Pocha Albany is the North Shore branch of Pocha Eatery, an Auckland Korean restaurant and bar proudly serving since 2005. Found on Albany Highway in Rosedale, it carries the group's mission of showcasing the beauty of Korean culture through delicious food and drinks — a passionate, generous style of dining inspired by the pocha, Korea's much-loved street taverns.
The kitchen's calling card is Korean fried chicken. The Almond Krunch is the best seller, coated in a house-recipe cornflake and almond batter for maximum crunch, while the Honey Garlic Butter Chicken arrives glazed in Pocha's famous sweet honey, garlic and butter sauce. Beyond the chicken there's KBBQ-style Grilled Pork Belly, the famous Korean Army Soup (budae jjigae) loaded with ham, beef and sausages, flavour-packed Kimchi Soup, POCHA Bibimbab and spicy rice cakes topped with melted cheese — plus noodles, snacks and a full bar.
The wider Pocha name has featured in Metro's Auckland Top 50 Restaurants for 2022, in Viva and Denizen round-ups, and won the Menulog Restaurant Award in 2019. Albany runs split lunch and dinner services, offers online pickup ordering, delivery via Uber Eats and DoorDash, and takes reservations through its booking page. Note that food orders must be placed at least an hour before closing.
Pocha Albany is the North Shore home of Pocha Eatery, the Auckland Korean restaurant and bar that has been proudly serving since 2005. It is one of two Pocha locations — its sister sits on Courthouse Lane in the CBD — and it brings the same brand of generous, convivial Korean dining to Albany Highway in Rosedale. The name nods to the pocha, Korea's much-loved street taverns, and the team describes itself as a passionate bunch showcasing the beauty of Korean culture through delicious food and drinks.
Ask anyone about Pocha and the conversation quickly turns to the fried chicken. The Almond Krunch is the undisputed best seller: chicken coated in a house-recipe cornflake and almond batter for maximum crunchiness, served with fries. If you lean sweeter, the Honey Garlic Butter Chicken arrives glazed in Pocha's famous sweet honey, garlic and butter sauce, fries alongside. Both pair happily with a cold drink — this is, after all, a restaurant and bar, and press guides have flagged Pocha as a top venue for after-work drinks.
That chicken has earned real recognition. Pocha has been named among Metro's Auckland Top 50 Restaurants for 2022, counted in multiple round-ups of the city's best Korean fried chicken, celebrated by Denizen as a best cheap-and-cheerful spot and a deliciously authentic Korean dining experience, nominated among Auckland's 20 Best Kept Secrets, and crowned winner of the Menulog Restaurant Award in 2019. Viva has even profiled "the thriving pizzazz of Pocha".
Beyond the chicken, the menu runs deep. The Grilled Pork Belly is done KBBQ-style — juicy pork belly and garlic with sautéed kimchi, salad and dipping sauce. For something bubbling, the Korean Army Soup is Pocha's famous budae jjigae, loaded with ham, beef, sausages, vegetables and noodles, while the Kimchi Soup packs kimchi, thinly sliced pork belly, tofu and plenty of leeks into a spicy broth.
Rice and noodle lovers are looked after too. The POCHA Bibimbab is the house take on mixed rice, built with beef, vegetables, egg yolk and chilli paste, and the Spicy Rice Cake stirs soft rice cakes, fishcakes and ramen noodles through spicy sauce before finishing with melted cheese. Noodles, snacks and more round out a menu made for sharing.
Pocha Albany runs a split service. Lunch is served from 11:30am to 2:30pm, and dinner runs from 5:00pm to 11:00pm on Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, stretching to midnight on Friday and Saturday. The kitchen rests on Mondays. One crucial detail: food orders must be placed at least an hour before closing, so don't leave that army stew to the last minute. The lunch window makes a solid midday option, while the late Friday and Saturday close gives North Shore diners one of the later kitchens around.
You'll find Pocha Albany at 1/329 Albany Highway in Rosedale, Auckland. Can't make it in? Pickup orders can be placed online, delivery runs through Uber Eats and DoorDash, and the team takes takeaway orders by phone on 09 393 8080. Reservations are available through Pocha's Albany booking page for those who like a table secured.
There's something for almost every occasion here: a quick lunch, after-work chicken and drinks, or a long dinner of shared stews and grills. Nearly two decades on from Pocha's 2005 beginnings, the Albany branch keeps the formula simple — bold Korean flavours, generous portions and a warm, lively room on Albany Highway. Whether you're a fried chicken devotee or a first-timer working your way from bibimbap to budae jjigae, it's a tasty window into Korean food culture on the North Shore.