HANSHIN POCHA KATY (한신포차 케이티) — Restaurant in Katy

This was our first time here, I went with my boyfriend since we saw that all the influencers hyped this restaurant up. This place is definitely worth going in a large group of people. You get your privacy in your own tent. The food was somewhat good, there really wasn’t anything wow about it. The music was too loud, I understand the concept but lowering down the music just a little bit would be perfect. It was hard to converse with my partner and my waitress over the excessively loud music.

Now with that being said, I’m not sure if this was the reason why our waitress was so delayed when we would push the button. Took approximately 10 minutes for her to come to our tent to get a refill of water and to get our bill. The first time it seemed like that, we rang the button twice. We understand it was very busy too so I don’t know 100% blame the waitress. But, the 2nd when we needed our waitress, her name is Lindsey or Linsey, we pushed the button 1 time, no response . 5 mins later, we rang it the 2nd time, no response again. 3rd time I rang the bell (my partner stepped out to take a call) no response AGAIN. I waited another couple mins and looked around to see where she could be. Little did I know when I turned around, she was behind our tent talking to another table with 2 other male waiters. I thought maybe the customers behind us maybe were complaining or asking questions, so I let time pass again, another 5 mins pass, they were all still there conversing. I pressed my button again, and once again no one comes. My partner finally comes back and I rang the bell one last time, she comes less than a minute.

We asked for the check and she just dropped it off. We thought she was going to come back on her own without us ringing t he bell since any other normal restaurant would come back to check on their customer for the payment. No! I gave her the benefit of the doubt to come back on her own and last another 6-8 minutes until I finally decided to ring the bell. When I rang it, she didn’t come. Once I turned around, I really thought she wasn’t going to still be behind us in the same tent conversing…she was. It was group of male customers that looked her age, I’m assuming she is friends with them. Finally, she left after a few mins, I decided to ring the bell again and finally she came to us. Disappointedly, when we got out from our tent, there she was once again in that same tent, talking and laughing with the same boys.

I understand if friends come and you want to talk to them, but that shouldn’t be an excuse to be distracted from servicing your other customers. If friends are going to be a distraction, maybe they shouldn’t be coming into your job while you’re on the clock.

As someone who works in customer service, there should be a limit when socializing and getting back to your job, and unfortunately we didn’t get the best service we could. Hopefully management can put some ground rules and improve.

She was sweet and everything, but prioritizing your other friends over your customers while working isn’t...

This is a great spot for hanging out and drinking with friends. The place has nice decor and good vibes. It's called Pocha, and it really gives you that authentic pocha feel -- like the red tent-style street stalls in Korea that usually serve hot food. Personally, I found it a bit warm inside the tent since there isn't much airflow (the tent blocks it), and these tents are typically meant for outdoor use to protect from cold and wind. My friends and I ordered a bunch of food and drinks, and the bill came out to under $130 - cheaper than we expected for everything we had. The prices are very reasonable! Here's what we tried: French Fries - They didn't look quite like the photo on the menu, but they were still good and simple, like any fries. Corn Cheese - Really tasty! I liked the cheese they used. Ramyun - Came with an egg; simple and classic, just like any good ramyun. Rose Tteokbokki - Creamy, flavorful, and loaded with toppings. I did feel this one was a little pricey compared to the rest. Kimchi Fried Rice - Well-seasoned and a huge portion. Even with four of us, we had plenty of leftovers. Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken - Delicious, crispy, and a large portion. We devoured it! Korean Beef Short Rib - Huge portion and nicely seasoned. They offered white rice with it, but we passed since we already had the fried rice. Everything was great - amazing ambiance, excellent service. The staff checked on us often and made sure everything was good. They also offer free refills on banchan (side dishes), and the banchan itself was delicious (I forgot to mention that earlier!).

Overall, I highly recommend this place for a fun night out with friends. It's open late (until 2 AM!), so it's perfect for hanging out...

I was interested to try Hanshin Pocha because I had never visited before and I’m glad to say we weren’t disappointed! The restaurant interior is sectioned off into individual dining booths with call buttons to grab wait staff’s attention.

In regards to the food, we were happy with almost everything we tried.

The Kimchi Fried Rice was the star of the evening for us, it was super flavorful and the pieces of kimchi were warm and flavorful.

The Kimchi Pancake was both good and bad. It had a nice crispy edge with lots of fresh green onions on top, but the middle of the pancake was a little soggy and we were not served any sauce for the pancake.

The Sausage and Vegetable Soup was great! The broth was very flavorful and I loved the pieces of kimchi inside. It came with ramen noodles and a mixture of hotdogs, ham, and spam inside.

We didn’t receive any banchan other than a small bowl of japchae, but it was really good! It was also served warm, which I appreciated since most Korean restaurants don’t heat it up when serving it as banchan.

The dumplings were great! Super crispy and tasty, especially with the savory sauce they are served with. Also, they have a promotion where you can get 4 free dumplings for writing a review.

Some other notes on the restaurant, we weren’t fans of the water flavor, but that’s a common trend I’ve noticed across several residents in Katy Asia Town. Additionally, the music played inside is great! It’s a mix of non mainstream kpop, which was enjoyable to listen to.

We split 3 entrees between 4 people and paid about $15 a person, so the price is pretty good.

Overall, the food is mostly good and I was satisfied with the restaurants ambience and service. I will probably return again to try...