Charcoal-grilled jokbal with crispy skin in Gwangju: Kkankkanhan

Visited Kkankkanhan Jokbal (깐깐한족발, shortened to 깐족 or 'Kkanjok'), famous in Cheomdan for delicious jokbal (pork trotter)!! Generous portions, good prices, tasty food — personally my #1 pick for jokbal in Gwangju haha

Is parking convenient? Yes, there's a dedicated lot!

Kkankkanhan Jokbal Cheomdan has its own parking lot behind the building. Parking is notoriously hard in the Wolgye-dong dining alley, but this lot is spacious..!! Easy to get to.

"We wouldn't make jokbal we wouldn't feed our own kids"

The phrase written at the entrance of Kkanjok is memorable. It's a Wolgye-dong favorite that's serious about hygiene, safe enough for kids to eat. Knowing they're this careful about the grilling made me even more excited.

A hall and private rooms full even on weeknights

Kkankkanhan Jokbal in Wolgye-dong fills up even on weeknight evenings. Inside there are rooms named Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, and I saw a lot of groups using them. Makes sense — it's a go-to jokbal spot in Gwangju that's popular any time.

A restaurant where you can watch baseball!

There's a huge screen mounted on the wall, so you can eat while watching baseball or soccer — a real Wolgye-dong local favorite.

The menu — charcoal-grilled jokbal, spicy jokbal, bossam, sets

Jokbal is the main event at Kkankkanhan Jokbal. Since it's grilled over charcoal, the flavor is clearly different from other places!! There's spicy jokbal too, but I'm a wimp with spice so I ordered the charcoal-grilled version. They also have bossam (boiled pork wraps) and set menus, so it's a great spot for a group.

They have a wide range of beer, soju, and even non-alcoholic beer. There's also bokbunja (raspberry wine) and cheongha, plus Muan Mangun raw makgeolli and sweet potato makgeolli, which was kind of a surprise haha. Lemon highball, blue highball — lots of options, making this a great Cheomdan jokbal spot to drink at.

Write a receipt review and you can choose a free mini spicy bossam or flying fish roe rice ball.

What comes as the basic side dishes?

The basic side dishes arrived. Pickled radish and dried radish strips — a combo that goes really well with jokbal. There's also raw garlic, vinegar-chili sauce, ssamjang (dipping sauce), and salted shrimp.

Lettuce and perilla leaves also came out. There's also a salad of shredded cabbage with black sesame dressing, topped with corn kernels for a nice popping texture!

A cool cold bean sprout soup comes out too haha

Doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) with onion, potato, and zucchini also comes as a default side, served on a gas burner so you can keep it boiling hot. Nice to have a soup included.

Whoa.. steamed egg is included as a basic side too!! The steamed egg at Kkanjok Cheomdan is soft and jiggly — they really make it well haha. Absolutely delicious.

Charcoal-grilled jokbal, ₩42,000, striking from first glance

The charcoal-grilled jokbal arrived. The visual is seriously the best ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Even the color looks different from other jokbal. It's ₩42,000 but the portion is generous, and the charcoal aroma soaked into the meat makes it even more delicious!!

Lots of jokbal places skimp on portions, but Kkanjok Cheomdan is generous — loved that. There's a ton of lean meat too, a great value jokbal spot in Gwangju!! No gamey smell at all, and it's totally savory and tender ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Seriously high-quality charcoal-grilled jokbal!! The melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and the tender skin were both perfect. Usually jokbal skin is tough or too firm so I'd skip it, but at Kkankkanhan Jokbal Cheomdan, even the skin gets that charcoal flavor and comes out wonderfully chewy.

The pickled radish was sweet and tangy, which paired really well with the jokbal!!

Also dipped it in ssamjang and vinegar-chili sauce. (I wished they had more variety, like a Sichuan pepper powder or other sauces)

Wrapping it in lettuce doubles the fragrance!!

The jokbal bone is this big lol lol lol. The meat still clinging to the bone was super tasty too.

The side dish: flying fish roe rice ball, ₩4,000

Flying fish roe rice ball, ₩4,000. Protein needs carbs, right~! Inside the rice ball are flying fish roe, seaweed flakes, and diced pickled radish. They didn't hold back on the seaweed flakes, so the seasoning was spot-on and delicious.

The popping flying fish roe and crunchy pickled radish texture make this a great side dish — highly recommend!

After the meal: dessert corner and an arcade machine

There's a dessert corner right next to the restaurant. There's also an arcade machine, good for a round of games before you leave haha. Coffee and ice cream are ready too, perfect for cleansing your palate.

Kkankkanhan Jokbal really does jokbal well! Glossy and charcoal-grilled, packed with even more smoky flavor. If you're looking for the best jokbal in Gwangju, I strongly recommend this Cheomdan main branch.