Terrace-seat jokbal dinner in Yongin with free makguksu: Cheongdam

Sanghyeon-dong is kind of a special neighborhood for me and my boyfriend.

We used to live next door to each other before we even got close, haha. Back when we just knew each other's faces and worked at the same company!

So we came to Sanghyeon-dong a lot in the early days of dating too, and we both know this neighborhood really well.

But then a jokbal place I'd never seen before showed up. And right in front of my boyfriend's old place, too.

"What used to be here?" we said, and walked into what turned out to be Cheongdam Jokbal. I've been to quite a few jokbal places near Sanghyeon Station, but now this is the one that comes to mind first when I think of jokbal near Sanghyeon Station.

Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch: location, parking and hours

Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch is on the 1st floor, unit 107, of an officetel building at 10 Gwanggyojungang-ro 296beon-gil, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. Hours are 11:30–23:30 (last order 22:30), and parking is in the building lot, registered for up to 2 hours. Perks: free makguksu for dine-in guests, and ₩5,000 off for takeout.

You can just park in the officetel building's own lot. There's plenty of space — no circling around looking for a spot. And since you can register for up to 2 hours, you can take your time eating.

They're open until 11:30pm, which is great for late get-togethers too. That closing time actually matters a lot when you're looking for a group dinner spot near Sanghyeon Station. Even a late first round leaves you plenty of time.

Why we took a terrace seat at Cheongdam Jokbal

The weather was so nice that day. So we grabbed a spot on the terrace at Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch.

Eating jokbal on a terrace turned out to be surprisingly romantic. A cool breeze, a bite of jokbal, a bite of makguksu. Not many places let you do that.

Once we sat down, I noticed a sign posted.

₩5,000 off for takeout, and they only sell jokbal boiled that same day. And here's the most important part.

Free makguksu for dine-in guests!!!!

The moment I saw that, I was glad we'd chosen the terrace. I'd been planning to order makguksu separately anyway.

What are the indoor seats like?

We went inside and checked the menu too. The indoor seating looks like this, and the AC is blasting.

Plenty of tables, so it'd be no problem even with a bigger group. Perfect for a group dinner near Sanghyeon Station. Parking's available, they're open late, and the seating is spacious.

Here's the menu. If you're looking for bossam (boiled pork wraps) near Sanghyeon Station, check the menu board too — since it's a jokbal specialty restaurant, I got curious about the suyuk (boiled pork) side of the menu as well.

We ordered the classic: warm freshly boiled jokbal (medium, ₩45,000) and a gim-flake (seasoned seaweed flake) rice ball (₩6,000).

The question the staff had never been asked before

When we ordered, the staff member asked us something I'd never heard before.

You can get the gim-flake rice ball through our review event — would you like to take part?

Wow, I was genuinely touched by this.

Usually even if a review event exists, it's on the customer to figure it out — plenty of people end up just paying for it without knowing. But here they told us up front. I said yes immediately.

A wooden table where the dishes don't slide

While we waited, the table got set.

This part was genuinely cool. The wood is carved out in the exact shape of each dish, so nothing slides around.

When you're eating jokbal, wrapping and flipping things, plates usually get pushed all over the place. Not here. It sounds like a small thing, but it made the whole meal so much more comfortable. Really nice touch.

Then came the tasty napa cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, and bean sprout soup. The bean sprout soup is nice and refreshing, good for a spoonful or two between bites of jokbal.

Water came in a bottled form too, which felt clean and reassuring. All good!

Free makguksu for dine-in guests at Cheongdam Jokbal

And here's the makguksu I'd been looking forward to!!

I was already planning to buy it separately, and here it was, free.

The portion isn't huge. But it's just the right amount for two people to share alongside jokbal. Since jokbal is the main event, the makguksu works well as a side — not too much, not too little.

Warm freshly boiled jokbal, medium 45,000 won: how tender is the skin?

And then the jok.bal. arrived.

A proper full spread. We both said "wow" at the same time.

First, I tried it plain, just dipped in ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste).

Wow, this is really good.

The jokbal is seasoned so well you barely need to dip it in anything. And the skin is unbelievably tender — chewy yet soft, with no tough or stiff bits at all. This is what they meant by only serving jokbal boiled that same day.

If you're looking for jokbal near Sanghyeon Station, try it warm. It's a completely different dish from cold jokbal.

Several ways to eat the jokbal

Put jokbal in a lettuce wrap, add kimchi, then top with makguksu — one bite.

Wow, this passes the test. The crunchy kimchi and tangy makguksu cut right through the richness of the jokbal.

Just putting jokbal straight on top of the makguksu is delicious too. This might be the easiest and tastiest method of all.

There's also a spicy sauce — dip the jokbal in it and it becomes bulljok (fire jokbal). If you like spicy food, definitely try this too. Eat half plain and half spicy, and it feels like you're getting two different dishes.

Oh, they have mini jokbal too! And it's big — not mini at all. It's meat near the bone, so the chewiness is different again.

Gim-flake rice ball, 6,000 won, from the review event

And here's the gim-flake rice ball we got through the review event.

It's loaded with flying fish roe too, which makes it even better — I love that pop-pop texture.

You're supposed to shape it into a proper rice ball, but we were a bit lazy and just mixed everything together, haha. Still tasted amazing.

Jokbal really does need a rice ball! And makguksu! You can't skip a single one.

Final verdict on Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch

Thinking about it, if we'd ordered all of this separately it would've cost a lot.

Jokbal, makguksu, and a rice ball. But the makguksu was free, and the rice ball came through the review event. Basically, we got a full spread for the price of jokbal alone.

Wow... thank you, Cheongdam Jokbal!

After paying, just register your parking on the way out. The staff were kind the entire time, right to the end.

It was nice to see a new place open in an old neighborhood, and now I have somewhere to stop by every time I'm back in Sanghyeon-dong. If you're deciding between bossam or jokbal near Sanghyeon Station, or if you live in Sanghyeon-dong — highly recommend.

Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch / 10 Gwanggyojungang-ro 296beon-gil, 1st floor unit 107, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / 11:30–23:30 (last order 22:30)