Namyeong-dong whisky bar for a birthday: meatball pasta at B421

Where B421 is and what to know before you go

• Location: 278-7 Hangang-daero, 1F, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea (inside the food alley)
• Hours: Mon–Sat 17:00–01:00 / Sun 17:00–23:00
• Transit: Sukdaeipgu Station, Namyeong-dong
• Parking: Not available
• Reservations: Available via Naver Reservation
• One drink order required per person
• Corkage available (₩20,000 per wine bottle; whisky corkage not allowed)
• Pets allowed

How to find B421 from Sukdaeipgu Station

B421 is a wine & whisky bar tucked inside the Namyeong-dong food alley near Sukdaeipgu Station. Hi, this is Seo Teddy. This time I went with my girlfriend and her close friend to celebrate her friend's birthday at B421.

Wine bars and whisky bars aren't usually my scene, but I was looking for somewhere with a good atmosphere for a birthday, and this is where we ended up haha.

It's set back inside an alley, so it takes a little searching to find.

You can spot the hip heart-shaped sign from a distance~

Turns out there are actually two entrances haha; you can also come in from the main street side, worth keeping in mind.

Inside B421: atmosphere and seating

The moment we opened the door, a smoky wood scent hit us.

The scent alone set the whole mood.

Overall the interior has a dark, upscale bar feel.

There are patches of yellow lighting scattered around, which made for a great tone for a date too.

There's a group table that seats about 8, and the space was bigger than I expected.

Plenty of tables for two or four as well haha.

We sat in the cushy sofa seats!

We had a reservation, and the staff wrote the reserving guest's name right on the wine bottle. That kind of thoughtful touch made me even happier haha.

Once we sat down, they gave us yogurt as a welcome food, and it was pretty tasty too.

What's on the B421 menu, food and drinks

Steak, pasta, fried dishes, seafood, even pizza — a wide range mostly of Western food.

There are also simple plates, which go great with whisky or wine.

The drink selection is really diverse too — red, white, sparkling, even port wine, with a huge range of wines.

They also have whisky and beer, so you can enjoy a variety of drinks all in one spot!

What the three of us ordered, and what it cost

• Duck steak: ₩25,000
• Mushroom cream pasta: ₩17,000
• Beef chili meatball pasta: ₩15,000
• La Bruja Cava semi-seco: ₩49,000
• Melon prosciutto: ₩19,000
• Balvenie 12yr 30ml (on the rocks): ₩21,000
• Maker's Mark 30ml (highball): ₩11,000 +?

The food overall was excellent quality. The duck steak was tender, and paired well with the perilla leaf pesto underneath.

The mushroom cream pasta had plump noodles, so it wasn't a super thick, heavy type, but the sauce itself was delicious and kept me reaching for more. The mushroom flavor was quite intense too.

The beef chili meatball pasta was my favorite dish of the night. Nicely spicy, and the meatballs were big enough to give a satisfying bite.

And the wine was really tasty haha, the sparkling wine went great with the food.

We added the melon prosciutto midway as a palate cleanser, and it was a refreshing match.

This was my first time at a whisky bar table, so it felt a bit unfamiliar, but both the Balvenie's aroma and the Maker's Mark highball were easy to enjoy without feeling too heavy. For the highball you could choose tonic or soda water, and I thought it was neat that the ice came in these long sticks haha.

Final verdict: is B421 good for a birthday?

I had no idea a place like this existed in Namyeong-dong. It works great as a date course and suits a birthday celebration just as well. I'd highly recommend it as a Namyeong-dong restaurant and bar haha.

It'd work fine as a first stop, and also as a light second-round drink spot. Next time I'll try the other port wines and pasta dishes haha.