Hongdae cocktail bar for highballs and ragù pasta: Bitters

Near Hongik University Station: enter Bitters by pressing a book

Bitters, a 5-minute walk from Hongik University Station, might be the best-atmosphere cocktail bar in Hongdae. There were lots of foreigners too, and above all, the servers and owner were so, so kind, with that unmistakable expert vibe. Bitters felt great for drinking solo and like it would be lovely with your partner too.

It is on basement level 1, but when you take the elevator down—huh? There is no door. Press one of the books and the door opens. The instructions are clearly posted, so look for just a moment and you will find it right away. Such a fun little detail, haha.

It feels grand the moment you walk in. The huge range of whiskey and other drinks, plus the neatly lined-up glasses, immediately caught my eye. Clean and modern.

The tables were nicely spaced apart, with bar seating and separate tables where you can sit and drink. We tried one of the regular tables.

Good music and good drinks are enough, but the interior was excellent too. It was classic without being overdone, and both the staff and owner were neat and incredibly kind, so I was already in a great mood before even drinking.

How to choose from the menu, and the first drinks

Such an enormous selection of drinks. They also give you a separate, easy-to-read menu. If you want to see photos, each table has table ordering, so you can browse pictures as you order. They also explained the drinks in detail, which made choosing easy.

So many cocktail names were funny: “Electric Shock,” “Anne of Green Gables,” and “Pinklet.” They made me laugh—I wanted to try every one. This is trouble, haha.

For our first drinks, we ordered a highball and Maker’s Mark on the rocks. There was no additional charge for having it on the rocks.

What I really loved was that every time they poured a drink, they came over and measured it right there in front of you, so you could see. At other bars, there have been moments when I wondered whether it really was the drink I ordered or whether the amount was right. This seems like such, such a good system. No room for misunderstandings, and it is accurate.

Pretzels come as the complimentary snack. They were not stale—crispy, salty, and delicious. Perfect with drinks, obviously.

The price for a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue was scary. I want to make lots of money and keep a whole bottle on the table someday. That day will come, right? Haha.

Whiskey highballs made to your taste

We ordered another highball. You can have any whiskey as a highball by adding ₩2,000 to its by-the-glass price. Another thing I loved was being able to choose sparkling water, tonic water, or ginger ale. We chose sparkling water, but I really liked that they gave you that choice according to your taste.

This was a Monkey Shoulder highball. American whiskey goes surprisingly well in a highball too. Blended or single whiskey can be delicious neat because its aromas are a bit fuller, but personally, I think American whiskey is different and delicious this way as a highball too, haha.

The thick, rich ragù pasta I absolutely recommend

We ordered a snack too: ragù pasta. Wow, it was truly delicious. They said it had been slowly simmered for 3 hours with beef and pork. So delicious. Is food this good even allowed at a cocktail bar???

It was thick and rich, and you could taste all those 3 hours of cooking. I wondered if there could be food of a higher quality than this at any Hongdae cocktail bar. It is the kind of flavor I would crave even on its own. Respect to the owner.

It went beautifully with the pleasantly bitter whiskey—oily, thick and rich, with incredible savory depth. This is a snack I absolutely recommend. Order it even if you are full.

We also ordered a Buffalo whiskey highball. The balance of fizz and whiskey was just right, and the ice was prepared so carefully; it was a truly delicious whiskey drink. Suntory highballs at Japanese-style pubs are tasty too, but this felt like a higher-quality highball. People often drink this whiskey neat by the glass, but the highballs were so refined that day that I kept ordering them. I recommend the highballs. It would be great for drinking solo in Hongdae too.

We finished with one more glass of Irish Bushmills whiskey, and it was another thoroughly satisfying day.

My number-one recommendation in Hongdae for highballs and bar food (ragù pasta).