Yeongdeungpo Korean restaurant for jokbal dinner: Gwihan Jokbal

Not long ago, I met up for dinner with a former colleague I had been close to during my banking days—it had been ages! While looking for a good restaurant near Yeongdeungpo Station, we visited Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo, known for jokbal (braised pig's trotters) near Yeongdeungpo Times Square.

Where Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo is near Times Square

Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo is about a 3-minute walk from Yeongdeungpo Station Exit 4 or 5 :) It is right across one street from Times Square department store. Head into the restaurant alley and you will find it.

Once you enter Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo, you will see a sign like the one below :) They sell jokbal and bossam (boiled pork wraps), and they also have lunch specials :) Bossam set meals start at ₩10,000, which seems like a pretty good price. I visited for dinner :)

Inside atmosphere at this Yeongdeungpo Station restaurant

When I walked into Gwihan Jokbal near Yeongdeungpo Station, it was packed, as you would expect from a popular spot. It had the bustling, cheerful atmosphere I love. We went on a Thursday evening, and luckily there was just one table left for two :) They brought us nice cold water as soon as we sat down.

The tables can be joined, so groups can sit together in arrangements for 8, 12, or 16 people. It is also a good place for a work dinner or gathering :)

Jokbal and bossam menu and prices

Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo has a wide variety of jokbal dishes. There are jokbal-bossam sets, value sets, half-and-half jokbal, Bo Bul Bo Ru, and more.

I ordered the jokbal-bossam set, and the small size was ₩48,000. I like spicy food too, so I also wanted to try the spicy bul jokbal, cold mustard jokbal, and Uiseong garlic jokbal.

There are lots of side dishes too, including makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles), whelks, steamed egg, dried filefish, and soft tofu stew. Lunch options include jokbal set meals, bossam set meals, and spicy jokbal rice bowls; makguksu is ₩8,000 and bossam set meals are ₩10,000, so they are great value too. :)

My jokbal-bossam set and side dishes

After the jokbal arrived, wrap vegetables and side dishes came out like this. There was ssamjang dipping paste, soy-marinated onion, spicy sauce, and more.

There were plenty of things to eat when the jokbal started to feel rich, including lettuce, perilla leaves, and kimchi. And the bean sprout soup was the real kick. Topped with finely chopped scallions, it was refreshing and delicious :)

The jokbal and bossam came out. The jokbal had such a lovely glossy sheen and looked wonderfully tender. The bossam looked amazing too.

With food this good, how could we not order soju? We got one bottle :)

The jokbal was so, so tender—really delicious :)

The bossam was just as delicious. I do not usually like bossam as much as jokbal, but I really liked it here!

It can start to feel a little rich after a while, but eating it with chives, kimchi, or shredded radish cuts that richness right away, so you can keep going without getting tired of it.

Wrapped in lettuce and perilla leaves, it was seriously insanely good!

All the vegetables, including the garlic, were fresh. Having a drink with such good food was seriously, seriously satisfying!

I was too full to try them this time, but next time I definitely want to have the makguksu or a spicy jokbal set! Thanks to choosing such a good jokbal spot on a Thursday evening, I had a lovely time at Gwihan Jokbal Yeongdeungpo with a former colleague I had not seen in ages.