After-work jokbal dinner in Suwan, Gwangju: Kkankkan Jjokbal

Hey everyone, it's Meokjjangjang~ I have a friend who, whenever I ask what to eat with drinks, only ever rotates between three menus: jjokbal, gamjatang (pork bone soup), and chicken.. So today, jjokbal's cooldown is finally over

The place I'm introducing today is 👉 Kkankkan Jjokbal Suwan Branch

Where is Kkankkan Jjokbal Suwan Branch, and what are its hours?

• Location: 44 Suwan-ro, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea
• Hours: 12:00–23:30
• Parking: Alley parking, parking in front of the store

The Suwan dining alley: what Kkankkan Jjokbal looks like inside

Kkankkan Jjokbal is located in the dining alley across from the Umyrin 1st Apartments in Suwan. It's right on a big main road so it's super visible even from a distance, which makes it really easy to find. I went right after work during dinner-drink hours, and even from outside I could see it was completely packed, so I basically sprinted over. Hate waiting.. I'm hungry..

These days it's such a letdown if a place doesn't have a screen, right~~ Inside there were about 10 four-person tables, and the spacing between tables was generous enough that even a group didn't feel cramped. It also looked like a solid spot for a work dinner or group gathering.

Free with every order: Kkanjok salad, sundubu jjigae, steamed egg and flying fish roe rice balls

While waiting for our order, they brought out the side dishes to go with the jjokbal. I have no idea why the Kkanjok salad is so good. I always clear it before the jjokbal even arrives..

They gave us sundubu jjigae and steamed egg as standard extras, so we already had a table full of drinking snacks before the jjokbal even showed up. At this point everyone should be cracking open a bottle of soju before the jjokbal arrives. And you all know you can't resist the jjokbal-and-rice-ball combo, right? The flying fish roe rice balls that pop in your mouth were seriously.. honey-sweet delicious

I figured the sundubu jjigae that comes as a freebie would just be a token side dish, but once I actually tried it, I was surprised it was way more substantial than expected. Usually free stews that come with a meal are mostly broth, but this one was loaded with plenty of soft tofu and all kinds of fillings too.

Half-and-half jokbal: smoky spicy jokbal next to chewy plain jokbal

As expected, half-and-half is number one at Kkanjok. The spicy jjokbal had a proper smoky char baked right in, so the fire flavor hit from the very first bite, while the plain jjokbal kept that signature chewy texture — tender, clean, with no gamey smell at all — so alternating between the two made for a perfect combination.

I'm sure nobody here doesn't know the lettuce, pickled radish, jjokbal, and ssamjang (dipping sauce) combo, right? This is truly an unskippable, universal combo when eating jjokbal. Tangy pickled radish, chewy jjokbal, salty ssamjang, and then top it off with a piece of garlic... need I say more...!

Dessert at Kkankkan Jjokbal: ice cream and coffee

Kkanjok has dessert fully sorted too. After enjoying a good jjokbal meal, you start craving dessert, and it was so nice that both ice cream and coffee were ready to go. Being able to pick whichever dessert suited my mood meant I could enjoy the whole experience thoroughly right to the very end.

Is Kkankkan Jjokbal Suwan Branch worth a return visit?

• Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
• Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
• Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
• Would revisit: Yes

How about some jjokbal at Kkanjok for dinner tonight, everyone~~