Soft plain jokbal for spice-shy eaters at Nowon Station: Gwihan Jokbal

I was meeting a friend for dinner in Nowon and couldn't decide what to eat, so I ended up going for jokbal (braised pig's trotters) for the first time in a while. The place I went to was Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch (귀한족발 노원점). It's quite close to Nowon Station so getting there was easy, and I went around 8pm on Saturday, October 3, 2026. To my surprise, we got in right away with no wait.

Instead of picking just one flavor, I ordered the charcoal-grilled half-and-half jokbal, which gives you plain jokbal and fire jokbal in one go. Conclusion first: I'm a spice wimp, so the plain jokbal was much more my thing. And the free makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) that comes with the meal was better than I expected and went well with the jokbal.

Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch location and opening hours

Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch is about 68m from Exit 1 of Nowon Station. You don't have to walk long after getting off the subway, so it's a handy spot for dinner or drinks with a friend in Nowon.

Opening hours are daily 11:00 - 2:00. Since it stays open late, it works for dinner, and also as an option when you want jokbal with a drink in Nowon.

Is there a wait at Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch at 8pm on a Saturday?

I got there around 8pm on Saturday and was seated right away. It was a weekend evening so I figured we might have to wait a bit, but we went straight in. Of course, that's just how it was when I visited, so I can't say there's never a line. Still, getting in at Saturday peak time is worth knowing.

The inside was also bigger than I expected. The tables didn't feel crammed together, and the whole place had that comfortable jokbal-restaurant vibe. It looked fine for a casual drink with a friend and easy enough for a bigger group too.

Gwihan Jokbal menu and prices: ordering the charcoal-grilled half-and-half

What I ordered was the charcoal-grilled half-and-half jokbal for ₩45,000. The menu has quite a range, from plain Gwihan jokbal to bossam (boiled pork wraps), charcoal-grilled fire jokbal and mala fire jokbal. Prices of the main items at the time of my visit were:

• Gwihan Jokbal: medium ₩41,000 / large ₩45,000 / extra large ₩51,000
• Gwihan Bossam: medium ₩40,000 / large ₩44,000 / extra large ₩48,000
• Charcoal-grilled half-and-half jokbal: ₩45,000
• Mala fire jokbal, mala charcoal jokbal, mala half-and-half: ₩48,000
• Gwijokbaeng: ₩45,000
• Cold-plate jokbal (naengchae jokbal): ₩45,000
• Extra makguksu: ₩8,000

The half-and-half comes with both plain jokbal and spicy charcoal-grilled jokbal, so it's a good pick when two or more people have different tastes.

Prefer soft jokbal to chewy jokbal?

What I liked most at Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch was the plain jokbal. Some jokbal has very chewy, springy skin, but this one leans soft overall rather than pushing chewiness. The lean meat in particular wasn't dry and went down easily, which suited me.

Eating the skin and meat together didn't feel tough, so if you like soft jokbal this should suit you. I'm not a fan of jokbal that's too tough or takes forever to chew, so I reached for the plain one far more often that day. It's great wrapped in lettuce with garlic or a chili pepper, and eating it with chives helped cut the richness too.

How spicy is Gwihan Jokbal's charcoal-grilled fire jokbal for spice-shy eaters?

The other half of the platter, the charcoal-grilled fire jokbal, was quite spicy by spice-wimp standards. Even in the photo the seasoning is much darker than the plain jokbal, and it lived up to its looks. If you can't handle spicy food like me, I wouldn't grab a lot right away. One or two pieces might be fine, but once you keep eating, the heat really builds up. So I ended up eating mostly the plain jokbal.

On the other hand, if you normally love fire jokbal or spicy chicken feet, half-and-half will be a lot more fun than ordering only the plain one. Especially if two of you go and one loves spicy food while the other can't take it, the half-and-half is the safest choice, I think.

There was a TV too, so we got to watch the Korea-Japan match...!

The free makguksu that turned out better than expected

The makguksu that came as a default side with the jokbal was pretty impressive. When you hear noodles come free, you usually assume a small portion that you just nibble a chopstickful of between bites of jokbal, right? But the makguksu I had that day was better than you'd expect from something served by default.

It had plenty of cabbage and seaweed flakes, and you mix the sauce and noodles together to eat. If you keep eating only jokbal, the oily richness of the meat slowly piles up, but a bite of makguksu in between wakes the appetite back up. It went especially well with the plain jokbal. The menu also sells extra makguksu for ₩8,000, so if the included portion isn't enough, you can order more.

Side dishes and bean sprout soup

Along with the jokbal came lettuce, perilla leaves, garlic, chili peppers and several side dishes. What I liked was that there were quite a few things to eat alongside when you order the spicy jokbal. The bean sprout soup in particular was almost a must for a spice wimp like me. When the fire jokbal felt too hot, sipping the broth helped calm things down.

Sides like kimchi and chives were also fine to nibble between pieces of jokbal. From the moment the table was set, it felt like everything you need to eat jokbal was there.

Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch: pros and cons

Going by what I actually ate, Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch is a Nowon jokbal spot worth visiting if you like soft jokbal. I found three strengths.

First is the texture of the plain jokbal. Rather than chewy and tough, both the lean meat and the skin were relatively soft to eat. Second is that there's a half-and-half option. You get plain and spicy at once, so it's easy to please everyone when you go in a group.

Third was the included makguksu. Considering it comes free, it was made more properly than I expected, and I was really happy with it.

As for the downside, the charcoal-grilled fire jokbal is pretty spicy for a spice wimp. I ended up eating mostly plain jokbal, so next time I'll most likely order the plain Gwihan Jokbal. That said, it's less a flaw of the dish itself and more a matter of spice tolerance.

Who is Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch best for?

I'd recommend it to people who like soft jokbal, people looking for jokbal and a drink near Nowon Station, and people who want plain and fire jokbal in one order. If you can't handle spicy food like me, go for the plain jokbal.

This was my first time at Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch, and I definitely preferred the plain jokbal over the fire jokbal. Soft jokbal plus makguksu made for a satisfying meal, and it's close to Nowon Station, so next time I eat jokbal with friends I'll probably go back and focus on the plain cut. If you've been to Gwihan Jokbal, which did you prefer, plain jokbal or fire jokbal?