Eating in Korea: Seoul #4 Youngdong Jokbal Restaurant (영동족발) - Korean Jokbal

 

 Youngdong Jokbal Restaurant (Korean: 영동족발)

 Jokbal is a Korean dish consisting of pig's trotters cooked with soy sauce and spices. It is usually braised in a combination of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onion, cinnamon, black pepper, and rice wine. It contains a lot of gelatin and is thus said to promote firm, wrinkle-free skin. The amino acid methionine, found in pork, is claimed to counteract the effects of alcohol and to prevent hangovers. So many Korean women like Jokbal. 

 Jokbal is a dish that is usually shared by many people and is sold in three sizes, so it is hard to eat it alone. Because of its richness and strong taste, Korean often wrap it with sauce and other vegetables in lettuce. Jokbal is often accompanied by soju or makgeolli. 

 

 The restaurant, which opened in the year I was born, is one of the top three Jokbal restaurants in Seoul. There are many other famous Jokbal restaurants, but the reason I recommend this is because the service is better than other places and the taste has been consistent for 35 years. 

 

 You can find Youngdong Jokbal restaurant by walking 5 minutes from Yangjae station (line no 3) exit 5. There are five branches in this alley. So you can go to any of these where have seats. I visited here around 6 pm on Saturday evening but the main restaurant was already closed so I went to another branch. Except for the 3rd branch, inside is not that much big so seats will be fully occupied fast on weekdays. So I sometimes had to wait for a while in front of the restaurant on weekdays. 

 

 

 

영동족발(3호점)

 

- Address: 2628-18, Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul

 

- Operation time: 

Monday to Friday 12:00~23:00 / Saturday 11:30~23:00 / Sunday 11:30~21:00

 

- Tel: (+82) 02-575-0250

 

- Menu and price: 

 

- Video of Youngdong Jokbal Restaurant:

 

 Only the 3rd branch will be open on Sunday so if you have a plan to visit here on Sunday, please take this into consideration.

 

 

 I usually order a big-size of Jokbal or one plate of middle-size Jokbal and one plate of buckwheat noodle when I visit there with my friend. The price's gap between big-size Jokbal and middle-size Jokbal is only KRW 3000 but the amount of food is different. You might think that the big-size of Jokbal is too much for 2 people but it is not much at all. Compared to other Jokbal restaurants, the amount of big-size Jokbal of here is smaller. 

 The restaurant workers brought side dishes less than 5 minutes after ordering. It is a famous and busy restaurant so I think the workers who work here serve really fast. 

 

 

 One of my favorite things about Jokbal restaurants is this bean sprout soup. Some people said that the taste of bean sprout soups can tell it that this restaurant is a good Jokbal restaurant or not. I don't think this restaurant's bean sprout soup was amazing but it was good. 

 

 

 This restaurant's Jokbal was a bit sweet but it was not too sweet, so I really liked it. And the texture was also rich and chewy. I went to many other Jokbal restaurants but I don't like sweet Jokbal. But the sweet taste of this restaurant's Jokbal was delicious. So I could enjoy it a lot. 

 In less than half an hour, we ate all of Jokbal. I didn't order buckwheat noodle because I was full. But next time, I think I will order buckwheat noodle because it is so good to eat Jokbal wrapped with that noodle!

 

I recommend this restaurant for those who:

- want to experience real Korean local food

- want to visit an old Korean restaurant

- love pork

- want to have good skin

 

 

* If you have any questions or need any help regarding the trip to Korea, please send me a message. I am always ready to help you. I hope everyone who visits Korea makes many good memories of Korea. You can search my chatting room in Telegram messenger t.me/welcometokorea