Jungang Jeukseok Dakbal Anyang Ilbeonga Review

Hello! Today I went to Jungang Jeukseok Dakbal. It is known as a hot restaurant in Ansan, and when I heard it had arrived in Anyang Ilbeonga, I went right away. A friend who lives in Ansan had told me several times that this place was really good and even “legendary,” but I never had a reason to go to Ansan, so I only tried it now. And yes — I admit it, this place is seriously good.

The location is on the main bar street in Anyang Ilbeonga, near the intersection where Halmaek is. The pubs around here seem to stay around for quite a long time. 📍 Hours 17:00 ~ 03:00 Last order: 02:00 A pub open until 3 a.m.! It opens at 5 p.m., and I visited around 6 p.m. after work on a Friday. At 6, it still felt roomy, but by the time we finished and left, it was full. That’s Friday for you. I also noticed a waiting tablet near the entrance, which gave it that popular-restaurant feeling.

Maybe because this branch newly opened, the interior felt clean. Each table had cutlery and a container for bones, which was convenient. We ordered through a tablet.

Set menu Boneless dakbal + rice balls + steamed egg + Pepsi + added bunmoja + added bean sprouts

We came partly to fill up for dinner, so we ordered the set that included rice balls and steamed egg. While ordering, a staff member came over and said their dakbal tastes better if you add bean sprouts. They seemed to be telling other tables the same thing too. Honestly, if it tastes better with bean sprouts, shouldn’t they just raise the price and serve it that way from the start? lol The person who set our table and another staff member passing by both kept mentioning the bean sprout add-on, so we added it for now. I’m not sure whether bean sprouts are not included at all by default, or whether the add-on just increases the amount.

The food we ordered came out quickly. Once it started boiling a little, staff came over and checked on it from time to time. I liked that they paid attention to each table so the dakbal would not stick to the pan.

For this item, I think they said it was a complimentary service when they brought it out, but I also saw fried dakbal listed on the menu. This was so good that I almost ordered more, but I held back because we could not even finish all the dakbal. After eating the fried chicken feet, dipping the remaining bottom part into the dakbal broth was amazing. Next time, if I come with more people, I definitely want to order this as an extra.

The staff came by once in a while and stirred everything for us. They said that if the bunmoja sits too low while cooking, it can stick, so they placed it in a better spot and told us to eat it after about five minutes. Such thoughtful service.

I liked that the steamed egg did not come in a tiny earthenware bowl. The portion was generous, the seasoning was just right, and we enjoyed it. The rice balls were exactly the familiar flavor everyone knows. When eating dakbal, steamed egg and rice balls really are essential.

You can probably tell from the photo how spicy it is. In my opinion, people who cannot handle spicy food will not be able to eat this. For reference, I can eat Yupdduk Original, and I can also handle Teumsae and Buldak without much trouble. But the dakbal here is spicier than those. You should know that before going. I am not sure whether they can adjust the spice level; I did not see an option when ordering on the tablet.

This is a place I would visit again when I am really craving something spicy. If you are sensitive to heat, be a little careful. The set combination is good, so I recommend ordering the set, and if you are going with a larger group, definitely try the fried dakbal.