Byeoldal Pocha

About

Cozy indoor pocha near Seokchon Station serving seasonal Namdo-style dishes alongside classic drinking fare and complimentary tofu kimchi.

Tucked into a quiet alley near Seokchon Station and Seokchon Lake, Byeoldal Pocha is a neighborhood drinking den where regulars gather over comforting drinking snacks and rotating regional specialties. Managed single-handedly by an attentive owner with a deft culinary hand, this indoor pojangmacha skips the typical packaged bar snacks, welcoming patrons instead with generous complimentary plates of warm tofu with aged kimchi alongside sweet corn salad or stir-fried squash. The chalkboard menu leans proudly toward classic Namdo-style home cooking alongside pocha staples. A signature draw is the seasonal cutlassfish stew (galchi jorim), brought bubbling to the table in an earthenware pot atop a portable burner. Loaded with generous cloves of garlic, coarse red pepper flakes, and thick slabs of tender, mild fish, the stew gains its deep, savory richness as it reduces over low flame alongside braised potatoes and thick rounds of radish that beg for a bowl of steamed rice. During cephalopod season, regulars flock in for the cuttlefish parboiled to tender precision (gap-ojingeo sukhoe), artfully sectioned for easy grazing alongside shots of soju or bowls of clear, digestion-friendly dongdongju. Beyond seafood, the kitchen executes traditional drinking fare with homestyle generosity. Crispy, golden edges define the savory pancakes—whether finely grated potato pancakes (gamjajeon), crisp kimchi jeon, or vegetable-packed chive pancakes (buchujeon). For long evenings of clinking glasses, tables frequently order a simmering hotpot of ham-laden budae jjigae, a radish-infused fishcake soup, or off-menu surprises like firm, house-dressed acorn jelly (dotorimuk) when available. Open late into the early morning hours, Byeoldal Pocha captures the unhurried spirit of an authentic Korean tavern, concluding late shifts and nightcaps over steaming bowls of chopped-scallion ramen.