Group dinner with soju over seafood hot pot in Pocheon: Haepumgye

Hi everyone, it's Matteo! Haha. A while back I met up with some friends to enjoy delicious seafood and chicken dishes with a drink on the side, and we went to Haepumgye, a Pocheon restaurant famous for boyangsik (health-boosting food) in Songu-ri! Here's my honest review~~

Right at the entrance to Songu-ri, with a huge sign you can't miss

It's located near the entrance to Songu-ri, so it's very easy to get to :)

I'd always noticed the huge sign by the road whenever I drove past, and finally got to visit~

The parking space is really spacious, so it was super convenient to come by car 🚗

An interior that works for both group dinners and family outings

The inside is open and spacious, great for family gatherings or group dinners, and there's a neatly kept playroom for kids, so it looked comfortable for families to dine too.

For four people, go with seafood haesintang; banchan is self-serve

Since we came as a group of four, we ordered the seafood haesintang! The haepum samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) is also a popular single-serving menu item :) You know a receipt review is a must, right? Haha.

The self-serve bar has banchan (side dishes) kept neatly organized. The seasoning on the default side dishes wasn't too strong, just right, so they went great with the haesintang. It was satisfying that you could freely grab more without hesitation if you ran out.

I ordered a bottle of soju to wrap up Friday night~ With a side dish this good, how could I not drink?

The seafood haesintang lands on the table

Finally, today's main dish, the seafood haesintang, arrived! There were four of us, and the portion was so huge the moment it hit the table that everyone gasped... The visual was so overwhelming everyone just grabbed their phones and started taking photos hahaha.

There was also a big pile of shabu vegetables, so I cut them up and added them in generously haha. Maybe because the portion was so big, it looked plentiful just to look at it. The vegetables were all fresh, which raised my expectations even more.

Octopus and broth

The octopus was huge and chewy, an absolute art form to bite into! Packed with fresh seafood, the broth had insanely deep flavor. It was cool and rich, truly the perfect drinking companion.

Chicken size and texture

I usually assume the chicken in haesintang is small, but at Haepumgye the chicken is genuinely huge! The meat was densely packed, and thanks to the long simmering, it pulled apart tender along the grain with zero dryness.

I scooped some into my bowl and tried vegetables, octopus, and chicken all at once! Eat all three together and you'll instantly feel restored.

You have to finish with a kalguksu noodle refill

The portion was so huge that the four of us were already full, but the broth was so rich we added a vegetable refill and a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) refill and cleaned the pot right to the end. You absolutely have to add the noodles!

The four of us left full and satisfied after a great meal and a drink at Haepumgye Pocheon! If you're looking for a family dining spot to bring your parents to, or a proper group dinner and health-boosting restaurant near Pocheon or Songu-ri, I'd strongly recommend it without hesitation! I'm planning to visit again with my family soon haha.