If you're looking for another great, late-night Korean spot, Pocha Is Back absolutely delivers. This place has the full pocha vibe, it's fun, casual, flavorful dishes meant for sharing. This is on the list of go-to places for after a good pickleball sesh that my friends and I like to frequent and here are some go-to's. The steam egg is the perfect warm and fluffy appetizer. Light, slightly savory, and super comforting. The corn cheese is another favorite starter that's gooey, creamy, and just sweet enough, with that perfect golden top. The seafood pancake was crispy on the outside and tender inside, loaded with squid, shrimp, and veggies. Easily one of the better ones I've had in Austin. The fried seaweed spring rolls were a surprise standout too being crunchy, salty, and packed with flavor. They're the kind of snack you keep reaching for without realizing it. For mains, the soy and garlic chicken is great. It's crispy, sticky, and super flavorful without being overly sweet. The stir-fry squid had just the right amount of heat and a great chewy texture, especially good with rice or a cold drink. I just wish there was more squid in it. The bossam was ok. It was tender and juicy, and the wraps with kimchi and sauces complemented it well. The galbi is pretty solid. We usually get an army stew, which is the ultimate shared dish. Spicy, hearty, and loaded with ramen, sausage, tofu, and veggies. It's exactly what you want when the weather is chilly. Service was quick and friendly, the portions were generous, and the atmosphere makes it easy to stay longer than you planned. Whether you're coming with a group or just craving a cozy Korean meal, Pocha Is Back is absolutely worth a visit. We'll definitely be back more. read more

Popped in here with some friends and it was a pretty good time. The servers are very nice, and we felt very welcomed here! It was my first time trying jellyfish and I surprisingly enjoying it. It was really mustard-ey but refreshing at the same time. LA Galbi was very solid and went well with beer (big Terra). I was not a huge fan of chicken because I expected it to be spicy but it was more sweet than anything. I asked server for the spiciest one they had. We also had a "picky eater" in the group and there were options for her as well which is a huge plus! A fun note: the guys sitting at the table next to use were eavesdropping way too shamelessly but it was funny more than anything. read more

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Good atmosphere for a strip mall. Very different than most restaurants or clubs. Good, polite, helpful attentive service too. Grabbed take out and ate an appetizer while having a drink late night. A half hour of K -pop was tolerable while I had a drink and waited for my take out to be ready, but more might have not been enjoyable. But then I'm not a teen/20 something Korean-American. Worth a shot of YIU want to try something different. Some of the prices were 3-4x what I expected. Others a good value. read more

Pretty good spot that opens late. All the food was really good. The two staff that ran the place gave excellent service. The jellyfish salad was kind of new to me. It had a spicy mustard horse radish spice to it. The wings were good but not spicy at all even though we ordered spicy. Perhaps the order was wrong. But i would like to return to try the squirt. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

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As good of a pocha as central Austin could get. This is exactly how you'd imagine a korean pub with very loud and Seoul style interior decorations with K-pop blasting over the speakers, which I'm not complaining. Stan loona. The service is efficient and attentive as well. Their menu contains all the classic pocha bites such as tteokbokki, mandu, budaejigae, and others. We ordered the fried mandu, seafood pancake, and tteokbokki special. The pancake was my favorite as it was cooked well, crispy on the outside with a soft fleshy center. The other dishes were also pretty good and hits the spot. The only thing is that all the food is so heavy, which is to be expected since they're all fried and meant to be consumed with alcohol. However, they could use a little more seasoning but definitely a good spot to go with friends late at night. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

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If you are in the Austin area, be sure to go to "Pocha is Back" - it is pure vibes! I was visiting Austin with my family for the Twice concert and we came here at around 11pm for post-dinner drinks on a Saturday night. The decor is exactly what you'd expect from Pocha, it's cozy and charming. We had a wonderful time. Jake, Roy, and the young lady server (we didn't get her name, sorry!) were so fun, chill, and welcoming and Jake recommended excellent soju and beer. We also ordered the ramen and fried seaweed spring rolls which were delicious. We intended to stay for only a little while but ended up hanging out for over an hour. We will definitely come back when we visit Austin again. read more

The food was amazing. My girlfriend and I got the pork bulgogi, the ramen, and the corn cheese. The corn cheese is definitely on the better side of corn cheese's l've had and they do not hold back on the cheese. The pork bulgogi was good, but for 25$ and no side dishes it is a little expensive. Our server was attentive and nice and took our order fast. The ambiance is dark and they play lots of kpop. Would definitely come back. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is a cozy Korean pub. They are only open in the evenings. K-pop music will be blasting. The menu is pretty focused. There are definitely some well-executed items, and some items that need improvement. The staff who work there are quite friendly. Items such as the seafood pancake, steamed egg, and bossam are quite nice. Their bossam looks very simple, but it's quite flavorful. Their bonchon is not very diverse, but it's pretty good. Pajeon -- their green onion and seafood pancake is tasty, it has the right set of textures (crisp, soft, gummy; non-chewy seafood). Steamed Egg -- the one we got was almost overflowing. More of a scrambled texture than a softer steamed egg. Bossam -- steamed pork belly lightly coated with some sesame oil and other savory juice, and topped with sesame seeds. It comes with garlic, pepper slices, and fermented bean sauce. Instead of something like lettuce, you get thin slices of pickled radish, kimchi, and chunks of radish kimchi. Gam Ja Tang -- it could be improved. Broth is spicy, yes, but it also lacks perilla seeds and their flavor (a very minimal amount is added). But the soup lacks a rich savoriness. It gets served in a large pot atop a burner. I would not recommend their Fish'n'chips or their Fish Katsu. The fish is prepared the same in both dishes; only the accompaniments change. The fish is heavily battered, chunky, not really flaky or flavorful inside, and sometimes mushy. Childhood Long John Silvers certainly beats this. Overall, this place offers up a nice selection of food, though the options are limited. Expect meat and seafood, stews, fried things, and very little in the realm of vegetables. read more

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Looking at pictures of what the restaurant looked like on yelp, I was kind of skeptical of this place being a pocha just because it looked so small. But regardless, they stay open late, so off we went. And I was pleasantly surprised! The restaurant is bigger than it seems, and it's super vibey for late night snacks. We got The fishcake stew - this was one of my favorites for the night. The broth is both light but also super rich and comforting. Its super peppery and even has some jalapeños, so it just warms you up from the inside. I love that they serve it boiling so you can just drink it fresh off the stove. The fishcake were ok though. I think I like a chewier fishcake and these were all on the softer side. Pajeon - I love Korean pancakes but it's a real hit or miss for me because I hate when they're not crispy. But Pocha is back does it right! It was so crispy, without any sog. And the sauce was delicious, nice and vinegary to cut through the oil. Cheese rice cake set combo - I expected cheese but I didn't expect this much cheese lol. I really liked the fried dumpling, and I loved the fried seaweed spring rolls. But I wasn't too big of a fan of the rice cakes. They were all too soft, and didn't have much of a chew. Jeyuk bokkeum - also loved this dish! It comes with a lot of meat and it's just so saucy and flavorful. It is on the saltier side, but just eat it with rice and it's fine. Fish katsu - I don't really recommend this fish. I was expecting a fresh fish filet covered in a light breading. But this just seemed like some frozen fried fish sticks you get from the store. The fish itself was kind of dry and the tartar sauce was wayyy too vinegary. I liked the slaw though. Overall, it's kinda pricey here but the food is pretty good, and it's a cool spot to hang out late with friends. read more

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Solid Korean food indeed! Everything tastes good and authentic. Good to see that Austin has a Korean place like this. Service was good too. Ambiance is good for gathering and friends. Only thing is it's probably not good if you don't want your child to look at the TVs in every single direction. All the TVs are playing Korean music videos loudly. Some of the music videos I def don't want my toddler to see. Will be back, but def will not be back with my toddler. 4 stars for still solid food. read more

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2.5 out of 3. I wanted to give this place a better score, but with other areas such as SOHA nearby, it's hard not to compare and contrast. Here's the review below. ---- Pros: - Plenty of parking - Full menu for food and drinks - Nice decor + Korean ambiance - Korean content playing on TVs Side Notes: - Closed Sundays and opens at 5 PM daily - Not too busy right at opening What We Got: - Fried chicken (sauce on the side) - Kim-mal-i (Fried Seaweed Rolls) 김말이 - Gamjatang (Spicy pork soup) 감자탕 - Corn cheese - Terra ---- Design/Space: Pocha is Back is a cozy spot tucked away in North Austin, with a lively K-pop soundtrack playing on their TVs, and a fun, urban vibe that channels the Korean pub experience. The interior is simple yet inviting, with ample seating for groups and a casual, laid-back atmosphere that makes it easy to settle in for a long meal or drinks with friends. Services/Staff: The service is friendly, but not as lively as it could be for a pocha. Our server was nice, but seemed a bit reserved, unlike SOHA or Seoulju, where you were met with a warm greeting and felt the vibe of a drinking place. Drinks and water were refilled when asked, and the staff seemed happy to answer questions about the menu. We did have to flag the waiter a few times, but perhaps it was opening time, so they were busy doing beginning-of-shift activities. Food/Drinks: Ranking the food that we ordered accordingly: Terra (5/5) - Can't go wrong with an ice-cold beer! Corn Cheese (4/5) - Nothing to complain about, lots of cheese, and wasn't the sweetest corn, but cooked well + hit the spot! Kim-mal-i (2/5) - Was undercooked on a couple of rolls from the batter; overly greasy; the breading tasted a bit as if it was old oil or something (couldn't put my finger on it). The filling was good, though. Gamjatang (4/5) - A TON of pork, and the broth was excellent. I loved the portable gas grill to keep the soup piping hot. Portions are enormous and worth the $30 price tag. Fried Chicken (1/5) - The inside of the chicken skin was not fully fried (although it was fully cooked), resulting in a soggy interior (chicken skin), while the outside remained crispy. The flavor of the oil tasted the same as the kim-mal-i, too, which threw the flavor off for me. The sauces were great on the side, but I couldn't get over the chewy texture of the skin, which wasn't fully crispy. Opportunities to Improve: A couple of suggestions. One, ensure that the staff is lively, as we are at a drinking spot, and that the "bar vibe" is maintained. The staff is kind and friendly, but a little extra attention would be great. Secondly, the quality of the food needed some TLC for us. Some things were great, others were undercooked and didn't taste as good as expected. ---- Summary: It's a great place to grab a drink and some bites. I hope the food quality improves a bit, as I'm willing to give it another chance. However, with other options like SOHA, it's challenging to justify the spend without some adjustments. Perhaps it was the day, but as a fried chicken lover, I was disappointed in the wings, as I had been craving them that day. read more

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Chicken katsu was decent. Music was too loud but they were nice to turn it down some. Speaking of nice, the service was most kind. I thought it was pricey for the offerings or I might have tried something more complex. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Chicken Katsu - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've been going here for a few years and it always hits the spot. It's a cute place to get korean comfort food + drinks. My favorite thing to get is their bossam. I love that it's a no frills place - ample parking, open late, no long lines or RSVP required, etc. read more

Came here with a big group to celebrate a birthday and this place was perfect for it. I did get busy as the night went on, but we had reservations. The mussel soup was probably the best thing we ordered here. The broth was so delicious and there were plenty of mussels for sharing. The bossam was a huge portion too, perfect for sharing. The pork itself was tender and seasoned with sesame oil. It was a good bite with the radish and ssamjang, although I wish it included kimchi as well as lettuce to wrap it all in. The mackerel was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. The original boneless chicken was very crispy, but had no flavor. It could've used some salt, but instead we squeezed lemon on it for some flavor. The cheese bukdak was so rich. It's best to eat it when it first comes out piping hot or else the cheese will harden. It wasn't very spicy at all. Plenty of parking outside and service was ok. There are only a hand full of spots around Austin with Korean pub fare, and while this hit the mark on some dishes, it was a convenient way to get a big group to dine together. read more

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Summary: cute, cozy place with tasty Korean "pub" food. They were amazing in accommodating the huge party we walk-in in as. I think we took up almost the whole place! read more

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Good atmosphere, low lighting with very Korean feel decoration. they play kpop songs as well. We went here because it was one of the restaurant that open late, until 2AM. Get the korean seafood pancake! it has a nice crunch and actual seafood toppings in there not just imitation crabs. The server was friendly and attentive. read more

Food: 4/5 it was delicious. Portions are generous. Value: 2/5 we got 2 plates, appetizer, beer for $75 less tip. Service: 5/5 Atmosphere: Fun. Urban. Asian pub on point. Parking: Easy on a Thursday night. Personally, the value is tough for me to reconcile and we will not be back. However, if you're looking to be transported to an immersive urban Asian pub, I highly recommend you try! read more

FYI - 20% tip is added automatically for parties 4+ (I should add that they were not sneaky about it at all, but felt it's worth mentioning) The Katsu Chicken was good, but they poured a really sweet sauce all over it and really wished that would have been on the side. The kimchi was also great! read more

I actually really enjoyed this place as it wasn't too dark and the music wasn't too loud either for a pocha place. As for the food, the tteokbokki was really good and very much my style with it having a good gochujang flavor. Soondae was decent too and I liked the addition of the sesame seeds. It is pricey but I would still recommend for a night out! read more

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Korean "hang out with friends, beer, and soju" happiness It's pretty much a classic Korean pub (for Austin)- good selection of highly shareable foods, beers, soju, and more. Friendly staff, very tasty foods, and chill vibe - defo worth going to. And yeah, the prices are high (sigh. Austin these days...) but it usually also corresponds to the portion sizes - a $40 thingy probably suffices quite happily for 3... read more

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I thought it was a pretty decent pocha place! My friends and I came and ordered drinks and food, and everything was pretty yummy. Their corn cheese is really delicious. We also tried their army stew, and it was decent and filling too! I would say that prices are a bit steep, but I think that's standard for Korean establishments. I love the vibe, and it gives a great ambience for a night of drinking. I definitely recommend, and I think Pocha is Back is a great addition to the Austin Asian food scene. read more

POCHA IS BACK - @meganyli.eats on IG for more food content! - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

Very modern and fun interiors, complete with TVs playing kpop music videos. Pretty quality food for decent pricing. Good service as it was not very busy on a weekend. All their food is great and even better for sharing amongst friends or other people. Tteokbokki - good texture and chewiness with spicy sauce. Also good portion for about 3 people to share, even if it looks pretty small. Seafood pancake - lots of seafood in each pre-cut slice. Great quality octopus, although I'm not sure what other seafood they had. Fried chicken - not a lot variety of fried chicken flavors, as they only had soy sauce and garlic or something like that. It was super hot temperature wise and they did provide gloves but it stayed hot the whole time. I have had better and do perfect specific fried chicken places, but it was not bad. read more

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I went for dinner and would come back. Loved the atmosphere here and enjoyed how friendly the workers were. We tried the steamed egg, cheese buldak, kimchi volcano, and budae jjigae. Everything was good but the standouts was the kimchi volcano. I wished the budae jjigae had more stuff in it read more

Came here cause Seoulju had a 1.5 hour wait on Saturday and I was craving Korean pub food. The menu was a lot pricier than expected for Korean pub food. We ordered seafood pancake, Korean fried chicken and cheese rice cake combo. The Korean fried chicken was a big portion and pretty good taste wise as well. The seafood pancake was rather soggy even though it does have ample seafood in it. The cheese rice cake combo was pretty good but maybe a tad too much cheese this time. Overall, I think it's a bit pricy for Korean pub food but I guess that's the standard in Austin. Not to mention a bottle of soju is like $15 and it's like $4 at total wine. read more

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Ordered Sweet & Spicy Wings, Pork Katsu, Kimchi and salad, everything was amazing! Flavors galore, the wings were huge! You won't be disappointed, so glad we gave it a shot! Late night dining we ordered at almost 10pm and we're so glad we did :) thank you!!! Forgot to take pics cause it was just so tasty read more

This place is such a hidden gem! The restaurant is tucked within a Korean plaza. My boyfriend and I were looking for a late dinner spot that was open late on a weekday, and we found this place while scrolling for places nearby. It was fairly empty on a weekday night, and our server gave us caring and kind service the entire night. My boyfriend and I got the spicy rice cakes, fish cake stew, and soy garlic wings. Everything came out one by one fairly quickly and piping hot. The spicy rice cakes came out first as an appetizer, and it was so delicious and chewy! The rice cakes tasted fresh and came in different sizes with fish cake. The fish stew came after, placed on a butane stove in a huge pot. The dish made me feel cozy and warm inside; the fish cake was tasty and the broth was homey. Lastly, the soy garlic wings came out steaming and fresh. They gave us gloves to eat with, which was a nice touch. The wings were flavorful and amazing as well. All in all, everything was a hit and I can't wait to come back and try the other dishes. read more

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Good service and vibe, pretty good food that is very shareable which is good because it is a tad expensive. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Kimchi pancake - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

Randomly found this place while looking for a new Korean restaurant to try. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of food for this new restaurant. The kimchi fried rice volcano was delicious, flavorful and not too heavy. The grilled mackerel was juicy and seasoned nicely. The waitress was nice and attentive as well. Pocha is a high quality addition to the Austin Korean food scene. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I had their seafood pancakes about a week ago or so and they were so amazing! Never had seafood pancreas before in my life never knew there was such a thing as that until I came here, but I haven't been out to too much Korean restaurants so maybe that's why. I also really liked the interior as well, pretty artsy and lots of Asian girl dance videos playing which suit me fine cuz I like Asian girls a lot haha. Going to try and come back here fairly soon want to try out their wings sometime. Also this place is expensive, don't come here if you're not trying to spend more than 20 dollars. read more

Flavor was good but wings were way too soggy. Texture threw me off so I couldn't eat it.

Great atmosphere, fast and friendly service, excellent food. We got seafood pancake, fried chicken wings, galbi, and clam soup. Everything was made fresh and tasted awesome. We moved to Austin area a year ago and have been slowly finding places that stand up to the places we were used to back in Houston. Will be coming back and recommending regularly. read more

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Excellent food. Friendly service. The owner makes you feel so welcomed and taken care of. Please come visit! It's worth every penny! The restaurant plays k pop music! The vibe is relaxed and welcoming. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The urge to gatekeep this place is so strong, but I also want to keep this place open so here is my review! Ambiance: not as loud as Soha or Seoulju, so you can have an actual conversation without shouting. It is just lively enough where it was a busy and fun environment, but we easily grabbed a seat on a Friday night. Food: We got the gamjatang (pork bone soup with a distinctive perilla leaf flavor). It was really tasty--flavorful and came with lots of meat. I have actually been raving about it for weeks. I even mentioned the dish to two Korean friends on separate occasions, and they BOTH praised the one they also tried here (not in my presence). If you are not averse to the taste of perilla, I really recommend it. One of my friends said it is better than his (former) favorite gamjatang in Flushing. I WILL BE BACK SOON! read more

I love this place! It's a pub where you can hang out with your friends. You can actually have conversations with your friends since they don't play music loudly like other pubs. The food is all sharable. We ordered chicken wings which were plump and juicy, steamed egg which was flavorful and fluffy and seafood pancakes was the best I have ever eaten. The food all had good made from scratch flavor to it. The server was attentive, and everything was served quickly. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Place is i Open late. Good stop to eat after UT football night game. They had all the traditional Korean bar food and drinks. read more

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Atmosphere and service (which were absolutely charming and lovely, respectively) significantly outpaced the deliciousness of the food. We got a seafood pancake and the chef special chicken dish with spicy sauce and cheese. Everything was quite expensive in a relative and absolute sense. I guess I am a Soha girl although if someone else were paying and I just wanted to drink and watch them eat, I would pick Pocha. Glad I tried it! read more

POCHA IS BACK - Seafood pancake, and chef's special chicken dish. - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

The moment I walked in I knew the food was going to be fire. I was welcomed with a very vocal greeting that made me feel like I was pulling up to my aunts house. Table for 1, had to grab a quick bite. The young lady, Hannah saw me taking time with the menu and politely suggested La Gabi but I went with the Bulgogi instead. One bite in, I instantly knew I was going to kill this thing. I turned around and told her how effing delicious it was. She's like my auntie for real. The sliced beef was perfectly sautéed. Came with a side of white rice that I forgot about cause I was face deep in the skillet. Ouff, came out hot af too which is so important to me. We were making small talk over dinner and she offered me kimchi. I've had poor experiences in the past with kimchi so I politely declined. Her expression of my refusal made me give it a second thought so I told her to bring me a sample. One bite in, I knew the kimchi was made from scratch and I asked for more. God bless this woman and her chef. Jun, I think that's how it's spelled was my server and was prompt and attentive with service. Hannah, if you're reading this, I want you to know that I felt loved in your establishment and I love you back. To whomever is reading this, go try you some POCHA IS BACK. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Bulgogi - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I had seen this Korean pub open up on my way to the nearby Korean grocery store a few times and wanted to try it! I went to Pocha with a group of 6 around 7pm on a week night. There was no wait for a table and our food came out quickly. The workers were all very friendly and helped us pick what to order. We tried the army stew, volcano kimchi fried rice, cheese buldak, and steamed egg. The army stew was okay, thought it wasn't packed with as many fun ingredients as it normally is at other places. I would recommend trying the cheese buldak and volcano kimchi fried rice though. read more

POCHA IS BACK - Pubs Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great food and great ambience. Always a great place to go when you're looking to eat out after a night out. The people are nice as well

This place is a legit Korean style Pocha (pub) with great food. The layout and decors remind me of Korea so much. The service is always kind, and the food tastes amazing! My recommendation is the Cheese Buldak, for those who love spicy stuff. I really like their kimchi too read more

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