Feel Forever Young at Noori Pocha

Our food writer brings friends to Clawson鈥檚 retro Korean gastropub for an evening to remember.
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Noori Pocha was named one of 2024鈥檚 best restaurants in America by The New York Times. // Photograph by Rebecca Simonov

鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 21,鈥 my friend Liana says directly into my ear. Her voice is drowned out by the pulsating electro-pop dance tune 鈥淜iss and Make Up鈥 by Dua Lipa and South Korean girl group BLACKPINK. She鈥檚 32; I鈥檓 39, and my knees for sure know that I鈥檓 not 21.

But that鈥檚 the power of 鈥 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 expect to find a Noori Pocha anywhere else. This is an experience exclusive to Clawson, and that鈥檚 all because of In Yeol 鈥淎ndy鈥 Kwon and his sister, Nali.

Before they were restaurant owners, Andy and Nali became enamored after visiting Michigan鈥檚 first location in Grand Rapids with Noori Chicken鈥檚 exemplary Korean fried chicken 鈥 that is, fried chicken with a crispy, thin, lacy crust that鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 鈥 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 d茅cor, 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.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not just selling the food 鈥 we鈥檙e selling the culture,鈥 Andy says.

It鈥檚 a culture that not-so-politely asks you to loosen up. Read: Avoid Noori Pocha if you鈥檙e going to be uptight.

I鈥檓 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鈥檚 somebody happily drinking and confidently raising their voice.

鈥淭o Liana!鈥 I say as we cheer our soju glasses. It鈥檚 not Liana鈥檚 birthday; we鈥檙e 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.

鈥淎 lot of Korean drinking food is a mix of traditional Korean and American,鈥 Andy says. 鈥淐heese was not something prevalent in Korea 20 years ago. Nowadays, a lot of drinking food [in Korea] uses cheese.鈥

From upper left corner, clockwise: Chum-Churum Original Soju; white rice; seafood soondubu; booldak; shrimp pajeon; tteokbokki; dakddongjip. // Photograph by Rebecca Simonov

Take their booldak, which features spicy, pan-fried chicken covered in a thick tarp of gooey, melted mozzarella cheese. And there鈥檚 plenty of other familiarity for Westerners, too: bulgogi, kimchi fried rice, sticky fried chicken, and french fries.

But the party doesn鈥檛 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鈥檙e 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 鈥 a towering plate of savory, richly braised pork hocks served with a trifecta of spicy, sweet, and tangy sauces 鈥 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 tried soondubu, Noori Pocha鈥檚 is a great introduction 鈥 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. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the most top-selling food,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 slowly growing and growing. We used to sell four or five orders a day, but now it鈥檚 like 20.鈥

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 鈥 sensible. I understand 鈥 after all, it鈥檚 Wednesday, and we鈥檙e getting old. But sitting at Noori Pocha with empty beer and soju glasses feels sad, if not impolite. It doesn鈥檛 feel like we鈥檙e 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, 鈥淚鈥檓 here to drink.鈥 Me, too, so we order two more bottles of soju. After a little coercing, everyone鈥檚 shot glass fills back up.

鈥淪tanding Next to You鈥 by BTS鈥檚 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鈥檓 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 . Call 248-850-7512 or visit for more information.听


This story originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of 糖心vlog安卓版. To read more, pick up a copy of 糖心vlog安卓版 Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our will be available on Nov. 6.