Po Jang Ma Cha

Das Bulgogi war wirklich lecker, der Reis leider etwas matschig. Das Ambiente ist eher Imbiss-​mäßig, aber das macht bei der Qualität des Essens und den eher niedrigen Preisen nicht viel aus. Ich würde wiederkommen, sollte ich mal wieder in London sein und Bock auf koreanisches Essen haben. :)

This was my first experience with Korean food, but definitely not my last; I’ve visited several times since first coming here as the food is delicious.
First of all, this place looks really inconspicuous from the outside — compared with the brightly lit Asian restaurants surrounding it, it’d be easy to miss and eat elsewhere. Lucky for me, I knew where to look as this place was recommended to me beforehand.
The interior is very small and it’s usually very busy, which gives it a cosy, authentic atmosphere. Also, it’s reassuring to see so many Korean natives eating here — must mean the food is good!
The food is great, excellent choices for vegetarians and the little cauldron and hot plate you get if you order a stew are adorable. The hot sauce is to die for, and they’re more than happy to give you unlimited refills on it. The plum wine is also exceptional — a very small bottle, but it’s extremely potent, so you certainly wouldn’t want to drink a full 75cl of it!
My only gripes are with the lack of seasoning in their tofu dishes — you eat tofu mainly for the texture, it’s something you absolutely have to season and with most of their dishes, it’s just cubed and thrown in amongst other things, so remains rubbery and tasteless. Also, while all of the serving staff are Korean, every time I’ve visited, the chefs working in the open plan kitchen have been Indian. Not that big of a deal, I guess, but if your focus it to be an authentic Korean restaurant then surely you’d want your chefs to reflect this?
Overall, a quaint and cosy dining experience. I highly recommend!

Stumbled into this Korean restaurant, looks very low key and is definite one of those cheap and casual diners. Ordered the seafood pancake, and BIM BIM bap. Pancake was slightly floury and too oily. Normally the pancake is placed on grease paper to drain, but not here, so could only eat a few. The BIM BIM bap was average, the Korean spicy paste was not spicy, and not a lot of meat. But it was decent for the price, if you are hungry and something quick to be whipped up, then this is the place. Bish bosh, your dish is served.

Is it close to midnight? Are you looking for savory meats and spicy seafood? Have you walked past all the other half-​empty Korean restaurants on St Giles, attracted by the warm glow of Po Chung? Get ready to be rewarded. Despite its crowded, almost-​communal tables, PCMC boasts the best hot stone bibimbap in the area. (There’s a downstairs seating area, so don’t get scared off by the packed interior.) Service is irregular and sometimes they forget about you, but in exchange for bibimbap that good I’d say it’s worthwhile.

Went there last week and had bibimbap and kimchi jjigae. Both very authentic & delicious. The dishes came with a complimentary side dish & the service attitude is really nice. Would recommend a visit!

I had spicy pork bibimbap. it was one of the best i’ve ever had! Also the rice cakes with spicy seafood are great

I am no expert on Korean food, and although I have spent lots of time in other Asian countries, have not yet made it to the Korean peninsula. I went here with someone who is very familiar with Korean food, and we shared a hot-​pot. It was one of those drizzly London days, and walking in, I was immediately transported to a backstreet Asian eatery — it reminded me of Bangkok or Hong Kong. The hot-​pot was perfect for the wet and cool day, deliciously spiced, and fun to have it cooking on our bench. We also shared a couple of nice starters, and a pot of refreshing green tea. Staff was friendly. After leaving very satisfied, walking out the door I was reminded that I was still in rainy London…

I wished I went to Naru or Kim Chee (or anywhere else really). Their Bi Bam Bup was definitely C-​. Though I did see lots of cool hot pots, may be they would have been better than the disappointing blah, tastlessness of my rice.
NO CRISPY RICE BITS AT THE BOTTOM! Gah. What’s the point of having a finger burning stone bowl?

Went here with my friend who is Korean. She said the food was pretty legit and it satisfied her cravings. The food is decently priced, and the portion this place gives is pretty generous as well. One thing that was a bit of a turn off for us was that the banchans (side dishes) weren’t given for free (as all korean restaurants back in the states does), but I guess it’s not that big of a deal. The service here is relatively pleasant as well. Will definitely come back for good korean food.

after a concert, we were hungry after dancing around for 2 hrs. we had seen this restaurant row and had already planned to visit. picked po chung ma cha by happenstance as it was still open at 11pm and had an open table. we LOVED it. the restaurant is very small and we were lucky that we didn’t have to wait. were impressed that the majority of clientele was korean. servers were appropriately attentive and very nice. prices were very reasonable. food was excellent. my husband had a chicken udon dish and i had a spicy beef dish. staff recommended rice, good move. wanted to go back again for breakfast… just place on egg on my beef dish… would definitely go back.

Good authentic Korean food and great service. Quick and efficient. Lively atmosphere. Worth a visit !

There were 5 of us and they couldn’t give us a table to fit all of us (or more like they’re saving it for a bigger group). They stuck a chair at the end of the table, which is pretty dangerous for my friend as the chair behind her keep on hitting her.
The waiter/​waitresses were rude. There was no friendliness in them. We wanted to look at the menu properly before ordering but they keep on rushing us constantly. I understand the restaurant is tiny so they want to make some money out of us and fit the next lot in. Typical Asian thinking.
The food was ok. There was nothing special and I wouldn’t go back. I heard people said that the food is great but I’ve had better. Maybe it was a one time bad experience but that is more than enough to put me off from going back again.

Being a Korean living in London, I’ve tried my fair share of restaurants around this city. It is difficult to get outstanding Korean food in London but I’ve gotta say that this place has to be one of my preferred choices.
Their food is decent (more like street food so don’t expect quality here), prices are reasonable for London and portions are generous in my opinion. Having said that, bear in mind that not everything on their menu is decent. Stay away from their Bibimbap and Jjigae dishes– it is below average. I do recommend their fried squid with vegetables though and jabchae dish is edible.
The thing that really bothers me the most about these Korean restaurants is that you need to order separate side dishes (eg. Kimchi), which is usually not the case back at home– everything is included as part of your meal/​overall service.

Among the few Korean restaurants on this road, me and my friend opted to go to this one as all of the others were very busy and we wanted to be seated quickly. This should have been a clear warning to stay away.
To my surprise there was more seating downstairs albeit not that many seats at all but we were quickly seated and given ONE menu to share, which I didn’t mind.
We had to try to get our waiter’s attention after receiving our menu at least 15 minutes prior instead of him wanting to assist us in ordering, but they were busy so again, I let this go.
We ordered:
Kimchi jigae (pancake) to share £7
My friend got a tofu bibimbap £8.50
And I ordered the soft tofu, clam, shrimp and egg stew (which comes with rice) £6.50
When I ordered I clearly said to the waiter can I have mine without the egg, and he said yes, and in the past I’ve always been persistent in making sure that I at the very least double check that they don’t put any egg in my meal as I do not eat eggs. So I made sure to ask again for him not to put egg in my stew.
We wait 30 minutes to receive any of our meal, I’ll give them some credit at the 20 minute mark our waiter did apologise and justify that it was because the restaurant was busy. This seemed to be the excuse for not only the poor service but the equally poor food!
Our kimchi pancake was burnt, greasy and filled with green pepper which I’ve never even seen in a KIMCHI pancake before. I didn’t comprehend that they would serve us burnt food.
My friends bibimbap was absolutely tasteless, yes there was a mountain full of tofu, but there was no option of sauces like in Bibimpap on Greek Street, she asked to get some soy sauce and the waiter never returned with it so she had to eat plain rice and vegetables.
Along with this the rice that was served with my stew was burnt. The waiter had NOT listened to me about not putting egg in it and this was almost the last straw. When my friend complained saying that I already requested no egg he actually shouted at me saying if I asked if there was egg in the stew. This really angered me I mean does he think I’m an idiot, it clearly states in the menu that there’s egg in the stew so why would I need to reconfirm this?! You should never argue with the customer! Just apologise and sort it the f*ck out! Seriously.
After that it seemed really hostile. The waiter seemed pissed off at me when I did not raise my voice once. I can’t believe this POOR service and POOR food.
We then ordered two cans of drink which when I received my bill I was rather shocked at how much they charged for them considering the reasonable price of the entire menu. £3 for a can of drink?! I’m sorry but I’m a student so being cost efficient just comes naturally to me and I think that if the menu has whole meals as cheap as £6 then £3 for a can of drink is completely inconsistent. But perhaps I was more shocked that the charged this much for the drink because of the DISGUSTING service they offered. I will never set foot in this restaurant ever again and I advise anyone looking for a Korean Restaurant to try ANY of the other ones that London has to offer!
I like Assa & Bibimbap.
Bill total was £28. ABSOLUTE WASTE OF MONEY.

The owner asked asked how the food is compared to Ktown in Los Angeles and I answered that the restuarant wouldn’t survive. However, in London it is alright.
They had Soju and Makkoli, which for some reason I was craving that day. I felt a little homesick but quickly got over it after more than a few.
The food was blah but the owner and service was very friendly.
If Seoul Bakery is crowded and your impatient, come on over for a drink and mediocre food.

I am surprised by the reviews. I had a really great experience at this restaurant with great, fast, attentive service that was not overly nosy. The food was great and authentic! We had the spicy seafood hotpot that is cooked at your table. The servers would come by to check it was still cooking properly every once in awhile and told us when it was ready to eat. There was a good atmosphere and the place was crowded with (seems like) Koreans, seems like a popular place. Overall great experience, am going again tonight.

From the outside possibly the kind of place you may never enter unless someone recommended it. Then when you do you realise many of the clientèle are Korean — always a great sign :) Po Cha is my favourite Korean restaurant in London — really great food, very well priced, warm atmosphere, friendly staff, Love the soju. So far it has never disappointed. Only downside is they don’t take bookings and there’s nowhere to wait inside with some soju as an apéritif. Otherwise would deffo be a 5 star for me.

For photos see Greedy Diva @

Weeknight weary and defeated by what appeared to be an hour long queue outside the new Japanese udon bar in Soho (Oh, Koya I will get to you yet), The Peanut Gallery and I decided to cut our losses and satisfy our curiosity about an intriguing little Korean place we’d recently seen jammed to the rafters nearby.
Po Jan MaCha is tucked away on St Giles High Street, which is itself discreetly tucked away behind Tottenham Court Road station. The only reason to go to this part of the world at all, it seems, would be to settle down for a bite of Korean food at one of the smattering of restaurants lining the street, or to slink undetected into Argos to buy a cheap toaster.
Po Jan MaCha looks like the kind of place I want to eat at. There’s a short wait for a table — but fortunately not out on the street (a la Koya), and the room is bumper to bumper with (mostly) young Koreans ordering up on their bibimbap, huge hot pots and barley water. There’s an L shaped counter facing the kitchen/​bar, and a small room of tables heaving with food in the dimly lit room. We’re smiling. It feels like we’re on holiday.
The seafood pancake with spring onions is plentiful and lovely — thick slices, firm in texture and with plenty of prawns, it’s not overly greasy and we find ourselves fighting over the last piece.
The beef bibimbap is fantastic (pictured top). It comes with oodles of tender strips of steak and a mixture of sauteed vegetables on warm rice, with a fried egg on top, served in a hot stone bowl. The egg yolk is perfectly runny — ideal for breaking over the lot and mixing in for a bowl full of utter deliciousness.
We also try a small pot of the pork and kimchi stew, although the large pans bubbling away, being shared between groups look superb. This dish was a bit of a let down — quite watery, not enough pork and lacking in punchy flavour.
We drank Korean sake (which tasted like cheap vodka). Ask for water, and you’ll receive a suspiciously pale yellow liquid plastic bottle — fortunately, it’s barley water, which is supposed to have healthy, cleansing qualities (although I’m not sure that applies when it’s mixed in from a powder). It tastes like pure water in any case, and I’m happy to imagine the rest as to the good it’s doing me.
Dishes are as cheap as chips — around £5 — £8 mostly. We spent around £15 per head with drinks (add service).
Despite one fairly «meh» dish, we left with an overall very happy impression of the food (ours and that we saw emerging from the kitchen) as well as the bustling ambience. Definitely a cheap and cheerful spot to try some good, honest Korean food.

I happened to discover this row of Korean restaurant by accident today when trying to find an alternative route to Tottenham Court Road Tube. Within 8 shops, there are 4 Korean restaurants. Po Cha was the only one with seats still available
It was interesting to note Lina G’s comments about service because I now understand my experience a bit better. I was seated at the bar and despite there being no other customers along my row of 8 seats, the lady who seemed to be the boss came out from behind the bar and told me to squash in! It wasn’t until I ordered a few dishes that she lightened up but I never got a smile out of her. To be fair, nor did anyone else!
Anyway onto the food. Unlike Lina G, I’m just starting to explore Korean food and I’ve made a few observations from my visits so far.
Korean food uses a lot of vegetables and makes up part of their claim that it’s healthy. They also like the food freshly cooked, hence the preponderence of BBQ grills, cooking pots and smoking hot stone bowls for all the food at the table — you literally see the food cooking in front of you in a lot of cases.
Today, I had beef, vegetables and glass noodles in spicy soup and BBQ belly pork with sesame dip. My waiter advised me to get some rice.
The spicy soup was hot with chili paste but didn’t have the depth of flavour I find with south east Asian curries — it was just hot. I did enjoy the glass noodles and the ratio of beef to vegetables was good.
However, the BBQ belly pork was tough and disapointingly devoid of flavour. The sesame dip raised the level a little but not enough.
The last odd thing was the restaurant adding VAT onto the bill!!! I’ve never seen VAT added onto a food bill before — the prices quoted should usually include that. So that means they lose a star
I’ll be back to try the other Korean restaurants on row

I just got back from having an incredibly tasty lunch here. I had the stone bibimbap with pork and loved it. £8.50 gets you a massive bowl of bibimbap, complete with fried egg on top, as well as a side of miso soup and some pickled veg to offset the spicyness of the main dish.
As it was my first time having bibimbap, the hostess very kindly enquired as to why I hadn’t used the sauce she gave me yet. I said I’d used it for dipping the pork, but she then explained that I should just chuck it all in the bowl Korean style and stir it up. I did and, of course, it tasted even better.
So there you have it: brilliant food, low prices and a friendly staff that will gladly educate those who are clueless about Korean. I think I have a new favourite restaurant!

Food: 4. Service: 2. Final score for Po-​Chung Ma-​Cha: 3.
After a hard day’s shopping, I went into Po-​Chung Ma-​Cha last night for a well deserved dubu chigae. The host was rather displeased that I was a party of one, however, and tried to encourage me to leave by telling me it would be at least 40 minutes before I was seated. I pointed out that two groups at the bar were finished with their meal. 40 minutes, he said again. So I waited, and within 7 minutes both parties had left. Before letting me sit down, though, the host gave me a menu and took my order which he hadn’t done with anyone else. Luckily for him, I eat for three, so he didn’t actually lose out by seating me. However, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
The food, though, didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth. The sundubu chigae was very nice – I’d have it again. I had a seafood pancake as well which was a bit rubbery but still pretty good. Dishes were in the £6.50−10 range.
The place is cute, if a bit dingy. Better ambiance than it’s nearest neighbors although you wouldn’t know if if you’ve ever tried to look into one of their grimy windows. The place says Polo outside, and it’s sometimes called by that name as well as Po Chung Ma Cha.
No free banchan and a mandatory service charge combined with the off-​putting service would make me recommend Woo Jung, their immediate neighbor.