Hongdae cocktail bar: tomato Flamato and two 12-year whiskies, Bitters

While looking for a good-vibe cocktail bar in Hongdae, I ended up at Bitters.

Where is Bitters, and what are the hours?

📍 Location B1, 3-30 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea About 5 minutes on foot from Hongik University Station Exit 9 🕐 Hours Daily 19:00 – 02:00 🍸 Menu Signature cocktails · Classic cocktails · Whisky · Wine

Take the elevator down to the basement.

The entrance: a hidden door behind a bookshelf

Once you're downstairs, instead of a normal door, you see a bookshelf. This is the real point of Hongdae cocktail bar Bitters! Unlike a typical cocktail bar, you enter through a door hidden behind the bookshelf, so it's fun even before you get in.

You find a button hidden on the bookshelf, press it, and the door opens — so cool. That feeling of stepping into a hidden space would make this a great date spot too haha 💓

Inside Bitters: mood and seating

Once inside, the space is bigger than expected and the lighting is dim overall, which made for a great atmosphere. There are bar seats and table seats, so it's good for a date over cocktails or for a quiet drink with friends — a different feel from the noisy Hongdae bar scene. If you want to talk while you drink, give Hongdae cocktail bar Bitters a try ✨

What's on the Bitters menu?

From famous whiskies and cocktails,

to Bitters' own signature cocktails, the menu was really varied. Just reading it was fun. There were so many tempting-looking cocktails that it was hard to choose ✨

Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood

The first whisky I ordered was Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood. It's sweet and smooth, so it's relatively easy to drink even for whisky beginners. Poured into a glass, the aroma rose gently and it was nice to sip slowly.

Valheim, the signature cocktail at Bitters

What I was most looking forward to that day was Bitters' own signature cocktail! The flavor is a bit different from your typical sweet cocktail. With herbs, pickled brine, and olives, it has a distinctive aroma with both sweetness and acidity coming through together. It's clearly different from the usual cocktails I've had, so if you like trying new flavors, this one is worth ordering at least once.

Flamato, the tomato-based cocktail

Second was Flamato. Being tomato-based, it's not sweet like a typical fruit cocktail — it's more spicy, salty, and strongly flavored. With basil added, it felt far more complex than a typical tomato-based cocktail.

I was curious what it would taste like while reading the menu, and drinking it, it was definitely a distinctive cocktail. The menu also notes this can be made non-alcoholic, so it seems like a good option when visiting with someone who doesn't drink.

Glenmorangie 12 Year Original

The second whisky was Glenmorangie 12 Year Original. Comparing it with the Balvenie was fun since each has its own character. Both are 12-year-old whiskies, but the aroma and flavor felt quite different, so it was worth trying both.

Who is Bitters right for?

Hongdae cocktail bar Bitters is a place where each cocktail has its own concept and it's fun to look at the ingredients. In particular, having signature cocktails like Valheim and Flamato that use ingredients you don't usually encounter made it a great place to visit when you want to try something new. There's also a wide range of whiskies, so it's good for whisky lovers as well as cocktail fans. If you're looking for a Hongdae cocktail bar with a bit of a different atmosphere instead of the usual bars, I'd recommend giving Bitters a try 💓