Seodaemun, Seoul bar for boneless chicken stew: Yeokjeon Pojangmacha

Cozy pojangmacha vibes and a group room

It is near Sinchon Station, so it is easy to get to and especially popular with university students. Just head up to the second floor.

Overall, it has a cozy pojangmacha (Korean tent-bar) feel, and one side is all large windows, so it feels nice and open. It is not huge, but there is a private room at the back and the tables are spaced out well, which I liked. It is absolutely perfect in weather like this.

With a room at the back, it is great for coming as a group.

A varied menu, from chicken stew to sides

Looking over the menu, there is so much, from what seem to be the main dishes to sides. Signature options include Korean beef tripe-and-chicken stew, chicken stew, and tripe hot pot. There is also rice balls, fried rice, yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), tataki, sweet crispy chicken, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), spicy cartilage, charcoal-grilled chicken feet, chewy golbaengi (sea snail) salad, budae stir-fry, and so much more...

There is also a good range of add-ins for the mains and side dishes. Everything is reasonably priced, so it is great for ordering a variety of things.

Personally, I really love adding fish cake to the chicken stew here.

The alcohol and drinks are incredibly cheap too. Soju for ₩3,900 and draft beer for ₩2,900...

This order and the prices

• Boneless chicken stew ₩25,900
• Curly fish cake skewer ₩2,000
• Triple-cheese fish cake ₩2,000
• King dumplings ₩7,900
• Mashed-potato croquettes ₩9,900
• Zero Sprite ₩3,000
• Total ₩50,700

Once we sat down, the Zero Sprite we ordered arrived first, along with macaroni snacks.

I loved that the drink came in a glass chilled like ice.

So generous... Even the chicken stew alone is enormous, so the table is completely full!

King dumplings that were better than expected

King dumplings ₩7,900

Honestly, I assumed the king dumplings would just be fried dumplings, so I was not expecting much, but they were far tastier than I thought. The moment I bit in, they were legendary... My friend and I made eye contact. The wrappers were very thin and crisp outside, while the filling was packed with meat.

They were juicy and moist, delicious on their own and also dipped in the soy sauce-and-vinegar dip that comes with them. I think I will order these again next time too.

Crisp, soft mashed-potato croquettes

Mashed-potato croquettes ₩9,900

Isn't the little ketchup-sauce dish so cute? I want it every time I see it... I should buy one, haha. Anyway! I was craving fluffy potatoes too, so I ordered these, and you get five big ones.

They came freshly fried and piping hot, crisp outside but soft inside, with just the right savory flavor. They were good on their own, and also delicious soaked in the chicken-stew broth. Fried potatoes can never be bad, right?

Boneless chicken stew with extra fish cake

Boneless chicken stew ₩25,900

I added a curly fish cake skewer for ₩2,000 and triple-cheese fish cake for ₩2,000.

The long-awaited main dish: boneless chicken stew! Along with chicken, it is generously filled with glass noodles, rice cakes, enoki mushrooms, and more. I added the curly fish cake skewer and triple-cheese fish cake, and the fish cake goes so well with the pleasantly spicy chicken-stew sauce.

There is plenty of meat too, so every time I eat it I feel like I am about to burst... I always want to have rice balls or fried rice with it, but give up because I am too full. You can choose spice level 1 or 2. Level 1 is described as about Shin Ramyun level, but it felt a little spicier than that to me. If you are not extremely good with spicy food, I recommend level 1!

It comes to a boil quickly, and you can keep simmering it while you eat, so it gets more delicious as time goes on. The chicken is soft and tender too, with no gamey smell at all.

And it was my first time trying the triple-cheese fish cake. It was full of rich, melty cheese, totally my taste. From now on, I am definitely adding two every time! We scraped the pot clean.

The spicy boneless chicken stew was packed with glass noodles, rice cakes, chicken, and all kinds of add-ins; the king dumplings were crisp outside, tender inside, and full of juices; and the mashed-potato croquettes were fluffy and savory. Every dish was really delicious. The drinks are a good value, and so are the bar snacks, so I highly recommend it if you are looking for a bar near Sinchon Station!