Where Should We Go Tonight? · Result
Euljiro
Records on proper decks, natural wine and makgeolli in old print-shop alleys, and no signs on the doors. Seoul drinking in its own language.
Designed rarity: about 10% of takers
It is early, it may be a weeknight, and the last train is not negotiable. You want a room where somebody is selecting records and a dancefloor is not the point. Euljiro was Seoul’s printing and metalwork district for most of the twentieth century, and a generation of small bars opened in its alleys precisely because of that texture: natural wine, makgeolli, vinyl on proper decks, and cocktail menus built on Korean food rather than New York or Tokyo.
Earlier than the club districts. Bars fill from eight, bars are free to walk into, and the odd club night is ten to fifteen thousand won. Euljiro 3-ga is Lines 2 and 3, the most central stop in this quiz, so three bars and the last train is a realistic evening. These places are hard to find: often no sign, sometimes a door code, Naver Map where Google fails, and weekend waiting lists that can need a Korean phone number. Go with a local, or go on a Thursday.
Your strength
The most central nightlife in Seoul and the easiest last train, with the best record bars in the city.
Your blind spot
No signs, door codes, weekend waiting lists. On a Saturday without a Korean number you may not get through a single door.
Key takeaways
- Bars from eight, free to walk in, last train easy from Euljiro 3-ga.
- Naver Map, not Google. Some doors have a code.
- Weekend waiting lists may need a Korean number. Thursday is the move.
Rooms to try in Seoul
- The Edge Seoul, Euljiro: The district’s club night when it has one, at 8 Eulji-ro 12-gil.
- Objktt Record Bar, Myeong-dong: A fourth-floor record bar a short walk from the Euljiro alleys.
- Eulji OB Bear, Euljiro: The old draught beer house on Chungmu-ro that the whole district grew up around.
Rooms to try around the world
- Brilliant Corners, London: A listening bar with a serious system and food, which is the Euljiro idea with an English accent.
- Bar Martha, Tokyo: Records, whisky and a no-talking-over-the-music rule that Euljiro quietly shares.
- Kompakt Record Bar, Buenos Aires: A label’s record bar where the selection is the night.
Your nearest types
Read next: Euljiro, a.k.a. Hipjiro