It’s that time of year when you open your wallet a little more generously to reward yourself for a hard year. A cocktail is a nice self-gift. Preferably a well-burned one. We’ve rounded up six cocktail bars with thoughtful signature menus that are worthy of being called cocktail restaurants and date night spots.
1. Zest
Korea’s first zero-waste bar, Zest is committed to sustainable fine drinking. Zest was recently ranked 9th in the World’s 50 Best Bars 2024, which was just released. If you want to feel good at Zest this year, make a reservation in time.
📍26, Dosan-daero 55-gil, Gangnam-gu (Naver map)
2. Bar Cham
Another popular cocktail bar, Bar Charm is a place where there is a wait even at 11pm. Seochon’s Tudjudae-gam Bar Cham serves fun Korean cocktails based on traditional liquors. It was ranked 13th in the 50 Best Bars in Asia 2024. The wait will pass quickly if you walk around Seochon neighborhood, but it’s best to make a reservation to avoid disappointment.
📍34, Jahamun-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
3. Pum
If you can’t wait for an empty seat at Bar Cham, head to Pum, a lesser-known bar that everyone knows about. Located a minute’s walk from Bar Cham, Pum is the second ocean of Bar Cham bartender Byungjin Lim’s Cham Universe. (The third, Cham Jechul, is just outside Gyeongbokgung Palace Station.) Named for the French word for apple (pomme), the bar has many apple-based drinks, but our editor’s favorite is the sweet banana pudding, which has nothing to do with apples.
📍15, Jahamun-ro 9-gil, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
4. Cobbler
Across the street, in Naedong-dong, there is an alley full of cocktail bars and whiskey bars nestled in old houses. Cobbler, which does not have a menu, serves drinks after listening to customers’ tastes and stories. It also opened in Yeonhee-dong a few years ago.
📍16 , Sajik-ro 12-gil, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
5. Abyss
Abyss is also located in Naegyo Alley. The cat is a bonus (or the protagonist) who often climbs up between the liquor vendors.
📍19-17, Sajik-ro 12-gil, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
6. Space
Across the street from Gyeongbokgung Palace is the bar space in Anguk-dong. It was named one of the 50 Best Bars in Asia this year, three years after opening in 2021, and has cocktails, bartenders who know their way around a natural small talk, foreign customers who have heard the rumors, and a modern interpretation of the space.
📍66-4, Yulgok-ro 3-gil, Jongno-gu (Naver map)