Solo bar in Bangi-dong, Seoul with BYO food: Doran Honsul Bar

Solo drinking bars seem to be everywhere lately~ I wanted to try one but honestly, as a lightweight drinker + introvert, going alone felt a bit scary. So after having dinner with a friend in Bangi-dong on a weekend, we were about to head to a café for dessert but decided on a whim to try a solo drinking bar instead. Introducing Doran Honsul Bar Jamsil Branch, a solo drinking bar in Bangi-dong :-)

Where is Doran Honsul Bar in Bangi-dong, and how do you find the entrance?

Doran Honsul Bar Jamsil Branch is on the 3rd floor of a building in the Bangi-dong food alley. Saturday evening on Bangi-dong food alley street, so many people,,,,, We made our way through the bustling street to reach Doran Honsul Bar.

You can take the elevator up, but since this was our second stop after dinner, we walked up the stairs~ On the 3rd floor, various posters greet you, along with a blue door telling you not to hesitate and just come in :-)

Two introverts entering ~

Inside Doran Honsul Bar: what is the seating layout like?

Seating at Doran Honsul Bar Jamsil Branch isn't individual tables but rather one long rectangular table and a U-shaped table connected together. We arrived at 8:10 PM, ten minutes after the 8 PM opening, and there were already about 2 groups there — wow.

So it's the kind of table setup that makes it easy to chat with people sitting next to you! We wanted to keep talking just to ourselves (hahaha), so we sat facing each other, far apart at the ends,, :)

Reading the guestbook at the table was also a fun little bonus

Doran Honsul Bar menu: alcohol percentages and self-serve snacks

At Doran Honsul Bar, you order via a QR code on the table!

I didn't manage to photograph everything, but the cocktail selection is really varied!!! Besides the signature cocktails Madoranna and Yadoran, there's gin tonic, Kahlua milk, Black Russian, Jun Bug, classic mojito, and more — basically every cocktail you've heard of at least once, and I loved that the alcohol percentage is listed for each !!!! I'm still not supposed to drink soju right now, so knowing the alcohol content matters a lot, and being able to check it made choosing a cocktail so much easier :-)

There's water and simple snacks prepared in the back, and it's self-serve, help yourself style :-) We were too busy digging into the fried chicken we'd brought along and only noticed this late,,,ㅋㅋㅎ

Guinness and Weihenstephan beer (12,000 won) with Bangi Market dakgangjeong

Doran Honsul Bar Jamsil Branch allows outside food, so the two of us brought fried chicken from Bangi Market. The beers, Guinness and Weihenstephan, were ₩12,000 each.

So we decided to cleanse our palates with beer before the cocktails, yay~ My friend got Guinness, I ordered Weihenstephan first. They even give you the matching glass for each beer type ><

Cheers with my friend and beer drinking begins ♥ At Doran Honsul Bar, outside food is totally fine, and delivery is even possible! We forgot to bring chopsticks, but when we asked, they kindly gave us some — felt like enjoying chimaek (fried chicken and beer) but as a solo drinking bar experience ~

There were balance game cards at each table! My friend and I played for fun and it was actually pretty entertaining ㅋㅋㅎ Some choices were so extreme they were hard to pick, but playing a balance game with beer and a friend is fun

How do Yadoran (16,000 won) and Peach Crush (14,000 won) taste?

The signature cocktail at Doran Honsul Bar Jamsil Branch, Yadoran, is ₩16,000, and Peach Crush is ₩14,000. Yadoran is a sweet cocktail combining fragrant apple with refreshing lemon.

After finishing our beers, time for the real cocktails~ There were also 4 kinds of non-alcoholic cocktails available, so I considered going non-alcoholic, but Peach Crush also had low alcohol content and sounded refreshing for a nice finish, so I ordered that, and my friend got the signature Yadoran :-) The visuals were gorgeous and the glasses they came in were so pretty too ♥ My friend let me try a sip, but for someone who hates the taste of alcohol like me, it was way too bitter ㅋㅋㅎ Peach Crush was exactly my style :-) Total sweetness overload,,,,, it's a cocktail even a lightweight drinker like me can enjoy

Verdict: is Doran Honsul Bar right for two shy, lightweight drinkers?

Doran Honsul Bar Jamsil Branch was a Bangi-dong solo drinking bar that felt comfortable whether you sit alone or with company. As an introvert who can't drink much like me, I was honestly a bit scared to go to a solo drinking bar, but once we got there, the atmosphere was great and it was a wonderful space to chat quietly with a friend!

Of course, the group that arrived before us seemed to already be having some light conversation among themselves. If you visit alone, the friendly and courteous bartender seems to strike up light conversation too, so this Bangi-dong solo drinking bar seems like a great pick if you want a drink but need a casual drinking companion.

※Please note that only guests in their 20s and 30s are allowed to visit!

Doran Honsul Bar hours and things to know before you go

• Hours: Mon-Thu 20:00 - 04:00 / Fri, Sat, Sun 19:00 - 04:00
• Pets allowed
• Alcohol order required / No corkage
• Outside food allowed (no outside alcohol)
• No parking
• Venue rental available