Grilled cheese dakgalbi and okonomiyaki at Gaebong pocha: Apgujeong

One minute from Gaebong Station Exit 1: where to find Apgujeong Sinpocha

It's just a one-minute walk from Gaebong Station Exit 1, so being this close to the station is great!

• 🚩 Hours: daily 18:00–03:00
• 🅿️ Use nearby parking lots (no parking at the store)
• Naver reservations available (call ahead for groups of 5+)

It's on the 2nd floor of the building — just head up the stairs next to the red odeng (fish cake) stand!

The inside vibe and group seating

The interior! I came here once or twice earlier this year when this place was called Nikai86, but I usually don't look at the 2nd floor when I pass by, so I had no idea it had changed!! The menu overlaps and the owner still mentions their 13 years in the restaurant business, so it looks like it's the same owner! Seems like they renovated from an izakaya into a pocha haha.

The interior vibe was kept the same. Cherry blossoms! There's seating for up to 8 people so group visits seem doable, but the place is small so calling ahead is a must for group visits!

Order 2 dishes, get soju for ₩3,000

The menu!! My photo's a bit blurry, oops. If you order two menu items, there's a deal — soju for ₩3,000, beer for ₩4,000! It works for main+side combos, and you don't need to order both at once — the discount still applies if you order the second one later!

These days a bottle of soju is ₩5,000–6,000, so getting double for the same price here is great!! I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to drink in Gaebong-dong. There are plenty of other drink options too, not just soju and beer!

There was also a Naver receipt review event.

Grilled cheese dakgalbi with an added rice ball

The basic sides were sweet simple salt-stick crackers and pickled radish. First up, we ordered the grilled cheese dakgalbi (buldak flavor) with an added rice ball! For the grilled and stir-fried dishes, they don't use generic sauce products like Ottogi or Chungjungwon — they use their own homemade sauce!

Grilled cheese dakgalbi!! Doesn't it look so delicious 🥰

The rice ball came out too, so we rolled it up round and round. I usually just eat it scooped out, but it had been a while since I rolled one myself. Watching the cheese stretch made my mouth water for no reason.

Eating the cheese with the chicken together! There was rice cake mixed in too, and it was so good. Soft and chewy~~ It's buldak (fire chicken) flavored, but thanks to the cheese it wasn't as spicy as I expected! Not spicy enough to make you wince. The sauce was seriously delicious. Highly recommend this side dish spot near Gaebong Station!!

The sauce was so good it made me want to eat it with rice! It's delicious with the rice ball 😋 I was hungry so I ate heartily and ended up ordering one more dish! Okonomiyaki with added buldak mayo sauce!!

Complimentary jjondeuki (Korean taffy snack)

The owner gave us jjondeuki on the house, even bringing out a burner to grill it! I've never grilled jjondeuki myself before, haha.

I tried grilling it a bit but burned the edges, so I just decided to eat it as is, haha.

Okonomiyaki topped with buldak mayo sauce

I was curious since it was my first time trying okonomiyaki with buldak mayo sauce!! A lot of places use frozen okonomiyaki, but the menu at Apgujeong Sinpocha said theirs isn't frozen — they mix and cook the batter themselves. The effort is impressive 👍

It's the familiar okonomiyaki everyone knows, but dipped exactly in buldak mayo sauce!! It paired really well. The teriyaki sauce gave the sweet-and-salty balance, while the buldak mayo added spice, so you could enjoy sweet, salty, and spicy all at once.

We didn't add bacon, but there was already a generous amount of big bacon chunks in it!! Ordering two dishes brought the soju price down from ₩5,000 to ₩3,000. Since it got cheaper, we ordered one more simple dish to snack on.

Fried chicken skin for when you want to keep drinking

And here's the fried chicken skin!! I was a bit full, but it's a great side dish for when you want to keep drinking! The portion is pretty big, right?? It came with mustard and seasoned chicken sauce! There were one or two pieces that were just fried batter without skin, but I love the crispy coating so it was still delicious 😋

Overall, everything was tasty and affordable — a great spot!!! Next time I'd like to try the soup menu too. If you're looking for good food in Gaebong-dong/near Gaebong Station, come to Apgujeong Sinpocha~~

Restroom location

The restroom is on the 2nd floor! Open the store door, go out, and follow the path — you'll see it right away. The door code is posted next to the store door, for reference. And bring your own tissue! It's unisex, but once you go through the shared door, it's well separated inside so it felt divided enough. No smell and perfectly usable.

Exploration score

This is a very subjective opinion, so please take it just as a reference.

• Taste: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
• Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Would revisit 👌