Nonhyeon bar to start a team dinner: uni samhap at Yeongdong Pocha

Here's my visit review of Yeongdong Pocha, a spot near Sinnonhyeon Station in Nonhyeon, Gangnam, where you get that outdoor-market-stall (yajang) vibe along with top-quality seafood snacks!

The pocha (Korean street-tent-style bar) mood is the real deal~^^

Where is Yeongdong Pocha?

Yeongdong Pocha is at 51 Hakdong-ro 2-gil, 2nd floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's near the food alley between Sinnonhyeon Station and Nonhyeon Station, so it's easy to reach from either station.

Being on the 2nd floor, it feels open and airy, with that distinctive pocha outdoor-stall atmosphere.

What's the atmosphere like at Yeongdong Pocha?

The vibe is the kind of outdoor-stall charm that wins you over when you only came for a second round

Yeongdong Pocha is a bar with soft lighting and a clean indoor pocha interior, plus a 2nd-floor window-seat yajang mood. When you hear "pocha" you probably think of a casual place to squeeze in one more drink for a second round. But from the entrance, the soft lighting and tidy indoor pocha decor make the drinks taste even better. Hahaha.

If you sit at a window seat at Yeongdong Pocha, you look down on the scene outside and get the breezy, lively, yet warmly familiar feel of an outdoor stall. It's perfect for a glass of soju with coworkers after work, or for couples and friends enjoying an autumn night out.

What's in Yeongdong Pocha's signature Yeongdong Samhap?

The signature dish at Yeongdong Pocha is Yeongdong Samhap, a seafood snack with yuk sashimi (raw beef), sweet shrimp and uni (sea urchin), plus avocado and scallop. This is pocha quality?! Oh~~ I couldn't help but gasp. The lineup of the menu was really good. The highlight of the day was, without a doubt, the signature Yeongdong Samhap.

When the Yeongdong Samhap first arrived, the look of it made me doubt, "Is this really a pocha?" The freshness and the lineup were top-notch, easily on par with a specialist raw fish restaurant or an upscale izakaya.

How to eat Yeongdong Samhap

Put a piece of yuk sashimi, sweet shrimp and uni, and avocado on a sheet of seaweed, add wasabi or the house sauce, and pop it all in your mouth in one bite... The fresh seafood, the rich yuk sashimi and the softness of the avocado blend together perfectly. The sweet shrimp is plump and springy too, with a natural sweetness that fills your mouth the more you chew.

The uni, yuk sashimi, and avocado with scallop

The uni in the Yeongdong Samhap isn't fishy at all; it's creamy with a wonderful bittersweet, nutty flavor. The yuk sashimi is chewy yet tender, and the nuttiness bursts out the more you chew.

The avocado and scallop come with soft avocado and thinly sliced scallop, so you can enjoy all kinds of combinations. Delicious~~^^ The snacks were so good that the soju tasted extra sweet that day!

Is Yeongdong Pocha good for a first-round team dinner?

Yeongdong Pocha is hearty enough for a first round. The quality and portions of the food are too good to waste on just a light second-round snack. You can fill your stomach and enjoy drinks with great dishes, so I highly recommend it as a first stop.

• Hearty enough for a first round: the food quality and portions are too good to waste on a second-round snack.
• Freshness you can trust: you'll be surprised by the fresh seafood and top-grade ingredients hiding behind the name "pocha."

If you're around Gangnam or Sinnonhyeon and want a tasty seafood samhap with a happy glass of soju, Yeongdong Pocha is a must-visit! 👍