“Man I could go for a refreshing beer right now.” We both agreed that after walking around all morning in an unseasonably warm day last November, the thought of an ice-cold draft Terra sounded like bliss.
We were in Seongsu, the new “hot” neighborhood for boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. So it’d be easy to find a chill spot to grab a beer….right? WRONG.
We wandered aimlessly for an hour and eventually in the corner of my eye spotted the green, white, and gold tap handle at a coffee shop of all places. (we later found out it was connected to a bar in the ground floor). We dashed over there only to find out that beer was served after 4pm. Determined to get that coveted beer, we returned at 4pm on the dot and asked for “Terra doo jan”! (two glasses of Terra!). The friendly server just looked at us blankly….and then asked us, “and anju?”
This is where everything unraveled for us and helped us think of these 5 tips for any of you looking to travel to Korea and getting a little mid-day pick-me-up.
Day drinking is not as common as we assumed. On the other hand, coffee culture is HUGE out there (no more iced americanos pls :/). Ironically, we saw more people getting their hair of the dog on with their AM gukbaps (soups). It’s still a no judgement zone out there, but a good tip might be to load up on some beverages at the mini-marts and stocking up your hotel or Airbnb fridge! :)
If you do end up getting your groove on in the afternoon, you’ll be required to order food or some type of “anju.” If you don’t want to get too full, I’d go with the dried fish or squid (if on menu); otherwise, it’s another pancake for you hehe. So if you’re like us and NEED to eat 3 meals/day at least anytime we’re in Korea, add this as your .5 meal. If you get a nightcap, make sure you save room again for some more food. (Extra caution to anyone who wants a mid-day drink but has an expensive dinner reservation).
Not a lot, but breweries and tasting rooms are popping up around Seoul. We went to Magpie a couple years ago, enjoyed a delicious IPA, and were on our way!
TONS of cool natural wine bars in Seoul, but they’re still expensive and none of them really open during the day (except weekends). Hard pass.
This ended up being our spot/move: Dooroomi in the Mapo District. Amazing drinks and even better food, considering they call themselves a pub. And they open at 2p! After lunch, start walking towards the pub (furthest north part of Mapo, but they have developed an old train track so great walking path and things to see along the way). Grab a seat around 3p/4p, enjoy the wide selection of drinks, and then slowly start ordering everything off the menu (eventually becomes dinner!).
And score! there’s still beer in the hotel room fridge ;). Goodnight!