Where Should We Go Tonight? · Result
Jongno 3-ga
Pojangmacha tents, the city’s oldest queer bar scene, and the cheapest good night in central Seoul.
Designed rarity: about 5% of takers
You want the Seoul that is not aimed at visitors, you are not paying twenty thousand won to stand in a line, and you would rather a tent with a bottle than a queue for a basement. Jongno is the heart of Joseon-era Seoul and the home of Korea’s LGBTQ+ bar scene, centred on Jongno 3-ga: unpretentious, affordable and run on community loyalty. The queer bars around Nakwon-dong work on regulars, and a good guest is welcome.
From seven. The tents and bars run into the small hours, there is no cover, and a soju and anju budget covers the night. Three subway lines meet here, which makes it the easiest station in this quiz to get home from. Euljiro is a ten-minute walk if you want records after the tent.
Your strength
The cheapest, most central and least performed night out in the city.
Your blind spot
There is no dancefloor and no English. A translation app and good manners do the work.
Key takeaways
- No cover. Soju and anju is the budget.
- The Nakwon-dong bars run on regulars. Be a good guest.
- Lines 1, 3 and 5. The easiest station in Seoul to get home from.
Rooms to try in Seoul
- Hanuk, Jongno: A basement on Samil-daero for the hour when the tent closes and the night has not.
- Blue Hour Jazz Club, Jonggak: Two basement floors of live jazz a short walk from the tents.
- The pojangmacha strip, Jongno 3-ga, Jongno: Plastic sheets, gas burners, soju, and the oldest night out in Seoul.
Rooms to try around the world
- Shinjuku Ni-chōme, Tokyo: A queer bar district built on tiny rooms and regulars, which is the Nakwon-dong model.
- Psyrri, the tavernas, Athens: Cheap tables, late hours and a city drinking in its own language.
- Kensington Market, Toronto: Unpretentious, affordable and run on who knows who.
Your nearest types
Read next: Alternatives to clubbing in Seoul: Han River nights, run clubs, silent discos and Jongno 3-ga