Boneless dakdoritang with jjolmyeon noodles: Yeongdeungpo bar

I was looking for a good spot to drink near Yeongdeungpo Station and ended up at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo.

The name itself already sounds like a street food cart (pojangmacha), and it really does have that retro indoor-tent vibe — a comfortable place to just settle in and drink.

What I ordered that day was the boneless dakdoritang (chicken stew). Since eating it plain felt like it needed something more, I added jjolmyeon (chewy noodles) as well. Gopdoritang is also a popular signature dish here, but if you'd rather focus on chicken over tripe, and skip the hassle of picking bones, the boneless version is the better fit.

An indoor pojangmacha tucked inside Yeongdeungpo Station's food alley

Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo is located at 11 Yeongdeungpo-ro 50-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd floor. It's deep inside Yeongdeungpo Station's food alley, so it works well either as a first stop for drinks or as a second stop after dinner nearby.

Rather than the clean, modern bar look you see a lot these days, this place leans into that old-school pojangmacha atmosphere. There's seating for larger groups too, so it's an easy pick for drinks with friends or a company dinner.

Hours are Sunday–Thursday 16:00–01:00 and Friday–Saturday 16:00–03:00. Menu items and hours may change depending on when you visit, so treat this as a general guide.

Today's dish: boneless dakdoritang

At Yeokjeon Pojangmacha, you can choose between hearty, broth-based mains like dakdoritang and gopdoritang. I went with the boneless dakdoritang this time. I like dakdoritang, but sometimes picking bones apart while drinking gets tedious. The boneless version skips that entirely — you can just pick pieces up and eat right away.

This isn't a light snack you nibble on — it's the kind of dish you set in the middle of the table and work through slowly, which makes it a good fit if you're skipping dinner and going straight into drinks. If you'd rather order one solid main dish than keep adding side snacks, dakdoritang is the way to go.

The jjolmyeon noodle add-on is the real point

And the thing I made sure not to skip that day was the jjolmyeon noodle add-on. When people think of noodle add-ons for dakdoritang, ramyeon or glass noodles usually come to mind first, but here you can add jjolmyeon (chewy cold noodles) instead, so I ordered that too.

Eating boneless chicken alongside noodles kept things from feeling one-note within a single dish, and adding the noodles definitely made it feel more like a full meal. Personally, if you like noodles, I'd lean toward ordering the jjolmyeon add-on alongside the boneless dakdoritang rather than the stew alone. It also works well if you'd rather build the meal around one main dish than order a bunch of side items.

Drink prices are easier on the wallet too

The drink prices at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Yeongdeungpo caught my eye too. As of now, soju is ₩3,900 and draft beer is ₩2,900 — a difference that feels surprisingly meaningful when you're drinking with a group.

The food menu ranges from hearty options like dakdoritang to lighter bites like french fries or corn cheese, so it's easy to pick depending on whether you're starting the night here or moving on afterward. That said, if you're going for the boneless dakdoritang plus jjolmyeon combo like I did, I'd personally recommend it as a first stop when you're actually hungry.

For days when dakdoritang, not gopdoritang, is what you're craving

If you'd rather eat chicken than tripe, and want to skip the hassle of picking bones, boneless dakdoritang is a solid choice. And if you also like noodles, adding jjolmyeon makes it even more filling. This place was a good one to keep in mind for a night at Yeongdeungpo Station when you want one proper main dish to drink around, rather than a bunch of small snacks.

One-line summary

If you want to eat well at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha in Yeongdeungpo, boneless dakdoritang with a jjolmyeon add-on was the combination that stuck with me most.

If you want to eat well at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha in Yeongdeungpo, boneless dakdoritang with a jjolmyeon add-on was the combination that stuck with me most.