Itaewon Pocha
Korean restaurant · Midtown West ·
Inventive Korean fusion eats, soju cocktails & DJ nights
Inventive Korean fusion eats, soju cocktails & DJ nights
"Itaewon Pocha is modeled after typical bars in Seoul, and while drinking cocktails that taste like they’re equal parts sugar and soju may sound reckless, this neon-lit gastropub serves exactly the kind of Korean comfort food you need to soak up a ton of booze. Get an order of cheesy rice cakes mixed with lots of seafood—and don’t skip the bulgogi fries. This is a late-night place, so come after 10pm for the full experience, and try not to fall off your little plastic stool." - kenny yang, carina finn koeppicus, bryan kim, neha talreja, nikko duren, hannah albertine
"At Itaewon Pocha, you’ll drink a bunch of cocktails that taste like they’re equal parts sugar and soju. That might sound reckless, but this neon-lit Korean gastropub serves exactly the kind of food you need to soak up a ton of booze. Get some kimchi dumplings smothered in a cream sauce as well as an order of cheesy rice cakes mixed with a ton of seafood—and don’t skip the bulgogi fries. This is a late-night place, so come after 10pm for the full experience, and try not to fall off your little plastic stool." - bryan kim, kenny yang, hannah albertine, matt tervooren
"At Itaewon Pocha, you’ll drink a bunch of cocktails that taste like they’re equal parts sugar and soju. That might sound reckless, but this neon-lit Korean gastropub in K-Town serves exactly the kind of food you need to soak up a ton of booze. Get some kimchi dumplings smothered in a cream sauce, an order of cheesy rice cakes mixed with a ton of seafood, and don’t skip the bulgogi fries. It's open until 4am on weekends and 2am on other days—bring a few friends after 10pm for the full experience, and try not to fall off your little plastic stool." - willa moore, will hartman, neha talreja, bryan kim, sonal shah
"There are many (many) places to drink in Koreatown. Why do we love Itaewon Pocha? The second-floor bar is covered in string lights and customers belt out K-pop hits pretty much until last call. Bottles of soju and beer are affordable, and the food menu is full of snacks — kimchi pancakes, fried dumplings — that pair well with a drink. Itaewon is located one floor below Gagopa, a late-night karaoke lounge with private rooms." - Eater Staff
"I dug into a stainless-steel stew of tteokbokki with tempura vegetables, pan-fried dumplings, and a sweeter gochujang called “ketchup sauce” ($23) at this second-floor Koreatown bar where NewJeans is always on the playlist; it’s quintessential drinking food — greasy, salty, and carby — and we obliged the ritual of shaking a small whirlpool into a bottle of Chamisul before drinking." - Eater Staff
