Gwangju jokbal restaurant: ₩48,000 large half-and-half Kkankkanhan

Hi, it's Siwoo :) I was trying to figure out what to eat Friday evening and jokbal (Korean braised pig's trotters) was calling my name, so I went to Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch, a jokbal spot in Yongbong-dong, Gwangju!! Figured a Friday-night jokbal favorite would be packed, so we went straight for the opening run.

Where is Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch, and where do you park?

Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch / 82 Yongbongtaeksi-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju / Daily 16:00–23:30 / Good for groups, no parking, takeout discount

Finding parking in Yongbong-dong is usually a bit of a headache, but there turned out to be quite a few lots nearby. Several within a 5-minute walk, though we ended up just parking on the roadside haha!

Also, Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch runs takeout, delivery, and dine-in all late into the night! Open past 11:30pm, so it's perfect for when a jokbal craving hits late haha.

Friday evening at opening: what the dining room is like

Going right at opening time meant we could sit down without any rush. Looking inside, there were quite a lot of tables, so it seemed like a solid spot for group get-togethers or company dinners too!

Every main dish at Kkankkanhan can be ordered half-and-half

Looking at the menu, what I liked best was that every main dish can be ordered half-and-half!! Such a great system for people who can't decide on just one jokbal haha.

We went with the old-style royal jokbal and charcoal-grilled spicy jokbal half-and-half! We wanted to try both, and being able to split them meant no need to agonize over the decision haha.

Free sides: curly fish cake soup and steamed egg in a stone pot

After ordering and waiting a little, the free side dishes started arriving one by one. The curly fish cake soup that comes standard already had me thinking one bottle of soju was in order haha.

One spoonful of that hot fish cake broth and you don't even need a separate drinking snack~ Places where you can eat a full meal and drink at the same time are the best~

The steamed egg in a stone pot also comes free, and it looked exactly like pudding haha. So soft and cloudy that it paired perfectly with the spicy jokbal~

Old-style royal jokbal and charcoal spicy jokbal, large half-and-half for 48,000 won

How the old-style royal jokbal tastes

We started with the old-style royal jokbal. These days it's actually hard to find places serving old-style jokbal, but here I got that true nostalgic jokbal flavor, ㅠㅠ.

Bouncy texture, sliced thin — exactly the jokbal I used to eat as a kid!! Eating jokbal and getting hit with childhood nostalgia, is that even allowed haha. The skin was bouncy and chewy, and the meat was clean-tasting — so good so good!

The charcoal-grilled spicy jokbal and its smoky flavor

Do I even need to say anything about the charcoal-grilled spicy jokbal... it's a must whenever you eat jokbal... haha. Spicy, but not just spicy for spice's sake — a deep, savory sauce flavor!! And since it's grilled over charcoal, there's a subtle smoky char added on top — so good so good!!!

The review-event rice ball at Kkankkanhan

And as a review event, we also got a rice ball!! It had flying fish roe, seaweed flakes, pickled radish, and sesame oil in it, and it was genuinely delicious too haha.

Nutty, salty, with the fish roe popping as you chew — it was good enough to eat on its own. But eating it together with the charcoal-grilled spicy jokbal is pure bliss...

Is the large size enough for two people?

We ordered the large size for two, and at first the portion looked pretty huge. But as we kept eating, the plate was suddenly nearly empty haha. We ended up finishing the whole large size between the two of us... Thought I'd burst, but it was so good I couldn't put my chopsticks down haha.

Don't miss the 3,000 won takeout discount

By the way, if you visit the store and order takeout, you get ₩3,000 off!! On days you want to eat jokbal comfortably at home, getting the discount on a takeout order is a great option haha.

If you're looking for a jokbal restaurant in Yongbong-dong, Gwangju, give Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch a try!!