Guro, Seoul makgeolli bar date: Slow Village Brewery

It’s one of those evenings when I’m craving makgeolli (Korean rice wine). So we came to Slow Village Brewery (느린마을 양조장)!!! Here for another date today.

A makgeolli bar within easy walking distance of Gudi Station

It’s a five-minute walk from Gudi Station, on the second floor, and there’s an elevator!

Wide table spacing and separate group seating

It was my first time at Slow Village Brewery, and the place was much bigger than I expected. The yellow lighting throughout made it feel warm, and there was plenty of space between tables. 👍 👍 There was also a separate area for groups, divided from the tables for three or four by partition walls.

It seemed good for a visit for two like ours, or for a get-together with a larger group.

And what I found really cool was that they make their makgeolli right in the restaurant!

Naver reservation perks and tablet ordering

Since we reserved through Naver, there was a little note like that at our table, which was cute haha. If you reserve on Naver before visiting, there are various coupons listed there, such as a bottle of Sansachun, or a bottle of yakju for a group reservation of 10 or more. If you’re going, it might be nice to check the reservation perks too.

You can order from a tablet at every table!

Ordering seafood pajeon, bibim meat noodles, and makgeolli

We ordered seafood pajeon (scallion pancake), bibim meat noodles, Winter Makgeolli, and Cherry Makgeolli.

Crispy seafood pajeon and a soy sauce like tteokbokki sauce

First, the seafood pajeon! It arrived with a crispy outer edge. The soy sauce that came with it wasn’t the usual kind—it tasted a little like tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) sauce. It actually went pretty well with the pancake.

Four seasons of house-brewed makgeolli

There are four kinds of makgeolli brewed in-house, and their flavors are expressed through the four seasons.

Apparently, if you order the unlimited option, you can enjoy as much of all four flavors as you want for two hours. I was so happy with the Winter Makgeolli. I’m not really into lots of carbonation, so I loved that it was lightly sparkling and sweet. Next time, I should get the unlimited option and try the other flavors!

Cherry Makgeolli wasn’t really my taste. It tasted a bit like children’s fever medicine, so after one sip, I kept reaching for the Winter Makgeolli instead. Maybe my brain had gone funny from the Winter Makgeolli, which is why I felt that way~¿

Everyone’s taste is different, so if you like several kinds of makgeolli, it could be nice to sample this and that!

Bibim meat noodles that pair nicely with pajeon

The bibim meat noodles are on the add-on menu! There was a decent amount of meat and vegetables, and they weren’t aggressively spicy, so they were easy to eat. It wasn’t an incredibly special flavor, but it seems like a good dish to order alongside the pajeon.

A projector for watching sports with drinks

There was also a projector set up toward the back of the restaurant. When I visited, it was showing sports like baseball or soccer. I think people who enjoy watching sports while drinking would really like it.

What I liked and what was a little disappointing

• You can try craft makgeolli made right in the restaurant.
• The seafood pajeon was deliciously crispy.
• The Winter Makgeolli was especially tasty.
• There is an unlimited makgeolli option.
• The tables are widely spaced, with separate group seating.
• There are Naver reservation perks.
• The men’s and women’s restrooms are separate.

The Cherry Makgeolli was a little disappointing for me because it tasted like children’s fever medicineㅜ Other than that, there wasn’t anything particularly uncomfortable.