Pocha 32
“Of course the watermelon soju is a fun choice for first timers, but don't skimp on the "hard" stuff (bottles of straight soju).”
“I live in LA and visit NY a few times a year for work and I always come to Pocha for their delicious budae jjigae.”
“I can't explain this concoction of semi-spicy broth, ramen noodles, spam, veggies, other ingredients with mozzarella cheese on top…it's just AMAZING.”
Pocha 32
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I am not a fan of the decor. They cast a huge green net over the ceiling and stuck fishing trinkets in them. I honestly felt like a fish caught in a net. Disturbing is one way to describe the feeling.
The japchae was delicious. Lots of mushrooms and other veggies. The honeydew soju was lightly sweet and frothy. Not much alcohol, but cool and refreshing on a warm night. The yogurt soju was sweet, but stronger and came with shot glasses instead of bowls.
The reason why I've given them two stars is this: my friend ordered the honeydew soju for himself (I wasn't drinking) and he mistakenly thought that the different flavors listed below the honeydew soju were flavors he could add to the drink. They were, in fact, flavors listed for another soju. He had no idea. So he ordered the honeydew soju and asked which flavor the waiter recommended. The waiter recommended the yogurt. To clarify, my friend thought they were going to put yogurt and honeydew into the honeydew soju. Instead, the waiter brought out two drinks. The honeydew soju and a bottle of yogurt soju. My friend tried to explain that he had made a mistake, but the waiter couldn't have cared less. My friend asked if he could send the yogurt soju back, but the waiter said it was "too late" to send back. How was it too late? We didn't touch it. Just bring it back to the kitchen and put it in the fridge. I'm sure someone else will order it soon. My friend tried one last time and asked if he could take the yogurt drink to go, but the waiter said no. Well, thanks for not even trying to help!
So the waiter thought that we ordered half a melon full of alcohol and another bottle of soju for just two people?? Did he think we were planning on dying that night? Like I said, the soju came with shot glasses, so there was more alcohol in that. I hadn't planned on drinking, but I felt bad that my friend would have to waste all this money, so I helped him. We did end up leaving most of it behind as there was no way the two of us could have finished all of that. The drinks are NOT cheap. $25-$30 each. It completely ruined our night.
Ok the food here might be a bit overpriced and junk foodish however it is a perfect spot for a srink with some random junkfood.
The soju watermellon in huge watermelon looks so great but a bit expensive and you probably can do it at home anyway
Not for the faint of heart, and i'm not saying that just because the fact that they serve some odd ingredients and for the general public the food might seem a bit scary.
As for me, I grew up with it and enjoyed it very much. The only that I really don't enjoy is the aftermath in the AM after you're eating a giant pile of spicy stir fry soondae (Korean Blood Sausage). It is freakin' spicy! My wife really loves spicy food and even for her it was too spicy.
This is a great layover place before you head home after a long night of drinking, and you need a place to soothe your soul. This is the place, with that being said, don't be surprised if you come here and find that most of the clientele are not in conditions where they're well enough to make important decisions, like walking down the stairs without tripping or throwing up. LOL
If you happen to be around mid-town area, make sure to stop by here, it's a lot of fun and you surely it will make your NYC experience more memorable.
three stars because of service. the servers were cold and rude, at one point one of them rolled their eyes at us. it took us several attempts to flag someone to order another soju, and we were definitely giving obvious cues that we wanted to order more. My friends and I weren't a ruckus bunch and we sure didnt give any sass or reason for the staff to be rude. my friend hinted that korean servers usually give crap to other korean guests, esp if they are american-korean? but my friend is fluent and ordered in korean so im confused at whats going on. anyways food and atmosphere gets a 5 star. it was my first time having bbudaejigae and i love being korean and eating my native food. one pot split between three people, all were fed and drunk. the atmosphere and decor has a hole in the wall feel with a korean touch.
YO. check it. I wasn't expecting much from this place cause restaurants in K-town are generally a miss for me. A lot of places sell such expensive items and the food quality and quantity aren't up to par.. BUT Pocha 32 is definitely not one of the mediocre joints located in the heart of ktown. The decor is different. There's green nets everywhere on the ceilings with chopstock paper coverings bombarded the nets. It made me feel like I'm in the bottom of the ocean, somewhat.. the decor is "ehhh". but it's their theme, and it doesn't bother me much.
The food on the other hand, is amazing. I ordered 5 different things here yesterday afternoon. the soy garlic chicken wings, the pork stuffed squid, the cheesy corn (omfg amazingggg), the sweet and sour cold rice noodles and the watermelon soju bowl. The bill came out to be a little over 115 bucks and it was sooo worth it. Everything was so flavorful and cooked well. Don't let the prices intimidate you, cause it did for me at first but the food comes out to be family style portions. Overall this place deserves a solid 5 stars. Service was attentive and they filled our water promptly , thanks gentlemen!
p.s. They would rather you tip in cash, just a tip. cash is always king so don't forget cashhh!
My friend highly recommended checking this place out, so we had to stop by. Watermelon soju all night! It tasted quite amazing, but unfortunately not very strong at all. The novelty is that it comes in half a watermelon! Our group ended up ordering 4 of them, which cost our wallet a pretty penny.
My friends ordered some food and it all tasted pretty good, albeit a bit pricey. The seafood pancake was probably the best item of the night, especially with all the fresh seafood.
Pocha is definitely one of my favorites in KTown. It's definitely a bit pricey for the quality of the food. For example, the scallion pancake is not the best but it's still $15. But the food is certainly yummy enough to accompany the drinks. The watermelon soju is awesome. They not carry the flavored soju (DIFFERENT from soju cocktails). These flavored bottles are slightly less alcoholic but much smoother. Of course, if you want to have a true Korean night, you have to buy some beer and soju and mix them together! The atmosphere is great. The workers are pretty friendly but they will be on your ass about your ID.
Interesting spot. The ramen budaeijigae with cheese was good. The watermelon soju was okay. Other dishes seem to be smaller in portion. But overall, Pocha isn't a bad spot to hang as long as the waits aren't too long.