Suwon Station bar with boneless fried chicken in Room 10: Manseokjip

I made plans with friends I've known since university. All three of us had been so busy with our own schedules that we hadn't properly seen each other's faces in nearly a year. Since it was such a rare gathering, I went looking for a Suwon Station bar where we could catch up comfortably without being disturbed by noise around us.

Manseokjip Suwon Station Branch Address: 2nd & 3rd floors, 21-11 Maesan-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea Hours: 16:00–03:00 (weekends until 04:00)

Regular bars tend to be crowded and hard to talk in, so I searched mainly for private-room bars and came across Manseokjip Suwon Station Branch.

Where is Manseokjip Suwon Station Branch, and how do you get in?

Manseokjip Suwon Station Branch takes up both the 2nd and 3rd floors of a building on Maesan-ro, with a large sign hanging outside. The name stood out from a distance, so it wasn't hard to find.

Walking up the building's stairs, the Manseokjip name was written neatly on the wall.

After climbing about half a flight, you reach a clear glass door leading into the restaurant. Once inside, staff at the counter check your reservation and party size before showing you to a room.

Room 10 at Manseokjip: the right size for three friends

Stepping inside Manseokjip Suwon Station Branch, it looked so well maintained I wondered if it had opened recently. The floors and tables were very clean, and the rooms were separated independently along a hallway. Sound from other tables barely mixed in, making it a good layout for spending time with your own group. We were shown to room number 10, which was cozy without feeling cramped for three people. There were also rooms big enough for larger groups, which would work well for meetups, group blind dates, or small Suwon group gatherings, not just friend hangouts.

A notice was posted on the wall explaining how to use the space. The base time limit was 2.5 hours, but you could stay indefinitely if no one was waiting. Outside food was banned except for birthday cakes, and smoking inside the rooms was prohibited — basic etiquette that explained why the space stayed so clean.

Tablet ordering and menu prices at Manseokjip

Ordering was simple through the tablet installed at the table. Flipping through the menu, it was clear this was a place known for its side dishes — stews, stir-fries, grilled items, and fried dishes all had plenty of options. Alongside the signature gopdoritang (₩26,900), there were hearty hot pots like beef brisket and pork intestine hot pot (₩25,900) and whole chicken noodle soup (₩26,900), plus a solid lineup of stir-fried and fried dishes like charcoal-grilled seasoned makchang (₩17,900) and boneless fried chicken (₩15,900). We started by ordering gopdoritang and rice to eat as a meal-slash-side-dish, along with soju.

After ordering, the familiar chicken-leg-shaped snacks came out as a basic starter. They were crunchy and salty, perfect for sipping soju before the main dish arrived. Orders were running a bit behind at the time, so the food took a little while to come out, but with all the catching up to do with my friends, it didn't really bother us.

Gopdoritang for 26,900 won and rice topped with spam

Before long, the gopdoritang arrived in a large pot piled high with perilla leaves.

We turned on the burner and brought it to a boil, and the mild scent of perilla leaves spread through the room.

The broth wasn't overly sharp or spicy — it had a pleasant kick along with a sweet, savory depth. The chicken was tender rather than tough, and the pork intestine released a rich, nutty fat the more you chewed, deepening the flavor of the broth even further. It was a flavor most people would enjoy without much fuss.

The rice we ordered alongside was ₩1,500, which seemed a bit pricier than a regular restaurant at first — but seeing the portion served in a bowl made sense of it. Not only was the amount generous, but it came topped with a nicely grilled slice of spam. Mixing the rice into the gopdoritang broth and topping it with spam made for a satisfying meal on its own.

Adding boneless fried chicken for 15,900 won

Once the three of us finished off the gopdoritang, we felt like we wanted a bit more, so we ordered the boneless fried chicken as an extra. It came out to the table faster than expected. Freshly fried, the coating was crisp rather than soggy. The chicken itself was well-seasoned with brine, so it had plenty of flavor even without dipping it in any sauce. There was little oily smell, making it easy to pair with beer or soju.

On one side, there was a notice about an event offering a special side dish for writing a receipt review. It's a simple way to get an extra dish, so it's worth checking out if you visit.

Is Manseokjip a good Suwon Station bar for quiet conversation?

The area around Suwon Station gets so much foot traffic that it's not easy to find a bar quiet enough for real conversation. Because Manseokjip Suwon Station Branch is set up as separate rooms, we could focus on catching up comfortably with friends we hadn't seen in a while. The food lineup is solid too, hearty enough to double as a meal, making it a worthy Suwon Station spot for both eating and drinking. It could be a great choice for a Suwon date if you want to talk somewhere quiet as a couple, or for anyone looking for a Suwon Station group room bar. Next time I get the chance for a relaxed drink with friends, I'll be back.