Hanshin Pocha Irvine — Restaurant in Irvine

A late night spot that opens late in Irvine? Say what, is Hanshin Pocha going to be the one that wakes up Irvine from its sleepy slumber at night? They're currently the only soju bar in Irvine and they open until midnight or 1am. I'm loving the vibe with all the neon light signage inside! Service was pretty attentive as well. I've been to their other locations in Rowland Heights and K-town before so I knew Irvine peeps were in for a real treat. They have such a large selection of alcohol, particularly soju, and you can't go wrong with any of their dishes which pairs perfectly with the alchy. They also got some happy hour deals going on so I'd check their socials for more details.

|| P A R K I N G / L O C A T I O N || -Cross Streets are Sand Canyon Ave. and Quail Hill Pkwy -Located in the same plaza as Thai Bamboo Bistor, O Fine Japanese Cuisine, Tea Maru and more! -Parking was easy because it's located in a large plaza with plenty of parking spots. On a Monday evening around 7pm, we were able to snag a parking spot fairly close to the establishment.

|| F O O D || Chicken Mozzarella Cheese ($29.95) - If you love a good cheese pull, you definitely have to get this! They also offer a pork version of this if you prefer that as your choice of protein. It comes in a sizzling hot platter so be careful! There's a decent amount of protein per order and it's not too spicy! This is definitely one of their well known dishes.

Kimchi Fried Rice ($20.95) - I love that it's also surrounded by cheese so here's another chance to get your cheese pull game on. With the melted cheese, it elevates the kimchi fried rice, but I would say that if they didn't have the melted cheese, it would be an okay dish to order.

Kimchi Jeongol ($31.95) - Nothing beats a flavorful spicy soup after rounds of drinking! It comes with kimchi, pork and sausage and if you love a well fermented kimchi, you can definitely taste that flavor in the soup. Great for sharing!

Stir Fried Udon with Brisket ($28.45) - Comes with tender beef brisket! I like that the udon noodles were cooked perfectly chewy. The flavor was overbearingly strong, but I think that was okay with me since I had ordered the chicken mozzarella cheese and kimchi jeongol which were super strong...

this is the perfect late-night spot to grab some good food with friends. open every day until midnight (1am on weekends)!!

they have all your classic korean gastropub eats. i've been to their RH location and for the most part i think the menu is the same, minus a few different items?

portions here are HUGE, definitely meant to share with the entire party.

chicken feet - this was actually my first time trying chicken feet and i'm SO glad i tried it here bc the flavor was amazing! they cooked it soo well - the texture was incredibly gelatinous and super soft to bite into.

chicken mozzarella cheese fondue - i've gotten the pork before. both are really good. must get item!!

egg soup (geran tang) - not to be mixed up with steamed egg. this is similar but just more "soupy"

kimchi fried rice - surrounded with mozzarella cheese. would have been the cherry on top with a fried egg!

overall, all good eats!!

service/ambiance: there’s a call button if you ever need anything. more of a gastropub vibe - think dim lights + loud music.

plenty of parking spaces...

Is it possible to find comfort in an Irvine k-bar aka pocha ?

Who am I? A mom, who finally gained the freedom from kids who don’t scream or want mommy all day. I can go out now with my other free single friends and free moms who literally just wanna eat really good comforting Asian food, have sips of something tingly and eat in a way I don’t have to serve someone else except for myself.

Rosé Toppoki hits the spot, that whole fried chicken they break apart tableside was crispy with a hint of lemon, enjoying fried dumplings on sizzling platter of corn cheese and slurping without judge boiling pot of ramen tofu beef stew while burning my tongue and lastly making somek to drink everything down.

Love the ambiance because you can be locked into your own group, be kinda loud and sing along to kpop music playing throughout the restaurant and stay up till midnight.

Service is 100% just because they have the call button! Love that...