Gwang-an pocha bar in Busan: gizzard shad sashimi at Maenggu Pocha

I was looking for a place in Gwang-an to have dinner and a drink and ended up at Maenggu Pocha Gwang-an Main Branch. Honestly, from the name and the exterior alone, I figured it'd just be a pocha (Korean street-style bar) with decent vibes. Then I took one bite of the gizzard shad sashimi and completely changed my mind. We followed it up with the boneless braised chicken and cleaned both dishes out. This isn't a place you go for the atmosphere once — it's a Gwang-an bar you go back to for the food.

• Autumn gizzard shad sashimi eaten wrapped with perilla leaf and onion was genuinely delicious.
• The boneless dak-bokkeumtang used only thigh meat in a rich, spicy sauce — no dry bits, so the drinks kept flowing.
• Retro pocha vibe, soju in an ice bucket, and coin-exchange snacks made the whole night fun.

How busy is Maenggu Pocha at 6:30 pm?

We got there around 6:30 pm and there were still a few seats open when we walked in. By the time we ordered and looked around, almost every table was full.

Turns out this place does get a wait. There was a sign inside saying that when there's a waiting line, the time limit is capped at 2.5 hours.

Retro pocha atmosphere, like an outdoor tent bar in Gwang-an

The outside already looks like an old-school food cart, but inside it's even more fun. Colorful string lights, old movie posters, Shin-chan characters, walls covered in graffiti, and even an old arcade machine.

The front of the place is left wide open, so even sitting inside felt a bit like sitting at an outdoor tent bar. It's a completely different vibe from a cutely decorated wine bar — cozy, bustling, and perfect for a drink.

They also had baseball playing on a big screen, and plenty of tables were drinking while watching the game.

Autumn gizzard shad sashimi with perilla leaf and onion: ₩35,000

Gizzard shad sashimi (전어회), ₩35,000. This was the dish I was most looking forward to, and honestly, it turned out to be the most memorable of the night. The kind of dish that makes you understand why people eat gizzard shad in autumn.

The fish comes with tight little knife cuts and a generous bed of shredded perilla leaf and onion underneath. The gizzard shad is nutty on its own, but wrapping it with the perilla leaf and onion together with sauce made it so much better.

The gizzard shad's signature nutty flavor picks up the perilla leaf's fragrance, and the raw onion resets your palate so you just keep going. There's vinegar-gochujang and soy sauce on the side, but I especially liked pairing it with the minced ssamjang (spicy soybean paste) mixed with cheongyang chili. This wasn't a dish where you try a couple pieces and stop — chopsticks kept going back until the plate was empty. If I had to pick just one dish from that night to order again, it'd be the gizzard shad sashimi.

Boneless dak-bokkeumtang made only with thigh meat: ₩21,000

Boneless dak-bokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken), ₩21,000. While we were still working on the sashimi, a big pot landed on the table, loaded with ramen noodles, rice cakes, and green onion — a pretty generous portion.

What I liked most was that all the chicken was tender thigh meat. With dak-bokkeumtang, you sometimes hit a dry piece of breast meat and lose interest, but there was none of that here, so we ate until the very end.

The sauce wasn't a watery, mild style either — it was rich and spicy. As it simmers, the sauce soaks into the ramen noodles and the broth thickens, which is when it gets even better. Pairing something cold and nutty like the sashimi with something hot and spicy like the dak-bokkeumtang was a great combination. Two of us ate it and scraped the pot clean.

Soju in an ice bucket and the free side snacks

Drinks: draft beer ₩5,000, soju ₩5,500.

When we ordered soju, it came bottle and all, packed into a big bowl full of ice. Sounds like a small thing, but on a long night out, the later bottles usually go lukewarm — here it stayed cold the whole time. Since it's Busan soju in Gwang-an, we went with Busan 16 Gatmaegi. We started with a cold draft beer and moved on to soju after.

Even the water wasn't just plain water — they served cold roasted barley tea instead. I personally love these little details, so even the water tasted good.

The basic side snacks were sweet ggeonppang (hardtack biscuits), black beans, and tangy radish — good for nibbling between drinks.

Old-school snacks you trade coins for at Maenggu Pocha

Maenggu Pocha has its own house coins. You can take the coins you're given and trade them for snacks at a little corner set up for it — more fun than I expected.

There was a whole row of old-school snacks like jjondeugi (chewy taffy), tangy Saekomjjang, and Nemo Snack, which felt like browsing a childhood corner store and fit the retro concept perfectly. The staff were friendly too, and with all the various events going on, it felt less like just eating at a bar and more like a night out.

There's even a real fish tank at the entrance, and plenty to look at around the place.

What two people ordered, and what to order again

Honestly, before visiting, I thought it'd just be 'a fun-concept pocha in Gwang-an.' But the gizzard shad sashimi was great, and the dak-bokkeumtang was great too. The food ended up sticking with me more than the interior or the events.

Gizzard shad sashimi ₩35,000, boneless dak-bokkeumtang ₩21,000, one draft beer ₩5,000, two bottles of soju ₩11,000. Total ₩72,000. Between the two of us, having both the sashimi and the chicken meant a full meal along with drinks.

If you've come to Gwang-an and don't want to just look at the beach and leave, and you'd rather have a proper drink with real food in a lively, unpolished pocha atmosphere rather than a too-clean bar, this place fits well. I've already saved it on the map to go back next time I'm in Gwang-an. And when I do, I'm ordering the gizzard shad sashimi again first.

Who Maenggu Pocha Gwang-an suits best

Good for anyone in Gwang-an who wants both atmosphere and good food, anyone who wants raw fish alongside a spicy braised dish, and anyone who likes a busy, outdoor-tent-style pocha.

Waiting, parking and restrooms: what to know before you go

If you need a quiet conversation or a private, calm setting, this might feel a bit loud. There's also only one unisex restroom inside.

I'd order the gizzard shad sashimi again. If the season changes and gizzard shad isn't available, I'd check whatever seasonal sashimi is on at that time and pair it with one hot soup-based dish.

Maenggu Pocha Gwang-an Main Branch Address: 72 Namcheonbada-ro 33beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, South Korea, 1st floor About 585m from Geumnyeonsan Station Exit 1 Opens: 18:00 Parking: No on-site parking; use nearby paid/public lots Restroom: One unisex restroom inside; a public restroom nearby outside Ordered: Gizzard shad sashimi ₩35,000 / Boneless dak-bokkeumtang ₩21,000 / Draft beer ₩5,000 / Soju ₩5,500 x2 Total for two: ₩72,000 2.5-hour time limit applies when there's a wait