Dong-gu, Gwangju cocktail bar for a quiet drink: Chomyeon

Lately, I’ve been more drawn to places where you can have a drink and talk quietly than noisy bars, so I went to Chomyeon while looking for a solo-drinking bar with a nice atmosphere in Dongmyeong-dong.

It’s on the second floor of the building, so if it’s your first visit, just follow the sign upstairs. Even from outside, it felt calmer than a typical drinking spot. Its name, “Chomyeon,” means “first meeting,” so it seemed like somewhere that would be nice even with someone you’d just met—and somewhere you wouldn’t feel awkward walking into alone for a drink.

This time, I mainly tried cocktails, and each one had a different flavor and mood, which made choosing them fun.

What is the atmosphere like inside Chomyeon, Dongmyeong-dong’s solo-drinking bar?

Once you go up the stairs and enter the second floor, you find a space that is much moodier than it looks from outside.

The lighting was kept low throughout, with a small lamp on every table, so it really felt like being at a bar. A large screen on one wall was playing videos too, and the colors from the screen blended beautifully with the overall atmosphere.

It wasn’t pitch-dark either; the table lamps made it fine for looking at your drinks or taking photos.

More than anything, the mood around the tables was calm. Rather than a bar where a big group drinks noisily, it seemed better suited to a Dongmyeong-dong date bar or a place to drink alone. There were separate ordering instructions on the table too, which made checking the menu and ordering easy.

Pretzels served as the complimentary snack

When I sat down, pretzels came out as the complimentary snack.

When you’re drinking something aromatic like cocktails or whiskey, a snack with too strong a flavor can get in the way of the drink. These light, easy-to-pick-at pretzels were better for that reason. They were salty, the kind you keep reaching for after one or two, haha. Perfect for taking a sip of cocktail and having one pretzel.

Most solo-drinking bars seem to order this way these days...? I thought, what if my phone battery dies and I can’t order? Haha.

The cocktail of the day: Old Fashioned

The first drink I had was the cocktail of the day. I ordered it because I was curious what the day’s cocktail would be, and they explained that it was an Old Fashioned that day.

You can tell from the photo that it has the color of a whiskey-based cocktail, right? It came with a large ice cube, so it was nice to sip slowly. Rather than being simply sweet, it was the kind of cocktail where you could enjoy whiskey’s distinct aroma and weight.

If you’re like me and usually only drink sweet cocktails but want to try a more proper(?) cocktail, I think it would be fun to ask about the cocktail of the day and order it. There was also something fun about not knowing what would be on offer that day instead of always drinking the same cocktail.

The red cocktail, “Yonggi”

The second was Yonggi, a name that stuck with me from the start. Its deep red color caught my eye as soon as it arrived. With a cherry perched on top of the large ice cube, it looked really pretty in photos too.

Chomyeon is generally low-lit, but the table lamps make cocktails with these rich colors look especially beautiful. Drinking it alongside the Old Fashioned made the contrast in mood very clear too.

If you’re ordering several drinks, I’d recommend choosing different styles like this and comparing them, rather than picking only one type.

Chomyeon, where the atmosphere itself was drinking food

What I liked most about Chomyeon was actually not only the drinks, but the atmosphere of the space. Videos played on the big screen and soft lights sat at every table, making it lovely to simply sit still with a drink.

Even at places called solo-drinking bars, you can sometimes feel self-conscious walking in alone. But this place was dark and calm overall, so I don’t think it would feel too intimidating to come by yourself and drink slowly. It’s the kind of place I’d think of when looking for a solo-drinking bar in Gwangju or wanting a light cocktail for a second stop in Dongmyeong-dong.

Chomyeon’s signature cocktail, my final drink

The last drink I ordered was Chomyeon’s signature cocktail. It came in a tall glass with a clear pale-yellow color, looking completely different from the cocktails I’d had before. A large ice cube and green garnish inside gave it an overall fresh feel!

From the weighty Old Fashioned to the boldly colored Yonggi and finally the signature cocktail, each had a different mood, so none of the three felt too similar. Personally, if it’s your first visit, I’d recommend ordering the Chomyeon signature cocktail named after the bar at least once.

When you want a quiet drink in Dongmyeong-dong

Dongmyeong-dong has so many bars, but when you’re looking for an atmospheric cocktail bar rather than a noisy place, it can be surprisingly hard to decide.

Chomyeon brought together low lighting, videos, and table lamps, so it was nice for having a drink on a date or quietly enjoying alcohol alone.

That day, I drank the cocktail of the day Old Fashioned → Yonggi → Chomyeon’s signature cocktail, and it was fun choosing between them because all three had different moods.

If you’ve had a meal in Dongmyeong-dong and are looking for a second stop, or want a Dongmyeong-dong cocktail bar or solo-drinking bar where you can talk a little more calmly, I think Chomyeon would be worth a visit :)