Yeongdeungpo jokbal restaurant with group seats for 50: Gwihan Jokbal

Today I planned a gathering with friends I used to work with a long time ago, to share our wedding invitations. Since there were quite a lot of us and everyone's scattered across different regions, we debated where to meet and settled on Yeongdeungpo for its convenient transport. While figuring out where to go, I discovered Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo, a well-known spot near Yeongdeungpo Station. It's also a popular choice for wedding-invitation gatherings, so I visited without worry.

Hours and location of Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo

• ⏰ Hours: Mon–Thu 15:00–00:30 / Fri–Sun 13:00–00:30
• 📍 Address: 19 Yeongdeungpo-ro 42-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

How to walk from Yeongdeungpo Station, and where to park

Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo, a jokbal spot near Times Square, is about a 3-minute walk from Exit 5 of Line 1 Yeongdeungpo Station, so subway access is excellent. Plus, it's inside the dining alley, which makes it easy to find a place for a second round, and Times Square is right across the street, so it's great for eating and then shopping. There's no dedicated parking, but paid parking is available at Ashley Parking (Yeongdeungpo Parking) right in front of the restaurant — ₩1,500 for the first 30 minutes, then ₩1,000 per additional 20 minutes.

Inside and out: group seating for up to 50

We had a lunch reservation, so we arrived in the Yeongdeungpo dining alley around 12:30. Since there are a lot of bars in the area, not many places were open yet. I could smell jokbal wafting out from in front of the restaurant, haha.

Maybe because more foreign visitors have been coming lately, there was a sign out front saying an English menu is available.

Since we'd booked ahead, the table was already simply set up when we arrived, haha. Inside, there were plenty of joined tables perfect for group gatherings — reservations for up to 50 people are possible, so it's worth noting for anyone looking for a company dinner spot.

The restaurant has quite a lot of seating, so even with a wait, turnover looked pretty good, haha.

What we ordered and what it cost

• ✅ Jokbal (large) ₩47,000 x2
• ✅ Bossam (large) ₩46,000
• ✅ Makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) ₩8,000 x2

Since this is known as a jokbal spot near Yeongdeungpo Station, we picked two large jokbal first, and since there were plenty of good reviews for the bossam too, we added a large bossam, haha. For a side dish, we chose makguksu.

The basic side dishes were all things that pair well with jokbal — wrap vegetables, various sauces, dried radish strips, chive salad, and fresh kimchi — so we could enjoy the jokbal in lots of different combinations. There was also bean sprout soup, which was refreshing and cut through any greasiness nicely.

Makguksu (chilled buckwheat noodles), 8,000 won

The first thing we tried was the makguksu, haha. It came out with the jokbal, but since it was hot out today, we started with the cold dish. It was sweet, tangy, and refreshing, the kind of flavor most people would like, and the noodles had a nice springy texture — great!

Large jokbal: enough for four people

Next up was the large jokbal, haha. Being a large portion, it looked like more than enough for four people.

The sign said they boil only carefully selected premium domestic fresh pig's trotters every morning, and maybe that's why — the meat was moist with no gamey smell, and the collagen-rich parts held just the right amount of fat, giving it a savory, delicious flavor. Definitely a jokbal spot near Times Square worth recognizing.

Large bossam, 46,000 won

Next we tried the large bossam, haha. The jokbal was so satisfying that I had high hopes for the bossam too!

The bossam portion was quite generous too, and just from the photos, the fat-to-lean ratio looked good, promising a moist, tender bite.

It had a savory flavor while the lean portions stayed fairly clean-tasting, so it worked well wrapped with vegetables, but personally I found the meat's natural flavor came through even better paired with the dried radish strips and fresh kimchi. Whether it's jokbal or bossam, the meat quality is good, and it's clear why this place is known as a top spot near Yeongdeungpo Station.

Verdict: does it work for a wedding-invitation gathering?

Since everyone lives pretty far apart, we debated a lot about where to meet, and deciding on the area near Yeongdeungpo Station for its convenient transport turned out to be a good call. Being so close to the station meant we could get indoors quickly, which was nice since the heat hasn't fully let up yet, and the meat quality was great — especially with no gamey smell, so even I, who's sensitive to that kind of odor, could eat comfortably and leave satisfied. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Yeongdeungpo Station or a jokbal spot near Times Square, Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo is worth a visit.

And to the friends who brought such a pretty cake, thank you ㅠㅠ It matched the restaurant's lighting so well that we even got some great photos out of it, haha.