Delicious Korean food!! No frills ambiance with courteous and attentive staff. The chili crisp fries were to-die for and so were the glass noodles. They have a great drink menu too, the cocktails were wonderful. Would absolutely go back. read more

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Located in downtown Durham, this is a small restaurant with bar seating and communal tables. The food is Korean/Japanese/Malaysian inspired. Service was attentive and willing to explain different dishes. My favorite was probably the Nasi Goreng; I loved the crispy shrimp on top. The gai lan was also very good, but the fire noodles were pretty mid. I felt like it was an Asian inspired spaghetti with ground chicken. read more

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Food was delicious! Everything you want from Korean takeout and doesn't break the bank! For a party of 2 we got 5 dishes and it might have been too much. We got the kimchi garlic fries, papaya salad, drunken noodle with shrimp, Chinese broccoli and pocha burgers. Everything was so full of flavor and tasty. The service was incredible as well. So attentive, refilling out waters multiple times. Even when we got evacuated due to an impromptu fire alarm, we were seated after and food came soon after. Will definitely be back! read more

Had a really fun dinner here the other night! My husband and I went for a date night. We sat at the counter looking outside, and it was so nice to people watch while we ate! If we were with a larger group it might have been nicer to sit elsewhere, but for two people the counter is perfect. Their mocktails are really nicely done! I got a botanical martini which had NA gin and citrus, so delicious and special! My husband got a mocktail with basil and lime, which he also liked. Our server helpfully told us that the starters/mids category would mean 2-3 dishes per person. We were definitely interested in those, so we skipped the main dishes and ordered six different things. Our favorites were the baby octopus and the shrimp toast! I'd skip the wagyu beef buns- expensive and boring- my husband wished we'd gotten the pork buns instead because they looked really good at a nearby table. My husband really liked the fried chicken, as well. Other dishes we tried included the crab shumai (tasty but small portion) and the papaya salad (delicious). Great service, fun atmosphere, and delicious food! Highly recommend. read more

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With the reputation from M sushi, I expected a specific atmosphere in all the M restaurants and this one was very different from that expectation. When you first walk in, it's very cramped and the lighting feels uninviting, more like spotlights in a prison. We were very fortunate to be sat as a walk in though on a Thursday night during prime dinner; however, after the boy cleaned and set up the table, it was still a bit dirty with chunks of food on the table. The service wasn't really that great to be honest. He didn't seem to take proper and efficient steps of service to serve everyone properly. He also didn't really seem that friendly, even when we tried to be friendly. The bartender was much better with service. The food earns all of these remaining stars because the kitchen did a fantastic job. Everything tasted really great, the side salad(definitely not similar or close to a balsamic dressing though???), the pork buns, onigiri, etc. we enjoyed the food a lot but wouldn't come back for the service or the vibes. Oh yeah, they were also blasting reggaeton music, which seems a bit unfitting for a Korean restaurant. It kind of just felt like a little dive bar that wants to be upscale in food and price. read more

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We dined in with a party of six and had a good experience. We all started off with a round of cocktails, my husband and I tried the bittersweet, house of the rising sun, coffee boulevardier and strawberry ginger mezcal sour. My favorite was the mezcal sour. For food we split the chili crisp garlic fries with kimchi aioli then it was the nasi goreng for me and the pocha special of the day which was a gnocchi dish for him. I liked my dish but the amount of rice to shrimp was a lot. This spot is definitely worth checking out but it is small so a reservation is recommended. read more

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Think I've found my top Durham M restaurant and ramen spot! Overall, had a great experience: - Fried Kimchi Onigiri: Get this! I loved all the components: the crunchy outside, fluffy kimchi-flavored & cheesy rice inside, mountains of nori, creamy spicy aioli, runny fried egg, and salty spam. If I had to give a con, the crunchy part sticks to your teeth a bit but it's worth it haha. - Nagasaki Champon: If anyone's curious about the difference, champon is cooked all together while ramen is assembled at the end. Either way, Durham's ramen options aren't that great and this is the first time I've actually been wow'ed. I loved the broth's depth of flavor (and that the seafood brininess didn't overwhelm), bouncy noodles, & wide variety of toppings (pork belly, cuttlefish, mussels, shrimp, onion, black fungus, bell pepper). - Mazemen: This was a flavor bomb! It was my least favorite of the food we got, but that's not saying much when everything was good. I loved how saucy these noodles were but found it a little too vinegary. The noodles themselves had a great texture. - Spicy Passion: This is a mocktail that I had to get bc it had two of my favorite things, Thai tea and passionfruit. I never would have thought to put the two together so I was intrigued. I can't say that I think those flavors go together necessarily haha, but I appreciated the spice essence and I am glad I tried it. Ambiance is nice: the space is pretty small, so definitely make a reservation on OpenTable. We got counter seating and had a nice view of downtown. Service was fast & friendly. Free parking on weekdays after 7pm and weekends in nearby city of Durham garages. 9.5/10 would recommend! read more

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A fun, low-key space where you can people watch to your heart's content, M Pocha boasts an impressive variety of dishes for every taste preference. Never one to shy away from specials, we tried both the Al Pastor Bao Buns, which were incredible, and the Surf and Turf Yakisoba, which had the most tender pieces of wagyu and perfectly grilled and plum shrimp. I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture of the Gai Lan dish, but the sauce was TO DIE FOR and we had to (politely) swat away the wonderful waitstaff who kept trying to clear our plate lol. I was so impressed to learn it was made with a vegan oyster sauce, so I WILL be dragging my vegan friends to enjoy it and the drunken noodles (another one of my faves). We ordered a starter, a mid plate, and two mains between two hungry people and left with some leftovers. Could we have skipped a dish? Maybe, but the variety of flavors and dishes was fantastic that we struggled even to narrow it down just to these. read more

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First time trying M pocha and it was pretty good! Highly recommend making a reservation bc the inside is pretty small. We came on a Tuesday night and the restaurant was full. We ordered baby octopus karaage, shrimp toast, fried kimchi onigiri, and a side of chili crisp garlic fries with kimchi aioli. We ordered the Army stew as our main. The octopus karaage was our absolute favorite and the chili crisp garlic fries were 10/10. The fries were all perfectly crispy and were so delicious with or without the kimchi aioli. The army stew was also delicious and we had leftovers. I was disappointed though that there weren't any rice cakes in mine even though it said on the menu it had it in there. Otherwise it was packed with lots of veggies, beans, and meat. Come with a side of rice, kimchi and seaweed. The only small complaint we had was the service was slow with getting the food out. They brought out each individual order of food and it took about 15-20minutes in between for each dish to come out. Otherwise the staff were great! read more

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M Pocha was a fun, tasty experience. The space is quite quaint. There is a long, central, picnic style table in the middle, then the windows are lined with bar like seating, and, I believe, there is some outdoor seating. It's not too loud, but it is a cozy fit. The food was such a delight. I came with a party of 5 and tried: 1. Brussel Sprouts 2. Gai Lan (chinese broccoli) 3. Chicken Karaage 4. Spicy Por Buns 5. Nasi Goreng 6. Budae Jigae Don't sleep on the Gai Lan. All the food was scrumptious; but the Gai Lan stole the show. It had no business being that good! Tip: After you finish the broccoli, order a side of rice and mix it in with the left over sauce. It becomes a dish on its own. The service was great! read more

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It's been my goal to visit all the M restaurants in the area and M Pocha was next on my list! I came here with a friend for an early dinner on Saturday night and luckily they had an open spot for us outside without a reservation. The restaurant is pretty small so I can see why reservations are encouraged. They have a few tables outside on the sidewalk to accommodate more guests. My friend and I ordered the spicy pork buns which were really good! They were DIY style so they came deconstructed and we assembled them. I ordered the budae jjigae (army stew) and it was pretty good! It came with a side of rice, dried seaweed and kimchi. It was decently spicy and had lots of sausage in it. I also ordered the squid ink cocktail with mezcal because it sounded unique. My meal overall was pretty decent, I enjoyed all of it. I would definitely order the spicy pork buns again, but probably not the budae jjigae because I'm not a huge fan of beans in my jjigae but that's just personal preference. I'd want to try the ramen next time! read more

M Pocha - Army Stew - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We had a great dinner at M Pocha in downtown Durham. Our well-traveled friend from Nashville, who ate with us here, said it was the best meal he's had in a year. He told me I could quote him in my Yelp review. In barbecue circles, he's known as Speedy of the Barbecue Bros: https://bit.ly/3KlTpgd I personally wouldn't go as far to say this was the best meal I've had in a year, but it was certainly very good. I give M Pocha a solid four stars. If you're not familiar with the "M Restaurants" of Durham, they're among the best Asian restaurants in the Triangle. Their most popular restaurant, M Sushi ( https://bit.ly/3QnVQTo ), has the best sushi in the Triangle, in my opinion. M Restaurants set the bar high. The "M" stands for Michael, Michael Lee, chef-owner of the M Restaurants. M Pocha is named after Korean street tents/stalls called pojangmacha. While Michael is Korean and this restaurant was inspired by pojangmacha or "pocha," the menu spans a variety of Asian cuisines, from Chinese to Thai. Like many restaurants in this part of Durham, M Pocha doesn't have a dedicated parking lot. My friends got lucky and found a spot in the nearby free lot off Morris St (same block). Otherwise, it's metered street and surface lot parking. If you don't want to park on the street, I suggest parking in the municipal lot at 111 W Chapel Hill St. You can walk through a brick alley and across Five Points to get to M Pocha. Parking is enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm, except for city holidays. This is a small restaurant. If I recall correctly, the max occupancy I saw on the wall was 49 people. Reservations are recommended. Like all the M Restaurants, except for M Kokko, M Pocha is on OpenTable. Book your reservation using OpenTable and earn dining points which can be used to redeem restaurant discounts, Amazon gift cards, and hotel stays. Here's we, four adults and two kids, shared: Cocktails * Cocktail of the Day ($16) - some sort of whiskey sour cocktail with egg white (I don't remember the exact description) * House of the Rising Sun ($20) - Hibiki Whisky, Bekseju (Korean herb wine), charred lemon, miso caramel Small Plates * Lobster "Mac" & Cheese ($26) - crispy rice cakes, Mornay sauce, herb breadcrumbs, chili poached lobster * Shrimp Toast ($17) - Japanese milk bread, white shrimp, wasabi sweet chili sauce Dumplings * Meat Mandu ($12) x2 - traditional Korean dumpling: ground pork, mushrooms, chili crisp, kimchi, buchu chives; handmade fresh daily * Crab Shumai ($16) - crab meat, shrimp, kani, cabbage, scallions, yuzu and truffle ponzu sauce Meat * Chicken Karaage ($14) - marinated fried chicken, special spicy dipping sauce * Spicy Pork Buns ($17) - DIY steamed buns, spicy Korean BBQ pork, pickled cucumbers, ssam * Meat Plate ($48) - grilled galbi marinated Korean short rib, dry rub Iberico pork chop, duck fat pickled oyster mushrooms, seasonal kimchi, grilled onions, choice of rice or side salad (we chose rice) Rice * Chashu Don ($19) - braised pork belly, gravy, spicy cucumber salad, six-minute egg, scallions Noodles/Soup * Xiao Mian (Chongqing Fire Noodles) ($19) - alkaline noodles, ground pork, gai lan, pickled mustard greens, housemade chili oil, sesame sauce, peanuts, cilantro * Drunken Noodle ($16) - stir-fried rice noodles, tofu, broccoli, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, beech mushrooms, Thai chilis, spicy chili sauce, peanuts, Thai basil Sides * Chili Crisp Garlic Fries with Kimchi Aioli ($6) * Kimchi (regularly $5, but we got this for free; I think it came with a dish or maybe we got it because we ordered a lot) In general, everything was very good to excellent. I think the group favorite dishes were the Lobster "Mac" & Cheese, Shrimp Toast, Spicy Pork Buns, and Xiao Mian. My favorites were the latter two. The buns were freshly steamed and the pork was succulent. I enjoyed the Sichuan hot and numbing spice of the Xiao Mian. Every dish contained high-quality ingredients and was presented beautifully. I also really liked and recommend the Chicken Karaage for a simple, comforting fried chicken dish. The Drunken Noodles were tasty and are worth getting as well. M Pocha's Drunken Noodles can stand up to the best Drunken Noodles I've had in the Triangle. The noodle texture was terrific. What kept me from giving M Pocha five stars was the Meat Plate and Chashu Don. While tender and good quality, the pork chop on the Meat Plate lacked flavor. The Chashu Don pork had fantastic slices of pork belly and a perfectly-cooked egg, but there was too much rice and it was just soaked in sauce (didn't taste the best). We and the table next to us got complimentary dessert. It was like a sweet version of Crab Rangoon. The cocktails were well-made, refreshing, and delicious. Service was great. Our server was Ben and he did an amazing job. The dishes were paced as they were ready. Due to the limited table space, Ben was quick and creative in making more room for us as new dishes arrived. M Pocha opened in June 2019. read more

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M Pocha is another cool "M" restaurant located in Durham. A small store, similar in size to M Kokko (maybe slightly bigger?). Had to put down a reservation in order to get seated, so come prepared! A lot of interesting items on the menu but landed on the Nasi Goreng, Xiao Mian, and Chili Fries. The chili crisp fries were great, my favorite out of the three that we ordered. The way that it paired with the kimchi aioli was fantastic, a great flavor twist on normal fries. The nasi goreng was sweet and had a strong spicy kick to it. I think the sweet was a little over done on this dish, but that is a personal preference, you might like it a lot! The xiao main killed me, there were heaps of chili oil in the dish, so much so that I couldn't really taste anything else other than spicy and noodles. My stomach didn't recover until a couple of days later, not sure if I got a bad batch but there was just way too much chili oil in that dish to be justifiable. My experience was pretty hit or miss with the dishes I ordered, but I'm sure that there are more menu items that are great. read more

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Excellent food and service. From the appetizers to the whiskey the place is top notch. Highly recommend.

Very welcoming, friendly service and delicious food. We ate at the bar and enjoyed talking with the bartender and the chef. We shared the 1) Ocean trout larb pa, 2) wagyu bao buns, and 3) fire noodles. They were all great and paced nicely to allow us to savor each individually. Wish we lived closer-I'm sure we'd be regulars. read more

M Pocha - Menu for M Pocha -September 2025 - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

My boyfriend and I came by M Pocha tonight with high expectations. On our quest to try all of the M franchises in Durham, we've checked out both M Sushi (amazing) and M Kokko (solid). Unfortunately, M Pocha did not hit the spot. The ambience was a little cramped on a Thursday night, but service was friendly and prompt. We tried a wide variety of dishes (3 small plates and 2 entrees, with lots left over to take home). The papaya mango salad had an odd aftertaste, and the pork mandu was oily to the point of being soggy. The highlight of the dining experience was probably the nasi goreng- specifically, the juicy and flavorful shrimp on top. While we wouldn't come back to M Pocha, we'll still round out our tour by visiting M Tempura sometime. read more

M Pocha - Nasi Goreng - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

First time for dinner tonight. The main reason for 3 star was that the food was overly salted. The dishes were quite interesting but unfortunately overwhelmed by salt. Restaurant was on the small side so high noise level. Service was not bad. Probably not my first choice to return. read more

It's hard to describe the amazing food at M Pocha. The chefs combine ingredients that make the flavor burst in your mouth. The service is wonderful and prices reasonably. Do not miss this gem of a restaurant or any of the "M" restaurants in the area read more

The kimbap here is absolutely delicious. The rice is seasoned perfectly, and the fillings are fresh and flavorful. I tried the tuna kimbap, and the combination of crisp veggies and creamy tuna was just right. It is a great light meal or snack, and I will definitely be back for more. read more

M Pocha - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We sat at the bar and had incredible service, drinks, and food. The waitress patiently walked us through the menu and answered our questions. It is a small and busy restaurant, so be prepared for a rather cozy dining experience. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I can't wait to go back! read more

Great for a fun dinner with lots of small plates to share. Creative menu too with great service.

If you want overpriced mediocre food, this is it. We had been wanting to try M Pocha for awhile, but it was very disappointing. We got the shrimp shumai. There were only 4 tiny pieces and they charged $17. The flavor was good, but had a crab shell in it. You'd think for $17, they'd take the shell out. The drunken noodles was a little salty, but also tasted fine. The problem was the tofu. It was coated in cornstarch which was not cooked thoroughly. What I thought was a piece of tofu was a clump of cornstarch which I didn't realize until it was in my mouth. We didn't say anything because the poor waiter was by himself waiting on the entire restaurant. Also, we were so hungry from the wait and portion size that we just ate everything. The restaurant is pretty small and the seating is close together, so if you are tall and want space, like my husband, you're not going to get it there. By the end of the dinner, he couldn't wait to get out and stretch his legs. Overall, a disappointing night out on the town. We won't be back. read more

My sister wanted to take the family here when we were in town so we had a reservation for 7pm on a Saturday night. Thankfully the streets weren't too busy but parking did take a while. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant was pretty dark honestly but it was very good and our waiter was very nice and attentive. We ordered the vegan tofu stir fry ($15), spicy pork buns ($15), nasi goreng ($17), chashu don ($17), and meat plate ($23). We started off with the stir fry and pork buns and they were honestly reeeeaally good. Started off dinner on a super good note. I don't like tofu but the other veggies and that sauce were just so good I kept going back for more. The pork buns were a build your own type of deal which was fine with me but the flavors were just so good together. Next came the nasi goreng, chashu don, and meat plate. While I wasn't as amazed with these, the vegan stir fry and pork buns definitely set the bar high for the rest of the meal. The nasi goreng was on the spicy side and I did not expect that many mushrooms in there. The chashu don seemed a little too on the soft side on my opinion as in everything was just soft. I usually like some kind of texture difference in my meals (think tempura flakes on sushi and not just all sashimi and rice) so that was just okay. Last was the meat plate which says short ribs on the menu however it just looked like a regular steak. I didn't get a pic of it but the portion size was meh for the price. At $23 I expected more than a small steak cut up into slices, 5 slices of grilled onion, and an okay salad of just lettuce and dressing. Overall I would come here again if I were in town or even try one of the other M restaurants as some of those flavors were just absolutely amazing. I highly recommend this place and trying a variety of their dishes! read more

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We didn't have a reservation so we sat outside on the street which was fine by us! The interior is small and so cute! Our waiter had all the recommendations we could ask for from drinks and food. This is kind of a "tapas"-style restaurant, so you order a few different things and share! Highly recommend the pork buns(not pictured)! Everything is delicious! read more

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A fantastic place to celebrate something or someone special! Food wise, I like how the menu rotates but sometimes they bring back fan favorites on their specials menu. I think having a small menu helps them focus on making those dishes really good. We got the Nagasaki champon and Nasi goreng as our mains, the shrimp burger (a throwback item) as an app and the Pocha Vesper as the drink. The price is right for the entrees and are packed with flavor. The nasi goreng is the best I've had in a while, it is a TRUE fried rice. I also love how the shrimps are fried with a sweet and sour sauce drizzled on top. The Nagasaki champon is very rich, spicy and light at the same time. I enjoyed the shrimp burger too, but it was a bit smaller considering it was the same price as the mains - but love the homemade tartar sauce! The Pocha vesper was very strong, if you like tart soju then this is your drink but it has a beautiful lavender color. Next time I will probably get their asian pear juice though! Customer service wise, the waitress was attentive and when I realized they forgot mussels on the champon, the chef hand delivered the mussels to us in broth which was nice. We also ordered another nasi goreng to go, it's just that good. read more

M Pocha - Nasi goreng, shrimp burger, Nagasaki champon, Pocha vesper - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Sat at the window bar, which we enjoyed, it was fun to watch the foot/vehicle traffic passing by. Food was good, if not transcendent. The service was attentive and friendly. This is a good restaurant, well worth trying. It pales in comparison to M Sushi, but is good in its own right. This one is good, but there are better options in Durham, so it gets 4 stars. Nothing bad, but not deserving of the highest rating. read more

If I had to pick only one restaurant from Durham to eat at forever, M Pocha might just be the one. The restaurant serves an eclectic mix of Asian-inspired comfort food dishes, from chashu don to fried rice and spicy pork buns. Their cocktails are also unique and delicious. I'd recommend enjoying M Pocha is with a small group of friends in order to share the different dishes, tapas-style. As to which dishes to order... I haven't been disappointed yet by any of their dishes or cocktails! I do always get the spicy pork buns, but everything else is delicious as well. Prices are reasonable. They are a small restaurant, so I would recommend a reservation if possible. They have both window-counter seating and table seating. Regardless of where you sit, just be prepared to dine is close quarters as the restaurant is small. They have clear plastic dividers that they place between different dining parties. read more

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Still one of my fave restaurants in Durham. DELICIOUS food. I've had more than half the menu at this point - faves are Nasi Goreng or Vegan Fried Rice (may no longer be on menu), Champon (rich and creamy and a little spicy and full of meat/seafood), spicy pork buns, Fire Noodles, Gai Lan, Brussels, Army Stew / Kimchi Soup - okay, yes I've listed half the menu but it's all amazing! They say to share / small plates style but really 3 dishes is enough for 2 people. Good prices for the portions! Great cocktails too! Random but when I was pregnant I got the pear juice and that was surprisingly good! My only complaint / request - PLEASE BRING BACK THE SHRIMP BURGER PLEASE!!! read more

I really really enjoyed my first visit to this restaurant. I went with two friends on a Tuesday night and enjoyed some noodles, some dumplings and the Pocha vesper. I enjoyed it so much that I went back on Friday to celebrate a birthday with a friend of mine. Katie and Julia are extraordinary, weight staff, and they are quite knowledgeable. The restaurant is busy and busy lots of movement, friendly ambience, and I love the gold and silver teapots sitting around for decoration. read more

M Pocha - Me and Judy. - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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SO...this was probably the most disappointing venture while in Durham. This is a hipster Korean restaurant/gastropub that specializes in fancy street food, and I've been meaning to check this place out for a long time. In fact, I heard that this restaurant not only puts out great street food, but with flair! Well...Sadly, from the get-go, it was a no-go. Not sure what I was expecting, but something bigger, for starters?? The place was TINY...basically as small as a ramen bar. It was a good thing that they were practicing Covid safety measures...Temp checks at the door, masks, screens between tables, the whole works. Plus, I arrived super-late, so hardly anyone there. So, I decided to stay regardless of its uncomfortable setting. Then the biggest fiasco. I went because I primarily wanted to try this cute Malaysian Fried Rice w/ Shrimp. Well, when my bowl arrived, I thought they sent me a wrong order...it wasn't what I was expecting at all. It was basically a Fried Rice Bowl...with no Shrimp whatsoever! The Fried Rice tasted Okay, but nothing special. The waitress told me that they changed the content of this dish recently. ?!? SUCH a disappointment. Then the Pork Buns...another surprising disappointment. The pork had this super-wet, near greasy texture...so much so that I thought it was rare! Somewhat disgusted me. I'm just not a fan of soggy food...and this is certainly no exception. Obviously, the foods were a total disappointment...and even the lack of flair in presentation. Guess I was just expecting more...better?? At least they were nice enough to comp me by taking 20% off my bill (for my apparent disappointment...I'm not good at masking lol). Honestly I felt bad, given that my waitress relayed my discontent to the Chef...within my hearing and viewing distance. Again, the restaurant was WAY too small for comfort... Totally Awkward! Hipster or what, not my kind of scene. Unless the food is AMAZING-GOOD, I try to avoid tiny, claustrophobic joints like this. Guess that means I'll probably pass on returning anytime soon. read more

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The special cocktail of tropical aperol spritz was incredible. All the food was delicious. Portions are small do need to order several. It is extremely pricey. read more

The Korean bar snacks at this little spot are beautiful. According to their website - Pocha is short for Pojanmacha in Korea, meaning "Tented Cart on Wheels," which serves street food with drinks. This restaurant serves food that is made to eat while drinking. That is just about my favorite combo. The drinks were sadly not great. Mine was overly sweet and unbalanced. The Chashu Don - pork belly, gravy, spicy cucumber salad, poached egg - was incredibly good. We sat outside on a warm Saturday night and it was lovely. Service was quick and very friendly. read more

M Pocha - Chashu Don braised pork belly, gravy, spicy cucumber salad, poached egg, scallions - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Great food, amazing ambiance (the music took me back to the 90s hip hop scene), and great service. This is probably my newest favorite restaurant in downtown Durham. read more

For Durham, this spot stands out as being a good option for a nice dinner out. On Saturday evening, we had made a reservation about a week ago. The restaurant is small, so it makes sense why reservations are necessary here. We ordered four dishes, per the recommendation of the bartender, who ended up being our waiter too. He was very nice. We probably could have done with three dishes between the two of us, because we had almost 3/4 of two dishes left over for dinner the next day. We got the Chongqing spicy dry noodles, the ramen dish, the fried rice dish, and an order of fries. We loved the variety in this meal. Every dish had a unique flavor and we enjoyed it all. Overall, the rice and dry noodles dishes had a lot of oil used to cook it, so just know that. But having soup noodles to balance it out was nice. The broth was full, deep, and flavorful. Fries came in a great portion with a nice aioli. Would come again for date night. Might not suggest for a large party due to the size of tables. Definitely recommend making a reservation if you can. read more

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Highly recommended! Super delicious. We have had an extremely good dinner time with all of my family. read more

M Pocha - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Had an amazing meal! Honestly I can't wait to go back. It's a small but well managed space. There's one large table which e think would be great to try all things on the menu. We sat at the window counter, had fun chatting with others seated there as well. Do make reservations. read more

M Pocha - Dumplings - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Another foodie joint of the M group, this time tapas cum izakaya style Korean fusion -inspired dishes. Loved the fries with kimchi dipping sauce, mandu and shumai, pork buns, drunken noodles and xiao mien, and chicken karagge. Definitely enough for sharing. Cocktails pretty good too. Warm small space, and super casual. read more

My first time here and oh boy such fantastic food. Portions are smaller, but that means you just order more and it's worth it. Food tried: Gai Lan: Super delicious. The gai lan stem seemed very thin. I don't know if this a different species or just trimmed or what, but it was spinach-like. Fantastic sauce that I ordered a bowl of rice to pour onto to finish it. Green Papaya/mango salad: Very delicious. The papaya was the perfect ripeness. I also like how the papaya was cut. Seems too perfect to be human and that's okay. The chicharrones could be cracked smaller or maybe I'm not supposed to eat both at the same time. Vegan mandu: Good lord. Perfectly tender on one side and crisp on another. That sauce is so ridiculous. Very clean. Shitake Jjanjiang: Amazing sauce. I really think noodles should be cut short if they are meant to be shared because transferring from one bowl to another is kinda awkward, but maybe just order 2 servings. What a sexy dish! Drinks: Smokey Mirage - this drink is amazing. Takes your mouth to so many experiences. Smoky, spicy, refreshing, fruity...mmmmmm. Blue Lavender Old Fashioned - it was okay. It doesn't stray too far from an old fashioned, so old fashioned fans would love it. ********************* Server: Our wonderful server was Bridgette. She was amazing and had psychic powers. The plates: The plates were so nice. It really presented the food well and really harmonized with it. The dark plates really made some of the dishes pop. Even the eyes eat well at this restaurant. The counter seating: This is a great idea, especially because of the corner location of the restaurant provides so many great views. It's kind of an experience unto itself. When I ate there there was like a bicycle rally or something going on. Reserving with a credit card: I think this is a great idea that they can charge you for not showing up for a reservation. It wastes the restaurant's and other customer's time if people can't commit. Final conclusion: As Borat once said, "Very spice!" or something like that. read more

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Another impressive Michael Lee venture. M Sushi may be my favorite restaurant in all of Durham, and his M Tempura was such a neat experience, though maybe not something you would want to do regularly. Here at Pocha, I enjoyed sitting at the bar and watching the staff of chefs putting dishes together with amazing speed and skill. The spicy pork bao were amazing (and definitely didn't skimp on the spice). It's definitely a busy and smaller space, so don't expect a quiet experience here. This is about the excitement of Korean cuisine and the ambience reflects the business of the street food atmosphere the menu is based on. read more

Another great M experience! We came here on a whim and knew we had nothing to fear because we have yet to be let down by any of the M restaurants so far! Our waiter was super friendly and helpful with the menu since it was our first time. The food was delicious. I had a hard time choosing because everything sounded so good! read more

M Pocha - Nasi Goreng - Korean Near Me - Durham, North Carolina