Chungmu Pocha, Yeouido: A Korean Street-Tent Bar That Grills LA Galbi
📍 Seoul / Yeouido
This visit was sponsored by Chungmu Pocha. As always, all opinions are my own.
When I heard a pocha was selling LA galbi, I was skeptical. A pocha (short for pojangmacha) is a casual Korean drinking spot, originally a street tent, where you usually order fish cake soup or spicy chicken feet with soju. Grilled short ribs felt out of place. One bite at Chungmu Pocha in Yeouido changed my mind. It was seriously good.
| Name | Chungmu Pocha Yeouido (충무포차 여의도점) |
| Address | Units 109–111, 1F Chungmu Building, 7 Yeouidaebang-ro 69-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 서울 영등포구 여의대방로69길 7 충무빌딩 1층 109·110·111호 |
| Specialty | LA galbi (marinated beef short ribs), served as 600 g or 1 kg |
| Seating | Two floors plus outdoor tent-style tables |
| Parking | Free in the building garage (spots in front of the shop are first come, first served) |
| Corkage | Available (fee) |
| Disclosure | Sponsored visit |
Retro pocha vibes from the street
A big red neon sign spells out the name, with “LA galbi specialist” posted next to it. Blue plastic tables line the front of the shop. On a nice evening, sitting outside here is classic Korean yajang, drinking outdoors under the city lights.
Two floors, lots of seating options
The first floor mixes bar seats and tables. Upstairs feels cozier, and big windows show the street outside. I sat on the second floor. Green tiles and wood walls give it an old-school pocha feel, and the walls are covered with signatures from past guests. With two floors, it works for a quick dinner, a date, an after-work group or even a private booking.
A long menu of drinking food
LA galbi is the star, but the menu goes on and on:
- Signature: LA galbi (1 kg / 600 g)
- Soups and stews: skewer fish cake soup, dumpling soft-tofu stew, kimchi stew, clam soup
- Stir-fries and grills: spicy squid, garlic gizzards, pork cartilage with rice balls, Spam fried in perilla oil
- Chicken feet: spicy boneless chicken feet in broth or flame-grilled
- Others: Korean beef tartare (1++ grade), flat dumplings with sea-snail salad, tofu kimchi, rolled omelet, dried squid platters and seasonal gwamegi (half-dried herring)
- Set: half-dried squid with two draft beers
Start with an ice-cold draft beer
The mugs are frozen and the foam is just right. Drinking it by the window felt extra refreshing.
LA galbi 600 g on a sizzling plate
The ribs are grilled over an open flame and then served on a hot iron plate with roasted onion, garlic and pineapple. They are savory and slightly salty but never greasy. Eat them with the roasted garlic, and use the pineapple to cut the richness. The meat pulls cleanly off the bone, so just pick them up with your hands.
Skewer fish cake soup: spicy and comforting
To balance the meat, we added kkochi odeng-tang, a soup of fish cakes on skewers. The broth has a nice spicy kick, and the crown daisy greens on top smell amazing. There are long chewy rice cakes inside too (mul-tteok), which seem to be the house signature. It works as a drinking snack or instead of rice.
Then a little soju
We switched from beer to soju, and LA galbi with soju is a better match than I expected.
Zoapik’s verdict
– LA galbi 600 g, flame-grilled and served on a sizzling plate with onion, garlic and pineapple – Comes off the bone easily; savory without being greasy – Spicy skewer fish cake soup with crown daisy and chewy rice cakes – Ice-cold draft beer, and it pairs well with soju too – Two floors plus outdoor seating, good for dates or groups – Free parking in the building garage; paid corkage available – Tip: use the underground garage, as spots in front of the shop go fast
A pocha that grills LA galbi is a rare find in Seoul. Next time I want to try the beef tartare and the flame-grilled boneless chicken feet.
