Latest reviews from Seoul

“Cozy pub in Gangnam. Fairly large, small tables, maybe a bar (no one there except for an employee). They claim 30 taps but it was less than that. They have taps from a Korean brewery Trevier and then a few of their own and then a couple other random ones (Firestone Walker, Pohjala, and The Booth). Nice selection including some imperial stouts. They have pizza available from a nearby establishment. Nice to enjoy Korean beer even in this Danish chain.“

LilBeerDoctor 49 days ago

“Great craft beer bar, near Namsan Park and Namdaemun Market. They had 20 taps plus 4 “limited edition”. All Korean beers, a bunch from Goodman, also Social Drnkrs, Seoul Brewery, the Table, and others. Nice selection, most of the styles are lighter beers, highest abv is 6.8%. They have a food menu with pizza, chicken, and pasta. I didn’t order any food. Prices might be slightly higher than other bars. Nice place though, lots to choose from. “

LilBeerDoctor 51 days ago

“Cozy brewpub in Seoul. No bar just tables. They have about 13 taps, all house taps, a variety of styles but generally lighter beers (highest abv is 6.5). Ordering is done from a tablet at the table. They have food but I didn’t get any. Pretty dead right after opening on a Tuesday afternoon. But a solid stop.“

LilBeerDoctor 52 days ago

“Small place on the second floor in the Hongdae, near the Sangsu subway station. Very empty on a Monday early evening. They had about 10 taps, only 1 was their house brew. Ok selection, they had a few taps from Seoul Brewing, Ggeek, and Platinum.“

LilBeerDoctor 53 days ago

“Located in Itaewon district of Seoul. It’s a bit small but put out decent beer. Worth a stop for a respectable beer.“

Bif 188 days ago

“Decent spot, but the beer is just so incompetent. We stopped in looking to kill an hour before a cocktail reservation. They have 6-7 taps, with a preset sampler of 4 for 19,000 KRW, about standard price for Seoul. Their hop-forward beers all had some pretty serious fermentation issues, the wit was passable, and the stout seemed to lack coordination. Very subpar beer quality. Don't waste your time here.“

mcberko 275 days ago

“Beautiful spot, located on the basement floor of the nice Gran Seoul complex. 60 taps, self-pour style. Sounds like tickers' paradise, right? Sadly, the tap quality is awful. ~20 taps are macro nonsense, many are Korean hoppy beers in terrible shape -- as if they'd been tapped months ago and have oxidized poorly. There are some generic exports from the US and Europe, and a tiny handful of semi-interesting things, but that's a generous characterization. At least you can find some cheap ticks, but don't expect anything interesting here. Cool concept, terrible execution.“

mcberko 275 days ago

“What a gem of a place for Seoul: a lambic bar with tons of bottles from Cantillon, 3F, De Cam, Bofkont (!), Girardin, and others, plus some American imperial stouts and other stuff. No taps, just bottles (and cans), with 6 bar seats. You'll pay dearly for this stuff though, e.g., they had some 3F Spelings, ZyF for over 100K KRW. The place isn't clearly labeled -- it's upstairs, with entrance through a side street, through a door that is not labeled, but you'll see the Coolship if you go up the stairs. Dan, the owner, was there when we visited, split a 3F bottle with us, and was happy and passionate to chat about our love for lambic and beer in general. This is such an unusual place to find in Korea / Asia, let alone outside Europe. If you're tired of regular Korean craft beer and feel like an incredible lambic selection and don't mind severe wallet damage, this is the place to come.“

mcberko 275 days ago

“Well, we were certainly in for a surprise when we walked in this place. There are two different rooms: one with 30 or so taps that you can order standard size pours or get flights of 8 for 28,000 KRW; OR, a wall of 20 taps that you pour yourself and pay by the ml -- tickers' paradise!! We tried all 20. The quality varies widely, with some truly egregious hazies, a useless grape soda pop beer, but also a barleywine and two imperial stouts, among others. Everything is sleekly designed, the tap wall works well, and the glassware options are very satisfying. Fantastic place to try a ton of beers for not much -- some of which are good. And it's close to Seoul Brewing Seongsu and Jafa Brewery. Highly recommended.“

mcberko 275 days ago

“Very easy to miss, as the store front does not look like there's a door there -- you'll see a red vending machine facade with beer cans; that's the door. The place is highly AC'd, darkly lit, somewhat tacky but fun. They have two preset flights for 14,000 and 16,000 KRW, but one of them includes two garbage hard seltzers. Beer quality was middling, with nothing interesting whatsoever (blonde, two wheat ales, pale ale, brut IPA, and a poorly done stout). Service is friendly, English-speaking and fast. Below average craft beer quality for Seoul, but ticker-friendly. You can decide whether to visit based on that.“

mcberko 275 days ago

“Very cool spot on the edge of Insasong/Ikseon-dong, but very ticker-unfriendly and can be annoying to figure out what you're ordering. This was the only craft beer establishment we visited in Seoul that didn't have an English beer menu. They have 12 taps, 9 of which were their own, all written in Korean. Thankfully, staff speak some English, are well-informed about the beers, and can help you figure out what the names are in English. Unfortunately, no flights, no small pours, no samples! Just one size pour, priced between 8,000 and 12,000 KRW. I do not know why so many tasting rooms in Seoul are set up like this. We tried 4 beers, including 2 goses, an IPA and saison, all of which were well-made, and the 2 goses were the highlight. Cool spot that is well-worth visiting notwithstanding the aforementioned drawbacks.“

mcberko 275 days ago

“About the same size taplist as the Mapo-Gu location, but not quite as nice or intimate. Staff take your order at the table, and refused to do samples, so you’re stuck ordering only one big size of the beers — not ideal at all for tasting/ticking. Beer quality is decent, but it’s not a tickers’ destination by any means. If you visit one The Table location, hit the Mapo one.“

mcberko 277 days ago

“It's not that close to the centre, but it's easily accesible via metro (Guui station is a couple minutes walk from the brewery). They have perhaps the most ambitious assortment of beers I've seen at a Seoul brewery, with lots of wild ales / saisons that are executed surprisingly well -- the brewer clearly knows what he's doing. They had 13 taps when we visited, with a preset flight of 4 for ~20,000 KRW -- no other flight options or small pours, but staff will maybe do tastes. Their wild ales are exorbitantly expensive, at about 12,000 for the smallest pour. Staff speak a bit of English but aren't particularly friendly. Given how different and ambitious this brewery is, this is definitely worth the trek.“

mcberko 277 days ago

“Nice little spot not too far from MysterLee. They had 15 taps, but no flights or small pours; at least the bartender did some tastes. The one size pour ranges from about 6,500-9,900 KRW (the IIPA being the expensive one and also my favourite). Solid beer quality of the ones I tried. Friendly bartender who spoke good English. I'd say this is definitely worth a visit despite not being ticker-friendly at all.“

mcberko 278 days ago

“Upscale taproom located at the base of a nice high-rise. The place seems to be focused more on their food, but they have some solid beers. Flights of 6 (you pick which) now available for 27,900 KRW, which is pretty steep. You order on the screen at your table and they bring it out quickly. Beer quality was above average, with most things dialed in well, and a couple standouts (the coffee stouts). Good English-speaking service and a very comfortable, swanky spot. Worth visiting.“

mcberko 278 days ago

“Almost directly adjacent to Magpie, this is an interesting spot that ultimately underwhelmed with its beer selection. "Small" pours (280mL) available for around 3-4,000 KRW, but they only had 2 The Booth beers, with the rest being uninteresting Korean locals. They had an Oud Beersel and a few other OK bottles available too. Strange, quirky interior. Not an exciting stop, but if you're already here for Magpie, it might be worth having a look.“

mcberko 278 days ago

“In the heart of Itaewon, this is one of the best breweries in town. They've been at it a while -- 11 years since opening. They don't have flights, but they do small pours for 4,000 KWR, and it's an additional 30% off during happy hour (3-5pm daily), a screamin' good deal. Beer quality was very good, especially their hoppy stuff and robust porter I tried. Bartender seemed knowledgeable. The place itself is tiny, with seating for maybe 15, but that'd be crowded. Mandatory stop when in Seoul.“

mcberko 278 days ago

“Sandwiched between Magpie and The Booth, this is a small beer store with a decent selection of American and European beers (including some lambics), plus a small fridge of Korean craft beers. Since I was here to try local beers, the store wasn't that interesting to me, especially since the Korean beer selection was so small. Friendly owner. Worth a look if you're already here for the two aforementioned breweries.“

mcberko 278 days ago

“Really nice, swanky spot in Hannam near the river -- walk up the stairs and you're there. The taps are on the first floor, there's a couple tables there, and more upstairs. No flights or small pours, just one size and quite pricey, but the bartender was very nice to give us generous samples of a bunch of different beers. Beer-quality, this was one of the most impressive in Seoul, capped off by a very nice imperial stout. Very friendly service, a pleasant environment, and good beer, just not all that ticker-friendly. Definitely worth a stop when in Seoul.“

mcberko 278 days ago

“Close to Mikkeller, so that's probably the only reason to check this out. Spacious, dark interior, with a very grungy and rather uninviting feel. You order beers from the screen at each table, which allows you to order a custom flight of 4 for 15,900 wan, not a bad price. The beer seems improved since some previous raters were here, but still isn't that great. Of the 4 we had, 3 were useless/middling, and 1 (the Double IPA) was decent. Friendly service. Not worth a special trip, but probably worth a look if you're down here for Mikkeller.“

mcberko 279 days ago

“South of the river, so you gotta take the metro or bus out here, but it's well worth it. Located on a cute quite street in a posher area, the interior is fairly spacious for Seoul, with 30 taps. Flights of 6 x 150mL pours for 30,000 wan -- a little steep but not too bad for Seoul or Mikkeller. Though they have room for 30 taps, close to 10 were out when I visited. Lots of Mikkeller drafts, plus lots of Korean local breweries. Pleasant, friendly service, though not particularly beer-knowledgeable. Mandatory stop when in Seoul.“

mcberko 279 days ago

“Very cool, small spot in Ikseon-dong, just a couple minutes walking from Art Monster. They have about 10 house taps, plus a couple guest. They offer 2 preset flight options of 6 x 200mL pours, but charge a whopping 27-28,000 wan for them -- what is this, Scandinavia? We ordered one of those, and the beers were pretty middling -- nothing infected, but not the most well-designed beers. Their regular IPA was probably the stand-out. Friendly, hospitable service and a very comfortable, intimate environment. Definitely worth a look.“

mcberko 280 days ago

“Really cool spot on a pedestrian-only part of Ikseon-dong, with a several dozen seats. We visited on a Friday evening just after 7pm, but got a table for 2 within minutes. You order up at the bar and they pour your bars right away. They do offer flights of 5 for 19,000 wan, but not after 7pm; so if you come in the evening and you want to tick, you have to order their "small" pours (340-415mL) for 6-7,000 wan. Friendly service, with minimal English spoken, but their menus are in English and you don't need much to order. Beer quality was surprisingly good, with the German stuff calibrated very well since Oakes was here and trashed their staff. Definitely recommended when up in Insadong/Ikseon-dong.“

mcberko 280 days ago

“Nice restaurant / tap room in an alley not far from Bukchon. Serving good pizzas and a large range of well crafted beers from Craft Root. Efficient and friendly“

omhper 432 days ago

“Basement bar serving mainly Magpie beers, the production of which has moved to Jeju. Friendly service and great beers.“

omhper 432 days ago

“Modern brewpub with a huge range of beers of pretty goop quality Taster set of five fixed beers + 3 of your own choice. Rapid and efficient service.“

omhper 432 days ago

“Combini-style store with a small selection of Korean and international beers.“

melush 437 days ago

“Korean bbq restaurant with an average selection of Korean beers. Really good yakiniku-style meat menu.“

melush 437 days ago

“Steak house restaurant with a good selection of Korean and international beers.“

melush 437 days ago

“Korean bar with a tiny but correct selection of local brews. Tasty pizzas.“

melush 437 days ago

“Large grocery store inside Seoul Station with a small selection of Korean and international beers.“

melush 437 days ago

“Comfortable bar with many taps of own beer. Empty on a Tuesday mid afternoon.“

Pyobon 493 days ago

“Phenomenal shrimp pasta, with a ton of indoor and outdoor seating. Great vibes and friendly staff“

BitterMeister48 928 days ago

“Up on the second floor, a tap house with a bottle shop connected. The bottom line: a great selection of geeky beers but very pricy. The tap list was a mixture of Korean Craft, American Craft, and Belgian, including Tilquin on tap for 18,000 for 250 ml! Great bottle selection too, including several different 3F and other lambics. You will pay for them, but probably not more than they would cost you in the US. Nice service, crowded. Good for geeks.“

KyotoLefty 1563 days ago

“Pretty sure this was where we went. They had a handful of Belgian beers in bottle for outrageous prices, plus 4-5 taps of Magpie. Also priced about 12,000 per pint which was about the highest I saw. Lovely atmosphere though, which made it worth a stop for a pint.“

KyotoLefty 1563 days ago

“Place was packed when I went in, mostly people dining. Sat at the bar and got a 4 taster set for 19,000 won. Beers were mediocre. The manager was super friendly and she chatted with me about beer for a long time despite the place being busy, which I appreciated, being alone. That was the best part of my visit.“

KyotoLefty 1563 days ago

“Small place on street level with pizza and 4 taps. This is a Korean-owned brewery that finds it cheaper to brew in California and import to Korea. I had a NE IPA which was decent enough but not great. They serve pizza by the slice.“

KyotoLefty 1563 days ago

“American-like place run by Korean Americans, it seemed. Burgers and fries everywhere, a bit pricy for those. A nice tap list, mostly Korean craft but a few American beers including some rare ones. Prices were about average though I was lucky to come in on the day of a hop industry event so got to try some stuff in small pours at lower prices. I liked it.“

KyotoLefty 1563 days ago

“Basement dive bar, with another street-side bar next door. Went during an event so it was packed. Decent selection of beers, most of them well made, available in both cans and on tap for some reason. Pizza looked good. Toilet is upstairs and a bit of a pain. Had a good time.“

KyotoLefty 1563 days ago

“A nice pair of bars opposite each other down a side alley in Ikseon-dong. They have about a dozen beers on tap between them - all South Korean craft brews. They only seat about 20 people each and have a nice cosy and friendly vibe.“

dmarsha4 1621 days ago

“NOTE: Ratebeer map is wrong. Use "devil's door coex" in Google Maps for the correct location. This is a huge bar in the massive COEX shopping complex. It would seat hundreds of people and serves various American style pub food. They have five Devil's door beers on tap. I tried two of them and both were bland. Besides the doors (devil statues) the place is essentially uninteresting unless you like paying top dollar for uninspired beers in a shopping mall.“

dmarsha4 1621 days ago

“NOTE: Ratebeer map is wrong. Use Google Maps with this search term: "World of Beer Hongdae" This is one of two World of Beer Venues in Seoul and is located in the busy shopping precinct of Hongdae near Hongik University. It is upstairs and is quite a large venue with 40 taps. The range is extensive including plenty of Korean crafts across all beer styles, some imported, and also some corporate lagers too. The style is sports bar with multiple screens showing various sports. Music when we were there was loud gangster rap which didn't encourage us to stay beyond one beer. I guess it could be a decent venue depending on what you are after, especially given the wide range of brews on offer.“

dmarsha4 1622 days ago

“NOTE: Ratebeer Map is Wrong: Go to Sinyongsan Station and follow the signs to Amore Pacific where it is located on the lowest floor. The newest of the Booth pubs in Seoul is located in the basement level of this amazing office block/art gallery/shopping centre. If you find yourself on the main level and can't locate the pub, you could ask the talking robot adjacent to the information counter (seriously!). The venue has about 8 taps including some of their own plus guests from Korea and overseas. It seats about 20 indoors and another 20 outside. Being in a shopping centre its difficult to create any real vibe but it felt pleasant enough. The main downside was the uncomfortable wooden stools which are not conducive for a long stay.“

dmarsha4 1622 days ago

“A very cool venue in the very cool Ikseon-dong neighbourhood. They are located in an old Hanok house with several rooms based around a central courtyard. There are about 10 or so taps of rotating craft beers, mostly South Korean. Food is Pizza and assorted other things, service was fine and overall a great vibe. One very good thing was the music - in that it wasn't top 40 pop or gangster rap which we have encountered in other Seoul venues. Worth a visit.“

dmarsha4 1622 days ago

“A nice vibe permeates this place with several rooms branching off a central courtyard. There's about a 15 or so taps of their own beers. We tried a few and all were very good. The pizzas we had were also good. The neighbourhood is full of craft beer joints but I'd certainly consider coming back here again despite all the local competition.“

dmarsha4 1623 days ago

“Cool bar in cool area. Ik-Seong dong has many bars, food places and art, craft jewelry in traditional Korean Hanok buildings. This bar is in such a Hanok around a central covered courtyard. 10 beers on tap of which more than half are local craft beer with a few internationals. Three different four beer samplers. Friendly staff. Cool music if a bit loud. Comfortable. They do food. Price is par for area. Don’t trust the RB map - put the address in Google Maps.“

scf610327 1624 days ago

“NOTE: Ratebeer map is wrong. Put this into Google Maps for correct location: "craft hans jonggak" This is a nice two storey establishment overlooking the Cheonggyecheon stream in central Seoul. It has about a dozen taps of its own beers plus some others in bottles. We tried some of their own and all were solid. Their menu is typical Korea beer bar with fried chicken and pizzas dominating. Service was prompt and it had a nice vibe. There are a number of other beer venues in the neighbourhood too.“

dmarsha4 1625 days ago