Sinchon bar in Seoul: ramyeon sari and flying fish roe fried rice

Wondering what to eat on a Sunday evening that would actually feel like a proper meal, I ended up at Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Sinchon Branch! The weather's been getting cooler lately and I was craving something spicy and hearty at a pojangmacha (street-food-style bar) with a drink on the side haha.

A walk from Sinchon Station

Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Sinchon Branch is easy enough to find along the Sinchon bar street. It's within walking distance of Sinchon Station too, so the location looked good for setting up a meetup and continuing on to a second or third round!

Retro pojangmacha vibes inside

The moment you step inside, you get that classic retro pojangmacha feel! It's indoors, but decorated with a vintage street-tent look, giving it a different vibe from the sleek, clean bars that are everywhere these days.

We got lucky with a window seat! The weather was cool and clear that day, so opening the window gave it that outdoor pojangmacha feeling too haha.

And true to a Sinchon bar near the university area, they run a year-round promotion: ₩3,900 soju and ₩2,900 beer. These days soju is ₩6,000 if you go to Gangnam, so seeing this price was kind of touching ^^... A pretty great deal for students who love to drink or anyone here for a casual round!

What's on the menu

The Yeokjeon Pojangmacha menu has gopdori-tang along with all kinds of other pojangmacha bar snacks you'd expect, plus a separate odeng (fish cake skewer) bar. Total Sinchon bar feel — great for ordering a bunch of things with friends and drinking.

But we had a clear mission from the start haha. What we ordered first was Korean beef gopdori-tang (small) with added ramyeon sari (medium spice), and egg rice for my friend who can't eat a meal without a mountain of rice. I skipped the rice so I could enjoy the flying fish roe fried rice more later ^^ Honestly, I'm the type who orders gopdori-tang just for the fried rice at the end...

Korean beef gopdori-tang + ramyeon sari

Slowly coming to a boil. Cheers, let's dig in 🍻 The Korean beef gopdori-tang comes pre-cooked, so once the ramyeon and mushrooms are done you can eat it all together!

Personally, I highly recommend adding the ramyeon sari! Noodles soaked in that broth are genuinely great as a drinking snack, and just as good as a meal on their own. Truly gorgeous... noodles and glass noodles... 🥺

They use domestic boneless chicken thigh, so it wasn't dry at all — so tender! The daechang (beef intestine) was nutty and paired well with the spicy broth too, so my friend and I dug in eagerly. We ordered medium spice and it landed around Shin Ramyeon level, which felt just right, not lacking at all! Personally the seasoning was a bit strong, but adding a little water while it simmered stretched the portion and balanced the seasoning perfectly — total win 👍 haha. If you like spicy, punchy drinking food, I'd recommend Korean beef gopdori-tang when you're deciding on a Sinchon bar menu!

Finishing with flying fish roe and diced radish fried rice (self-made)

Isn't the real charm of gopdori-tang the fried rice at the end? (Strongly agreed.) Even with a full stomach, I couldn't skip the fried rice, so I ordered it right away. Diced radish and flying fish roe come out prepped with fragrant sesame oil, and I was already drooling..

The fried rice is self-made, so I gave it a try — pretty talented, right? 😏 Just fry the rice thoroughly in the leftover gopdori-tang broth and you're done!

The popping flying fish roe and the occasional crunch of diced radish cut through the richness, so even though I kept telling myself to stop, my chopsticks kept going back ㅜ

To sum up

Overall, Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Sinchon Branch was a great spot to grab a casual drink with friends or when you're craving spicy drinking food. With its retro pojangmacha vibe, it's a good fit for people looking for a Sinchon bar to chat comfortably in, rather than a quiet, mood-setting bar. 🤍 We left fully satisfied after properly working through the Korean beef gopdori-tang, ramyeon sari, and flying fish roe fried rice.

Next time I want to come with a bigger group and try the odeng bar and other pojangmacha menu items too :) If you're looking for a place in Sinchon for a spicy gopdori-tang and a casual drink, give this Sinchon bar, Yeokjeon Pojangmacha Sinchon Branch, a try!