Seongdong Seoul cocktail bar night with strangers: Yahwa

One minute from Ttukseom Station: Yahwa, a basement solo-drinking bar

Solo-drinking bars are so popular these days, right? Curious about one, I went with a friend. Yahwa (야화) is a solo-drinking bar where you can come alone or with company, meet new people, and have a nice little chat.

Yahwa is a one-minute walk from Ttukseom Station and is located downstairs. Just spot the big Yahwa sign as you pass by, then head down.

Yahwa Solo Drinking Bar Seongsu Ttukseom Branch

A moody cocktail-bar atmosphere that feels like Paris

First of all, I loved how dim and atmospheric it was. It totally had that cocktail-bar feel, you know? There was water by the entrance, so it was easy to help yourself to as much as you wanted, and the ice was always fully stocked, which meant nice cold drinks. There was also a big mirror in front of the restroom—great for taking photos with friends.

The interior is decorated so beautifully. The whole atmosphere was just lovely, with a beam projector playing moody images and music. Isn’t the Eiffel Tower so romantic? Paris is one of my favorite cities, and there it was—the Eiffel Tower seen from a spot with a view, and the Paris nightscape...

It made me feel as though I had come to Paris. The owner’s taste in music was so good, too. It was that kind of mood where rain is softly falling outside, while I’m indoors somewhere warm, tucked into bed under a blanket, pleasantly drowsy, drinking hot cocoa and healing while listening to the rain outside the window.

Welcome snacks, NFC ordering, and lots of cocktails

When the owner showed us to our seats, they gave us welcome snacks and a hovenia-dulcis hangover-relief stick. Isn’t that such a thoughtful touch? It’s such a hassle to go buy hangover sticks every time, but Yahwa Seongsu prepares them for you directly... They taste like delicious apple jelly! You can order by scanning a QR code or tapping the NFC tag; it was so nice to just hold my phone up to it.

Looking at the menu, there were so many kinds of cocktails. There were signature cocktails, highballs, non-alcoholic cocktails, and plenty of others. They also sell simple snacks. If you want something else to eat, you can have food delivered or bring your own, so feel free to bring it along.

I ordered Dohwa and Peach Crush, while my friend ordered a Margarita and a Godfather. I was curious about the Yahwa cocktail, but I was shocked when I heard how strong it was, so I ordered Dohwa instead haha. They also sell various kinds of whiskey, so have a look at the menu.

Games, too—and sweet cocktails

There were simple games, including a death-debate game and a head-bopping toy. With the head-bopping one, you compete to see who can hit it faster and more times until its head pops out—and I won every round!

Dohwa and Margarita

Dohwa came out first. Isn’t that red color absolutely luminous and pretty? It was super sweet, the kind of flavor women would love. You can barely taste the alcohol, which I liked. I’m the type who likes alcohol that tastes like a soft drink. That’s why I only drink cocktails, hoho.

The Margarita had such a luminous color too, right? The sugar around the rim mixing with the Margarita in your mouth was the best...

We ordered truffle potato chips because we wanted a simple snack. They paired nicely with the cocktails.

The fun of a solo-drinking bar: making friends with the people next to you

For our second cocktails, we had a Godfather and Peach Crush. Peach Crush is my favorite cocktail, and the sweet peach flavor came through so well that I drank it like a soft drink and got tipsy haha. We also became friends with the people sitting next to us as we drank. It was so fun chatting together. Everyone took turns talking, bantering back and forth—this is probably why people go to solo-drinking bars.

Yahwa’s mascot: a crested gecko

After we had been chatting away for quite a while, the mascot of Yahwa’s Ttukseom Seongsu branch appeared: a crested gecko. Isn’t it so cute? Apparently, everyone comes to see this adorable little one. One of the staff members runs a reptile shop in Incheon and brought it along.

It was so gentle, didn’t bite at all, and was just unbelievably cute—I think I watched it for ages. Everyone petted the gecko and played with it, and I think that made us even closer to the other people, too.

Yahwa’s Ttukseom Seongsu branch was such a fun place to enjoy ourselves right up until it was time to go home. I want to come hang out again next time.