Myeongdong jokbal restaurant for three with spicy cold noodles: Miss Jokbal

An Emperor Jokbal spread chosen by three friends

The three of us friends were craving a bit of protein. The day before we met up, I was searching for good Korean restaurants in Myeongdong and came across Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch. The phrase “30 years of tradition” got me, so I made a reservation right away hahaha. Plus, since it is not easy for people living alone to order a jokbal set, everyone was pretty pleased with our menu choice.

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch location and hours

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch 📍 Address: 21 Myeongdong 3-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울 중구 명동3길 21) ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–03:00 the next day (Last order: 02:00)

It is just a one-minute walk from Euljiro 1-ga Station Exit 6, which is totally great! It could have been confusing with all the people around, but the sign stood out right away, so there was no chance of getting lost.

Once we went inside, there were more seats than I expected and it was spacious. There were tables for group dinners too, and perhaps because it is known as a good Korean restaurant in Myeongdong, there were so many international guests as well.

We grabbed a seat along the wall, haha.

A jokbal guide that starts with kimchi kalguksu

The moment we sat down, this guide caught my eye. There was a jokbal guide! It says kimchi kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) first → the main flavor → sauces → salad → finish, and apparently that is the tastiest order to eat everything in. I was intrigued that they had mala sauce too!!

The table next to us had even ordered jeon, Korean savory pancakes, in abundance. We were going to order some after seeing theirs, but we got too full and could not manage it ㅠㅠ What a shame... It looked so good.

We ordered Emperor Jokbal for ₩58,000 and platter noodles for ₩15,000!! When you order jokbal or bossam (boiled pork wraps), they bring out kimchi kalguksu like this (heart racing💗).

First, the kalguksu noodles and kimchi kalguksu broth came out in a pot. The three sauces served alongside were for dipping the jokbal. You cook it yourself like this, haha. It was an absolutely excellent appetizer. That spicy aroma suddenly made us so hungry!!

Warm and tender Emperor Jokbal

Eek, the Emperor Jokbal arrived before the kalguksu water even started boiling. I loved how quickly the food came out!! With all the side dishes arranged around the table, I thought, wow, this whole spread for this price? It was much more generous in person than in the photos, haha.

I think you can just dip it in each of the sauces that came out earlier. They give you three: salted shrimp, mala sauce, and ssamjang (savory soybean dipping paste). Can you see the grain of the jokbal?! It was seriously so tender. Even picking it up with chopsticks, you could feel how soft and meltingly tender it was ㅠㅠ

The jokbal was so warm and soft, and the ssam vegetables looked fresh too!! The ratio of lean meat to collagen was absolutely good, hahaha. I love meat that is this soft and tender, so I prefer jokbal to bossam. Which one do you all like better?

The jokbal and platter-noodle pairing

Actually, we were going to try it without the platter noodles, but the moment we had a bite of jokbal, we ordered them right away hahaha. We have to have this!! Luckily they came out before it was too late, so we ate them together right away 🥹🧡

The springy makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles) in sweet-and-tangy seasoning went so well with the jokbal, haha. The seasoning tasted like makguksu with a chojang, sweet-and-tangy chili sauce, base!! We ate it all up like this, then finished with the kimchi kalguksu broth again, haha. Kimchi kalguksu at both the beginning and the end... unexpectedly, it was jokbal’s best companion. Thanks to it, nothing felt greasy and we cleared every last bit!!

Next time we come to Miss Jokbal, we are definitely ordering garlic jokbal 🤩👍🏻 The tables next to us, behind us, and in front of the counter all ordered garlic jokbal, and it had us salivating all over again, haha.