Fried jokbal and beer with a friend near Jonggak, Seoul: Yeonnam

Jongno with a friend, after a long while. Jongno has been my go-to spot for meeting friends and wandering around since college. Not a fancy restaurant, but somewhere I could sit comfortably with a hearty side dish and a beer — that's how I found Yeonnam Jokbal 1987!

Location and hours of Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 near Jonggak Station

Walking down the alley, the big 'Yeonnam Jokbal' sign is easy to spot, and the yellow-tiled roof gives it a retro vibe that's great for photos too.

Jonggak, Jongno's jokbal restaurant Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 Jonggak Branch / 26 Samil-daero 15-gil, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea / Weekdays 11:00-22:00, weekends 14:00-22:00 (break 14:00-16:00, except weekends) / Use nearby public parking or Signature Tower parking

Fried jokbal platter, ₩49,000

If you love both jokbal and fried food... the fried jokbal platter, ₩49,000

When you hear jokbal (pig's trotters), you usually picture the glossy, tender braised version, but this time I wanted something a bit different, so I came to Yeonnam Jokbal 1987.

What's that black plate on the table?

What's that black plate on the table for? I found out later, haha... Put the fried jokbal platter on it and it spins around!

Taste matters, but I also secretly pay a lot of attention to how clean a restaurant looks when I walk in. Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 scored well on that front too!

Jokbal that's delicious even fried!

I laughed a little at first, but after actually eating the fried jokbal, the line felt pretty convincing. Right next to it I also noticed the food hygiene grade certification, 'Excellent.' Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 had three stars, the 'Excellent' rating, which was reassuring.

A platter that fills the whole table

The fried jokbal platter finally arrived! Generous enough that 'platter' feels like exactly the right word. Fried jokbal piled high in the center, surrounded by lettuce, peppers, kimchi, pickled radish, and various sauces and sides arranged in a circle — the table was completely full, and I felt properly treated from the moment it arrived.

The fried jokbal was generously drizzled with sauce, so it wasn't bland even on its own, and eating it alternately with the onions and side dishes made it even better.

Crispy outside, juicy inside — not dry even fried

Taking one bite made it even clearer: crispy outside, juicy inside. Picking up a piece of fried jokbal, you can really see the thick meat and glossy skin.

The outside was fried to a golden brown, crispy, while the inside was moist and tender enough that you could tell just from the photo. I thought fried food might end up dense or dry inside, but it wasn't like that at all.

Yeosu cockle bibim somyeon, ₩22,000

Yeosu cockle bibim somyeon, ₩22,000, that cut through the richness of the fried jokbal perfectly

The first thing that surprised me when it arrived was just how generous the portion was. A big plate piled with cockles and various vegetables, with somyeon (thin wheat noodles) and a heap of gim (dried seaweed) flakes on top — the look alone was appetizing.

After mixing it well, the cockles were plump and chewy, and the noodles slid down smoothly, making a great pairing. Add in the crunch of the vegetables and each bite had plenty of texture.

The combo: fried jokbal + cockle noodles + beer

What I loved most was how well it paired with the fried jokbal! Wrapping the fried jokbal in the cockle noodles and taking a bite, the crispy, savory flavor got cleaned up nicely by the spicy-tangy noodles...

And on top of that, a cold beer!!! This combination of the three was the best part of the day~

One crispy, salty bite of fried jokbal followed by a cold sip of beer refreshes your palate, and adding the spicy cockle bibim somyeon naturally makes your hand reach for the glass again, haha.

It's tasty on its own, but jokbal really shines when you pile everything onto a lettuce leaf and take a big wrap-bite! Wrapping it with the vegetables cuts the richness while keeping the savory flavor of the jokbal intact, so you keep making more wraps.

The restroom is indoors

There's one thing I secretly care about a lot when choosing a restaurant: the restroom! Especially on a night out drinking with a friend, it's pretty inconvenient if you have to step outside or leave the building. I liked that Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 has an indoor restroom, making it comfortable and reassuring.

Wrap-up

Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 Jonggak Branch, where a friend and I had a comfortable drink in Jongno. The crispy-outside, juicy-inside fried jokbal, different from ordinary jokbal, was the highlight here. Crispy outside, moist inside, chewy skin — the texture really delivered! The generous Yeosu cockle bibim somyeon's spiciness cut right through the richness of the fried jokbal, and a bite of fried jokbal followed by a cold sip of beer was a combination that made the beer go down effortlessly. With an 'Excellent' hygiene rating and an indoor restroom, it's clean and easy to use — I'd highly recommend it for friend gatherings, work dinners, or a casual drink after work around Jonggak and Jongno.