North Valley
Pocha 54
Opened: April 2023
Subtitled “Korean tapas” to give wary North Phoenix diners an inviting touch point, Pocha 54 is a mess of fun. The menu consists of roughly 30 shareable small plates, many borrowed from the traditions of South Korean street food, and several amped up with gochujang, Korea’s foundational fermented chile paste. Gochujang garlic shrimp ($19.54) is straight-forward and addictive, with crispy prawns dressed in a funky-sweet shellac of garlic, mirin and chile that you’ll want to rub on your gums. The gochujang also makes featured appearances in a bowl of Brussels sprouts ($9.54), roasted to tender-firm perfection and tossed with caramelized carrots and an aromatic smattering of sesame seeds; and tteok-bokki ($15.54), Korea’s bonkers street stew, with fried calamari sticks, fish cakes and chewy knots of steamed rice in a tart, ketchup-y gravy. It’s insane. The charmingly motley menu also has milder bites like roasted soy-garlic chicken wings ($15.54), which are lean and delicious, and a bulgogi-mushroom hot pot ($19.54) with meaty flanks of shiitake and glass noodles in a piping-hot, oniony broth. Even if you don’t know kimchi from Kim Kardashian, I have a feeling you’ll dig this place.
Wild Card: Pair your meal with a bottle of sake-like soju ($13-$20).
5415 E. High St., Phoenix, 480-659-6355, pocha54.com
