Hillside temples, writers' houses, the city wall and small theatres. Walk downhill from Gilsangsa, finish with a show in Daehangno.
Eat
Geumwang Donkatsu
금왕돈까스 본점
Best 11:30-13:00Best 17:00-19:00Avoid weekend 12:00-13:30 queue
The best known of Seongbuk-dong's old-school pork cutlet houses: one giant flat cutlet, brown sauce and soup first.
Bestie tip · Order the 'wangdonkatsu' (king size) only if you're two.
🚇 Hansung Univ. station exit 6, 10 minutes up Seongbuk-ro.
- Hours
- Most 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩11,000-15,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Seongbuk-dong guksu house
국시집
Best 11:30-14:00
A plain room serving hand-cut Andong-style noodles in clear beef broth and boiled pork, the kind of lunch older Seoulites swear by.
Bestie tip · Order noodles and a small plate of suyuk (boiled pork) to share.
🚇 On Seongbuk-ro near the donkatsu street.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:30-21:00
- Closed
- Some Sun
- Price
- ₩10,000-15,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Ssangdari Dwaeji Bulbaek
쌍다리돼지불백 본점
Best 11:00-13:00Avoid 12:00-13:00 queue
Seongbuk-dong's beloved grilled spicy pork set: a plate of smoky bulbaek, rice, soup and side dishes, cheap and fast.
Bestie tip · Order it 'gochujang' (spicy) or 'ganjang' (soy) style; get one of each to share.
🚇 Hansung Univ. station exit 6, then bus Seongbuk 02 or 10 minutes uphill.
- Hours
- Roughly 09:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩10,000-12,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Jinachun (old school Daehangno Chinese)
진아춘
Best 11:00-11:45Best 14:00-17:00Avoid weekend 12:00-13:30 queue
A long running Chinese Korean restaurant in Daehangno, the place students have eaten jjajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork for generations.
Bestie tip · Order jjajangmyeon plus a small tangsuyuk for two; it is cheap and fast before a show.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4) exit 4, about 3 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩8,000-25,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Hyehwa Kalguksu (Andong style noodles)
혜화칼국수
Best 11:00-11:45Best 14:00-17:00Avoid Sun closedAvoid weekday 12:00-13:00 queue
A Hyehwa house making thin hand cut noodles in a clear beef broth, plus fried fish and boiled pork to share. A classic for the neighbourhood's professors and old regulars.
Bestie tip · Kalguksu each, plus the fried flounder jeon if you are two or more.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4) exit 4, about 8 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:30
- Closed
- Sun
- Price
- ₩11,000-35,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Jeongdon (thick cut tonkatsu)
정돈
Best 11:00-11:30Best 14:30-17:00Avoid weekend 11:30-14:00 long queue
A Japanese style tonkatsu shop known for thick, pink centred pork loin and tenderloin fried in a light crust.
Bestie tip · Get the loin and tenderloin set and eat the first pieces with just salt.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4) exit 4, about 5 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩13,000-20,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Persian Palace (curry house)
페르시안궁전
Best 11:30-12:30Best 15:00-17:30
A Hyehwa curry house loved by students, with Indian and Persian dishes and a curry scale that goes from mild to brutal.
Bestie tip · Order a curry with naan and start at level 2 of the spice scale.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), about 6 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:30-21:30
- Price
- ₩10,000-18,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Seongbuk Memil Sujebi Nurungji Baeksuk (chicken soup)
성북동메밀수제비누룽지백숙
Best 11:30-12:30Best 15:00-17:30Avoid weekend 12:30-14:00 busy
A Seongbukdong restaurant for whole chicken boiled with scorched rice into a thick porridge, plus buckwheat sujebi for a light meal.
Bestie tip · Order the nurungji baeksuk ahead by phone if you are three or more; solo visitors get the buckwheat sujebi.
🚇 Hansung University station (Line 4) exit 6, then a short bus up Seongbukro.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩10,000-60,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Mibundang Daehangno (pho)
미분당 대학로점
Best 11:00-11:45Best 14:00-17:00Avoid weekday 12:00-13:00 queue
A counter seat pho shop with a clean beef broth and order by machine system. A cheap solo meal near Hyehwa.
Bestie tip · Order at the kiosk, choose the brisket and tendon pho, and add the house chilli oil.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), about 4 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩10,000-13,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Sundae Sillok Daehangno (sundae gukbap)
순대실록 대학로본점
Best 10:00-11:30Best 14:00-17:00Avoid weekday 12:00-13:00 queue
A sundae gukbap restaurant on the east side of Daehangno with handmade blood sausage and a rich pork bone broth.
Bestie tip · Order the sundae gukbap and season with the salted shrimp at the table.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), about 6 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-23:00
- Price
- ₩11,000-25,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Pizzeria O (Neapolitan pizza)
핏제리아오
Best 11:30-12:30Best 15:00-17:30Avoid weekend 12:30-14:00 wait
A Neapolitan style pizzeria tucked behind the Daehangno theatres, with blistered crusts from a wood oven.
Bestie tip · Share a margherita and one special pizza between two before a show.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), about 7 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:30-21:30
- Price
- ₩18,000-28,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Taejo Gamjaguk (old Donam gamjatang)
태조감자국
Best 15:00-17:30Avoid weekend 18:00-20:00 queue
One of Seoul's oldest gamjatang houses, in Donam dong: pork spine and potato stew in a deep red broth with perilla, eaten here by generations of locals.
Bestie tip · Order a pot by size (small for two), pick the meat off the bones, and ask for rice to stir into the last of the broth.
🚇 Nearest station: Sungshin Women's Univ. (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-23:00
- Price
- ₩25,000-40,000 per pot
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Hadan (North Korean style mandu and cold noodles)
하단
Best 11:30-12:00Best 14:00-16:00Avoid weekend 12:00-13:30 queueAvoid closes early when sold out
A Seongbuk dong house for Ibuk (North Korean) style food: buckwheat cold kalguksu and plain, juicy dumplings or dumpling soup; it closes early when the dough runs out.
Bestie tip · On weekends arrive at opening; order memil naeng kalguksu plus a plate of mandu to share.
🚇 Nearest station: Hansung Univ. (Line 4), about 10 minutes on foot.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:30-20:00
- Price
- ₩12,000-16,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Nanumi Tteokbokki (24 hour rice cake tteokbokki)
나누미떡볶이 성대본점
Best 14:00-17:00Best 22:00-01:00Avoid weekday 12:00-13:00 students
A 24 hour bunsik shop on the road up to Sungkyunkwan University, famous for chewy rice cake tteokbokki with sundae and fried snacks on the side.
Bestie tip · Order tteokbokki with sundae and a few twigim dipped in the sauce; it makes a good late snack after a Daehangno show.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 4, about 5 minutes toward Sungkyunkwan University.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours
- Price
- ₩4,000-9,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Menya Sandaime (Daehangno ramen bar)
멘야산다이메 대학로점
Best 14:00-17:00Best 21:30-23:30Avoid show breaks 18:00-19:00 busy
A long running ramen bar in the lanes behind Hyehwa station with counter seats, known for its kuro ramen and for staying open past midnight.
Bestie tip · Sit at the counter, order the kuro ramen, and add a small rice for the leftover broth.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 3, about 4 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-00:30
- Price
- ₩10,000-13,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Burger Park (Hyehwa handmade burgers)
버거파크 혜화점
Best 11:00-12:00Best 14:00-17:00Avoid Mon closedAvoid pre show 18:00-19:00 busy
A small handmade burger shop off Daehangno with griddle seared patties, popular with theatre goers for a quick, fairly priced meal before a show.
Bestie tip · Order a cheeseburger set and eat early; it fills up in the hour before evening curtain times.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 3, about 3 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Closed
- Mon
- Price
- ₩9,000-14,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Hyehwa Dolsoe Ajeossi (pizza and cheese tteokbokki)
혜화돌쇠아저씨
Best 14:00-17:00Avoid weekend 18:00-19:30 queue
A cosy Daehangno favourite right by Hyehwa station exit 1 that mixes wood fired pizza with Korean comfort dishes like cheese tteokbokki; a classic pre theatre date spot.
Bestie tip · Share a gorgonzola pizza and the cheese tteokbokki; put your name down early at dinner, there is a waiting bench outside.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 1, about 1 minute.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:30-22:00
- Price
- ₩15,000-25,000 per dish
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Cafés
Suyeon Sanbang tea house
수연산방
Best 14:00-17:00Avoid weekend 13:00-16:00 queue
The 1930s hanok of novelist Lee Tae-jun, now a tea house. You sit on the wooden floor of a writer's study with a garden outside.
Bestie tip · Order the pumpkin sikhye or a jujube tea with the rice cake set.
🚇 Walk downhill from Gilsangsa about 10 minutes, or bus Seongbuk 02.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:30-18:00
- Closed
- Some Mon
- Price
- ₩10,000-15,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Hakrim Dabang (since 1956)
학림다방
Best 14:00-18:00
A second-floor café with creaky floors and classical records, open since 1956. Students and writers argued about politics here for decades.
Bestie tip · Order the cream cheese cake and a hand-drip coffee and take the window seat over Daehangno.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 3, 1 minute, up the stairs on the second floor.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-23:00
- Price
- ₩6,000-9,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Napoleon Bakery, Seongbuk main store
나폴레옹과자점 성북본점
Best 08:00-10:00Best 15:00-17:00Avoid weekend 13:00-15:00 busy
A long running Seoul bakery near Hansung University, loved for old school Korean bakery items like sweet red bean breads and fruit cakes.
Bestie tip · Grab a sugar twisted donut and a cream bread for the walk up to Seongbukdong.
🚇 Hansung University station (Line 4) exit 6, about 5 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 08:00-22:00
- Price
- ₩3,000-8,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Seongbukdong Bbang Gongjang (bakery café)
성북동빵공장
Best 08:00-10:00Best 16:00-18:00Avoid weekend 12:00-16:00 packed
A large bakery café high up in Seongbukdong with big windows and a terrace looking over the hills. Easy to pair with Gilsangsa.
Bestie tip · Go to the top floor terrace with a coffee and a salt bread.
🚇 Hansung University station (Line 4) exit 6, then bus up Seongbukro, about 15 minutes total.
- Hours
- Roughly 08:00-22:00
- Price
- ₩5,000-15,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Gaeppul (gallery café on the Naksan wall)
개뿔
Best 16:00-18:30
A small gallery café on the lane along the Naksan section of the city wall, with views down over Ihwa dong and the city. Ideal after the mural village walk.
Bestie tip · Come before sunset, order a drink to take outside and sit facing the city.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), about 15 minutes uphill via Naksan Park.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩6,000-9,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
Joseph's Coffee Tree (Seongbuk hillside café)
죠셉의커피나무
Best 14:00-17:00
A long running coffee house high up in Seongbuk dong near the city wall, with hand drip coffee and a quiet room above the neighborhood.
Bestie tip · Order a hand drip and pair the visit with a walk on the Seoul city wall trail nearby.
🚇 From Hansung Univ. station (Line 4) take local bus Seongbuk 02 up the hill, then a short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩6,000-9,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Ilwol Ilil (dessert café, Hyehwa)
일월일일
Best 14:00-17:00
A dessert café on the Changgyeonggung ro side of Hyehwa with plated cakes and seasonal sweets, a calmer spot than the main Daehangno strip.
Bestie tip · Order the seasonal cake with a latte.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 12:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩6,000-12,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Yeonwoojae (gallery café, Seongbuk ro)
연우재
Best 11:00-13:00Best 15:00-17:00
A gallery café on Seongbuk ro near Hansung Univ. station with art on the walls and a quiet room, a good start before walking up to Seongbuk dong.
Bestie tip · Take a table with a book and a latte; it suits a slow hour.
🚇 Nearest station: Hansung Univ. (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 11:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩6,000-9,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Seongbukdong Kongjip (café)
성북동콩집
Best 10:00-12:00
A neighborhood café on the main Seongbuk ro, handy for coffee between Choi Sunu House and the walk up to Gilsangsa.
Bestie tip · Order a drip coffee and sit by the window over Seongbuk ro.
🚇 Nearest station: Hansung Univ. (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩5,000-8,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Concrete Palette (Daehangno design café)
콘크리트 팔레트
Best 10:00-12:00Best 16:00-18:00Avoid weekend before shows busy
A café on Daehangno main road with a raw concrete interior, handy for a coffee before or after a small theater show.
Bestie tip · Time it for an hour before your show and order an iced latte to go.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-23:00
- Price
- ₩6,000-9,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Left Coffee Hyehwa (roastery café)
레프트커피 혜화점
Best 10:00-12:00
A Daehangno branch of the Seoul roaster Left Coffee on the main street, a good coffee before a theatre show.
Bestie tip · Order a flat white and grab a seat by the window over Daehakro.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 09:00-22:00
- Price
- ₩4,500-7,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Kkwabaegi twisted donut shop, Daehangno
꽈백이 대학로본점
Best 14:00-17:00
A Korean twisted donut shop by Hyehwa, the cheap sugary snack students grab between classes and shows.
Bestie tip · Buy a couple of sugar coated kkwabaegi to eat while walking.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-21:00
- Price
- ₩1,500-6,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 👨👩👧 Family · 🍻 Friends
See
Naksan Park & Seoul City Wall
낙산공원
Best 17:30-19:30Avoid after 21:00 (dark path)
The easiest section of the old city wall to walk, with the sunset over the whole old city behind Gyeongbokgung. Locals bring beer; tourists mostly don't know it exists.
Bestie tip · Walk it from Hyehwa station up through Ihwa mural village and come down at Dongdaemun; 50 minutes, mostly flat on top. The lit wall at dusk is the photo.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 2, follow signs to Naksan Park, 15 minutes uphill.
- Hours
- 24h
- Price
- Free
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
Gilsangsa Temple
길상사
Best 09:00-11:00Best 15:00-17:00
A former high-end gisaeng restaurant donated to become a Buddhist temple. Wooden pavilions on a forested hillside, very quiet, and free.
Bestie tip · Walk to the small hermitage huts at the top of the slope; most visitors stop at the main hall.
🚇 Hansung Univ. station exit 6, then green village bus Seongbuk 02 to 'Gilsangsa'. Start your Seongbuk walk here and go downhill.
- Hours
- Roughly 06:00-21:00
- Price
- Free
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family
Choi Sun-u's House
최순우옛집
Best 10:00-15:00Avoid winter closed
The small hanok of the art historian who wrote about the beauty of plain Korean things. A courtyard, a study and nothing extra.
Bestie tip · Sit on the edge of the wooden floor facing the back garden; that's the point of the house.
🚇 On Seongbuk-ro, about 8 minutes downhill from Suyeon Sanbang.
- Hours
- 10:00-16:00, roughly Apr-Nov
- Closed
- Sun, Mon
- Price
- Free (donation)
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
Simujang, Han Yong-un's house
만해한용운심우장
Best 10:00-16:00
The hillside house of a monk and independence poet who built it facing north so it wouldn't face the Japanese Government-General. A small house with a big story.
Bestie tip · Go up the alley stairs from Seongbuk-ro; the climb is part of it.
🚇 Off Seongbuk-ro near Gilsangsa, follow the Simujang signs uphill.
- Hours
- 09:00-18:00
- Price
- Free
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo
Kansong Art Museum
간송미술관
Best 10:00-12:00Avoid closed between exhibitions
Korea's first private museum, holding national treasures a collector bought back during colonial rule. It opens for limited seasonal shows, usually spring and autumn.
Bestie tip · Check the website first; when it's open, it books up, so reserve online.
🚇 Seongbuk-ro, about 10 minutes from Hansung Univ. station.
- Hours
- Only during exhibitions
- Closed
- Mon
- Price
- ₩5,000-10,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Ihwa Mural Village steps
이화동 벽화마을
Best 10:00-17:00Avoid evenings (residents live here)
A hillside village of stairways and painted walls between Daehangno and Naksan, with small cafés looking over the city.
Bestie tip · People live in every house; keep voices low and don't climb on walls or steps for photos.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 2, through Marronnier Park and up the hill, 10 minutes.
- Hours
- Daytime only
- Price
- Free
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
Arko Art Center
아르코미술관
Best 13:00-18:00Avoid Mon closedAvoid between exhibitions
A red-brick public art gallery by architect Kim Swoo-geun on Marronnier Park, showing contemporary Korean art.
Bestie tip · Pair it with the red-brick Arko Arts Theater next door; same architect, same brick.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 2, on Marronnier Park.
- Hours
- 11:00-19:00
- Closed
- Mon
- Price
- Usually free
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Naksan Park night view
낙산공원
Best 18:30-21:00
After dark the wall is lit up and the city spreads out to Namsan Tower and Dongdaemun. One of the easiest free night views in Seoul.
Bestie tip · Come up after a Daehangno dinner; it's a 15-minute climb from Marronnier Park.
🚇 Hyehwa station exit 2, follow signs to Naksan Park.
- Hours
- Always open
- Price
- Free
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
Seoul City Wall Museum
한양도성박물관
Best 09:00-11:00Best 15:00-17:00Avoid Mon closed
A free museum at the foot of Naksan explaining the 600 year old wall you are about to walk, with models and maps of all four mountains.
Bestie tip · Spend 30 minutes here, then walk out the back door straight onto the wall trail up to Naksan Park.
🚇 Dongdaemun station (Line 1, 4), about 5 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 09:00-19:00
- Closed
- Mon
- Price
- ₩0
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 👨👩👧 Family
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Sungkyunkwan (Joseon royal academy)
성균관
Best 10:00-12:00Best 15:00-17:00
The Joseon dynasty's royal Confucian academy, still standing inside Sungkyunkwan University, with huge old ginkgo trees that turn gold in late autumn.
Bestie tip · Come in early November for the ginkgo yellow; enter by the university main gate.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4) exit 1, about 12 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 09:00-18:00
- Price
- ₩0
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
Seongbuk Museum of Art
성북구립미술관
Best 10:00-12:00Best 14:00-16:00Avoid check closing days and install weeks
A small public art museum on Seongbuk ro that tells the story of the artists and writers who lived in Seongbuk dong; an easy stop between Gilsangsa and the old houses.
Bestie tip · Combine it with Choi Sunu's House and Suyeon Sanbang on the same walk up Seongbuk ro.
🚇 Nearest station: Hansung Univ. (Line 4), about 15 minutes on foot or a short village bus ride.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-18:00
- Price
- Usually free
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Samcheonggak (hillside hanok complex)
삼청각
Best 15:00-18:00Avoid event days some halls closed
A hillside complex of hanok halls above Seongbuk dong, once a secretive banquet house for politicians and now a traditional culture venue with performances, a Korean restaurant and a tea house.
Bestie tip · Go for the garden walk and city views; book ahead if you want a performance or a meal.
🚇 Nearest station: Hansung Univ. (Line 4), then a short taxi ride uphill.
- Hours
- Roughly 10:00-22:00 (varies by program)
- Price
- Grounds free, shows and meals extra
- Great for
- 💑 Couple
After dark
Dogil Jutaek (German beer house)
독일주택
Best 17:00-19:00Best 22:00-24:00Avoid Fri and Sat 20:00-22:00 full
A German style beer house in Daehangno serving sausages, pork knuckle and big glasses of German beer to the after show crowd.
Bestie tip · Order a sausage platter and a wheat beer; it is the classic drink after a Daehangno play.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4) exit 4, about 3 minutes.
- Hours
- Roughly 17:00-02:00
- Price
- ₩10,000-35,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Our Night Is More Beautiful Than Your Day (cocktail bar)
우리의밤은 당신의낮보다아름답다
Best 20:00-23:00Avoid Fri, Sat 21:00-23:00 wait
A Hyehwa cocktail bar with one of the longest names in Seoul and a dim, cozy room, popular for dates after a Daehangno show.
Bestie tip · Ask for a cocktail matched to your taste.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 19:00-03:00
- Price
- ₩15,000-25,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
The Doors (Hyehwa rock and LP bar)
더도어스
Best 21:00-24:00
A music bar in Hyehwa playing rock records, with beer and simple drinks. The place for classic rock fans after the theaters close.
Bestie tip · Order a bottled beer and settle in near the speakers.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 19:00-03:00
- Price
- ₩8,000-15,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Oldies (wine and music bar, Hyehwa)
올디스
Best 20:00-23:00
A small Hyehwa bar with old pop on the speakers and wine or beer by the glass, a quiet alternative to the student pubs.
Bestie tip · Order a glass of wine and ask for an old song you love.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 19:00-02:00
- Price
- ₩15,000-30,000
- Great for
- 🚶 Solo · 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Seongbukdong Makgeolli (pub near Hansung Univ.)
성북동막걸리
Best 18:00-21:00
A makgeolli pub by Hansung Univ. station with pancakes and Korean drinking food, a neighborhood spot rather than a tourist one.
Bestie tip · Order a bottle of makgeolli and a kimchi pancake (kimchijeon).
🚇 Nearest station: Hansung Univ. (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 16:00-01:00
- Price
- ₩15,000-25,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Myeongnyun Pocha (Daehangno pocha)
명륜포차
Best 21:00-24:00
A pocha style pub on Daehangno main road where students and actors drink soju over spicy stews and fried snacks late into the night.
Bestie tip · Order soju with a pot of fish cake soup (odeng tang) and stay as late as you like.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 17:00-04:00
- Price
- ₩15,000-30,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Goen (Hyehwa izakaya)
고엔
Best 18:00-20:00
A Japanese style pub on Changgyeonggung ro near Hyehwa station, with skewers, sashimi and sake for a calmer night than the main strip.
Bestie tip · Share a skewer set and a small bottle of sake.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 17:00-01:00
- Price
- ₩25,000-40,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Hyehwarang (wine bar)
혜화랑
Best 19:00-22:00
A wine bar in the lanes east of Daehangno, good for a glass and a shared plate after a play.
Bestie tip · Order wine by the glass and a cheese or pasta dish to share.
🚇 Nearest station: Hyehwa (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 18:00-01:00
- Price
- ₩25,000-45,000
- Great for
- 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Jazz Story (live jazz and vinyl bar, Naksan)
재즈스토리 2호점
Best 20:00-23:00
A Daehangno jazz bar on the way up Naksan, packed with records and with live sets on many nights.
Bestie tip · Check for the evening band start time and sit close to the stage.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), about 10 minutes uphill on foot.
- Hours
- Roughly 18:00-02:00
- Price
- ₩10,000-20,000 a drink
- Great for
- 💑 Couple · 🍻 Friends
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Dorian Gray (cocktail bar, Daehangno)
도리안그레이
Best 21:00-24:00
A dim cocktail bar in the Daehangno theatre streets, a calm second stop after a show.
Bestie tip · Ask the bartender for something built on your favourite spirit.
🚇 Hyehwa station (Line 4), short walk.
- Hours
- Roughly 19:00-02:00
- Price
- ₩13,000-18,000 a cocktail
- Great for
- 💑 Couple
- Rain
- ☔ Fine in the rain
Korea Local BestieNeighbourhood guidePlan my day
Hongdae & Yeonnam홍대·연남 · Street energy, late food, indie everything
Jongno & Bukchon종로·북촌 · Palaces, hanok lanes, the oldest Seoul
Myeongdong & Namsan명동·남산 · Street food, skincare, the tower view
Seongsu성수 · Warehouses turned cafés and pop-ups
Hannam & Itaewon한남·이태원 · Galleries, wine bars, every cuisine
Yeouido & Han River여의도·한강 · Grass, ramyeon, bridges lighting up
Gangnam & Sinsa강남·신사 · Garosu-gil, K-beauty, tall glass
Jamsil잠실 · Lotte Tower, the lake walk, Lotte World
Ikseon & Euljiro익선·을지로 · Hanok cafés by day, rooftop bars by night
© 한국관광공사 포토코리아Seoul Forest & Konkuk서울숲·건대 · Deer park, river path, student nightlife
Seochon & Inwangsan서촌·인왕산 · Old west-side alleys, a valley and a sunset ridge
Mangwon & Hapjeong망원·합정 · A locals' market, riverside picnics, record bars
Sinchon, Yeonhui & Ewha신촌·연희·이대 · University streets, old Chinese restaurants, garden cafés
Yongsan & Ichon용산·이촌 · The national museum, Nodeul Island sunsets, Yongridan-gil
Mullae & Seonyudo문래·선유도 · Steel workshops turned bars, a park built in a water plant
© 한국관광공사 포토코리아Gongdeok & Mapo공덕·마포 · Office lunches, Mapo galbi, jokbal alley, after work drinks