Jongno date bar for three: potato ice cream cocktail at Hanuk

Hi everyone :) Where does a Busan person go when visiting Seoul? For me, it was Jongno — Korean beauty is hiding in every corner there, and I love spending time in it. Plus Jongno is huge, so there's always a new hot spot to find haha.

In a neighborhood that never gets old, always new and beautiful every time I go, I found a Jongno cocktail bar with genuinely insane taste!!! A place I knew I'd come back to again and again and again — a gorgeous Jongno date-night bar with a menu just as perfect: Hanuk. Let's get into it.

Where is Hanuk? Basement level of Jonggak Youth Street

Hanuk, a cocktail bar tucked in the basement of Jonggak's Youth Street, revealed a whole new world the moment I opened the door. The entrance itself was so stylish — I can't believe I forgot to photograph it, ugh.

Korean teahouse interiors that hardly look like a cocktail bar

What is this Korean-style interior?! Is this really a cocktail bar? It felt like somewhere that only serves traditional liquor or warm tea — an elegant, refined Jongno bar with deep Korean character. When I posted it to my Instagram story, people asked me if it was a traditional teahouse haha.

Even Hanuk's menu was gorgeous haha. There are so many foreigners visiting Jongno, and knowing there are places like this that carry this much Korean beauty made me weirdly proud. Now you can check the menu via QR code, which honestly made it even more convenient.

Hanuk's welcome drink: sujeonggwa and yakgwa

They served sweet sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch) and yakgwa (honey cookie) as a welcome drink, and the service was as kind as it was good. Everything was so pretty and so Korean 🥹

How do you order at Hanuk? QR code menu

You order through a QR code menu. The cocktails have Korean names, so you can't quite guess the flavor just from the name, but they kindly wrote out descriptions, so even as a first-timer I could pick exactly what I wanted.

Seating for three: inner table seats and the bar counter

There were three of us, so we sat at an inner table, but there's also a bar counter where you can watch the cocktails being made — great vibes for solo drinking, dates, or blind dates. I already know I want to bring my partner here haha.

I think Hanuk is the place I'll come back to whenever I feel like drinking alone in Jongno. Praying they open a Busan branch someday...

The three cocktails we ordered: Jaehoe, Daegwallyeong, Jungnokwon

Here's what we ordered haha. We picked based on the names alone, and each one came out gorgeous with a totally distinct personality.

Jaehoe: a thick, sweet dessert cocktail

First, the cocktail I picked, called 'Jaehoe' (재회, meaning reunion). A soft, sweet, dessert-style cocktail with a slightly thick texture. The foam on top was so fluffy and smooth that I finished it in no time.

Daegwallyeong: a sheep garnish and potato ice cream

A cocktail that came with an adorable sheep, which fits the name 'Daegwallyeong' perfectly haha.

They call it a potato ice cream cocktail, and it was so novel, so cute, so everything haha. A Jongno spot that basically forces you to take photos!!

Jungnokwon: bamboo-tube martini with burdock root

My friend's pick, Jungnokwon, had martini poured into a bamboo tube, making it the strongest-tasting of the three.

Martini is usually served with olives, but pairing it with burdock root was such an unusual — and surprisingly perfect — combination!

You pour a little at a time into a pretty glass and sip away, and before you know it, it hits you all at once... all at once!

Is Hanuk a good date spot in Jongno?

On our way out, we found a cute photo spot right next to the entrance! Hanuk, this Jongno cocktail bar, had an overwhelmingly elegant, stylish atmosphere paired with a genuinely unique cocktail menu — a place I really loved.

I've been to plenty of loud cocktail bars, but this was my first time finding somewhere so quiet, with East and West blended in harmony — it left a strong impression, and I want to come back often. I keep wondering how good-looking the other cocktails must be?! Already planning my next visit haha. Hanuk, I'll be back for sure. Highly recommend for a date spot!!!