Bucheon jokbal restaurant for fried and original pork: Kkalkkali

While looking for somewhere near Bucheon Station to have jokbal (braised pig’s trotters) and a beer, I went to Kkalkkali Jokbal (깔깔이족발). The menu I tried let me have half fried jokbal and half original jokbal. Compared with having regular jokbal alone, being able to compare the two textures and flavors at once was more satisfying than I expected.

It is within walking distance of Bucheon Station and close to Bucheon University, so I thought it was a good spot for people like me looking for somewhere around Bucheon Station to have a casual drink.

Between Bucheon Station and Bucheon University: how far is it?

Kkalkkali Jokbal is roughly midway along the route from Bucheon Station Exit 3 toward Bucheon University. When I walked from the station, it took about seven minutes, so it was not as far as I expected.

It seemed easy to reach both for people having dinner and a drink after coming from Bucheon Station and for anyone looking for a jokbal restaurant near Bucheon University. It is easy to find if you think of it as being between Bucheon Station and Bucheon University.

Hours are 4 PM to 2 AM the following morning, Monday through Sunday. Based on the information I checked, the hours are the same every day, so it also looked like a good option when looking for a bar around Bucheon Station late at night.

A relaxed setting for jokbal and beer

On the day I visited, I went in planning to properly enjoy jokbal with beer. If you are looking around Bucheon Station for a jokbal place where you can casually chat and have a drink with friends or acquaintances, rather than have a formal meal, I thought it would be a good fit.

I ordered a bottle of beer and shared it that day. I used to think of soju first whenever I had jokbal, but after trying the fried jokbal here, cold beer actually paired remarkably well. It felt quite different eating jokbal alone versus drinking beer with it. In particular, after a bite of fried jokbal followed immediately by beer, the nutty flavor lingered, and I really liked that combination.

The half-fried, half-original order and sides

I ordered the small Kkalkkali half-fried, half-original jokbal set, which was ₩38,000.

Ordering jokbal brought more than just the meat: fruit makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles), dried radish strips, chive salad, and a set of vegetables and sauces came with it. Having various things to eat alongside it meant the two of us got less tired of eating just jokbal.

We also ordered flying-fish-roe rice balls for ₩5,000 and beer for ₩5,000. With the jokbal and side dishes spread across the table, it was great as both dinner and drinking food.

Fried jokbal versus original jokbal: what is the difference?

What I was most curious about was the fried jokbal. I had eaten regular jokbal plenty of times before, but I was not used to it in fried form. Once I tried it, it was a little different from what I had expected from the name—I had imagined something deeply fried in oil. When I ate it, the outside had a slightly roasted, nutty flavor, and that was distinctly appealing compared with regular jokbal.

It was especially tasty with beer. The tender jokbal I had eaten before gave me the strong impression that it went well with soju, but Kkalkkali Jokbal’s fried version had a nutty richness that also made it a great beer snack.

The original jokbal was better than I expected too. Poorly boiled jokbal can be dry or have its characteristic gamey smell, but I barely noticed any of that smell in the jokbal I had that day.

The meat I ate was well cooked and tender, and alternating it with the fried jokbal made the difference in texture even clearer. If it is your first visit, starting with the half-and-half menu like I did seems like a good idea.

Something else that stayed with me unexpectedly was the side dishes and bean sprout soup. After eating jokbal continuously, your mouth can start to feel a little heavy, but the bean sprout soup reset my palate midway through. Alternating the fruit makguksu, chive salad, and dried radish strips also meant I could finish the meal without getting tired of it, more so than if I had eaten jokbal alone.

I also tried the flying-fish-roe rice balls. Their little popping texture made them good to eat with the jokbal.

When you want jokbal and a drink near Bucheon Station

If you are looking near Bucheon Station for a place to eat jokbal and have a drink, Kkalkkali Jokbal is worth trying. Having eaten there myself, the fried and original jokbal tasted clearly different, so ordering half and half was a good choice; above all, I was satisfied that the meat had no gamey smell.

It is about a seven-minute walk from Bucheon Station Exit 3 and roughly midway between Bucheon University and the station, so accessibility was good too. If, like me, you are looking for good-value jokbal and beer around Bucheon Station or Bucheon University, this may be useful to keep in mind. Next time I go back, I want to try half fried jokbal and half spicy jokbal with the flying-fish-roe rice balls. The combination I had that day was delicious, but next time I want it a little spicier.