Jangchungdong Jokbal Alley

52 years ago, in a building called Manjeong Building located a bit away from the current Jangchungdong Jokbal Street, two jokbal restaurants opened, marking the beginning of Jangchungdong jokbal history. Those two restaurants opened a year apart and have been doing business on Jokbal Street ever since. The first restaurant that opened did not initially have jokbal on the menu. At that restaurant, which served bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) and mandu (dumplings) as main dishes along with meals and alcohol, customers wanted a hearty yet affordable drinking snack. The owner lady recalled her childhood memories and added jokbal to the snack menu. Her hometown was Gwaksan, North Pyongan Province, so the jokbal dish eaten in North Pyongan Province took root in Jangchungdong. Her mother would slaughter a whole pig in winter, hang it up, and cook meat dishes, and among them, the taste of chewy, dried jokbal remained in the owner lady's palate and heart. Jangchungdong jokbal, which started this way, gained fame through the late 1970s and early 1980s, and consequently, restaurants began to line up on the current Jokbal Street. This is how Jangchungdong Jokbal Street was formed. Even now, about a dozen restaurants are clustered together on the main road and narrow alleys, preserving the old taste. The reason it has maintained its reputation for decades, receiving unwavering love from people from then until now, is likely due to the generous portions and delicious jokbal. According to the ladies of this street, each jokbal-making restaurant has a slight difference in taste. Along with jokbal on Jokbal Street, other side dishes like bindaetteok and pajeon (green onion pancakes) are also worth trying.

Address: 174 Jangchungdan-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (Jangchungdong 1-ga)