Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Seoul for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Seoul for grown-ups.
Sanullim 1992 in Hapjeong is a speakeasy dedicated to Korean traditional spirits: single-variety soju, cheongju, and artisanal makgeolli by the pour.
Signature drink: Andong soju flight with seasonal dried fruit
Food: Traditional Korean drinking snacks (anju)
Damotori is the definitive makgeolli bar in Seoul, stocking over 40 varieties of the unfiltered rice wine from producers across Korea and presenting them.
Signature drink: 12-glass makgeolli sampler tray
Food: Korean pajeon (green onion pancakes) and fried snacks
Juan Makgeolliano is a traditional-style makgeolli bar on the Yeonnam-dong strip, with an extensive compiled selection of quality makgeolli matched.
Signature drink: Quality makgeolli selection by the kettle
Food: Jeon (Korean savory pancakes) and carefully plated drinking snacks
Charles H in the Four Seasons Seoul is the city's most refined cocktail bar, a Prohibition-era concept built on Korean seasonal ingredients and 200 spirits.
Signature drink: Korean pear and ginger sour
Food: Bar snacks
Magpie Brewing's Itaewon taproom is the craft beer entry point to Seoul, with the full range of Korean-brewed ales and lagers served alongside pub food.
Signature drink: Magpie Porter (Seoul's defining craft dark beer)
Food: Bar food: sliders, nachos, wings
The Booth Brewing on Gyeongnidan-gil pairs its own-brewed IPAs and stouts with a food menu, a full evening destination on Seoul's most international street.
Signature drink: Gildong IPA and seasonal sours
Food: Korean bar food and western snacks
Jongno 3-ga's pojangmacha tents and beer halls open at dusk behind the station, serving somaek (soju-beer bomb) and dried squid until well past midnight.
Signature drink: Draft beer (maekju) with fried chicken (chimaek)
Food: Fried chicken, dried squid, pickled vegetables
M29 occupies the 29th floor of the Fairmont Ambassador in Yeouido, with an indoor cocktail bar and outdoor terrace overlooking the Han River and the Yeouido.
Signature drink: Nature-elements omakase cocktails with botanicals and fresh herbs
Food: Light dishes and bar snacks
Zest ranked No. 2 Asia's 50 Best Bars and No. 16 World's 50 Best Bars 2025, serving Korean seasonal cocktails sourced from contract farms in Gangnam.
Signature drink: Korean ingredient-driven omakase cocktails
Food: Snacks paired to cocktail menu
Southside Parlor is one of Itaewon's most consistent bars: New Orleans-inflected, with live music Thursday through Saturday and a well-stocked spirits shelf.
Signature drink: Bourbon sour with Korean persimmon syrup
Food: American pub food and Korean fusion bar snacks
Le Chamber is a Cheongdam speakeasy entered through a hidden bookcase door, a fixture on Asia's 50 Best Bars since 2016, pouring precise classic cocktails.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails behind a hidden bookcase door
Food: Bar snacks
The pojangmacha tent alleys of Euljiro are old Seoul's most genuine late-night drinking: somaek and dried seafood under orange awnings since the 1970s.
Signature drink: Soju and beer (somaek bomb)
Food: Tteokbokki, sundae, fish cakes, spicy stir-fries