Hongdae cocktail bar: yuzu-pear Summer Sunlight and rosé mac, Rosetta

I was looking for a cocktail bar in Hongdae and ended up at Rosetta, a bar inspired by famous paintings that also has a great atmosphere.

Where is Rosetta in Hongdae, and what about parking?

Rosetta is at 35 Eoulmadang-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (1st floor), 393 m from Exit 3 of Hapjeong Station. Parking is free, but you need to call ahead and get directions before using it.

The entrance is special already.

I wanted a cocktail bar a little different from the usual, and found Rosetta, which reinterprets famous paintings as cocktails. So off I went.

What are the seating and atmosphere like at Rosetta?

Rosetta has outdoor seating and several types of seats, so it works for everything from dates to get-togethers. I also spotted what looked like a room. With paintings covering the walls, it felt like stepping into a small gallery.

Soft lighting and classic interiors anchor the space. The paintings on the walls kept catching my eye.

Rosetta menu and prices

Alongside cocktails, wine and whisky, Rosetta has a good range of snacks to go with them.

• Masterpiece cocktail series ₩21,000
• Rose mac and cheese ₩18,000
• Pan-fried baby potatoes with jamón ₩21,000

There are also meals like pasta and salad, so it works as a first stop of the night too.

• Pumpkin chorizo gnocchi ₩22,000
• Orange prosciutto salad ₩22,000
• Cuttlefish ragu linguine ₩24,000
• Spinach escargot conchiglie ₩26,000

Tell the staff your mood or taste today and they will also recommend a glass from the Timeless Classics.

• Inedit Damm draft beer ₩12,000
• Whisky highball ₩14,000
• Madame X ₩23,000
• The Gleaners ₩22,000 (burdock)

Madame X is an edible perfume made with the sensual sweetness of pork wine, the lingering note of oak, and hibiscus. The Gleaners is... burdock? Reading the menu descriptions, I wanted to try every one. The menu changes with the seasons, so I'm curious what new cocktails the next season will bring.

The Rosetta menu groups cocktails into categories like dessert-style and unusual or exotic ones, which was helpful. You can still ask the staff if you're curious about anything.

Rosetta opening hours and visitor info

• Hours: daily 6 PM to 5 AM
• Private hire; groups up to 6
• Room (5-8 people) available
• Reservations available
• Vegan menu
• Professional sommelier
• Wi-Fi, waiting area
• Separate men's and women's restrooms

What is the Rosetta masterpiece cocktail series?

Inside Rosetta hangs a portrait of a woman sitting in front of a background full of red roses. The classic mood deepened the bar's gallery feel.

Cocktails that express paintings? I was excited before even ordering.😘 Here are the cocktails linked to the 8 masterpieces.

The biggest feature of Rosetta is its masterpiece cocktail series. I was impressed that the mood and colors of each work are expressed in a cocktail. My curiosity piled up, and so did my anticipation of how each would taste. Haha. It wasn't just drinking: reading the description and then sipping, I began to understand why these ingredients were used.

The painting and the cocktail description come together like this!

What I ordered at Rosetta today: the masterpiece cocktails Summer Sunlight and Dream, and for snacks, rose mac and cheese and pumpkin cream gnocchi.

Here are the complimentary snacks and a pretty candle. And how did the masterpiece cocktails I ordered taste?

Summer Sunlight cocktail taste: yuzu, pear and a seaweed garnish

Rosetta's Summer Sunlight has a fresh taste reminiscent of yuzu and pear, and as you drink it a soft finish lingers. Strange, right? The one above is the first one, haha. The seaweed garnish on top is meant to express the saltiness of the sea. It's refreshing, so I think women will like it! At the first sip the freshness of yuzu comes first, then the gentle sweetness of ripe pear rushes in. Haha. It isn't only sweet; the aftertaste lingers.

Dream cocktail taste: strawberry, mala and white chocolate

Next is Rosetta's Dream. Picasso took on many challenging works in his lifetime, so they mixed strawberry with mala????? in the cocktail! You can only drink this here..! It might be a bit spicy, but then! White chocolate, yum! The garnish goes so well that I thought, they really thought of everything.. It felt unfamiliar at first, but the more I drank, the more oddly drawn to it I was. Eaten with the white chocolate, the spiciness was smoothly rounded off.

I want to try the Magpie and Tiger cocktail next time! They really seem to have interpreted the paintings and nailed the concept.

How were the rose mac and cheese and pumpkin cream gnocchi at Rosetta?

And now, snack time~

This is the rose mac and cheese (₩18,000). The kimchi-seasoned chips look like flowers, don't they? On top of the rich cheese sauce, the kimchi-seasoned chips were an unexpected highlight. They cut the richness that could get heavy, and I kept reaching for more. Good as a drinking snack and enough to replace a meal.

This is the pumpkin cream gnocchi. The first bite is sweet and soft. The more you eat, the more the gentle flavor of the pumpkin comes through.

Is Rosetta in Hongdae worth going back to?

I went to Rosetta just to drink, but it stayed in my memory longer than I expected. The idea of turning masterpieces into cocktails was fun, and reading each glass's description was interesting too. If you want an experience a little different from the cocktails you usually drink, give it a visit. Next time I plan to go back for other masterpiece cocktails.