Sangsu bar with retractable roof and chili's cheese: Kkoko Land

Today's one-line summary: a Hongdae outdoor bar where the roof slides open, and the charcoal chicken neck is the real deal 👇

This time I went to a spot right between Sangsu and Hongdae. Even the sign didn't look like a regular bar — more like an amusement park entrance haha. Four of us went together, and the second we sat down, everyone started taking photos.

Finding Kkoko Land from Sangsu Station

By subway, it's 480m from Exit 2 of Sangsu Station (Line 6), about a 6-minute walk. Come out of the exit and keep walking up toward Hongdae.

From Hapjeong Station Exit 3 it's about the same distance. Walk straight toward Hongdae, turn right at Bobo Hotel, go straight 350m, then cross the crosswalk. After crossing, walk about 70m, turn right into the café alley, and go straight 130m to arrive.

It's only 100m, a 2-minute walk, from Sangsangmadang Cinema. It's 68m from the Redroad Entrance bus stop, so coming by bus is convenient too. Even tucked in an alley, the waterwheel and lighting make it easy to spot from a distance.

• 📍 18 Wausan-ro 19-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st & 2nd floor)
• 🗓️ Mon–Fri 16:00 – 2:00 AM
• ☀️ Sat–Sun 12:00 – 2:00 AM
• ⏰ Last order 1:00 AM
• 🚗 No parking (public transit recommended)

There's no dedicated parking lot, so bringing a car is a hassle. The whole area is Hongdae alleys, so parking is tricky anyway. Since you're going out to drink, taking the subway is the easier choice haha.

Did they move an entire amusement park here?

The entrance alone sets the tone. There are two waterwheels turning by a stone wall, with a wooden 'Kkoko Land' sign hanging above. Cooling fog sprays out beside the stairs, and white gravel covers the ground. A waterwheel at a bar entrance, seriously haha. We said 'this is the place, this is it' as we headed up the stairs.

The 2nd-floor open-air hall with a fully retractable roof

Go up to the second floor and you'll find the open-air hall. This is the signature space, and surprisingly, the roof opens up completely. It's a folding awning, and apparently they open it wide on nice days. It was drizzling the day we went, so they opened it briefly and then closed it again. In that brief moment when the sky opened up, it felt oddly great haha. Thatched-roof decor, colorful lighting, and giant ceiling fans give it full outdoor-bar vibes.

The indoor hall is spacious too. It has a gabled ceiling with exposed wooden rafters and a black-and-white checkered floor. A beverage fridge sits in the middle of the hall, so the view doesn't feel cramped. The seating is mostly long tables, good for group bookings.

This was the funniest part. On the wall hangs a huge 'KKOKKO LAND' frame showing chickens riding a carousel. Look up at the ceiling and there's a parody of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam — except a chicken and a chick sit in place of Adam and God haha. They even used indirect lighting to make it look sort of upscale, but the punchline is that it's all chickens.

The 12-person long table and the disco ball room

Deep in the second floor there's a separate group long-table area seating 12 or more. The room next to it has a completely different vibe — the entire ceiling is covered in disco balls. When the lights hit it, sparkling dots scatter across the walls and floor. It seemed like the perfect space to book for a company dinner or birthday party.

A welcome drink as soon as you sit down

Once you're seated, they bring out a welcome drink for each person. It's a sweet-and-tart orange juice served ice-cold with floating ice cubes. Perfect for wetting your palate before drinking starts. Even the glasses vary by branch, so there's fun in seeing what you get haha. Most places don't offer this at all, so a place that does already stands out from the first impression.

What the four of us ordered and what it cost

🔥 Signature charcoal chicken neck (seasoned) ₩24,000 / 🍗 Direct-fire charcoal chicken barbecue ₩24,000 / 🧀 Chili's cheese ₩19,000 / 🍺 Draft beer 500cc ₩7,000 × 4 glasses ━━━━━━━━━ 💰 Total ₩95,000

Draft beer is Terra, 500cc for ₩7,000. The four of us had four glasses, and the cups were big enough to feel more filling than expected. We ate and drank until we were full, and the total came to ₩95,000 — about ₩24,000 per person. That's not bad for an outdoor bar in Hongdae.

What is chicken neck?

It's a specialty cut that yields only a tiny amount per chicken. Since it's the muscle at the back of the neck that gets a lot of use, it's chewier and has more bite than other cuts. Because the yield is so small, not many places even serve this part.

Charcoal chicken neck — this is the main event

It comes out whole on a stainless steel tray. The seasoned chicken neck is served on one platter along with cabbage salad, potato salad, and tortillas. Pickled radish and jalapeños come in separate small bowls. They sprinkle cheongyang chili peppers on top, so it looks spicy from the get-go.

Up close, the sauce has a glossy coating. Take a bite and you first get the charcoal aroma, then the sweetness of the sauce, and finally the spice. The meat isn't dry at all — it's chewy. Being neck meat, it gets more savory the more you chew. The sauce is on the sweeter side, so even people who can't handle spice should be fine if they just skip the cheongyang peppers.

The best way to eat it was wrapped in a tortilla. Just lay out the tortilla, add a couple pieces of chicken neck, top with cabbage salad and potato salad, and roll it up. The salad dressing cuts the spice just right, so you keep going back for more haha.

Direct-fire charcoal chicken barbecue

The second thing we ordered was the chicken barbecue. While the chicken neck comes sliced thin along the grain, this comes cut into big chunky pieces. Same sauce, but a different cut means a completely different texture. If the chicken neck is all about chewiness, this one is soft and juicy. Grilled potatoes come alongside too, with nicely charred edges — also a nice surprise.

If I had to pick just one, I'd go with the chicken neck. But if there are four or more of you, I'd recommend ordering both to compare — it's fun how different they are with the same sauce haha.

Chili's cheese — camera-ready moment

We ordered chili's cheese as a side. Four thick cutlets come coated in breadcrumbs and fried until crispy. It's served with two sauces — mustard and chili. When we cut it open with chopsticks, the mozzarella stretched without breaking. This was the loudest moment at our table haha.

The breading is thin, but the inside is packed with cheese. It sounds like it could be greasy, but eating it with jalapeños balances that out perfectly. The cheese doesn't stretch as well once it cools, so you should cut it open right when it arrives. If you're filming, have your phone ready beforehand haha.

A fruit punch on the house

As we were finishing up, they brought out a fruit punch on the house. In a brass bowl were peaches, coconut jelly, blueberries, and popping boba. You scoop it out with a ladle into individual bowls. It felt like a clean reset for the palate after all that smoky sauce — a perfect way to end the meal.

※ Whether complimentary items are offered may vary depending on the store's situation.

Mappu's final verdict

Recommended for:

• Anyone who wants the full outdoor-bar vibe in Hongdae
• People looking for a spot for a group dinner or birthday party
• Anyone hunting for a photogenic bar
• Anyone curious to try a rare cut instead of regular chicken

Honestly, I worried this might be a place with flashy interiors but so-so food. But the charcoal flavor was genuinely there, which put me at ease. Drinking with the roof open on a nice day sounds amazing. I'm still a bit sad we couldn't enjoy it because it rained that day, ugh. I'll definitely go back on a clear day. If you're looking for an outdoor bar in Hongdae, Mappu approves ✅