Budae stir-fry and corn cheese at a Yeongdeungpo pojangmacha bar

I was trying to figure out where to grab drinks with friends in Yeongdeungpo when I found Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo (역전포장마차 영등포). Apparently it's been featured on tvN's Uahan Insaeng, and visited by The Boyz, BTOB, and various YouTubers on Yeonpli, among other shows. Here's my review of the army stir-fry — not the usual army stew — and pepperoni corn cheese.

Where is Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo?

Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is located in the Yeongdeungpo Station food alley, tucked in on the opposite side from Shinsegae Department Store. It's on the 2nd floor of the building. I was looking for somewhere with that classic bustling Yeongdeungpo vibe where I could drink comfortably, and the entrance already had such a proper retro pojangmacha feel that I decided to go in.

Retro pojangmacha interior and group tables

Walking into Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo, the interior evokes an orange pojangmacha tent, with old photos covering the walls. It's a totally different vibe from the sleek new bars popping up these days, so it was fun just to look around.

There's seating for several people to sit together, so it looked like a good spot for group hangouts or for finding a Yeongdeungpo Station bar for a company dinner. Plus there's a TV, which seems great for watching sports too.

The basic side snack was ppeongtwigi (puffed rice crackers), which were sweet and easy to munch on.

The signature menu item at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is gopdoritang, a spicy chicken and intestine stew. It comes with a hearty base portion and you can add various noodle sides, so people apparently order it a lot as a filling meal-slash-drinking snack. We'd already eaten, though, so we ordered the anju (drinking snacks) that looked most delicious.

Drink prices: soju 3,900 won, draft beer 2,900 won

What really caught my eye was the drink prices! Soju at ₩3,900 and draft beer at ₩2,900 felt noticeably easier on the wallet given today's prices. It was great for ordering one snack and both soju and beer to make somaek (soju-beer cocktail).

What we ordered was the 1st Division army stir-fry and pepperoni corn cheese.

What is the 1st Division budae stir-fry?

The name itself had me curious — 1st Division army stir-fry! Rather than a typical army stew, apparently the head chef, a former 1st Division cook, reimagined army stew as a stir-fried dish. The moment it hit the table, the red sauce piled high with ramyeon noodles caught my eye. It was loaded with rice cake, green onion, ham, sausage, and more, and I was even more excited to hear they use premium sausage.

Since it's a stir-fried style with just a little broth left at the bottom, the sauce had soaked deeply into the ramyeon noodles. Starting with the noodles, then picking up the sausage and rice cake one by one, you naturally reach for a shot of soju — that's the flavor! With less broth than a regular army stew, it's easier to pick at like an anju, and the spicy, rich flavor makes it a great pick if you're looking for something different at a Yeongdeungpo Station bar.

Pepperoni corn cheese with the budae stir-fry

If you love cheese, get the pepperoni corn cheese! Paired with the spicy army stir-fry, the combination was really good. Cheese was melted all across the hot iron plate, topped generously with pepperoni.

Lifting a piece of pepperoni with a spoon made the cheese stretch out in long strings — it looked delicious just to watch. Savory and salty, perfect with beer! Especially when the army stir-fry got too spicy, a bite of the smooth, savory pepperoni corn cheese balanced things out in between, and I was glad we ordered both together.

Is Yeokjeon Pojangmacha good for a group night out near Yeongdeungpo Station?

Not just the food but the drink prices at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo weren't a burden either, so it was easy to order a bunch of things with a group, and the retro pojangmacha atmosphere naturally lifted the mood of the night. If you're looking for a place in Yeongdeungpo to properly eat and drink for round one, or a Yeongdeungpo Station group bar for several people, give Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo a try. With soju at ₩3,900 and draft beer at ₩2,900, the drink costs are relatively light even for a company dinner, so I'd recommend it as a Yeongdeungpo Station bar for that too!

Opening hours

• Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun 16:00 - 01:00
• Fri, Sat 16:00 - 03:00