Jokbal restaurant for two in Wolgye-dong, Gwangju: Kkankkanhan Jokbal

This time I visited Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch (Cheomdan), a hugely popular spot for lunch and drinks in the Cheomdan area.

This place grills jokbal over an open charcoal flame, so the jokbal gets a real smoky char — that's why it's so popular. Totally crispy outside, tender inside.

Where is Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch, and what are its hours?

• Address: 46 Cheomdanjungang-ro 116beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju (Wolgye-dong), South Korea
• Hours: Daily 16:00–23:30, last order 23:20
• Parking: private lot, no time limit
• Main branch membership — 5% points back on payment

There was a fire show going on, couldn't not take a photo.

• 100% domestic fresh trotters used
• Made and sold the same day

Is there parking at Kkankkanhan Jokbal?

I got confused at first and pulled into the wrong spot next door, but the entrance is actually located to the right of Kkankkanhan Jokbal. No payment gate — that's the notable part.

There's a lot with room for 10+ cars, and no time limit, which is great.

Alright, let's go in.

Inside Kkankkanhan Jokbal: seating and group rooms

Inside, Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch has a huge screen showing baseball games, so it seems perfect for anyone who wants to eat while watching baseball in Cheomdan. The place was packed with customers.

It's decorated in a warm wood tone. The rattan-style lighting is pretty too.

There were several group rooms, decorated in an upscale style that felt like a great atmosphere — good for a work dinner. This particular room seated 8. Nice, dignified vibe.

Menu and half-and-half jokbal price at Kkankkanhan Jokbal

You can see the whole menu at a glance. There are set menus too.

The Kkankkan Jokbal Couple Set is [medium jokbal or bossam] + medium naengmyeon (cold noodles) + a drink, for 48,000 won. All basic table settings come with doenjang jjigae and steamed egg.

We wanted to try two kinds of jokbal, so we ordered the half-and-half jokbal (48,000 won). You can choose two flavors between jokbal and bossam (steamed pork wraps).

Half-and-half jokbal - charcoal-grilled jokbal + fire-grilled spicy jokbal

That's what we ordered. Looking at Naver Place data, half-and-half jokbal is also the most popular menu item.

If you want it spicier, there's also "extra spicy jokbal" and "insanely spicy jokbal."

Side dishes: steamed egg and doenjang jjigae with the jokbal

The basic table setting includes bean sprout soup, doenjang jjigae, steamed egg, corn salad, radish kimchi, and more. Nice that steamed egg is included by default — it's simmered right on a portable burner at the table.

The salad appetizer was tasty too — satisfying from the basic table setting alone.

Delivery and takeout orders were piling up like crazy.

Is the half-and-half jokbal really enough for two? Portion and taste

The food came out about 10 minutes later — pretty fast. Charcoal jokbal on the left, spicy jokbal on the right.

What if the jokbal cools down mid-meal? Just ask a staff member to light the flame and you can reheat it. (We didn't eat long enough to need this, so we skipped it.)

Whoa — is this really for two people? It's seriously a lot. The moment I saw it I thought, there's no way we can finish this. At least three servings, maybe even four if it's for women. Huge portion.

The spicy jokbal was spicy in just the right, satisfying way. My husband wanted to order it even spicier but I talked him out of it. Glad I did ^^ Spicy-sweet~

The charcoal jokbal was fire-grilled so the surface was crispy and made an ASMR-like crunching sound. Crispy outside, tender inside — delicious.

I'm a fan of these especially tender cuts. In between, I'd take refreshing sips of the bean sprout soup~ Layering charcoal jokbal with spicy jokbal is the move.

We got a rice ball as a receipt-review perk. Carbs are essential with jokbal~~ haha. The rice ball was nutty and delicious.

They roll the rice ball up so neatly. Eating it laid out like this, all tidy and pretty, makes it taste even better. Caught mid-gnaw on a bone, very focused haha.

Even after we were full, there was still so much left that we took it home in a box.../ Definitely coming back to eat more haha. So generous with portions!!

Kkankkanhan Jokbal Main Branch (Cheomdan) accepts Onnuri gift certificates. Haha, I took a photo because I liked the humor.

Free dessert: ice cream and americano at the booth out front

There's a small booth in front of Kkankkanhan Jokbal with a waiting area, and you can enjoy dessert there.

There's even a space set up so you can play games while waiting.

I figured it would just be generic commercial ice cream, but no — Oreo ice cream?! Yogurt-berry flavor ice cream?! That's amazing, right?? haha

Such incredible value~~ We finished up with ice cream and americano for dessert and headed out happy. Eating here, I could really see why Kkankkanhan Jokbal is doing so well~~ I heard they're now up to almost 30 chain locations nationwide. Nice.