Guro, Seoul bar for a couple's round two with red odeng: Eulji Pocha

How was round two at Eulji Pocha in Guro?

Eulji Pocha Guro Digital Complex Branch is a pocha-style bar on the Guro Digital Complex 'kkalkkal-geori' strip. After eating galbi with my boyfriend as round one, we stopped by here for round two, and it was pretty packed with people.

Eulji Pocha had kind of a hunting-pocha vibe and seemed to run all sorts of events. It looked popular in the Guro Digital Complex area — lots of people were checking out the menu board outside before heading in. The windows are open all around, giving it an outdoor-tent feel, so if you want that open-air atmosphere, take a look as you pass by! (Not fully outdoor seating, but the windows are open.)

Is the inside of Eulji Pocha Guro Digital Complex Branch spacious?

Eulji Pocha Guro Digital Complex Branch has seating that runs deep into the back, so it's a genuinely spacious spot — I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a bar to hang out at with a group.

There were an absurd number of tables inside. Eulji Pocha has that retro feel of the Euljiro alleyways, so it seemed like a great place for a group dinner or a hangout with friends. That said, the music is really loud, so if you're someone who likes to focus on conversation, it might bother you a bit. This felt more like a place to get loud with a group than come as a couple,, (or maybe not?)

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a pocha-style spot where 20s and 30s can hang out comfortably. Eulji Pocha has branches not just in Guro but also in Gangnam and elsewhere, and they all seem to have a similar vibe. It's not really my kind of atmosphere, but it was a fresh change to come to a bar like this after a while, felt very 20-something,,

How much for the food? Red odeng and French toast with soju for around ₩30,000

We ordered red odeng, French toast, and soju at Eulji Pocha and the total came to around ₩30,000. We'd already eaten a lot so we kept it simple, but two dishes plus soju for about thirty thousand won felt like great value.

There was also a huge variety of other bar food — jjamppong stew, cream sujebi, pork cutlet, suyuk, and more. If this had been our first stop, I probably would've ordered a bunch of different things! If you want to try lots of dishes, this seems like a good place to come with a group and order a spread. There's no real theme to the menu — dakbal, chicken, all kinds of stuff — just a lot of options.

Making dalgona with coins and trying the claw machine at Eulji Pocha

At Eulji Pocha, ordering food earns you coins, which you can use to make cotton candy or dalgona. There's also a claw machine next to it, so you can kill time while waiting for your order.

Making dalgona after so long felt like going back to childhood. I used to make it all the time as a kid, but you rarely see the machines anymore, so it was nice to run into one at Eulji Pocha — and eating it fresh-made really tasted like old times, delicious. Nibbling on it bite by bite with soju, I ended up finishing almost the whole thing.

How were the red odeng and French toast?

The red odeng at Eulji Pocha came in a large portion, a slightly spicy stew, but the flavor leaned pretty heavily on seasoning. The big portion made it good for a group to pick at together, and the red broth cut through any greasiness. That said, the seasoning was fairly strong, so people who don't like intense flavors might not love it. It was fine as far as drinking food goes.

The French toast was also decent value at ₩6,000, but the bread was a bit too moist, not quite the texture I was hoping for. I wanted something sweet, but since the dalgona had already satisfied that craving as a soju snack, it didn't really matter much.

Is Eulji Pocha Guro Digital Complex Branch good for couples?

Eulji Pocha Guro Digital Complex Branch has a bit of a hunting-pocha feel, so I wouldn't recommend it as a couples spot. Honestly, since it's just a bar in a busy commercial strip, it's less about the food being amazing and more about ordering affordable stuff and drinking — and since a lot of old songs play, it's great if you enjoy that kind of music. (The DJ even takes song requests and runs events.)

There were plenty of mixed groups of guys and girls out together, and with all the events going on, this is a bar I'd recommend to people who want a bit of a loud, lively Friday or Saturday night rather than a quiet one.