Second-round Mangwon bar: three makgeolli compared at Jeongju Ilga

Today's post is about Jeongju Ilga in Mangwon-dong! My friends and I had a great dinner in Mangwon-dong after work, and we said, let's go for a second round at a Korean bar! We searched around and ended up here. It's a place with Korean-style bar food and a wide range of traditional rice wines, so it was perfect for us makgeolli lovers~! The food was tasty and the makgeolli selection was so varied that it was fun just picking through different ones haha.

Inside Jeongju Ilga and the wait at 7pm on a weekday

We got there around 7pm on a weekday and luckily walked straight in with no wait. Seating was pretty spacious at first, but by the time we'd been eating for a while the place had filled up quite a bit. I guess this is prime time for a second round after dinner, because there were a lot of groups of friends coming in for drinks just like us.

The vibe at Jeongju Ilga was clean but a little dim, which suited makgeolli and Korean bar snacks perfectly. It wasn't too quiet either, so it was easy to chat excitedly with friends over drinks. We spent the whole time talking and laughing so the time flew by lol.

Each table also had a tablet ordering system, so we could order directly without having to flag down staff. It was really convenient to be able to order more food or drinks right away without feeling awkward about it haha. There was a notice saying that on weekends or when the place is full, seating is limited to 3 hours, but honestly 3 hours felt plenty for drinking makgeolli, eating, and chatting.

What we ordered at Jeongju Ilga and what it cost

Here's what we ordered at Jeongju Ilga that day!

• Beef brisket doenjang hotpot – ₩22,000
• Half-and-half pancake – ₩20,000
• Tiger Makgeolli (호랑이생막걸리) – ₩7,000
• Neurin Maeul Makgeolli (느린마을막걸리) – ₩8,000
• Jipyeong Makgeolli (지평막걸리) – ₩5,000

Five things in total~!~! We tried a bit of each makgeolli type with friends, and since they all tasted a little different, comparing them as we drank was pretty fun 🤍

Tiger vs Neurin Maeul vs Jipyeong: how the three makgeolli taste

We ordered the beef brisket doenjang hotpot and the half-and-half pancake first, and started off with Tiger Makgeolli. Surprisingly, the best one of the day turned out to be Tiger Makgeolli lol. I usually prefer Neurin Maeul Makgeolli, but that day Tiger tasted somehow cleaner and lighter.

Neurin Maeul was tasty as always too, and at the end we made sure to properly finish off with the classic, Jipyeong Makgeolli (^_^). It's nice to stick with just one type, but ordering several and comparing them little by little was fun too.

What is the beef brisket doenjang hotpot like?

The beef brisket doenjang hotpot we ordered as a side dish was also satisfying (^_^). It had a rich doenjang (fermented soybean paste)-based broth loaded with beef brisket, making it a filling dish for drinking. Especially with makgeolli, you need at least one warm soupy dish, right? This one fit that role perfectly. The savory doenjang flavor made it the kind of combo where you take a spoonful of soup, a sip of makgeolli, and keep going back for more. Even though we were pretty full, we kept scooping up the broth.

Half-and-half jeon: cheese kimchi pancake and bulgogi chive pancake

And the half-and-half pancake we really enjoyed! This dish comes with two kinds together — cheese kimchi pancake + bulgogi chive pancake. The kimchi pancake had cheese added for a savory, salty kick, while the bulgogi chive pancake had a totally different flavor from the bulgogi and chive combo. Makgeolli and jeon (Korean savory pancake)... well, what more is there to say. They just went together perfectly 🥹 Eating just one kind of pancake can get a bit much, but being able to eat two flavors at once made it fun to switch back and forth, and we kept reaching for more. Even though we came for a second round already full from dinner, the food was so good we ate our fill again.

Jeongju Ilga location, hours and what to know before you go

• Address: 66 Poeun-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul (about 8 min walk from Mangwon Station, located in Mangridan-gil)
• Hours: Mon–Fri 18:00–02:00 / Weekends 17:00–02:00
• No parking available
• Ordered: beef brisket doenjang hotpot, half-and-half pancake, various makgeolli
• Total for 3 people: ₩62,000

It's a bit of a walk from Mangwon Station, but it's a decent distance for moving on to a second round after dinner around Mangridan-gil.

Would I go back to Jeongju Ilga? Final verdict

If you're looking for a Korean bar with good food for a second round in Mangwon-dong, I'd recommend Jeongju Ilga. Honestly, we'd already had dinner and were pretty full, but the pancakes and hotpot were so good we ate heartily again. I especially liked being able to pick from several types of makgeolli, and the food was tasty enough that it would've been a shame to just drink without eating — great for relaxed chatting with friends~!~!

Next time I want to try some other traditional liquors. The pancakes were so good that I'm also curious about their other Korean bar dishes haha. If you're wondering where to go for a second round after dinner in Mangwon-dong, or if you want tasty Korean bar food with a glass of makgeolli, give Jeongju Ilga in Mangwon-dong a try! We had a blast chatting loudly with friends over great food and plenty of makgeolli, so I think I'll come back next time I'm in Mangwon-dong 🍶✨