Unchilgisam Itaewon: Self-Paid Nakgopsae Pocha Review

Hi! I came to Itaewon with a friend for the first time in a while. We were wondering which bar to try, and instead of staying on the main street by the hotel, we crossed over to a smaller street lined with cute little bars. We wanted to choose a place neither of us had tried before. Then we passed Unchilgisam, and the atmosphere immediately felt like a good-food kind of place. We said, “How about here? Should we go in?” and walked right in. Luckily, it was so tasty that we ended up opening three or four bottles of soju... Here’s the review. 😆

The location is near Itaewon Station Exit 4. I think it is around Itaewon Quinon-gil. 📍 Hours 17:00–01:00 Last order: 00:00 Friday and Saturday: until 03:00 Last order: 02:00 📍 Parking Parking is not available. Using a nearby public parking lot is more convenient.

I went in because the first-floor atmosphere looked good, but the first floor was full. I think we visited a little after 8 PM on a Friday, and there were quite a few people. We were guided up to the second floor, and there was also a group table there. It really felt like a popular spot. The atmosphere on the first and second floors was similar. There was a quote on the wall: “Life is 70% luck and 30% skill; the ratio is 70% beer and 30% soju.” Agreed.

Nakgopsae Pocha udon

We ordered Unchilgisam’s main menu item, nakgopsae. A whole octopus was in the pot. While eating, I noticed the makchang pieces were plump and large, and the shrimp were bigger than cocktail shrimp.

The moment I saw the nakgopsae, I put on an apron. 👸

For the nakgopsae, they turn on the heat and the owner comes back a little later to cut and prepare the octopus. After it simmered down and looked cooked, I think they came back again and let us know it was ready to eat. Nakgopsae with soju is the best. The broth had a slightly tteokbokki-sauce-like feel, but richer, with an added seafood flavor. I also liked that there were more glass noodles than expected. My friend and I both love glass noodles, so we really went for it.

And here was a cute detail. I asked for wet wipes, and the wet wipes looked like talismans. They were almost too cute to use. The wet wipes and apron matched the shop-name concept perfectly. I love little details like this. Being lucky really is the best, right?

And of course, a place like this would feel incomplete without a roulette event. Instead of getting a snack or beer, we landed on soju. Since we were going to order one more anyway, both of us shouted when soju came up. The owner was thoughtful and said they would give it to us after we finished what we had, so we could just relax and keep talking until then.

We were drinking happily, and since we received one soju as a service item, we decided to order a little more food and chose udon. Maybe because it was Itaewon, there were really many foreign visitors. Except for our table on the second floor, almost everyone else seemed to be foreign.

Our second anju was pocha udon. There was one skewered eomuk in the udon. The udon tasted exactly like something you would get at a pocha. We had another bottle or two of soju with it and then went for round two... The food was tasty, so we lost track of time while drinking. If you are looking for a bar near Itaewon, I totally recommend it. Nakgopsae is not a menu I see everywhere, so having it again after a long time was pretty satisfying. I want to visit again. . . . . #ItaewonRestaurants #ItaewonBars #ItaewonNakgopsae #YongsanRestaurants #YongsanBars #YongsanDining #YongsanNakgopsae #YongsanAnju #ItaewonAnju #ItaewonPocha #ItaewonPojangmacha