Bars

Busan, Busan

Gwangbok-dong is Busan's most lively shopping and entertainment district, where the famous Gwangbok Street and its surrounding alleys house restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues serving South Korea's second city. The area's vibrant nightlife scene reflects Busan's distinctive character as a port city with a more relaxed and working-class energy than Seoul.

Gwangbok-ro, Jung-gu, Busan 48945

Seoul, Seoul

Alice in Cheongdam is one of Seoul's most theatrical cocktail bars, a Cheongdam District venue designed as an immersive Alice in Wonderland-inspired drinking experience. The bar's creative cocktail menu and extraordinary interior design have made it a social media phenomenon and one of Seoul's most distinctive bar destinations.

19 Apgujeong-ro 60-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06010

Seoul, Seoul

Bar Cham is one of Seoul's most acclaimed cocktail bars, a Gangnam basement venue celebrated for its outstanding seasonal cocktail menu and the exceptional technique of its bar team. The bar has won multiple Korean bartending awards and represents the pinnacle of Seoul's rapidly maturing cocktail culture.

B1, 546 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06196

Seoul, Seoul

Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood houses many of South Korea's most internationally inspired cocktail bars, reflecting the neighborhood's historical role as a hub for Seoul's expatriate community near the US military base. The area's cosmopolitan character has made it the most internationally diverse and adventurous bar district in South Korea.

22 Usadan-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04314

Seoul, Seoul

Bau Haus in Itaewon is one of Seoul's pioneering craft beer bars, a taphouse that helped introduce Korean beer enthusiasts to the world of craft brewing in the early days of Korea's craft beer revolution. The bar's extensive selection of Korean and international craft beers reflects South Korea's remarkable transformation into a sophisticated craft beer market.

56 Usadan-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04369

Seoul, Seoul

Charles H. at Four Seasons Seoul is one of Asia's finest hotel cocktail bars, consistently ranked on Asia's 50 Best Bars list for its exceptional program rooted in classic American cocktail traditions. The bar is named after the legendary Charles H. Baker Jr., who documented drinking culture across Asia in the 1930s, and celebrates that era of cosmopolitan spirits culture.

97 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03184

Seoul, Seoul

Seoul's Mapo-gu neighborhood houses several of South Korea's most celebrated craft breweries and beer bars, reflecting the extraordinary growth of Korea's craft beer movement over the past decade. Korean craft brewers have rapidly developed a sophisticated brewing scene that now rivals the craft beer cultures of the United States and Europe.

24 Worldcup-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 03925

Seoul, Seoul

Insadong is Seoul's most culturally authentic bar district, where traditional Korean drinking establishments (jjipeo) serve makgeolli rice wine and dongdongju alongside traditional Korean snacks in hanok courtyard settings. The neighborhood's concentration of traditional drinking culture creates a bar experience that offers a window into Korean drinking traditions stretching back centuries.

33 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03149

Seoul, Seoul

The Bukchon Hanok Village area of Seoul is home to some of Korea's most atmospheric traditional bars, where cocktails are served in beautifully preserved hanok wooden architecture against a backdrop of Seoul's most ancient streetscape. Drinking in Bukchon creates a unique juxtaposition of Korean traditional aesthetics and modern cocktail culture.

34 Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03052

Seoul, Seoul

Southside Parlor is one of Seoul's most beloved independent cocktail bars, an Itaewon establishment that has served the neighborhood's cosmopolitan community for years with exceptional craft cocktails in an intimate, welcoming atmosphere. The bar has earned a devoted following among Seoul's international expatriate community and local cocktail enthusiasts alike.

108 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04392