Songu-ri, Pocheon hot pot restaurant with fish cake skewers: Haepumgye

I was looking for somewhere to eat a solid family meal in Pocheon and ended up at Haepumgye Pocheon Main Branch (해품계 포천본점). Haepumgye's signature dish is haesintang, a seafood and chicken hot pot where you get both in one pot!

It looked hearty in photos, but seeing it in person was another level — the pot itself was huge, and it was packed with octopus, all kinds of seafood, and a whole chicken. Since I love seafood, I was most curious how much octopus would actually be in there, and I was happy to see a big whole octopus right on top haha.

It was a great Songu-ri, Pocheon restaurant for a nourishing meal — perfect for eating with parents or a group looking for something restorative.

Where is Haepumgye Pocheon Main Branch, and is parking free?

Haepumgye Pocheon Main Branch is at 경기 포천시 소흘읍 솔모루로 164 A동 1층. It's open Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00-21:30, with last order at 20:30.

• Address: 경기 포천시 소흘읍 솔모루로 164 A동 1층
• Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–21:30
• Last order: 20:30
• Other: free parking, group seating, reservations, baby chairs, kids' playroom

You can park in front of or behind the building, so it's easy to visit by car. It's also a convenient stop while traveling around Pocheon, and it's accessible on foot from the Songugyo bus stop.

Inside Haepumgye: the kids' playroom and the self-bar

Walking into Haepumgye Pocheon Main Branch, the first thing I noticed was how spacious and clean it felt. With wood-tone interiors and rattan-style lighting, it had a bright, tidy feel rather than the older, worn atmosphere you sometimes get at boshiktang (nourishing food) restaurants.

The tables weren't cramped and there was plenty of seating, so it looked like a good spot for family meals or group gatherings. There was a separate self-bar where you could grab extra banchan (side dishes) or vegetables, and a separate area set up for tea.

And while I was taking photos, I noticed a kids' playroom! There was a slide and other play equipment set up inside the restaurant, which would make things a lot easier for families dining with young kids.

After finishing the meal, there was also tea available for dessert. They had sujeonggwa (cinnamon-persimmon punch), plum tea, and gyeolmyeongja tea (sicklepod seed tea), and I had a warm cup on my way out. Ending a rich, heavy meal with a warm cup of tea was really nice.

What we ordered at Haepumgye: Haepum Haesintang for 3–4, 70,000 won

We ordered Haepumgye's signature dish, the Haepum Haesintang for 3-4 people at ₩70,000. It's a menu where you can enjoy seafood, chicken, and vegetables together.

On the table ordering screen, the haesintang was based on a whole domestic chicken, plus octopus, small octopus, shrimp, mushrooms, fish cake, and vegetables. Rather than ordering several different dishes, we ordered just the one Haepum Haesintang and dug in properly.

How big is the octopus in Haepumgye's Haepum Haesintang?

When the pot first arrived, the size was what caught my eye first. A whole chicken sat inside a big pot, topped with a generous pile of napa cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, and other vegetables — it looked like a lot of food just from the visual.

As it simmered a bit, the ingredients underneath started to show — octopus, shellfish, shrimp, and other seafood were all in there too. The octopus in particular was really big!!

With haesintang, it can be a bit disappointing if the octopus is small, but here you could tell just from photos that the octopus was thick and large, which personally satisfied me. Once the cooked seafood was plated separately, the size of the octopus stood out even more haha.

I cut the octopus into bite-sized pieces and dipped it in chojang (vinegar-chili sauce) — it was chewy and delicious. I also picked out clams and shrimp one at a time, and after eating a good amount of seafood, moved on to the whole chicken, so it felt like getting several dishes out of one menu, which made it feel even more generous.

From the seafood to the whole boiled chicken

After eating my fill of seafood, I tried the whole chicken sitting inside the pot. Having simmered a long time, the chicken had absorbed more flavor from the broth and the meat had cooked soft enough to pull apart easily with chopsticks.

The chicken had a good amount of meat on it, and after the seafood, eating the chicken too made the portion feel really generous. As the broth kept simmering, it got richer and richer with flavor from both the seafood and chicken. We ate bok choy and mung bean sprouts along with the chicken, and pairing it with side dishes from the self-bar kept it from feeling too heavy.

Piling vegetables or kimchi on top of a piece of chicken, like in the photo, was pretty tasty too. So if you're looking for a Songu-ri, Pocheon Korean restaurant to visit with parents who love Korean food, this menu setup would work well.

Adding self-bar fish cake skewers to the pot

Once we'd eaten a fair amount, we added the extra vegetables and fish cake we'd been given. The fish cake skewers had soaked up plenty of broth, so they were great to fish out here and there, and it felt like a more varied meal than just eating chicken and seafood the whole time.

Continuing to fish out seafood, vegetables, chicken, and fish cake from the same pot, the meal ended up going on longer than I expected haha.

True to a dish meant for 3-4 people, the portion was generous, and it worked well as a lunch or dinner with family. Since they open from lunchtime, it's also a good Songu-ri, Pocheon lunch spot if you want a hearty, restorative meal before continuing on with your trip around Pocheon.

Dessert teas at Haepumgye: sujeonggwa, plum tea, gyeolmyeongja tea

After eating my fill, I used the tea corner set up on one side of Haepumgye. They had sujeonggwa, plum tea, and gyeolmyeongja tea ready, and I got a warm cup to drink~

It was already a pretty filling meal with the seafood and whole chicken, and finishing with a warm cup of tea made for a clean ending. Having these small touches in place made me think it'd be a comfortable place to bring my parents.

Is Haepumgye Pocheon Main Branch worth it? Final verdict

What stuck with me most about Haepumgye Pocheon Main Branch was being able to eat octopus, various seafood, vegetables, and whole chicken all generously from one pot! The octopus in the Haepum Haesintang was especially big, which was satisfying as a seafood lover, and being able to move from seafood to soft, well-cooked chicken made it feel like a proper full meal.

The restaurant itself was spacious and clean, and with a self-bar, a kids' playroom, and dessert teas like plum tea, sujeonggwa, and gyeolmyeongja tea, it looked comfortable for a family visit~ If you're looking for a Songu-ri, Pocheon restaurant for a hearty, restorative meal with parents, or a Songu-ri, Pocheon Korean restaurant for a group to share while traveling, give Haepumgye's Haepum Haesintang a try.