Jongno Korean restaurant for fried jokbal: Yeonnam Jokbal 1987

A spacious jokbal restaurant on Jonggak Youth Street

Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 Jonggak Branch, a great Jonggak jokbal spot for group dinners

Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 is right in the bar-filled Jonggak Youth Street, so it is easy to get to and works well for a Jonggak drinking-party dinner, too. You can also reserve through Naver.

Once inside, I was struck by how much bigger the space was than expected. There are plenty of tables for larger groups, making it suited to a Jonggak gathering or company dinner, and the tables are generously spaced, so it did not feel cramped even when it was lively.

And the interesting part: the jokbal tables have rotating centers like those at Chinese restaurants, which made sharing several dishes really easy. It also felt like good value for the quality.

Korean fresh jokbal and the side-dish spread

Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 uses only Korean fresh jokbal (braised pig’s trotters). Its main dish is made with trotters that are not frozen immediately after slaughter, then simmered for 120 minutes with 12 medicinal herbs and ingredients including licorice root, angelica root, cloves, and star anise. They say they sell only jokbal cooked that day, twice daily, so I liked that you can have fresh jokbal whenever you visit.

The more than 10 side dishes were neat and well presented, and having the platter rotate made the jokbal easy to eat, too! Since you can have both jokbal and bossam (boiled pork wraps), I recommend it as a group-dinner spot.

The signature fried jokbal: crispy and chewy

That day, I ordered Yeonnam Jokbal 1987’s signature fried jokbal. I heard it is a popular dish because the chewy jokbal texture is still there beneath the crisp coating.

I wondered, “Would deep-fried jokbal be too greasy?” But the coating was thin, like old-school Korean fried chicken, and topped with seasoning, so it was not greasy. I had a Halla Tonic (₩13,000) that day. There is a wide selection of alcohol, too, so it is a good place to visit as a group!

The jokbal set was really substantial, with skin, lean meat, and mini trotters, so there were different textures and little surprises even on one platter. You can also choose half-and-half options such as jokbal plus spicy jokbal, or jokbal plus bossam, and add fried jokbal, which was nice for choosing to your taste.

The accompanying salted shrimp, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), garlic, and bossam sauce let me make a different wrap every time, so I did not get tired of it until the end. Refills are easy to request through the kiosk, and the garlic bossam sauce was sweet and tasty, too.

The jokbal stayed tender and delicious even as time passed, with no off smell at all and a clean flavor. With around 10 side dishes and ssam vegetables, the table felt completely full, and the rotating center made reaching for food much easier.

Cold makguksu that paired well with jokbal

I also ordered the cold spicy makguksu (buckwheat noodles, ₩9,000) that day. It came with jellyfish and mustard sauce, which gave it a nice texture.

It was sweet and tangy without being too much, so it was perfect with the jokbal! There were plenty of tangy side dishes overall, so the meal did not feel greasy, and any leftover jokbal can be packed to go.

Generous Yeosu cockles with somyeon

I also ordered Yeonnam Jokbal’s Yeosu cockles with somyeon (thin wheat noodles), and the portion was much more substantial than I expected?

It was packed with cockles and had a delicious savory saltiness. The quality was better than the makguksu, so I recommend it if you want a more filling meal.

Separate restrooms inside the restaurant

The restrooms are inside the restaurant, so they were easy to access. They are separated by gender and kept clean, making them comfortable to use.

The separate men’s and women’s restrooms were clean, too, so I would recommend it as a date-night drinking spot! My overall rating is 4/5. It had spacious seating, a date-friendly atmosphere, and the dependable flavor of fresh Korean jokbal. You can pack up any leftover jokbal, which is handy to take home after a group dinner, and I found myself wanting to try the regular jokbal next time as well. If you are looking for tasty jokbal in Jonggak, I recommend it for a gathering or year-end plans. Cheers today, too~