Pohang Buk-gu jokbal takeout, sweet potato while you wait: Hwanggeum

A local favorite in Pohang: 'Hwanggeum Jokbal'

Where is Hwanggeum Jokbal Jangseong Branch and when is it open?

📍 27 Beopwon-ro 25beon-gil, 1-dong 1F 1ho, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea 🕐 Daily 15:30 – 3:00 the next day 📦 Takeout, delivery, and dine-in are all available 🍲 Complimentary bone soup (haejangguk), served the same whether you dine in or take out

Storefront

Before heading back from my Pohang trip, I wanted to pack something hearty for the road, and that's how I ended up at Hwanggeum Jokbal Jangseong Branch, a jokbal (boiled pork trotters) spot known among locals in Pohang.

Even though I was only there to pick up takeout, my excitement was already building. 🐷

The exterior had that warm, familiar feel of a true neighborhood jokbal place.

Not flashy, but it had the look of a place that's been around a long time — which somehow made me trust it even more.

Rice puffs and steamed sweet potato, even for takeout customers

Hwanggeum Jokbal Jangseong Branch is the kind of place that gives takeout customers rice puffs and steamed sweet potato while they wait. The interior, unlike the exterior, felt cozy, and the owner and staff's hospitality was hands down some of the friendliest I've ever experienced.

Inside the restaurant

Stepping inside, the interior had a cozy atmosphere quite different from the outside. The owner and staff greeted us warmly the moment we walked in. Honestly, of all the places I've visited, this was hands-down the friendliest. ^^

When a place gets busy with orders, takeout customers often get overlooked. But here, the staff brought out rice puffs and steamed sweet potato while we waited, so even as a takeout customer I felt genuinely taken care of. Chatting with my family over the snacks, the wait didn't feel boring at all, haha. Thank you again!^^

Menu and the front-leg recommendation

Menu

There was a wide range of options to suit different tastes — king jokbal, bossam (boiled pork wraps), cold jokbal, garlic sauce jokbal, charcoal-grilled jokbal — and a new menu item, odol jokbal, had just been released. Since I love a chewy texture, I was a little torn, haha.

I ordered the front leg on the owner's recommendation, and the cut he picked was more tender and chewy than lean meat cuts — when I opened it up at home, the ratio of meat to skin was perfectly balanced down to the very last piece.

Takeout order details

• Front-leg jokbal x1 – ₩42,000
• Takeout discount – ₩2,000

What was in the takeout package

The takeout package from Hwanggeum Jokbal Jangseong Branch was neatly packed with just the essentials — jokbal, bone soup (ppyeotang), bossam radish, and wrapping greens. The side dishes were lettuce wraps, salted shrimp, pickled onion, garlic, bossam radish, and cheongyang chili peppers.

Basic spread

When we got home and opened everything up, it was neatly packed with just what was needed — jokbal, bone soup, bossam radish, and wrapping greens.

The bossam radish was seriously addictive — both adults and kids kept reaching for more. I really regretted not packing extra.

The side dishes — wrapping greens, salted shrimp, pickled onion, garlic, bossam radish, and cheongyang chili — were a solid, standard lineup.

I didn't expect bossam radish, pickled onion, and salted shrimp alone to be this delicious and varied.

How the front-leg jokbal tasted

Main dish

Since the front leg has almost no lean meat, it was soft and delicious even eaten plain — chewy and moist, and I finally understood why the owner recommended it.

Whether wrapped in greens, paired with bossam radish, or pickled onion, everything went well together.

Among them, the bossam radish was truly addictive, haha.

It had that mild, clean flavor typical of good jokbal — nothing overpowering, just the meat's natural taste.

The skin-to-meat ratio was so good that the bowl emptied in no time, and my kid snagged all the toe pieces with the chewiest texture before I could get to them. ㅜㅜ

Free bone soup with three bones in it

We were already full just from the jokbal, but I tried the complimentary bone soup anyway. It came with dried radish greens and a whopping three bones — generous for a free item, with a deep, spicy kick.

This was my first time getting a free bone soup alongside jokbal, and my kid finished off an entire bowl of rice with the soup and jokbal without a second thought. To get this level of flavor as a freebie was genuinely appreciated.

Final verdict

• A front-leg jokbal takeout spot to know in Jangseong-dong, Pohang
• Perfectly balanced skin-to-meat ratio on the king front-leg jokbal
• A generous free bone soup with three bones in it
• A great neighborhood restaurant for takeout
• Friendly owner

This was the jokbal I packed to close out my trip, and thanks to its mild, clean flavor and the generous complimentary sides, I left very satisfied. Next time I'm in Pohang, I'd love to come back for freshly made jokbal with a cold draft beer on the side — highly recommended! 🐷