Jongak second-stop bar for shrimp pizza and brie cheese: Sudowonui

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo (수도원의 비밀 저장고), a Jongak Station restaurant with great atmosphere and an unusual beer-and-pizza vibe. These days, when I go looking for a place to have a drink around Jongak, I keep finding spots that are surprisingly stylish and fun.

This time I went to Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo, whose name alone made me curious 🍺 If you're near Jongak Station and want somewhere atmospheric for pizza and beer, or a quiet, unusual bar to actually talk in, this place was pretty great.

It felt like a secret hideout I wanted to keep just for myself, which made me like it even more!

Where is Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo, and what is the basement like?

📍 Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo is on B1 at 47-1 Samil-daero 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It's about a 7-minute walk from Jongak Station Exit 4, so it's pretty accessible.

Head down to the basement and, true to the name, a slightly secretive space opens up — decorated in a distinctive concept that recalls a medieval monastery. The lighting is soft and the whole place feels cozy, a different mood from a typical loud bar.

Reading other visitors' reviews, a lot of people describe it as exotic and unusual, a space that suits both dates and group gatherings.

A Jongak pizza-and-beer pub with plenty of draft choices

🍺 Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo has a wide range of draft beers, so anyone who likes beer will have fun picking. The menu has a flavor description for each one, so I could choose while thinking about what style I actually like.

I picked a nutty, clean-tasting beer, and the draft itself was fresh and delicious. My friend's pick had a faint fruity aroma, a lighter style that was easy to drink. Even among drafts the flavors were quite different, so next time I want to try a few kinds, just a little of each.

Shrimp seafood pizza you finish down to the crust

We came here as our second stop of the night haha, so we were already fairly full. But you can't say no to pizza! So we ordered one seafood pizza and the aged brie cheese, 'Time of Aging.'

And honestly, the pizza here was really good. I usually don't eat the crust end when I have pizza, but here I somehow ate it all the way to the end haha. The dough was chewy with a savory flavor that seemed to have cheese baked right into it, too good to throw away. The dough itself was so good my hand kept going back for more, crust included.

The shrimp on top was also plump and tasty. The seafood toppings, cheese, and chewy dough all worked together, and with beer it was a proper pizza-and-beer combo. We only ordered one pizza since it was our third stop that night, but after eating it I thought, 'I should come here first next time' haha.

How did the Time of Aging brie cheese go with beer?

🧀 And the aged brie cheese we ordered alongside it. Brie is good on its own, but eating it together with the pizza gave it a different character. The salty, savory cheese flavor paired well with the pizza and made a great beer snack.

Next time I want to come hungry and properly try more than just the brie cheese — other menu items too!

From BBQ platters to pasta: how big is the menu?

🍖 Looking at the menu, Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo isn't just about pizza — there's the Monk's Feast BBQ platter, plus chicken, pasta, fries, and more, all good with beer. There's a BBQ platter, sausage platter, pasta, pizza and more running on the menu, and the place is built around a dining-pub concept meant to pair with craft beer.

So if a group comes for a first round, ordering BBQ, chicken and pasta to share, rather than just one pizza, seems like the better move. Since this was our second round, I was a bit sorry we couldn't eat more of the menu haha.

Looking for an atmospheric pizza-and-beer bar near Jongak Station?

🤎 What I liked first about Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo was simply that the space itself is fun.

True to its name, it feels like stepping into a secret hideout, and the medieval monastery interior gives it a mood totally different from an ordinary beer bar. The lighting is soft and the space cozy, so it was great for sitting with a friend, talking, and having a drink. It'd work fine as a date spot or for a group get-together or work dinner too!

Most of all, the pizza was so much better than expected that I'm definitely planning to come here first next time. I want to come hungry, properly eat pizza, pasta and BBQ, and try the different drafts one by one 🍺

If you're looking for an atmospheric bar near Jongak Station, an unusual dining pub, a Jongak spot for pizza and beer, I recommend Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo — it feels like your own secret hideout 🤎 Next time, first round, not third round, haha.