drinking in seoul, south korea.
march/april 2023
this might be the first time i’ve dedicated a post to just the drinking that we did in a city, but we drank a lot (for us anyway) while in seoul and they were all such fun and unique experiences.
jean frigo
9-8 toegye-ro 62-gil, jung district
jean frigo is a wonderful “hidden” bar that looks like a small grocery or market from the front. you enter through one of the refrigerator doors into some cozy speakeasy vibes, with a fruit-focused cocktail menu.
the entry/exit door.
complimentary dried fruit snacks.
garden: seoul bam, signature sesame leaf apricot syrup, lemon juice, ginger ale; whisky.
we were feeling quite snacky as well since we’d spend the day exploring palaces and hanocks, so we had a lovely charcuterie plate to go with our drinks. the drinks were excellent and the bartenders were clearly very dedicated to their craft.
midnight people: gin, fresh grapefruit juice, blue curacao, x-rated, pine beverage, tonic water.
hong podo: gin, red wine lillet blanc, fresh lemon juice, sugar.
a night in gangnam
we went out drinking two different nights while we were in seoul. the first was in gangnam for james’s birthday.
alice
47 dosan-daero 55-gil, gangnam district
down the rabbit hole.
this alice-in-wonderland-themed speakeasy oozed mystery and whimsy. i loved all the details, from their cute menu illustrations to cheeky drink presentations.
hippity hoppity: vodka, wasabi, carrot, guava.
unbirthday tea party: whiskey, oloroso, black tea, coconut.
queen's onion soup: whisky, onion, cinnamon, pineapple.
the unique flavor combinations were delicious and we had a great time chatting with our bartender, who even recommended a great bar for us to go to in okinawa (later in the trip).
macho nacho: mezcal, nacho, bell pepper, chocolate; plus a sombrero for the birthday boy
after alice we had dinner at jungsik, where we actually ran into a danish couple we had met on a food tour (more on that next week). they were interested in continuing the good times so we went to a couple more bars with them in the vicinity.
le chamber
42 dosan-daero 55-gil, gangnam district
our first stop was le chamber, which was dark and moody and served a very good perfect manhattan.
zest
B1 26 KR 55 dosan-daero 55-gil, gangnam District
our next and final stop for the night (because i simply could not keep up with our drinking companions any longer and we had an early morning train to catch) was zest. their drinks and their ingredients were all about sustainability.
glazed manhattan: rye, peated scotch, italian vermouth, east india sherry, cherry, glazed chestnut; jeju garibaldi: italian bitter, fluffy jeju mandarin, gujwa village carrot.
a night in itaewon
our second night of drinking was after we return to seoul from jeju. we explored the neighborhood of itaewon, known for having a rich drinking and bar scene as well as being very international/multicultural. indeed, there were lots of bars (with very cute exteriors).
the bar where they shot the k-drama itaewon class.
UNIONBSIDE
564 itaewon-dong, yongsan district
our first stop was unionbside, a one-man (and dog!) operation serving whisky, wine and coffee.
korean bistro ahn’s makgeolli
3 Hoenamu-ro, Yongsan District
we had dinner in this little bistro known for their makgeolli collection and had a wonderful assortment of small bites.
our bottle of makgeolli.
the booth brewing gyeonglidan
7 noksapyeong-daero 54-gil, yongsan district
of course we had to hit up a couple local breweries. first up was the booth, which was such a fun and frenetic space. we also decided to try a slice of their spicy pizza.
magpie brewing
244-1 noksapyeong-daero, yongsan district
up next was magpie brewing for a couple more beers.
BALLBOY 07
57-16 itaewon 1-dong, yongsan district
by the time we got to our final stop of the night, it was starting to rain. we knew we were close to being done, but also just felt like one more drink. we stumbled upon ballboy 07 and it was too cute with it’s orange crates and yellow walls and cute doggo theme to not pop in. it didn’t hurt that they had some simple food to help soak up all the alcohol.
and that’s it! seoul is such a great drinking city, with so many unique bars for every mood. we only just scratched the surface but it was a damn good time.
rainy itaewon on a quiet night
