and I finished it in no time, haha.

My jokbal and bibim makguksu combination

Finally, today’s mains arrived! Charcoal-grilled jokbal and bibim makguksu. We both gasped as soon as we saw them. I mixed up the bibim makguksu first. It had loads of cucumber, with a lovely sesame oil aroma too.

Sweet, spicy, and so moreish! It was perfect with the jokbal. I am not usually that into noodle dishes, but this one was so good that I kept reaching for it.

And then there was the charcoal-grilled jokbal. There was honestly much more than I expected. Can you see that gorgeous shine?

Starting with the glossy, collagen-rich pieces.

There were all kinds of cuts, from pieces with a balanced mix of meat and collagen to leaner pieces, so it was fun choosing according to what we felt like.

It was delicious wrapped in greens, wrapped in pickled radish, or eaten on its own, but wrapping it in fragrant perilla leaf and pickled radish meant I could keep eating without getting tired of it, haha.

The mini trotter! The chewy, collagen-packed part was the best, haha.

It was especially great with the dried shredded radish. The sweet-spicy radish seemed to bring out the savory flavor of the jokbal even more! But there was one combination I enjoyed most of all: a piece of jokbal topped with bibim makguksu. This was seriously delicious. The nutty richness of the jokbal met the tangy heat of the noodles, and I just kept eating.

Easy kiosk takeout

We were so full that we decided to take the rest away. It was nice that I could request takeout easily at the kiosk too.

Overall, I could see why Kkankkan Jjokbal Suwan Branch is the nation’s number-one jokbal sales brand! I was happy with the jokbal boiled in-house, the generous included dishes, the spacious restaurant, and the giant screen that is great for watching baseball. If you are looking for a good restaurant in Suwan, deciding on dinner in Suwan, or looking for jokbal or oyster bossam in Suwan, it would be worth a visit, haha.