Jongno bar for cherry beer and cheesy ratatouille gratin: Sudowonui

I'm bringing you a story about Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo (수도원의 비밀 저장고), a Jonggak date spot with great food to drink to and tasty craft beer :) I ordered the signature ratatouille, and the cheese pull was on a whole different scale from anywhere else, so I filmed it -

Is Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo a good place for a get-together in Jonggak?

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo is a restaurant-pub that's really good for company dinners, small gatherings, wedding invitation get-togethers, birthday parties and more in Jonggak. Besides the atmosphere, it has a private room, plenty of dishes and drinks to order and share, and best of all, you can book through Naver, which I loved!

It's an event paradise too: a free bottle of soju coupon for parties of 5 or more, arancini (fried rice balls) for wedding invitation gatherings, and a slice of tiramisu if you write a review!

The entrance and monastery-style interior

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo is on the basement level of Samil-daero 17-gil in Gwancheol-dong, Jongno, and the entrance is already something special.

Exotic vibes right from the entrance, right~ It's a staircase, so I went down holding my husband's hand tight, hahaha. I tend to trip in places like this,,

I love the atmosphere. We went to Spain on our honeymoon and visited Montserrat, where the Black Madonna statue is. This place reminded me of that memory - the memories came flooding back!

It was grand and secretive from the entrance on. Just like the name, it feels like a secret cellar :) Each table is set neatly and elegantly, and it felt like a secret wine bar, which is rare in Jonggak.

Food and drinks menu at Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo

The menu is really varied too, and I hear the owner created this unique, atmospheric space with a concept inspired by medieval European monasteries. It's even more fun once you know the backstory -

There are craft beers you rarely see elsewhere, Michelin beers and other craft drinks, and the dish names are fun and unusual, with detailed descriptions of the drinks, so it feels very novel~

With distinctive dishes that feel as if the monks cooked them themselves as the base, it's a dining space where you can enjoy abbey beers, other beers, wine and more -

What we ordered

• Saint's Garden ratatouille gratin with a small baguette or 1 ciabatta
• Rodenbach Alexander (cherry beer)
• Poechette 330ml, a beer from a Belgian Michelin restaurant

There were so many curious beers I wanted to try that I felt like doing a whole beer challenge~

You can join the roulette event too! The coupon can be used on your next visit, so it makes you want to come back, haha

What are the seats, private room and restroom like?

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo has a private room, which is great for gatherings, and the ceilings are high, with group tables that can handle big parties - there are bar seats too :) The restroom is inside the venue and nice and clean, so it was easy to get to.

My husband also said it reminded him of Montserrat in Spain, that the atmosphere was amazing, and he kept repeating, "A place like this in Jonggak?" - the interior really feels like visiting a secret cellar, and I loved it.

In particular, a chef who used to work at the Hilton in New Zealand cooks here himself, so you get to enjoy a variety of delicate sauces -

With a stylish monastery interior and music that's hard to experience in Korea, it's also a good after-work date spot for people who love atmospheric spaces, or for friends, acquaintances and coworkers -

How do Rodenbach Alexander cherry beer and Poechette taste?

The beers we ordered, which are hard to find elsewhere, came out first.

The Rodenbach Alexander cherry beer had a zingy cherry aroma mixed with oak, and I enjoyed it a lot. The Poechette was so extremely smooth that I understood why it's a Michelin restaurant's beer, and it went down very softly.

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo requires one alcoholic drink per table. They have soju, draft beer, bottled beer, wine and more :)

Saint's Garden ratatouille gratin: how far does the cheese stretch?

My husband stretched the cheese of the Saint's Garden ratatouille gratin out to see how far it would go. There was a lot of cheese, and the sauce is made in-house, so we really enjoyed it -

Reservations, corkage and opening hours at Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo takes reservations through Naver and CatchTable, and I hear reserved seats are assigned randomly, excluding the room! Solo reservations are possible, and the private room seats 8 to 10.

Corkage is available, with these fees -

• 750ml: wine ₩30,000, whisky ₩50,000, traditional liquor and sake ₩30,000
• 1L: wine ₩50,000, whisky ₩70,000, other liquor ₩50,000

Hours are Monday to Saturday from 5 pm, closing at 12 pm the next day. Sunday is 5 pm to 11 am, and last order is 1 hour before closing :)

If you want to make date memories in an unusual atmosphere, I recommend Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo near Jonggak Station~