Hongdae poke and chicken bowls at Slow Cali, a Seoul restaurant

A poke meal near Hongdae Entrance Station

I visited Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch (슬로우캘리 홍대입구역점), a popular poke spot in Hongdae!

Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch is on the first floor at 9 Sinchon-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. It is open daily from 10:00 to 23:00, with last orders at 22:40 and no separate break time. Takeout and delivery are available too, and it is only about a 3–5 minute walk from exits 4–5 of Hongdae Entrance Station, so it is pretty easy to get to.

It is on the ground floor along the main Sinchon-ro road, so it was not hard to find even on my first visit!

You can order at the kiosk, haha.

Solo-dining bar seats and a self-serve sauce bar

The interior was nice and tidy! Poke places are usually quite cramped, but Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch was actually fairly spacious. There were bar seats too, and quite a few people had come to eat alone.

The self-serve sauce bar had sriracha, mayonnaise, and wasabi oil, haha. There were even tips on how to enjoy them, so after eating with the sauce I had originally chosen, it was nice to try Slow Cali's recommended self-serve sauces too! But wow, the wasabi oil was much stronger than I expected, haha!

Salmon poke and black pepper chicken bowl

We ordered two things that day: salmon poke and the black pepper chicken bowl!

Salmon poke with the signature sauce

First up was Slow Cali's signature salmon poke. It comes with fresh salmon, scallions, edamame, flying fish roe, onion flakes, seaweed, red cabbage, and furikake (Japanese rice seasoning).

I chose the standard signature sauce. With little bits of all the different toppings mixed in, every bite had a different texture, which I loved~ The salmon chunks were generous, and there were plenty of vegetables and toppings too, so I was happy with it. You can choose from brown rice & salad, buckwheat noodles & salad, or salad only for the base, so you can pick based on whether you want something filling or light that day! I picked brown rice because I wanted a proper meal, haha.

A chicken bowl that feels like a hidden gem

Tender chicken thigh comes with black pepper sauce, broccoli, bell peppers, baked beans, onion flakes, whole peppercorns, and more! This one felt a little more like a hearty rice bowl? I had no idea Slow Cali served dishes like this too—it was a hidden gem. So tasty..

Both dishes felt easy on the stomach, which was nice! And the portions were not secretly skimpy either, so I felt quite full after finishing them.

They did not feel like we had ordered two similar salad dishes, so they worked really well for alternating between, haha. If poke alone might feel a little lacking for you, I think the black pepper chicken bowl would suit you better; if you want something clean and fresh, I recommend the salmon poke! I chose the salmon poke and my friend chose the black pepper one, but eventually we just took turns eating both together!!

Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch was a good stop when I wanted a proper meal in Hongdae without anything too heavy. It has well-set-up solo seats and is close to Hongdae Entrance Station, so it seems like an easy place to drop into if you are looking for Hongdae poke, a Hongdae salad, or a meal for one :)