Late-night poke takeout open till 11pm in Hongdae: Slow Cali

Slow, Cali — a Hongdae poke and salad spot

This post is going to be pretty biased, haha. I found my favorite poke salad place ever!

I'm the type who needs rice even when eating salad, so poke-style bowls with a proper amount of rice suit me way better than plain leafy salads. There are tons of poke salad brands popping up these days, but I hadn't found one that felt like "this is the one" — so I've been wandering around like a nomad trying different places, and I finally got around to trying Slow Cali, a name I'd heard for ages. Honestly, it's a shame it took me this long to try something this good.

Unlike your average salad shop, the ingredients here felt so fresh, the portions were huge, and the composition was solid enough to make it a satisfying, healthy meal. Here's my review of the Hongdae branch of Slow Cali.

Where is Slow Cali Hongdae and what are its hours?

Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch is on the 1st floor at 9 Sinchon-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea, fairly close to Exit 5 of Hongik University Station. It's open 10:00–23:00, last order at 22:40, and closed on Chuseok day, September 25.

There are also Yeonnam, Sinchon, and Ewha branches nearby in a row, which shows just how popular this Hongdae poke spot is.

Most places around here close by 9pm at the latest, so it's always disappointing when you want to eat late and there's nowhere to go. But Slow Cali Hongdae stays open until 11pm, so you can eat whenever you feel like it, and takeout and delivery are both available too — I really appreciated that.

Inside Slow Cali: seating and atmosphere

Slow Cali's signature color is a blue that brings a cool, ocean feel — you'll spot the blue signage right away. The interior is clean and simple, with both dine-in and takeout pickup available.

There are regular tables as well as bar-style seating that's great for eating solo!

What we ordered at Slow Cali: all-in-one poke and hanger steak bowl

I ordered two things: the all-in-one poke with three types of fresh seafood — salmon, tuna, and octopus — and the hanger steak bowl. Prices were reasonable, and I was surprised at how fast it came out! I picked it up and headed straight home.

On the left is the all-in-one poke, on the right the hanger steak bowl.

Hanger steak poke bowl: how does the beef taste?

A steak bowl piled high with hanger steak!

I knew the portion would be big, but not this big. Underneath the meat there's brown rice, broccoli, chicory, bell pepper, and onion flakes, and the sauce isn't poured on separately — it's already drizzled on when it arrives.

Hanger steak is one of those beef cuts that turns tough easily if it's not cooked right, so it's actually a tricky one to get right — but this was so tender, cooked with no gamey smell at all, and made for a really filling meal. It had that grilled-steak vibe with a faint smoky char, and it was seriously delicious — I'm thinking about it again just writing this, ugh.

All-in-one poke with salmon, tuna and octopus

The all-in-one poke with three kinds of seafood: salmon, tuna, and octopus.

It felt like hoedeopbap (raw fish mixed rice), but the combination of vegetables was unique enough that it had its own distinct feel. It comes with brown rice, edamame, red cabbage, seaweed flakes, flying fish roe, and sesame seeds, and the seafood was well-trimmed.

You mix in the recommended soy sauce dressing, and even the octopus — a seafood that's notoriously tricky to prep and can turn chewy easily — was just as tender as the salmon or tuna, and it went down really easily.

The salmon and tuna also blended together really well, and it left me as full as a hearty bowl of hoedeopbap. Once again, I'm reminded that there's a reason everyone says this place is good — I think I'll be back soon. That's it for this Hongdae poke and salad spot, Slow Cali. Enjoy your meal :)