Makgeolli and Andong soju near Express Bus Terminal Station: Dameun

I'm originally from Anseong, so when a friend of mine who still lives there came up to Seoul, we decided to meet for a drink. We arranged to meet near the Express Bus Terminal, but honestly there wasn't much around there that felt right for drinks. Then I found this place called Dameun Goksokteomineol Bonjeom (담은 고속터미널 본점), and it turned out to be a great spot for a drink. If you're into makgeolli or traditional liquors, this place is seriously the best.

Where is Dameun, and how long is the walk from Exit 8-2?

Dameun Goksokteomineol Bonjeom sits across the road from the Gyeongbu Express Bus Terminal. I came out of Express Bus Terminal Station Exit 8-2, walked straight into the building right in front of me, and went down to the basement floor, where you find a row of shops like the one below.

Below is what Dameun's floor-to-ceiling window storefront looks like :)

Inside Dameun: seating, atmosphere and reservations

The interior isn't huge, but it has a great atmosphere for drinks :) It feels really cozy, the kind of place where the drinks just go down easy.

Dameun lets you try all kinds of makgeolli and traditional liquors. There's a dedicated drinks fridge on one side, packed tight with a huge variety of traditional liquors.

This place takes table reservations, and sure enough, reservations were marked out as shown below.

I arrived at 5pm, which I thought was early enough that it'd be quiet, but the window seats were already all taken. By around 7pm on a weekday, the whole place was packed, so I'd really recommend booking ahead!

Dameun menu prices: jeon, makgeolli and traditional liquors

Dameun Goksokteomineol Bonjeom specializes in traditional liquors (makgeolli, traditional spirits) and the food and side dishes that go with them. There's a little bell on the table — ring it and staff come take your order. You can also order via QR code. If you take part in the review event, you can get a sesame rice cake tofu, so keep that in mind :)

For the full menu and prices, check the photos below. There's a genuinely wide variety of food on offer. We ordered the mixed jeon platter, and later added the sweet shrimp sashimi.

• Mixed jeon platter: ₩32,000
• Sweet shrimp sashimi: ₩13,000

The drink selection was seriously huge, too. Probably the biggest lineup of drinks I've seen at any bar I've been to — the makgeolli and traditional liquor options were incredibly varied. We ordered the Gaedo makgeolli, made in Yeosu. I'm not great with makgeolli, so I ordered Andong soju instead.

• Gaedo makgeolli: ₩7,500
• Andong soju: ₩15,000

Andong soju is 22% ABV, so it's pretty strong, while the Gaedo makgeolli was around 5%.

How did the mixed jeon platter and sweet shrimp sashimi taste?

The drinks came out first :) The Gaedo makgeolli and Andong soju arrived looking like the photos below, and honestly, they were pretty.

They also bring out traditional cups for you to choose from, as shown below. We went with the hwatu (Korean flower card game) cups!

I mostly went for the Andong soju, and my friend mostly stuck with the makgeolli.

The mixed jeon we'd been waiting for finally arrived — shrimp jeon, tofu jeon, zucchini jeon, kimchi jeon, mushroom jeon, imitation crab jeon, and more :)

The shrimp jeon impressed me the most — the shrimp were seriously plump. Personally, I thought it was incredible.

The kimchi jeon, zucchini jeon, and tofu jeon were all fried perfectly and tasted really good.

The imitation crab jeon and mushroom jeon were also plump and delicious :)

Then the sweet shrimp sashimi arrived, and dipped in soy sauce with wasabi, it was delicious :)

The two of us ate our fill of jeon and shrimp sashimi and ended up pleasantly tipsy. That's my write-up on Dameun Goksokteomineol Bonjeom, a great bar near Express Bus Terminal — location, menu, prices, and review, all shared here.