“I feel like I’m 21,” my friend Liana says directly into my ear. Her voice is drowned out by the pulsating electro-pop dance tune “Kiss and Make Up” by Dua Lipa and South Korean girl group BLACKPINK. She’s 32; I’m 39, and my knees for sure know that I’m not 21.
But that’s the power of Noori Pocha — exuberance. The energetic Korean gastropub in Clawson leaves your chest thumping, your head spinning, and your heart young.
Noori Pocha is the partner restaurant to Noori Chicken, the small Korean-style fried chicken chain that’s poised to start growing fast. The two restaurants are conjoined by a small hallway, and although Noori Chicken has three other locations spread throughout Michigan, don’t expect to find a Noori Pocha anywhere else. This is an experience exclusive to Clawson, and that’s all because of In Yeol “Andy” Kwon and his sister, Nali.
Before they were restaurant owners, Andy and Nali became enamored after visiting Michigan’s first location in Grand Rapids with Noori Chicken’s exemplary Korean fried chicken — that is, fried chicken with a crispy, thin, lacy crust that’s slathered with a spicy-sweet sauce. They wanted in, so they decided to join the franchise and open a location in Clawson. Andy says it has become Noori Chicken’s most successful outpost.
Still, the siblings wanted more. They wanted something original. They wanted a restaurant of their own.
The pair, who immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea when they were young, share a fondness for Korean drinking culture — tight spaces, loud conversation, blaring music, and, of course, lots of street food, soju, and beer.
A pocha is simply a lively outdoor food and drink stall in Korea. And while there is outdoor seating at Noori Pocha, the vitality of the restaurant throbs indoors. Dazzling Korean décor, hanging lights, large silver tabletops, small plastic chairs, speakers bumping K-pop, and large plates both traditionally Korean and fusion-focused set the stage for a raucous, close-quarters dinner.
“We’re not just selling the food — we’re selling the culture,” Andy says.
It’s a culture that not-so-politely asks you to loosen up. Read: Avoid Noori Pocha if you’re going to be uptight.
I’m here with five other friends on a Wednesday, but it feels like a Friday night. Young, attractive couples are seated next to each other on double dates. A group of four women straight ahead laugh loudly with beers in hand. Just about everywhere I look, there’s somebody happily drinking and confidently raising their voice.
“To Liana!” I say as we cheer our soju glasses. It’s not Liana’s birthday; we’re simply celebrating her return from the bathroom.
Though Noori Pocha serves many traditional Korean dishes, the cuisine itself is multifaceted. Korea has happily embraced Western culinary sensibilities in recent years, and that fusion is part of what Andy and his sister are excited to share.
“A lot of Korean drinking food is a mix of traditional Korean and American,” Andy says. “Cheese was not something prevalent in Korea 20 years ago. Nowadays, a lot of drinking food [in Korea] uses cheese.”
Take their booldak, which features spicy, pan-fried chicken covered in a thick tarp of gooey, melted mozzarella cheese. And there’s plenty of other familiarity for Westerners, too: bulgogi, kimchi fried rice, sticky fried chicken, and french fries.
But the party doesn’t start until you try the more traditional Korean offerings.
A Western palate might shy away from chicken gizzards and pork hocks, but at Noori Pocha, they’re nonnegotiable must-orders. Dakddongjip, a sizzling platter of stir-fried chicken gizzards, is scattered generously with cloves of roasted garlic, green onions, and sesame seeds. The jokbal — a towering plate of savory, richly braised pork hocks served with a trifecta of spicy, sweet, and tangy sauces — is quintessential drinking food.
Meanwhile, the shrimp pajeon is so refreshingly crispy and sticky that it begs to be slugged down with a beer. Shrimp pajeon is usually served soft and lightly steamed; this pajeon, however, is so crispy and caramelized that the pancake cracks in your mouth like Pop Rocks. Just one of many ways Noori Pocha leaves you feeling like a teenager.
The restaurant’s seafood soondubu is also quite striking; it features silky tofu, shrimp, clams, onion, zucchini, and a pile of green onions in a bubbling-hot crab-and-shrimp seafood broth featuring lots of spice. Right before the soup leaves the kitchen, an egg is cracked directly into the broth, and it cooks on its way out to the table. For those who haven’t tried soondubu, Noori Pocha’s is a great introduction — the soft tofu melts in your mouth, and the hearty broth proves salty and oceanic, the perfect thing to slurp with a mainstream Korean beer like Cass.
Kwon delights in the fact that more people are trying soondubu. “It’s not the most top-selling food,” he says, “but it’s slowly growing and growing. We used to sell four or five orders a day, but now it’s like 20.”
The Korean-style fried wings that are fundamental to Noori Chicken are also available at Noori Pocha. They are sweet, sticky, and spicy with a crispy, refined breading. The side of bright white pickled radishes, which are sweet and crunchy, makes the perfect sidecar to the wings.
Our table is ornamented with so many dishes, platters, and drink glasses that the water gets set on the floor. Responsibility slowly becomes a casualty of the night.
As the dinner closes, I feel a little too … sensible. I understand — after all, it’s Wednesday, and we’re getting old. But sitting at Noori Pocha with empty beer and soju glasses feels sad, if not impolite. It doesn’t feel like we’re taking full advantage of the experience, of the culture. There are still pork hocks to gnaw on, still gizzards and garlic cloves to eat.
Liana glances at me and says, “I’m here to drink.” Me, too, so we order two more bottles of soju. After a little coercing, everyone’s shot glass fills back up.
“Standing Next to You” by BTS’s Jung Kook blasts through the restaurant, and the beat literally vibrates my stool. The table behind us, who arrived 20 minutes after we sat, has long been gone. The conversation once again turns lively, and I start raising my voice and gesturing wildly, as I’m known to do when I drink.
Now that I think about it, I do kind of feel 21. Noori Pocha might just be the fountain of youth.
Noori Pocha is located at 1 S. Main St., Clawson. Call 248-850-7512 or visit nooripocha.com for more information.
This story originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on Nov. 6.
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