Gangnam bar for vongole soju stew: Yeongdong Pocha

Whenever I’m wondering where to go for outdoor drinking in Nonhyeon-dong, there’s one seat I check almost out of habit. It’s at the entrance to the stairs leading up to Yeongdong Pocha’s second floor: one round table sitting all by itself.

I’ve been to Yeongdong Pocha more than 10 times, but honestly, I look for this seat before I look at the place. If it’s empty, I sit down immediately; if someone’s there, I give it another look with envious eyes. It’s my absolute favorite spot. This time, I got lucky again and ordered vongole soju stew and soju.

• The single outdoor table at the stair entrance is Yeongdong Pocha’s true prime seat, with a clear view over Nonhyeon-dong’s restaurant alley.
• Vongole soju stew works beautifully with soju: pick out the clams and shrimp, then finish with noodles infused with the broth.
• You can walk over from Sinnonhyeon Station, but Nonhyeon Station Exit 3 is actually closer at 246 m.

Yeongdong Pocha’s second-floor terrace outdoor-drinking atmosphere

Yeongdong Pocha has a separate second-floor terrace outdoor area fitted with red tenting and clear wind screens.

That side has several round tables, so it’s good for a larger group or for enjoying a more classic outdoor-drinking atmosphere.

The prime stair-side seat overlooking the restaurant alley

The seat I mean is lower down than that, at the entrance to the stairs. It’s a round table tucked right beside them. There’s just one table sitting there, and if you pull up the blue pocha (Korean street-bar) chairs, it can seat about five people.

Best of all, the main street of Nonhyeon-dong’s restaurant alley stretches right out below the railing. You can take in the people and cars moving through the alley and the tightly packed glow of the signs all at once, so it really feels like sitting at a roadside pocha.

Have drinks here on a cool day and even the most ordinary conversation goes on for ages. There’s a reason I’ve come back more than 10 times. The only problem is that there’s only one of these tables, so competition is fierce.

Inside, the atmosphere is relaxed, with round pocha tables and simple stools. Rather than a neatly styled izakaya, it feels more like a neighborhood pocha where the sounds of glasses clinking together from different tables all mingle.

The outdoor area has red tenting and clear wind screens, so it feels more secure than a completely exposed street-side seat. There are separate restrooms for men and women farther inside, and I also saw a separate smoking area, which makes it easy to step away in the middle of a drinking session.

It’s walkable for anyone looking for an outdoor bar near Sinnonhyeon Station, but if you’re taking the subway, Nonhyeon Station Exit 3 is the easiest. Walk down into the restaurant alley and look for the Seokam Fresh Salt-Grilled Pork sign on the first floor; Yeongdong Pocha is on the second floor of that building.

Vongole soju stew, from clams to noodles

The vongole soju stew arrives in a large silver pot piled high with clams. Shrimp and scallions peek out among the Manila clams and hard clams, and you cook it right at the table on a portable burner as it bubbles away.

The broth first brings a savory, salty umami from the clams, followed by a gentle spicy kick. It isn’t an overly spicy or heavy soup, so it’s great for spooning up after a shot of soju. The longer it boiled, the more deeply the clam flavor steeped into the broth, and I reached for it more from the middle onward than I did with the first spoonful.

There’s fun in opening the Manila clams one by one, while the hard clams have bigger meat and more of a bite. You can also pick out plump shrimp along the way, so it feels less repetitive than eating clams continuously.

There were plenty of clams too—enough that the empty shells quickly piled up in the bucket.

For the basic snack, they bring crispy ramyeon-ttang, crushed and fried instant noodles. Once you start picking at it while waiting for the main dish, it’s hard to stop—the perfect pocha-style beginning.

Finish with pasta noodles soaked in broth

Vongole soju stew isn’t a dish that ends after the clams. Once you’ve picked out a good amount of them, eating the noodles with the broth shifts the mood from clam soup toward vongole pasta.

The noodles soak up the salty, gently spicy clam broth. The garlic and clam umami come through more intensely in the noodles than when you just spoon up the broth, and the chewy strands give you that satisfying, filling carb finish.

With one stew carrying you through clam snacks, broth, and noodles, the drinking table never felt sparse even without spreading out lots of dishes. The vongole soju stew was ₩25,000 and two bottles of soju were ₩6,000 each, for a total of ₩37,000 that day.

We set the stew bubbling in the center of the table, watched baseball, and drank soju—time goes quickly on a day like that. Open a clam, take a spoonful of broth, then another shot of soju. No complicated explanation is needed beyond that order.

Who the stair-side outdoor table suits

Yeongdong Pocha is not a bar for quiet conversation or cushioned chairs. It suits people who enjoy the signature sounds of outdoor drinking and the movement of the alley as part of the atmosphere.

Especially since the stair-side seat I love is the only one, there’s no guarantee you can sit there whenever you want. Still, if I find it empty on a cool evening, there’s no reason to consider anywhere else.

My conclusion after more than 10 visits to Yeongdong Pocha is simple. The red-tented terrace is nice too, but the round table beside the stairs, looking right down onto the restaurant alley, is the real deal. Once the vongole soju stew starts bubbling, the exact scene you hope for in a Nonhyeon-dong outdoor drinking spot is complete.

• People who want to drink at an outdoor table overlooking Nonhyeon-dong’s restaurant alley.
• It’s a good fit for anyone who wants clams, broth, and noodles in one dish.
• It may not suit you if quiet conversation, cushioned seats, or a guaranteed outdoor table matter most.
• If the single outdoor table by the stair entrance is empty, I plan to sit there again.
• I’d order the same pairing again: vongole soju stew for food and soju for drinks.

Before visiting, I recommend checking Naver Map again for the hours and current seating arrangement.