Kong pocha (Baltimore) — Restaurant in Baltimore

Terrible Service and Extremely Rude Attitude☹️

I had a very disappointing experience at Kong Pocha yesterday, and I feel compelled to share what happened.

We left a 20% tip and even added an additional $5, which was meant as a gesture of appreciation and respect for the service. 🥺However, we were met with rude and dismissive behavior that completely undermined the kindness we extended.😢

After finishing our meal and paying the bill, we needed a bag for our takeout box. There was no one at the counter, and no staff outside either. We noticed plastic bags on a cabinet outside the counter. A man, who appeared to be a delivery worker, kindly told us that the bags cost 5 cents each, so we took one and waited at the counter.

Seeing us waiting, the man even helped us by calling a server from the back. However, when the server came out, she immediately started questioning us rudely 😡😡😡and impatiently. I explained politely that we wanted to purchase a plastic bag for their takeout boxes, but she kept questioning us with an extremely disrespectful attitude.

When she saw we were holding a card to pay, she snapped at us, saying they don’t accept card payments under $5. Her tone and behavior made us feel like we were causing trouble or trying to take advantage, which was absolutely not the case.

We remained polite throughout the whole interaction and didn’t argue, but her attitude was unacceptable. This experience completely ruined our visit, and I will not return to this...

TLDR: Hidden gem of a Korean bar/restaurant serving all of your favorites. Bring your drinking buddies and order the fried chicken and jjampong along side a bottle of soju and Hite for the ultimate experience.

Vibe: 4/5. Location may seem sketchy from the outside but looks are deceiving. They have a parking lot on the right side of the building so no need to street park. Once inside, you feel like you've been suddenly whisked away to a bar in Seoul. The front half of the restaurant is outfitted with KBBQ burners for those that want to grill and the back portion is reserved for larger groups not eating KBBQ. Very typical industrial bar decor with Korean pop culture sprinkled throughout the establishment.

Service: 5/5. Excellent service the entire night. The wait staff kept the soju and beer flowing from when we arrived around 5pm until closing out at 8pm. Food was brought out at a quick pace as well as the bill when requested.

Food/Drink: 5/5. Superlative Korean food. My group of 4 ordered the fried chicken, jjampong, ttkeobokki and pajeon. Everything came out hot and delicious with the highlights being the chicken and the jjampong. Drink wise, they have all the staples for a Korean bar including soju, Hite beer and makkoli just to name a few. We ordered several bottles of flavored soju (pineapple, grape and grapefruit) as well as large bottles of Hite beer to mix. All in all, a great meal with friends in a fun environment that makes you...

Firstly, the fried chicken was very good. Flavorful and crispy. Unfortunately, it was the only positive part of the experience.

From walking in, the atmosphere feels like the owner wanted a restaurant and bought a rundown one with absolutely no idea where to begin with renovations. Randomly placed posters all over. The bar near the main entrance is currently used for storage, and the host is located about halfway through the next room. In other words, you can’t actually see where you’re supposed to go from the entrance. The floors are uneven with peeling finish. Every surface (the floor exempt) looks like it was painted by an amateur. There’s probably more to be said about this, but I’ll leave it at that. If that is the intended aesthetic, awesome, but it isn’t for me.

The service was OK. To be fair, they were busy. Waitress came within moments of us pressing the call button. She forgot my drink, but so did I. I didn’t think to see if we were billed for it until well after we made it home.

The Kongbination came out remarkably quick. Like, within minutes. A large plate to assemble and serve so quickly. Unfortunately, however, I had to wait roughly 15 minutes after my girlfriend received her food for my chicken. I thought it was strange we weren’t served at the same time.

It was pretty pricey for what was overall an unpleasant experience. We paid over $80 for an appetizer, two entrees, and one drink.

Side note, yeah not in a great part...