Retro pojangmacha bar near Yeongdeungpo Station: galbisal tadaki

Hi, it's Judy~🍻 I was looking for somewhere to grab dinner and a drink near Yeongdeungpo Station, and ended up at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo with my boyfriend.

There are so many bars around Yeongdeungpo Station these days that it's hard to pick one, but that day I wasn't in the mood for a sleek, polished restaurant — I wanted a proper old-school pojangmacha (street-cart-style tent bar) feel, with good bar food and a cold draft beer.

Where is Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo? Second floor near Exit 5

After some searching, we landed on Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo. It's near Exit 5 of Yeongdeungpo Station, so it was easy to find right from the station. Distance from the station quietly matters a lot when picking a meeting spot, and since it's close to Yeongdeungpo Station, even first-timers shouldn't have any trouble finding it.

It also seems like a solid, accessible pick for people meeting friends near Yeongdeungpo Station or looking for an after-work dinner spot.

Inside the bar: retro pojangmacha atmosphere, kept intact

The first thing that hit me walking in was the vibe. So many bars these days go for a sleek, polished look, but Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo lives up to its name with a proper retro pojangmacha atmosphere.

It brought back that feeling of sitting around with friends at an old-school street tent bar, drinking together. It felt less like a place you just eat at and leave, and more like a Yeongdeungpo Station bar where you enjoy the atmosphere along with the food. We came as a couple, and it worked well for a date, but it also seemed like the kind of place that suits a bigger group of friends chatting away.

Apparently this place has been featured on tvN's Uahan Insaeng, The Boyz, BTOB, Yeonpul-lee, Suldonyeo, Sultreet Fight, Hong Kim's Jeon, and more. Between all those TV appearances and the steady love from YouTubers, I was already a little excited before the food even arrived. If you've been looking for a bar in Yeongdeungpo with this kind of retro pojangmacha feel, it's worth a visit for the atmosphere alone.

What two people ordered: dakdoritang, galbisal tadaki and draft beer

After some debate over the menu, we ordered dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken stew), galbisal tadaki (grilled short rib), and draft beer. With two of us, two dishes plus draft beer seemed like the right call — and it turned out to be a good combo.

What goes into the dakdoritang, and how spicy is the broth?

The dakdoritang came out first, and it looked hearty right away. Along with the chicken, the spicy broth was packed with glass noodles, wheat noodles, tteok (rice cakes), mushrooms, chives, scallions, and quail eggs. We'd ordered it craving something clean and spicy that day, and it hit exactly the right note.

The broth was spicy but clean, not heavy at all, so I kept scooping up spoonful after spoonful — and it went great with draft beer as bar food. And honestly, part of the fun of dakdoritang is picking through all the extras. The glass noodles soaked in broth were soft and chewy, and the wheat noodles had absorbed the broth too, getting more savory the more we ate.

The tteok was soft and chewy, pairing nicely with the spicy broth, and the mushrooms had that signature chewy bite that made them fun to pick out along the way. The chives and scallions matched well with the spicy flavor of the broth too. And picking out the quail eggs sitting in the middle one by one — there turned out to be more variety of ingredients than I expected, making it a great dish for slowly drinking through together.

The chicken was cooked tender and worked well with the broth, and with the spicy broth, soft chicken, chewy tteok, and springy noodles all coming together, it was one dish that still felt varied in texture and never got boring.

Personally, with dakdoritang I care not just about the broth but how well the extra noodles and sides go with it, and here you get to enjoy all of that together, which made it a satisfying dish to drink with.

Sweet-and-savoury galbisal tadaki on the side

We also dug right into the galbisal tadaki we'd ordered with the dakdoritang. If the dakdoritang was spicy and brothy, the galbisal tadaki was a completely different kind of side dish. The signature meaty flavor of galbisal (short rib) combined with a sweet-savory sauce made it a great match for the draft beer.

Switching from the spicy dakdoritang to a piece of galbisal tadaki completely changed the flavor, and I was glad we'd ordered both. The meat wasn't dry at all — it had just the right bite when you chewed it, making it easy to keep picking up piece after piece as a drinking snack.

Is Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo good for a date or a group night out?

And of course, food like this needs draft beer alongside it. Pouring a cold glass, taking a sip of the dakdoritang broth, grabbing a piece of galbisal tadaki, and chatting with my boyfriend — the time flew by.

Being close to Exit 5 of Yeongdeungpo Station made it easy to get to, and the retro atmosphere gave it a different feel from your average after-work dinner spot, which was another plus.

It's a good spot for friends catching up over drinks, and just as good for a couple wanting some atmosphere with dinner and a drink. If you're looking for a bar close to Yeongdeungpo Station, craving spicy dakdoritang with a draft beer, or need a Yeongdeungpo Station bar for a group hangout with friends, Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is worth checking out~!