Nowon Culture Street jokbal restaurant for a couple's dinner: Gwihan

I'm a romantic apartment-hunter who scouts neighborhoods whenever there's a good restaurant nearby haha. This week my husband didn't need to ride along with our daughter's taekwondo class at night, so we got to enjoy an evening date together. Let me tell you about Gwihan Jokbal, a jokbal (pig's trotters) restaurant in Nowon — the half-and-half platter was already generous, and the free makguksu (cold noodles) made it even more of a feast : >

Where is Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch, and what are its hours?

Gwihan Jokbal, a jokbal restaurant in Nowon, is located 142 meters from exit 1 of Nowon Station (Line 4) — about a 2-minute walk — on the 1st floor next to Jeulgeoun Karaoke. It's open daily from 11:00 to 2:00 the next day. Being right on Nowon Culture Street, it's very easy to get to.

Is Gwihan Jokbal a good spot for a group dinner in Nowon?

Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch is a popular spot for after-work dinners in Nowon, with regulars often coming with friends or family too.

The dining hall was spacious, but there were a lot of guests on both sides, so I only took a photo of our own table. The spacing between tables was comfortable enough for conversation.

What a couple ordered at Gwihan Jokbal, and what it cost

• Half-and-half jokbal: ₩45,000
• Soju: ₩5,000

At Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch, the basic side dishes come out quickly right after you order.

They gave us a hot pollack and bean sprout soup, loaded with pollack, and the rich, milky broth had such good depth of flavor that I ended up eating a lot of it before the jokbal even arrived. It was great for calming a hungry stomach before the meal and also perfect alongside drinks.

The radish salad, chive salad, kimchi, along with the lettuce wraps and crunchy green chili peppers were all delicious.

They even brought out a whole pot of chilled hedge tea, and as someone who drinks like a fish haha, this hedge tea was so tasty. You know how good hedge tea is when you're drinking, right? Thanks to it, my stomach felt comfortable too.

The 45,000-won half-and-half jokbal platter: spicy flame-grilled and classic

Finally, the gorgeous-looking half-and-half jokbal arrived. Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch says they carefully select only domestic raw trotters and boil them fresh the same day — and the portion was generous.

Fresh fruit makguksu comes free with the jokbal

I was so happy to hear that the sweet and tangy makguksu (cold noodles) comes free at Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch.

We only ordered the half-and-half jokbal but ended up with this generous a spread~!!! So touched. The glossy, mouthwatering spicy grilled fire jokbal and the regular jokbal make a fantastic pair.

And a glass of soju is happiness.

The moist, tender jokbal was chewy with no gamey smell, and had a clean, mild flavor I really liked.

The spicy grilled fire jokbal, with its outstanding spicy charred flavor, was the perfect drinking companion.

Layering perilla leaves and lettuce, then piling on jokbal, garlic, radish salad, and chive salad for one bite — all the day's stress just melts away.

I overate at this jokbal restaurant in Nowon that just makes the drinks go down so smoothly.

Made by blending fresh fruit right into the broth, the fresh fruit makguksu had an outstanding sweet-and-tangy savory flavor.

Eating the pollack and bean sprout soup alongside the spicy fire jokbal was a fantastic combination, and the crunchy radish salad with salted shrimp paired with the jokbal was also a great match. And the pairing of fresh fruit makguksu with jokbal — need I say more~~~~

We only ordered the half-and-half jokbal at Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch, but they even gave us the fresh fruit makguksu for free, and we ended up polishing off two bottles of soju.

Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch: generous right down to the side dishes

I'd recommend this Sangye-dong area jokbal restaurant for work dinners, get-togethers with friends, or a family meal out!!!