Weekend wait at a Cheomdan jokbal restaurant in Gwangju: Kkankkanhan

Today I finally made it to the place that comes to mind first when you say jokbal in Cheomdan, Gwangju — Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch! Honestly, this is a regular spot my family has visited over and over, and we've ordered delivery from here constantly too. This time I stopped by for dinner as a proper Cheomdan meal out! I'll spill everything on the parking situation, group dinners in Cheomdan, the wait, and my set menu recommendation.

• Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch
• 🚩 46 Cheomdanjungang-ro 116beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea
• 🕑 Daily 16:00–23:30
• ✔️ Group dining available in Cheomdan, reservations possible, parking, takeout, delivery available

Where do you park at Kkankkanhan Jokbal in Cheomdan?

The parking lot for Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch is right next to the store, and you don't even need to register your car separately. Cheomdan is great in every way except that parking is always a struggle, right? So honestly I often just leave my car at home and walk 10 minutes, but Kkankkanhan solves the parking problem right away, so it's a great spot to come to with family or a group if you're driving!

The waiting area at Kkankkanhan, with arcade games and free ice cream

Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch has a spacious dining room, but as a popular jokbal spot in Cheomdan, there can be an on-site wait during weekend peak hours — and they've set up a proper waiting area for it! From nostalgic arcade games to ice cups, coffee, and ice cream, it's all there, and it doubles nicely as a dessert stop after your meal.

I visited on a weekend evening and it was nearly full. The interior is spacious with comfortable spacing between tables, so it's fine for friends, family dinners, or company get-togethers, and that day most of the group rooms were occupied too! One more good thing — this place is great if you love watching baseball. Everyone was watching the game... on a screen that was practically the size of a small bar's.

On top of that, they even had proof of donations and volunteer hours displayed. Really admirable, right.

What we ordered from the Kkankkanhan Jokbal menu

Kkankkanhan Jokbal in Cheomdan has a pretty wide range of jokbal, bossam, and side dishes. There's garlic jokbal, charcoal-grilled jokbal, spicy jokbal, cold jokbal salad, and more, so pick whatever suits your taste ~.~

My personal one-pick is the signature charcoal-grilled spicy jokbal, and since my boyfriend loves bossam, we ordered the half-and-half set so we could enjoy both bossam and jokbal! And of course carbs can't be missed, so we got a rice ball too.

They're also running a receipt review event and a Chuseok event! For the receipt review, you get to choose either mini spicy bossam or the flying fish roe rice ball, and for the Chuseok discount, buying a prepaid card gets you 10% off. Good to know if you're a regular... I only found out about it myself after years of coming here haha.

Side dishes and the flying fish roe rice ball

The side dishes at Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch pair well with jokbal and bossam — salad, bean sprout soup, shredded radish, and so on — and if you're eating in the restaurant, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) comes along too. The AC was blasting that day so I felt a bit chilly, but the hot soup warmed me right up.

And if you're having the spicy jokbal, you absolutely have to get the rice ball. It's not a regular single portion — more like 1.5 servings' worth — packed generously with flying fish roe and seaweed flakes! I recommend forming it into a ball and piling spicy jokbal on top.

A 20-minute wait and a free bowl of makguksu

Since it was the weekend and there were so many people, we waited about 20 minutes after ordering, and suddenly the owner slipped us a bowl of makguksu, apologizing for the delay... It didn't even feel like we'd waited that long. And sure enough, makguksu really does go perfectly with bossam!

How did the half-and-half spicy jokbal and bossam taste?

Here's how the half-and-half jokbal arrived. It comes out hot at first, but if it cools down, you can just ask the staff and they'll light the burner underneath to keep it warm! That glossy sheen, unreal... It wasn't dry at all, tender and soft, and I especially loved the springy texture of the spicy jokbal!

There's a good mix of lean meat and soft fatty bits, and while I'd worried the spicy jokbal used to be too fiery, they now offer spicy or extra spicy options, so it's much easier to order according to your own spice tolerance!

And of course, we wrapped it all up in lettuce wraps too. The two of us ate together but there was so much left over that we packed it up and shared it with family. About a third was still left...

Haha, and out front they had this 'pill for finding a partner.' Take it and may everyone find a partner. If you already have one, no need for more — just be happier...

If you're looking for a local favorite in Cheomdan with parking, I recommend Kkankkanhan Jokbal. Having lived in Cheomdan for over 20 years, I've genuinely been here so many times. If you're hunting for the best jokbal in Cheomdan, this is the real deal.