Myeongdong jokbal restaurant with a full side spread: Miss Jokbal

It had been sooo long since I last visited Myeongdong!! The Myeongdong I remembered was full of empty shops after COVID, but it has changed completely~~~~!! The streets were lively and there were so many places to eat that I had a hard time deciding where to go, then I visited Miss Jokbal in Myeongdong!!

Jokbal (braised pig’s trotters) is all about the main dish, of course, but the sides you eat with it quietly make a huge difference too, right? This time, I tried not only the texture of the jokbal itself but also a variety of side dishes!

Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch: location and hours

It is at 21 Myeongdong 3-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and is open daily from 11:00 to 03:00.

It is the Myeongdong branch of Miss Jokbal, but it is 178 m away—about a five-minute walk—from Exit 5 of Euljiro 1-ga Station, so Euljiro 1-ga Station is actually closer!

What is the Myeongdong dinner wait like?

Myeongdong is such a popular area, so even on a weeknight the atmosphere was incredibly lively! It especially feels like Myeongdong has become really crowded lately, so I think it is best to have a dining spot in mind beforehand. There was a steady wait at Miss Jokbal when I visited on Wednesday evening, and there were so many international tourists!

Emperor Jokbal and a variety of side dishes

Miss Jokbal in Myeongdong does not just serve jokbal on its own—you can enjoy lots of dishes centered around it, and the Emperor Jokbal is especially popular! There were potato pancakes, cheese potato pancakes, minari (water parsley) pancakes, Miss Steamed Egg, flying-fish-roe rice balls, anchovy rice balls, soupy tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), spicy noodle salad, house-made fish cake soup, spicy drinking soup, golbaengi (whelk) salad, spicy meat sundae (Korean blood sausage), yeolmu (young radish) cold noodles, and a nostalgic lunchbox too, so there were plenty of choices for international visitors who cannot eat jokbal as well!!

• Emperor Jokbal ₩58,000
• Miss Steamed Egg ₩5,000
• Beer ₩6,000
• Soju ₩5,500

Before the jokbal came out, they served kimchi kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) as a simple palate cleanser, and its spicy flavor went really well with the jokbal! You can also get a broth refill if you want more!

What comes with the Emperor Jokbal set

Here comes the Emperor Jokbal! ✨ The jokbal was in the center, with kimchi, vegetables, pickles, gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), cheongpomuk muchim (seasoned mung bean jelly salad), tofu, and stir-fried kimchi on the side. I thought it was a nice full spread where international visitors could try little tastes of Korean food.

The tender texture of the jokbal

I started with the most important part, the jokbal, and its texture was quite tender! Even the lean meat was not too dry, and it was soft and tender overall, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy, haha. Jokbal can sometimes feel chewy or rich, but eating it with the sides made those parts feel less noticeable~~~~

The memorable mung bean jelly salad and dried radish

One thing I liked while eating was how many dishes there were to enjoy alongside the jokbal! The cheongpomuk muchim was especially memorable. It was mild, with the seasoning blended in nicely, so it is a side dish I remember as being delicious, haha.

The mu-mallaengi (dried radish strips) also went really well with the jokbal! Eating only jokbal continuously can get a little rich, but the dried radish had a pleasantly crunchy texture and made my mouth feel refreshed!

Miss Steamed Egg with shrimp

The Miss Steamed Egg had plump, springy shrimp in it, which gave it a nice bite!

Trying jokbal with mala sauce

Interestingly, there was mala sauce among the jokbal sauces! Maybe because there are so many tourists, but I thought it was so interesting that they had mala sauce—and it was delicious with the jokbal, so I enjoyed it that way too, haha.

What I liked was the tender texture of the jokbal and being able to enjoy so many sides with it. The only downside is that Myeongdong itself tends to be crowded, so it can be a little busy depending on when you visit!