Jongno bar with Cheonggyecheon views: Refine Euljiro Myeongdong

Refine Euljiro Myeongdong after a Cheonggyecheon walk

As the weather has eased up and the air has become nicely cool, I feel like the perfect season for walks along Cheonggyecheon Stream has arrived 🍃 So, after going on a date around Euljiro for the first time in a while, I visited Refine Euljiro Myeongdong (리파인 을지로명동점), a spot famous for Euljiro dates.

Location and parking

It is about a five-minute walk from Exit 4 of Jonggak Station, or around 10 minutes from Exit 4 of Euljiro 1-ga Station. If you are driving, the building parking is rather limited, so I recommend the public parking lot behind Jonggak or Shinhan Bank Gwanggyo Branch 🚘

Soft lighting and Cheonggyecheon window seats

When I stepped inside, the atmosphere was sooo good—as you would expect from a popular Euljiro date restaurant! ✨ The lighting was soft throughout, and the tables were nicely spaced apart, so it felt possible to dine with a bit of privacy.

Every seat was so pretty, but I picked this window seat haha. The Cheonggyecheon view through the floor-to-ceiling windows and the lush green trees come into view all at once, making it a seat that lifts your mood just by sitting there 🧘🏻♀️ It is great for photos too, and after dark you can enjoy a romantic night view.

Dinner requirements and a wide-ranging menu

I visited in the evening, and there were a few conditions to follow during dinner service.

• An alcohol order is required
• A main-dish order is required
• Dining time is limited to 2 hours and 20 minutes

Those are the three things, so it may be helpful to keep them in mind before visiting! Since an alcohol order is required, people who do not drink well need not worry: there are separate non-alcoholic options too :)

As Refine is a Korean fusion bar, its menu builds on Korean food with many different styles added in. From premium beef ribs, blood sausage, yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), and potato pancake to pasta, hot pots, and rice bowls, there was enough variety to make choosing a little difficult. And Refine's real plus is not only the food, but also its seriously broad drink selection! It felt like nearly every kind was there, from traditional Korean liquor and soju to highballs, wine, and whisky, so drink lovers may have fun just browsing the menu 🍸 I was also intrigued to see Gyeongtakju, made by Sung Si-kyung, haha.

The two of us ordered 🥘 grilled blood sausage for ₩23,900, 🥘 yukhoe bibimbap for ₩14,900, and 🍶 Refine16 for ₩16,000.

Grilled blood sausage, yukhoe bibimbap, and Refine16

All our dishes arrived, and they came out faster than expected. More than anything, with the food set in front of those floor-to-ceiling windows, it somehow looked even more delicious than usual =3

Grilled blood sausage, ₩23,900

This was the best dish we ate that day 💛 Jeonju-style blood sausage is grilled and served with dressed cabbage and truffle mayo. The portion was quite generous, and I really enjoyed the sausage's distinctively rich, nutty flavor.

The grilled blood sausage was delicious on its own, but dipping it in the truffle mayo made it even richer, adding truffle's fragrant character to the smooth, nutty mayonnaise. It became a little more savory and salty—just perfect as a drinking snack :-) I paired it with soju this time, but I think it would go so well with makgeolli (Korean rice wine) too.

Yukhoe bibimbap, ₩14,900

The yukhoe bibimbap came with various vegetables and yukhoe, and it had exactly the familiar style of yukhoe bibimbap you would expect, making it easy and pleasant to eat. If ordering only drinking snacks feels a little lacking, it would be nice to add this as a meal dish to share.

Refine16, ₩16,900

I was curious to try Refine16 because it is a soju made by Refine. There were two kinds, 16 and 21, and I went with the 16. It is a soju with a subtle omija (Korean five-flavor berry) aroma, though the fragrance is more distinct than I expected! It paired well with the grilled blood sausage we ordered as anju (drinking food), haha.

Recommended for a Cheonggyecheon-view date

With its floor-to-ceiling Cheonggyecheon view and lovely atmosphere, Refine Euljiro Myeongdong is a place I would recommend for an Euljiro date! The food and drink selections are both incredibly varied, so I recommend it to anyone looking for a date restaurant or a good-value anniversary restaurant around Euljiro, Jonggak, or Gwanghwamun 💌