Myeongdong Korean restaurant for a first jokbal date: Miss Jokbal

Because I usually do not love jokbal’s distinctive strong herbal smell or the rich texture of its fatty parts, Kkamjjugi and I had never eaten jokbal together in more than four years of dating. But this time, we finally decided to try a first jokbal date! Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch was already so famous as a good spot in Myeongdong, so we headed over half expectant, half excited.

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch 21 Myeongdong 3-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul Daily 11:00–03:00

Getting to Miss Jokbal from Myeongdong or Euljiro 1-ga Station, plus parking

Miss Jokbal’s Myeongdong branch sits in the central shopping district between Myeongdong Station and Euljiro 1-ga Station, so getting there was incredibly easy.

It was perfectly placed for walking over after shopping at Myeongdong Cathedral, Shinsegae Department Store, or Lotte Department Store Main Store—and also ideal after coming down from a walk around Seoul Station or Namsan!

Since it is right in the middle of Myeongdong, though, there is no on-site parking. If you are driving, use a nearby public or building parking lot. We took the subway and walked over comfortably!

A spacious restaurant and tablet ordering system

The moment we stepped inside, the spacious, clean dining room caught my eye.

Every table has a tablet kiosk, so the ordering setup is excellent: you can check menu photos yourself and order with ease!

The foreign-language support was especially neat and well done, and it was impressive to see overseas visitors ordering easily without having to call over a staff member.

We visited just outside weekday dinner peak time and were seated immediately. The restaurant is large and tables turn over quickly, so it felt pleasantly comfortable!

At peak time, it gets busy with tourists and nearby office workers having company dinners, so visiting at a slightly quieter time is one little tip, haha.

With so much space, it looked just as suitable for a Myeongdong Station date as for a work dinner or group gathering.

Same-day-boiled jokbal and complimentary kimchi kalguksu

Miss Jokbal Myeongdong Branch serves jokbal boiled that same day. They say they boil batches at least three to five times a day, and more than six times on busy days. That is apparently the key to keeping it warm, consistently flavored, and wonderfully tender whenever you visit!

When you order jokbal, spicy kimchi kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) that bubbles away on a burner comes as a standard accompaniment.

The hot noodle broth completely cut through the richness that can creep in while eating jokbal, so it became a perfect full meal without ordering anything extra! Add one bottle of soju for a drink with the meal, and it is perfect drinking food too—so the alcohol goes down very easily (said the lightweight drinker).

Emperor Jokbal with mala sauce

When jokbal alone feels a little lacking, Miss Jokbal’s signature recommendation for enjoying lots of different things is Emperor Jokbal (₩58,000).

As soon as the food arrived, I could not help gasping at the dazzling spread and truly enormous amount of food—far beyond what I had imagined.

Honestly, I had avoided jokbal for more than four years because of its distinctive smell and unpleasant fatty bits. But perhaps because it is boiled in several batches each day, the meat itself was incredibly tender. This place also gives you ssamjang, salted shrimp, and mala sauce for dipping,

and that mala sauce was seriously the masterstroke! The mala aroma was not overpowering—just tingly and cleanly spicy—so it completely handled jokbal’s richness and any meat smell. It was the perfect sauce for me.

A table full of Emperor Jokbal sides

True to the name Emperor Jokbal (₩58,000), the lineup of accompanying dishes was amazing too.

Shrimp salad, mung bean jelly salad, kimchi, dried shredded radish, gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), basic vegetable wraps, tofu kimchi, and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) filled the table. It was so fun pairing each one with the jokbal!

I wrapped mala-dipped jokbal with spicy-sweet tofu kimchi or savory japchae in vegetables, and honestly, there was no chance to get tired of it... A piece of mala-dipped jokbal with all those sides, then a crisp cheers with a shot of soju—an absolutely perfect combination.

With the generous Emperor Jokbal sides and that hot kimchi kalguksu broth, one bottle of soju was just right for having a drink with dinner, haha.

It lets you enjoy a tasty meal and a casual drink at once, so I thought it would also work nicely for solo dining in Myeongdong—or as a late-night Myeongdong food stop when you are hungry (takeout is a must, haha)!

The full spread that changed my mind about a first jokbal date

Miss Jokbal Myeongdong Branch shattered my prejudice against jokbal, which I had avoided for around four years, all at once.

Thanks especially to that masterstroke of mala sauce, my first jokbal date with Kkamjjugi—sharing a bottle of soju—ended very successfully. Same-day-boiled, tender jokbal; the unusual yet perfect mala sauce pairing; the easy tablet ordering system; and a spectacular full spread ranging from japchae to tofu kimchi, plus spicy kimchi kalguksu!

It seems like an unforgettable K-food experience for international visitors in Myeongdong, and a reliably good jokbal restaurant for local visitors on a date or at a gathering! If you are looking for a solid jokbal spot near Myeongdong or Euljiro, it feels worth visiting at least once, haha.