Polkcha

Fun spot for a cocktail with cool vibes of a bustling city in Asia. We didnt try the food because we had dinner plans elsewhere. It might have been because it was Friday night or Halloween night but it was packed! We got lucky snagging 2 spots at the bar as people were leaving.

We were very excited to try this new cocktail bar and the experience did not disappoint! The cocktails were creative and fun. The best of all, the price was reasonable. Even though this bar just opened a week ago, the service was amazing. The bartender knew what they were doing! The space is tight but the staff was accommodating. There is a small waiting area in the front where you can order drinks while you wait. To ensure the exit path is not blocked, you are kindly informed to not stand behind the bar seats while waiting. Instead, the staff will come by and take your name down and call you when seating is available! I am very impressed how organized they were for a new business!

A new bar that includes some interesting drinks but lacks on delivery. On a Friday night, it was moderately busy with the choice of a UBE/ coconut infused cocktail and a Popsicle infused cocktail. The presentation was great, however, it might need some improvements in taste. I would recommend it.

I stumbled upon this bar while apartment hunting in the area, and it turned out to be the perfect little pit stop. The nighttime Asian market vibe was both effective and unique, setting a captivating atmosphere. The Asian-inspired drinks were beautifully crafted and offered a distinctive, memorable taste that truly added to the experience. Overall, a fantastic spot to unwind!

This took me back to those fun nights exploring the great street markets throughout Asia. The decor is bright and beautiful. I fell in love with the ube rum drink! Great menu, great staff, definitively a great addition to the already awesome bars on Polk St.

The decor is really cool and reminiscent of lit up streets full of nightlife in Asia, but the trendy drinks didn’t live up to the hype. We got a couple rounds of cocktails here and decided that overall they were not within our preferred palate. We of course had to try the popular Gwangjang and Kuroman cocktails but didn’t like either of them, as they tasted very medicinal. For the second round, we got the Hoi An (basically an espresso martini but with gin) and Night Owl. The Hoi An was the only drink we agreed tasted good, as the coffee flavour was on point. For some reason, the egg foam on top of the Night Owl smelled rotten, which made it very unpleasant and off-putting to drink. I’ve ordered many cocktails with egg foam at other bars and never experienced the egg whites smell this strong. They usually have a neutral scent or at most a very light egg-y smell. I would only recommend this place for their Vietnamese coffee cocktail or to those who don’t mind medicinal-tasting cocktails.

wonderful small bar with a concise drink menu with different options for different likes. the ube cocktail was quite good, just not much drink/mostly ice. i got a melona popsicle on its own. vibes were rly good, cute decor and lively

The team now, after renovation is amazing! This place is cool and futuristic! Super cool and very friendly. For sure Asian style, but is for everybody! MILLAN is the man! But the all crew is amazing, mkenna, Bryan, drew and Michael, yenum, gio ❤️❤️ fantastic people! Fantastic drinks!

I was sad when Trade Routes closed, but I was pleasantly surprised when it was re-opened and re-imagined as Polkcha! The decor is fun and colorful, and the menu is great. The bartenders always know their way around a bar and make excellent drinks and are super friendly to boot. I've been to several Thursday Trivia Nights, and the place gets packed and is a ton of fun. (That said, I'd avoid if you don't want to play trivia - there are other great places on Polk that will be less crowded.) There's no dance floor, so if a night on the town is in your plans, pop into Polkcha to pregame, or if you're looking for a more casual vibe.

My friend and I were visiting SF for a K-pop concert over the weekend and decided to check out Polkcha because we were intrigued by their Asian-inspired drinks. Plus, their clever Korean-inspired name pun was really fun! Ambiance: 5/5 Such a cool bar with awesome Asian-style decor that sets a great mood. It's a perfect spot for a date or hanging out with friends. Service: 5/5 Our bartender was incredibly nice and welcoming! We didn't realize they were closing soon, but he was still kind enough to make our drinks and let us take our time enjoying them without any rush. Drinks: - Gwangjang: 5/5 A twist on a Midori with a Melona bar! I rarely love drinks from bars since I don't do well with bitter flavors, but this drink was creamy with a slight kick of carbonation. Super dangerous in the best way--highly recommend! - Kuromon: 4/5 Not my favorite, but the little Polkcha bottle was adorable, and my friend really liked it! We had a great time here and wish we could've tried more drinks. This bar is definitely on our list for the next trip, and we'll be recommending it to friends!

Trade Routes rebranded into Polkcha! (But don't worry, they still do the Thursday Trivia!) Love the rebranding that was done here. Asian inspired decor inside and drinks that are actually tasty and not over done. I got to try the lychee drink called the Night Owl and their version of an espresso martini called Hoi An. Night owl was super refreshing, the egg white adds frothiness. The Hoi An had tonic in it which I wasn't the biggest fan of (I don't like carbonation) but still was yum. Also, the bartender was super fun and let us try his own personal drinks that he was creating which I believe should be on the menu because those drinks were delicious! Shout out Michael :-) See you on Thursdays for Trivia!

Polkcha is such a fun spot! I stopped by this weekend during my first trip to San Francisco, and I'm so glad I did. The bar is designed with so much attention to detail and the ambiance creates an inviting and moody homage to Asian markets. Onto the cocktails! We got a few to try, and they were all so unique and bold. BACK-BAY (sesame-washed whiskey, meletti, sichuan-oolong amaro) - strong take on an old fashioned. It was smokey and non-traditional in a constantly intriguing way. NISHIKI (gin, sake, shiso liqueur, green chartreuse, mint, lime) - this was my choice, and it was my perfect cocktail. A variety of alcohols, not too sweet, and perfectly bright. HOI AN (genever, vietnamese cold brew, tonic, salted creme) - an espresso martini's fun cousin, served in a highball with ice. As long as you enjoy the combination of coffee and tonic, you'll love this take. Samir was an incredible bartender, whipping up all of these drinks plus a few mocktails for our group. He even gave me some top tier recommendations for the rest of my visit to SF. Chen-Chen, the owner, is so passionate and creative - you can tell Polkcha is not your average cocktail bar!

Cute Asian inspired bar near Japan town! Drinks are complex and well thought out. Prices are reasonable, they offer small Asian snacks for $2 a pop, and the service was fast and friendly!

We stopped by Polkcha during our first time wandering the Russian Hill area, and were delighted by the fun Asian night market inspired atmosphere and great drinks. Their cocktails are also super interesting and Asian-inspired, providing interesting options and some twists on familiar cocktails. I ordered the Nishiki, while my partner ordered the Hoi An. The Nishiki was very effervescent, with the gin and green chartreuse providing nice floral notes but the Hoi An was our favorite of the night, and had an incredible coffee flavor from the Vietnamese cold brew that blended nicely with the genever gin and salted creme to create a beautifully composed drink. Sadly, since we were on foot, we had to leave before getting another drink but definitely will be returning for round two!

Love this place. I believe it's fairly new? Saw Polkcha go viral on TikTok/IG and I can say that it's definitely worth the hype. I can tell that everything about Polkcha was made with an intent - from the name of the place to the design/decoration inside, to the cocktails and the names. The cocktails here are one of the most creative I've seen in the city. The drinks are reasonably priced as well at $14/$15. On a separate occasion, I came to Polkcha at night and they have a "late night" menu where most drinks are $10. They played some house music and the bartenders were super nice. Will definitely be coming back more and recommend this place to others!

This is a super cool bar on Polk! I like that this is a play on night markets in Asia. The decor is pretty cool, however it is a pretty small place. I went on a Saturday night and it was suuuuuper packed in there. It did get less crowded as time went by, but I was shocked at how many people fit in there when I initially got there. It did take some time to get drinks at the bar, but once we did get them they were very much worth it. I really enjoyed the Gwangjang which had a melona bar in it!! The drink was bitter at first but once the bar melted the drink was so creamy and refreshing. Definitely recommend that one, and to drink it once you're able to mix in the Popsicle. The Kuromon was also a really tasty drink, was basically like an Aperol spritz. My boyfriend tried the Nishiki and enjoyed that as well. A friend tried the night owl but thought that one was okay. I definitely want to come back, but try to enjoy it at a less crowded time.

We stopped by Polkcha before dinner since my friends and I had been wanting to try this spot out. Great décor inside that was very fun and colorful. The bartender was really nice and gave a good recommendation based what I told him I liked. I ended up ordering the Nishiki, which was light and refreshing. For our second round, we had to get the Gwangjang which came with an entire Melona bar. I liked that it was fizzy and creamy with the Melona in it. Overall, pretty creative and yummy drinks, though I don't think the ones I got were very strong. Nice vibes for some pre-dinner drinks and I'm sure it looks even better inside at night. I can see myself bringing more friends here for drinks!

Located in Nob Hill, this Asian street market-inspired bar features vibrant decor and a lively atmosphere. The space is cozy and can get quite packed, especially on weekends. My friends and I visited on a Friday night, and it was quite busy! I feel like this would be a good place to chill with friends when it's not crowded and a good pre-game spot on the weekends. Street parking is available but can be challenging to find during busy hours. The service was fantastic, with staff checking in on us frequently. The bar offers a variety of craft cocktails inspired by Asian flavors such as pandan, yuzu, and lychee. I tried the Gwangjang, a fizzy and refreshing drink featuring a Melona ice pop, although it wasn't sweet enough for my taste which to be fair I like my drinks very sweet. I preferred my friend's drink, Ajumma's Choice, which was ube-flavored and didn't taste like alcohol at all! I also tried the Divisoria, a ube and coconut-flavored cocktail, but found the alcohol aftertaste a bit strong. The Hua Hin had a similar alcohol profile as well. I would go back for the vibes and get Ajumma's Choice noting that I like it very sweet. P.S. They host trivia nights on Thursdays at 7:30 pm :) Follow @michellehan.guide on Instagram for more!

Rate this new bar a 3.5! The decorations were wonderful here & the bartender that helped us out was very sweet (tall curly hair lady!). It seems like a really great pregame spot, less of a bar to dance at since it's a really small space. We got lucky and was able to snatch the edge of the table. There were 7 of us and I think if we had to stand it would not be as enjoyable. There were limited tables, so if you have a large group make sure to come bit earlier. The drinks had a mix of ones we really liked and ones we didn't. Seemed like everyone in my group had different opinions. My favorite was Gwangjang!

Came to Polkcha for trivia and it was a blast! The Asian Night Market vibe comes through really well in the lanterns and lighting. Trivia wise, show up early for some seating and it's fairly loud, but it's only 4 rounds and relatively easier than other SF trivia I've been to (which personally I appreciated). Drinks wise, chiming in to say that the Gwangjang is so tasty and refreshing! The cantaloupe Melona bar makes for a perfect summer drink. We also got the Night Owl, which was both sweet and tart (closer to a Lemon Drop) but not as rose-forward. Our server was lovely and did 2-3 rounds to check in, which was perfect.

Had this place for a while on my list. After dinner in the area, decided to go. The inside is cool with all those Japanese signs and decor. It took like 10-15mins to get our order. Bartenders were busy which is totally understandable during a weekend. I tried the Divisoria (creamy and sweet) and Gwangjang (refreshing). Not the best cocktails I ever had but tasty enough.

Really fun bar for friends to hang out at! We loved the decorations and how spacious the venue was. The bartenders were knowledgeable and really took the time to highlight their recommendations. They were able to craft something similar to a green tea shots for my friends and I to start off the night. This was definitely a crowd pleaser and we also got the Divisoria, Hoi An, and Gwangjang. The cocktails were all inspired by Asian flavors and were super unique. Definitely a unique bar within SF and I will be returning!

Service is absolutely amazing! Shoutout Millon he was a great bartender - made our drinks quick and were attentive to us at the bar. The bar ambiance has to be my favorite in the entire city. The way the lights and decorations complement each other makes for a great drinking experience overall. The drinks are also really good; I recommend the Gwangjang drink!

Absolute favorite bar, a definite recommend to any and everyone. I've been seeing this place on so many recommendation lists and finally went on Thursday during their weekly trivia night (and then went back three weeks in a row!!) The vibe is SO cool. There are tons of decorations and it really does give off the Asian night market ambiance it has curated. The bartenders are very friendly and help explain the selection of drinks. My favorite drinks were the divisoria and gwangjang. The ube in the divisoria not only added the cute purple coloring but also helped deepen the flavor and made the drink so smooth. The gwangjang is a show stopper. I did not expect how much I loved this drink. It simply tastes like melona bar in juice/slushy form. Immaculate. I love love love this bar, their drinks, and the friendly and helpful service!!!

Very inviting bar on Polk Street, been wanting to try this hyped bar from TikTok reviews for a while. Interior decor and neon lighting inspiring by Asian nightlife/markets. Bartenders were super friendly and our drinks came out pretty quick. Ordered a round of Gwangjangs, a cute soju midori drink with a whole melona bar! Offers other Asian flavored drinks on the menu as well. Worth the visit and definitely would go here again.

Love this Asian night market-themed bar! Ever since I discovered this cute space, I'm making it my goal to stop by here every time I'm in SF (in addition to eating at Rintaro). If you've read the other reviews, you'll know by now that Polkcha has amazing interior decor that is supposed to mimic the night market vibes in Asia. Makes me want to book a flight to Taiwan like...now. For the drinks, we got 4 total - here's a quick summary: - Hoi An = an enhanced Espresso Martini that uses Vietnamese iced coffee - Gwangjang = a fun drink to consume with a Melona bar - Divisoria = great if you want ube - Kuromon = an interesting Asian take on an Aperol Spritz The owners are super friendly, and hope they'll come up with different drinks next time (possibly some non-alcoholic ones too). Well done. *applause*

Very unique cocktails and nice decor. Not too packed. A nice place to bring a friend.

This spot has become one of my favorites on Polk street. The drinks are amazing, bartenders are awesome, and the interior just elevates your experience. Although it may be small and at times can get crowded, there's a reason why everyone is coming here. You truly get a one of a kind bar experience. My favorite drink has to be the night owl which has lychee, vodka, rose baijiu, lime, and topped with egg white. I feel like all my drinks now have to come with egg white because it truly cuts through the vodka to make a smoother drink. Also, be sure to check out Thursday night trivia.

This spot seems attractive, but there were a few things that weren't that great. It's super crowded, which can sometimes be a good thing but the space is so narrow and cramped that it makes it awkward to stand. We were lucky to get a table, and even then we had to scream to hear each other since it was so loud and the noise didn't disperse well. The drink were also just ok - the melona one had a strange taste and wasn't strong, and the amaretto one also didn't taste great. Probably wouldn't come back, though the decor is cool.

The neon night market aesthetic of this is perfection. We sat at the bar and were served very quickly. We got there around 9pm and left around midnight. It started getting pretty packed around 10pm which goes to show that San Francisco is not dead. We got 2 drinks: I asked them to custom make me a drink with their sesame whiskey... except make it less spirit forward. And then my friend and I shared a Yogurt Soju Sprite combo which was on their After Hours Menu. They were both great! Fun fact: Drinks are ~$10 on their special menu starting at 10pm. And cocktails are ~$14 before then. Very reasonable prices for drinks in SF!

This is one of the cutest bars I've been to! It does get a bit loud but so does any bar. We got seated at a table and were given some menus. Our bartender came over to get our drink orders and brought them right to us. My friends and I got thai iced tea, night owl, and gwangjang. The gwangjang is super yummy, it came with a melona bar and it was my favorite drink of the night. It was sweet and fizzy and quite large so you're getting good value. The night owl was a lot stronger in alcohol than the gwangjang. The thai iced teas were okay, I felt like it was missing some milk and sugar. Overall, this is a nice bar to hit up, it's super trendy right now and the prices aren't ridiculous.

Came here last week for some drinks with a friend on Friday night! We stopped in after dinner probably around 9pm range and found it was quite difficult to find a seat, as this place is popular! The interior decor was unique and fun, and I really loved the Gwangjang drink with the melona bar. Not overly sweet, but very refreshing and delicious! The night owl was good, but nothing really stood out to me. The servers were also friendly and efficient! Will definitely be back, but might try to get there earlier on a Friday!

The drinks are outstanding! We really enjoyed the night owl and kuromon. The space is thoroughly decorated and every corner has something cool to discover. We came on a Friday night and it was packed. We had no issue approaching the bar and ordering but couldn't find an open seat so we enjoyed our drinks standing, there's a shelf/drink rail so it was not uncomfortable to do so. The service was great, everyone at the bar was friendly and professional.

Amazing Asian inspired bar on Polk St! Vibes inside are so cute and it's decorated so nicely with lights and lanterns. The drinks are also super fun -- they have a melona drink, as well as drinks with Vietnamese coffee, ube, and other fun flavors. They're also super affordable, around $14 per cocktail! We went on Friday night and it wasn't too crowded, and we were able to get a table for 8 after standing around a bit. The music is great (the DJ was playing classic throwbacks) and it's a very lively environment -- loud enough to sing along but still a good enough volume to have conversation. The melona drink (gwangjang) was sooo good and tastes even better after mixing in the melona. I also loved the ube drink (divisoria) -- it had a nice vanilla flavor and was super sweet. All the drinks we tried were solid and very unique. The service was also amazing; the bartenders were super friendly and the drinks came out pretty quick. Would definitely come back! Highly recommend checking out for a fun night out.

An asian themed bar with nice decor, a solid 3/5. We made it over on a sat night and it was pretty busy. Cocktails were decently priced. I want to say the cocktails sound better than they taste, many of them are an asian inspired version of a classic cocktail but I didn't pick up on many of the asian flavors (tasted pretty normal imo). Overall a nice bar for a pit stop while bar hopping.

aZn pRyDe A/S/L? Who remembers AOL chat rooms back in the daaaaay? Back then, AZN food and drinks didn't get the love they deserve. Now, they finally are because it's *trendy* and AZN kids no longer have to be ashamed of their lunches. A new bar serving drinks made with ube, pandan, shiso, sichuan-oolong, lychee, cà phê sữa đá (viet coffee), and nước mía (fresh sugar cane juice)?! I'm here for it! Opening last month, Polkcha is a new neighborhood bar serving AZN-inspired craft cocktails in the former Trade Routes space (reviews are merged with Trade Routes). Indoor seating only. Dog-friendly but I wouldn't bring my dog here when it's packed on the weekends. M E N U Small curated cocktail menu with 4 categories: Spirit forward, tangy, sweeter, and refreshing. Not feeling anything on the menu? Tell the bartender your preferences for "ajumma's choice". Beer and wine available. Very affordable with most cocktails priced at $14. Although Pocha = outdoor food stalls in Korea, there's no food or snacks available. D R I N K S I told the bartender, Milton that my go-to: vesper martini (no sweet cocktails please) and asked if pandan can be incorporated. He made it happen. * Pandan Vesper Martini ($14 x3): https://tinyurl.com/2weafsun Smooth and stiff with coconut vanilla notes from coconut water and their housemade pandan reposado. Not sugary or sweet which is my preference. They use real pandan leaves. I have a pretty high alkie tolerance and I was feeling it after two. * Screwdriver ($9 x2) Not my drink but friend said it was solid. S E R V I C E Friendly and prompt. A M B I A N C E Vibe check on point, emulating AZN night markets with lots of reds (for luck + prosperity), a beautiful cherry blossom tree, and a bit of techie funk with the robot mural. Visited on a chill Thursday evening for HH. Music wasn't too loud so it was easy to hold a convo. Probably not the case on the weekends when it's poppin'. Mix of bar seats, high tops, and lounge-y type seating in back with one communal table. Clean restrooms (two). P A R K I N G Very challenging street parking. Recommend taking Uber/Lyft. Overall, Polkcha is a great neighborhood bar serving solid AZN-inspired cocktails. I usually go to bars in The Mission or Inner Sunset but Polkcha will be my go-to when I'm in the Nob Hill/Russian Hill area.

Loved this place, they open at 4 which I thought was awesome since I was expecting a later opening. Met one of the owners Ryan who was super friendly and telling us about the business, super cool dude. Decor is Asian forward, kind of gave me like a night market vibe which was cool. Lots of color and fun decor. Had a Hua Hin, Divisoria (those are the ones pictured), Night Owl, and Ryan's take on a paper plane. All were super good and tasty. Will totally be back again!

Super vibey modern bar with Asian-inspired cocktails! At first the neon signs and the cool decor inside caught my eye, and then I started hearing about their Gwangjang cocktail that has a Melona ice cream bar in it, so I was so excited to try it, and it lived up to the hype! - Gwangjang: my favorite! It was sweet, fruity, and fizzy, and mixing in the Melona bar added a little bit of creaminess. Super light and refreshing. - Kuromon: their other refreshing cocktail offering. Tasted pretty similar to an Aperol spritz, but I liked the Gwangjang so much that I didn't remember much about this one - Divisoria: I was so intrigued by this ube and coconut flavored cocktail, and the flavors worked well together! It was just a bit too thick and the alcohol aftertaste too strong for my taste The staff were incredibly friendly, and helped us find seating for a group of 8 even after we had closed our tab. They were also playing throwback songs so it was fun to sing along to! Loved my experience here :)

Saw this place all over tiktok and had to come out to see what the hype is about! This used to be trade routes and I was sad at first but once I stepped into polkcha instantly was happy again! The interior is so well decorated I loved the neon sides on the wall and the neon lights behind the bar as well as the tree inside at the entrance. It really transports you to a Korean pocha/streets of Korea. The drink menu is also really creative and has a great balance of Korean fusion as well as fun takes on traditional cocktails. Seating is limited but would highly recommend for smaller groups, girls nights, or date nights! Will definitely be coming back!

Really great ambiance inside the bar. It gets a bit crowded and there is a line to get inside but the drinks were pretty good! Our bartender was working so fast and got everyone's order. He was also super nice and my friends and I really enjoyed this bar to pregame before heading to the Midway!

CUTEE but very loud. The drinks were delicious and not too expensive considering that it's SF. I would definitely give this a try and I would come again. If you want to talk with your friends I would not recommend staying here for long because it's SO LOUD you can't even hear the people right next to you but for the drinks I would come again.

Such a fun and cool bar. I've been to other Pocha K's thinking it was similar, but it's different. This seem to be more of an upscale bar that focus on Asian fusion drinks and they did not seem to offer food, at least none that I noticed. The bartenders were friendly and helpful. I got the Gwangjang, which came with a melon bar ice cream inside my drink. It was nice, light, and refreshing. My friends got the Nishiki and the Night Owl. Of the three, we liked mine the most. We also got a pitcher of beer and some sojus. I recommend coming early as this place gets packed at night. We got there shortly after dinner and was able to find a table after ordering. Once we left, the place was packed and almost hard to walk through. Parking is kind of hard, but you're in SF. Parking is hard everywhere. Only street parking if you're lucky.

Ooooh always a fan of an Asian bar with fun cocktails!! I saw the melona cocktail and I WAS INSTANTLY SOLD. The drinks were soooo delicious! The ambience was also fantastic. All the decor is so cute and reminiscent of Asia. I also went on a Thursday, which is their weekly trivia night and it was sooooo fun! The host did a great job leading the event, and the themes were really great! Plus the prizes/punishments were amazing! Def want to become a regular here!

ok this place is pretty cool. we've been going to Polk st for years and saw it change throughout the years, but this spot hits. It does get pretty busy on a Friday night. Their cocktail menu had a variety. Nice asian atmosphere. Service was good. Nice spot to chill and hang out on a Friday night.

Wow this was one of the best bar experiences I've had in a long time! I went the Saturday after reopening, and the new decor is amazing, the drinks were amazing, and the service/staff were amazing! I ordered the Gwangjang (soju based melon drink) and it was so delicious, and the melona bar was such a nice touch. I also tried the Hoi An, which was so unique and also delicious. There are so many other drinks I need to try here. The bar is a nice size, with lots of comfortable places to sit. The staff were super friendly and helpful, and I really have no complaints about this place. Definitely recommend checking out!

Came across this place on Instagram, so we made the trek out to SF to try it out! We went at a very odd time - dinnertime on a Sunday, so it was very empty inside, but it was perfect because we didn't have to wait to order drinks! The neon decor is very cute, and I would imagine this place gets quite packed on the weekend. This place is known for their asian-inspired craft cocktails, and I was very excited to try the Gwangjang, a cocktail containing soju, midori, yuzu lime soda, and a melona bar. If you are into fruity and sweet drinks, this is totally up your alley. The Divisoria is an ube cocktail, which was my second favorite. Would definitely come back to try their other drinks!

A cute place for a date night! I was able to snag seats at the bar at around 7:30 pm on a Saturday, but it filled up quickly after. We ordered 3 drinks and loved all of them. The ube drink was my personal favorite! The bartenders were friendly and efficient as well. I could see myself coming back here with friends for a quick drink before dinner!

Come here if you'd like to see temu skrillex make you a bomb cocktail. The service and drinks are amazing. Vibes 10/10 Particularly loved the back bay, sesame washed; and the nishiki, pandan, green chartreuse. It's quiet on the weekdays but bustling on the weekends.

Yummy! Great staff! So cute inside! Great drinks! 5/5 stars. Found street parking pretty easily on a Sunday afternoon. We came around ~5pm and there were 2 other groups inside, but as the night went on, more and more people came. We grabbed a table but we had to order at the bar. No issues there. The menu is organized nicely with "spirit forward" or "sweeter" etc. Obviously, I chose from the "sweeter" section. I got an ube drink that was DELICIOUS. Couldn't tell you what else was in it as I forgot to take a picture of the menu. One item on the menu is "ajumma's choice" which means they will basically make a drink for you based on your preferences. They ask what kind of spirit you want and basically go ahead. Sometimes we opted to give them some extra information (my friend asked for "lychee and gin" and it was delicious, and after my first ube drink I got another one with ube) but all 3 ajumma's choice we tried were delicious with or without preferences stated. Literally every cocktail was delicious - we had a group of 4 and had 7 cocktails between us so I tried sips of theirs. Thanks friends :) The inside of the bar is so cute and well decorated. Also, the bathroom was very clean, cute, and large! Will 200% be coming back!

Stopped in here before a drink for an event in the area and was pleasantly surprised. They made us some carajillos and they were really damn good. They eventually had some pocky at the bar if you wanted a little snack :) Staff was so nice here and super friendly And the decor was on point Will definitely be back next time I am in town

Cute cocktails & world maps! What more can one ask for?? Haha service & ambiance was up there! Perfect place to grab drinks & chat it up (no need to scream over one another either)

Vibes were cool inside! Came in around 9pm on a Friday night and snatched the last table. Service was great, we were attended to and was able to order from our table instead of going to the bar. I ordered the night owl which looked great but I wasn't a fan of all the combined flavors. One of my friends got the Korumon which is basically an aperol spritz and it was delicious. I'm curious about a couple other drinks so I may visit again!

Went here last night with my cousins and I loved the new vibe that the former Trade Routes gives off. Asian themed. Neon lights. Loved it. Drinks were also pretty good. Beautifully made and pretty damn tasty. Now getting that out of the way. My gripe with this place is the service. You guys can rebrand all you want but if you're going to keep the same rude staff, you're going to go nowhere quick. The bartender who was making our drinks was clearly drinking and forgot our order. He took forever to make our drinks because he was taking shots with patrons in between making drinks. A Temu version of Skrillex claiming to be the owner of the bar. Then back pedaled and said he worked for the bar came up to our group and kept talking to us which I did flat out say, "hey stop wasting our time. If you want to keep bothering us then you can buy us a drink". He was taken back by my forwardness and still kept talking to us. At some point he went to the bar and "ordered drinks" only to get called over by the bar staff to take a shot. At that point we left as it was nearing 2am. Another bartender (he looked like the character Mario) said as we left the establishment, "the guy did order you shots but now that you left, you can't come back. BYE" and closed the door on us. The only shots I saw was shorty shooting his shot and embarrassed that he wasn't getting anywhere quick. I know what the response to this is going to be, "we have no affiliation with Temu Skrillex". And my response is, you guys know him enough to support his harassment of me and my cousins and continue to serve him alcohol and drink with him. That's more than enough affiliation.

Loved it here! Drinks were creative and yummy. Service was quick. The inside was so well decorated, I could have stared at it for ages. The vibe was super chill. Kinda loud so definitely not a place you want to be having big conversations. It's a great place for a change of scenery. Will definitely be coming back here to try the other drinks.

visited a few months back, the vibes were amazing and the bartenders were super friendly. the drinks we tried were pretty good, would be happy to visit again and see what new cocktails they have!

Julian is the best bartender, so attending and nice. Definitely go here!! I told him I wanted something off the menu and he made me an amazing custom drink.

Polkcha just opened on Polk street and it's become a huge point of interest for people. My friends & I got there around 9:30PM and there was a line. We were able to get in after about 30 minutes or so. It was super crowded but I thought they did a great job at servicing the big groups with only 1 or 2 servers. My friends & I got a variety of drinks to try. All of them have some type of Korean or Asian theme to them. I tried to Hoi An which is the Vietnamese cold brew one but it was a bit salty/sour. I also tried the ube one & it had an interesting after taste. I personally thought the cocktails were ok. However they do have a late night menu after 10pm like big beers / sake / soju for big groups. I thought the pricing is super fair for that. I think I would go here for casual drinking & pregame before a night out!