Jongak Station bar with truffle fries and wheat ale: Sudowonui Bimil

A little while back I wanted a good drink and a good meal somewhere with a nice atmosphere one evening, so I headed over to Jongak. The place I visited that day had a name that already stood out — Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo (수도원의 비밀 저장고,

What is the atmosphere like at Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo?

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo is a craft beer gastropub in the basement level of a building on Samil-daero 17-gil near Jongak Station. There are so many restaurants and bars around Jongak Station that it's easy to get stuck picking a spot for dinner or a date, but this place felt different from the usual bar, so I was curious.

True to the name, it feels a bit like stepping into a secret space. The interior is dim overall but warm, which made it a nice place to visit in the evening.

The wooden tables paired with the soft lighting made it comfortable for chatting with a friend over drinks, and it seemed like a solid spot for a Jongak date too!

Plus they had group seating available!

What we ordered: Seonghae's seafood pizza, truffle fries and craft beer

We sat down and took our time going through the menu — they have a wide range of craft beers, so if you're into beer, it'd be fun to pick one that matches your taste.

That day we ordered Seonghae's seafood pizza and two craft beers, plus truffle fries on top of that — and once we got into the mood, soju ended up joining the table too haha.

How do the wheat ale and pale ale taste?

We started with the craft beer, and it definitely had its own character compared to regular draft beer. We ordered a wheat ale and a pale ale that day, and they came in pretty glasses too, which made for a nice mood when taking food photos.

Seonghae's seafood pizza at Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo

Pizza and beer never fails. Seonghae's seafood pizza came topped with big shrimp and seafood, along with black olives and onion. The cheese was generous too, so a slice eaten warm had that savory, salty flavor that worked really well.

Taking a sip of craft beer and then a bite of pizza cut the richness too, so I kept reaching for another slice.

Truffle fries at this Jongak Station bar

One of my personal favorites was the truffle fries. The fries themselves were fried up nice and crispy, and the subtle truffle aroma made them feel completely different from just dipping regular fries in ketchup.

Is Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo good for a Jongak date?

We'd originally planned to just have a light craft beer, but the food was so good the conversation kept going, and we ended up having soju too haha. Still, it wasn't loud or chaotic — more of a calm place to sit and talk, which made it a good evening spot.

I especially liked that if you're into craft beer, there are enough varieties to pick something that suits your taste, and dishes like the pizza and fries pair well with beer, so it worked for a light meal with drinks. If you're looking for a dinner date spot near Jongak Station, want good food with a craft beer with friends, or are searching for an atmospheric bar around Gwancheol-dong, this could be worth a visit. If you've been looking for a bar with a different vibe near Jongak, Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo is worth remembering.