Family-friendly gastropub near Suji-gu Office, Yongin: Bacha Suji

I'm Koi's mom, raising an elementary schooler :D I'd always been drawn to the pretty blue interior of Bacha Suji Branch whenever I passed by, and kept telling myself my husband and I should go for an anniversary someday haha. Since it opens at 5pm, it's hard to get either set of grandparents (who live far) to babysit, so a couple's dinner date felt like a dream ㅠㅠ But our son is already a big 10-year-old now, so we worked up the courage and the whole family headed out together!

Where is Bacha Suji Branch, and where do you park?

Bacha Suji Branch is located at 16-6 1F Pungdeokcheon-ro 129beon-gil, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, a 6-minute walk from Exit 4 of Suji-gu Office Station. It's open Sunday–Thursday 17:00–01:00 and Friday–Saturday 17:00–02:00.

It's a 6-minute walk from Exit 4 of Suji-gu Office Station, so it's easy to walk over for a drink~ If you're driving, I'd recommend using the Suji-gu Office parking lot, a 5-minute walk away. The building also has shared parking, and they said you can call ahead to check availability there too~

What does the name Bacha (VARCHAR) mean?

Turns out the owner here worked as a developer and UX designer for 8 years before finally quitting to open this place after years of planning! The name Bacha (VARCHAR) comes from the programming term for storing various types of data — meaning they wanted to cross the sleek atmosphere of a 'bar' with the friendly menu of a Korean-style pojangmacha (street-food tent bar)~

Before we get to ordering properly, my husband takes a refreshing gulp of draft beer while we look over the menu haha

The dishes the whole family fell for at Bacha Suji Branch

Signature dish: Bacha seafood boil with kalguksu noodles

This is steamed scallops and clams, fresh seafood shipped straight from the source with plump, springy meat! The deep flavor of fresh ingredients came through, and the broth was so clean and refreshing, honestly amazing ㅠㅠ

It wasn't spicy at all, so our 10-year-old son happily picked out the scallops and clams, and later we even refilled the broth and finished off the kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) too — totally cleared the pot!

Signature dish: sous vide pork jowl salad

Our son really hates fat, so he normally only eats pork neck or lean cuts. But this one, maybe because it's cooked sous vide, was clean-tasting and tender, and he ate it up really well! (You know when your kid eats well, it's a genuinely good restaurant, right? haha) It's amazing with a bit of wasabi and pink salt on the chive salad, and since the chive salad is refillable, this mom was very pleased haha

Beef brisket jjapaghetti, ordered for a 10-year-old

Jjapaghetti (instant black bean noodles) and egg is already a classic combo, but adding savory beef brisket on top made it feel like a whole upscale dish lol. Familiar yet special — I learned a trick worth stealing~!

Dad ran out of drinking snacks: fries and shrimp chips

Our son already eats pretty well normally, but he was inhaling all these anju (drinking snacks) so fast, saying everything was so good lol. In the end, Dad ran out of snacks to eat!! haha So we ordered fries and shrimp chips as extra sides. Once the crispy, savory fried snacks arrived, our son kept munching away happily until the very end lol. From the mains to the sides, everything was a perfect match for a kid's palate — Bacha exceeded expectations

Why arriving at opening is the answer with kids

For families with kids, I strongly recommend going right at opening time! As the evening goes on, being a popular bar near Suji-gu Office, waits build up and the energy of the crowd gets loud, so if you want a light meal-plus-drink outing with your kid, opening time is perfect haha

Reservation perks and what Bacha Suji Branch pours

You can easily book Bacha Suji Branch through Naver too. If you reserve through Naver, be sure to grab the 1+1 highball coupon~!

And Bacha doesn't just have soju and beer — they've got whiskey, vodka, gin, highballs, and cocktails too, so it's a great bar no matter your personal taste! (I'm just happy they have cocktails haha) Paid corkage is also available, so bringing your own favorite bottle for a special occasion could work too~

Before visiting, I was a little worried it might be a hotspot just for young people, but once we got there, it turned out to be a warm space that welcomes every age group — group gatherings and work dinners, sure, but also couple dates after putting the kids to bed, parent meetups, and family outings too~ If you're looking for great anju and great atmosphere! I highly recommend checking out Bacha Suji Branch, a popular bar near Suji-gu Office~!