Myeongdong jokbal restaurant with angel hair salad: Miss Jokbal

I honestly gasped when I found out there was a jokbal (steamed pork hock) restaurant this good in Myeongdong. Because of where Myeongdong is, most restaurants there cater to tourists and it's surprisingly hard to find a genuinely great one — but the emperor's jokbal at Miss Jokbal, which I visited this time, really deserves the word "amazing."

Where Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch is and what the room feels like

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch sits right across from Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong. The moment I walked in, I loved how clean and pleasant the space felt — it's spacious and tidy, so you can just relax and focus on the meal without feeling cramped.

The tables were spaced generously too, which made me think this would be a great spot for gatherings, company dinners, or drinks with friends. It's known as a go-to spot for tourists in Myeongdong, so it's fully booked in the evenings.

When the food came out and the table was set, my jaw genuinely dropped.

How did the meat on the emperor's jokbal taste?

True to its name, the emperor's jokbal filled the table with a lavish, generous spread that caught my eye instantly. The meat quality itself was so good that one bite spread tender, chewy, moist texture all through my mouth.

There wasn't a trace of gamey smell, and the juiciness stayed alive in every fiber of the meat, so each chew burst with savory flavor.

The lean meat chewed soft and easy, and the skin kept its collagen-y chewiness, so I never got tired of it even down to the last bite.

The gimbap, japchae, tofu kimchi and angel hair salad that come with it

What made the emperor's jokbal at Miss Jokbal even more special was the generous side spread. Instead of just plain lettuce and ssamjang (dipping sauce), a really varied lineup of side dishes covered the whole table.

The savory rolled gimbap (seaweed rice roll) and the japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) with its springy noodle texture were great at curbing hunger before the main event. On top of that, the tofu kimchi — mild tofu paired with sweet-and-spicy stir-fried kimchi — was a fantastic dish and drinking snack in its own right.

And the angel hair salad, with its fun crunchy texture, contrasted nicely with the richness of the jokbal and did a great job of refreshing and cleansing the palate. None of these sides felt thrown together — they were all genuinely delicious.

Kimchi kalguksu included free with every jokbal order

And the highlight of Miss Jokbal is the kimchi kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) that comes standard when you order jokbal.

Complimentary soup dishes are usually a jjigae (stew) or guk (soup), but here they set a burner on the table with kalguksu noodles and kimchi in it so you can simmer it yourself, bubbling away.

Right around the point when the jokbal starts feeling a bit rich or heavy, one sip of this spicy, refreshing kimchi kalguksu broth cuts right through the grease and resets your palate. The noodles were chewy too, and the broth had soaked in deep — the quality was almost hard to believe for something free. Thanks to that spicy broth, it also paired perfectly as a drinking snack.

Is a jokbal spread in Myeongdong worth a second visit?

The interior was kept so clean and pleasant that I felt good the whole meal, and the friendly staff made the experience even more satisfying.

Flavor, portion size, atmosphere, and even the bonus kimchi kalguksu — nothing was lacking here. If you want a proper jokbal feast in Myeongdong, this is a place I'd recommend without hesitation. I've already filed it away in my mind as the Myeongdong jokbal restaurant I'll definitely return to next time I'm craving it.