Yeongdeungpo izakaya with matcha beer and highballs: Ho Samchon

I was looking for a good spot to have drinks with friends and ended up at Ho Samchon. It sits in the Yeongdeungpo food alley across from Yeongdeungpo Market, surrounded by enough restaurants and bars that it's easy to pick as a meeting point.

This time I wasn't just after drinks — I wanted good food to go with a wide range of drinks, and Ho Samchon delivered. The menu had plenty of options, the space was big, and there were group tables, which makes it a solid choice for Yeongdeungpo work dinners or larger gatherings.

Where is Ho Samchon Yeongdeungpo Main Branch, and when is it open?

• 📍Location: 2F, 4 Yeongdeungpo-ro 46-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (호삼촌 영등포본점)
• 🕖Hours: Daily 17:00–02:00 (last order 01:00)
• ✔️Private hire available / anniversary perks

The sign is huge and marked '2F,' right across from the traditional market in the Yeongdeungpo food alley, so it wasn't hard to find at all.

The old telephone door handle and mirror photo spot

Right at the entrance there was a fun little design touch — the door handle is shaped like an old-fashioned telephone. A small prop like that sets the mood for the whole space, and it got me curious the moment I walked in. You push the phone to get inside, haha👍

There's also a large mirror right up front that works great as a photo zone. Props are set up on either side of the door, so it's easy to take fun photos and make some memories.

Purple lighting and group tables at Ho Samchon

The first thing that caught my eye walking in was the pink-and-purple lighting. Kind of a SoundCloud vibe, haha. The soft purple glow gave the whole place a hip yet relaxed feel, which suited drinks with friends really well🥳

The space overall is fairly spacious with generous gaps between tables, making it easy for a bigger group to visit together. There are also group tables, so it looked well suited for a Yeongdeungpo work dinner or a large gathering of friends.

It also has an open kitchen setup, so you can see part of the cooking area, and it looked clean and well kept, which made ordering food feel comfortable from a hygiene standpoint too. The staff were friendly when we ordered, so overall it was an easy, low-pressure place to eat and drink.

Carbo chicken: the anju almost everyone likes

First, we were given a complimentary chicken drumstick snack. It was sweet and spicy enough that you keep reaching for beer or a cocktail to go with it, haha.

So I ordered the citrus beer. The drink menu was way more varied than I expected — lots of sweet cocktails and fruit beers that seemed designed to win women over — and picking was genuinely a lot of fun.

There's a layer of citrus syrup at the bottom — stir it well and you get a refreshing, sweet beer.

We also ordered one of the signature dishes, the carbo chicken. As the name suggests, it's fried chicken with carbonara sauce, a combination different enough from typical chicken that I had to try it out of curiosity.

Quite the presentation! The chicken was fried crisp on the outside with great texture, and the carbonara sauce on top was much less greasy than I expected, pairing well. The sauce itself was smooth and nutty, so paired with the crispy chicken the flavor felt richer and deeper🤍

What I really liked was the heap of jalapeños and olives on top, which cut the richness. Chicken with creamy sauce can get heavy fast, but the sharp kick of jalapeño and the salty punch of olives kept me reaching for more. There was a generous pile of onion too, adding texture.

Two pieces of bread came on top as well, perfect for dipping in the carbo sauce. It's a solid dish to order as an appetizer for drinks, great to share while sipping beer or a highball — I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a different kind of appetizer at a Yeongdeungpo bar👍

A drinks list wide enough to make choosing fun

Ho Samchon isn't just about the food — the drink lineup is just as varied.

After starting light and refreshing with citrus beer and an orange highball, I ordered something called the Ho Samchon highball, and it was completely my style — why did I only find this now? I honestly want to try recreating this highball recipe!

They have everything from familiar beers like Terra Light to more unusual drinks, so you can pick based on your taste, which I really appreciated.

A Yeongdeungpo bar that even pours matcha beer

One of the fun drinks at Ho Samchon was the matcha beer. I didn't order it myself, but matcha beer is rare enough to spot, haha — the exact kind I've seen in Japan! Unlike bars that only serve regular draft beer, having this kind of unusual option on the menu makes it a fun place for anyone who likes trying new drinks.

The Ho Samchon highball: hongcho vinegar drink meets Powerade

This Ho Samchon highball is honestly something everyone should try at least once..! It's a mix of hongcho (fruit vinegar drink) and Powerade, so it feels totally different from a regular highball — sweet and tangy, and it paired really well with food!

We also got to try Chum Churum 20° Classic, which I hadn't seen before, haha. Not a bad choice instead of the usual red-label Chamisul.

First time seeing Chum Churum Classic, kind of neat lol

Oh, and my husband apparently liked the sauce so much he just mixed the chicken snack right into it, lol

He kept stirring it together, which was so funny — made me think, yeah, this sauce would work for Western palates too, haha

There's also a review event running, and seats were available all over, so you shouldn't have to worry about finding a spot.

Is Ho Samchon worth a night out in Yeongdeungpo?

Overall, Ho Samchon was a comfortable pub for drinks with friends in the Yeongdeungpo food alley, and it also works well for a date.

• Spacious floor and group tables make it good for Yeongdeungpo work dinners or larger gatherings
• Open kitchen keeps the dining experience feeling clean
• Fun design touches like the purple lighting and old rotary-phone door handle, plus a photo zone
• A range of appetizers that pair well with drinks, like the carbo chicken
• A wide drinks selection — citrus beer, matcha beer, Ho Samchon highball, orange highball — to pick based on taste

If you're looking for a good-vibe bar in Yeongdeungpo, right in the food alley across from Yeongdeungpo Market, where the atmosphere and the menu both deliver, this is worth a visit for a get-together with friends or a work dinner.