Hongdae bar with non-alcoholic cocktails: Fox's Grapes at Bitters

A lot of people have been looking for cocktail bars in Hongdae lately. I recently went back to Bitters in Hongdae, and this time I had whisky, bourbon, and even a non-alcoholic cocktail. Today I'll give you an honest review focused on what we drank that day.

Why I went back to Bitters in Hongdae

Bitters is a whisky and cocktail bar on the basement level, walkable from Hongik University Station. When I looked it up, the ratings were pretty good — satisfaction with the taste was especially high, and a lot of reviews mentioned that the staff are friendly and will recommend cocktails if you tell them what you like. Honestly, our first visit was such a great experience that we came back haha.

Finding the Bitters entrance and how to pay

Bitters is on the basement level, and you take the elevator down to get there.

Just so you know, this place doesn't accept cash, so keep that in mind.

Last time I was here I fumbled around not knowing which button to press lol. Now I've got it down! There's actually a marker showing where to press, I just didn't see it the first time haha.

Inside Bitters as the first customer at opening

Ta-da! Open the door and this grand bar counter unfolds in front of you.

Pretty spacious, right? I did an opening run and got to walk in as the very first customer. I'm just going to make this my go-to Hongdae cocktail bar.

Now that I'm in my 30s, I prefer places like this — quiet, just the two of us drinking — over noisy spots.

Ordering by kiosk and reading the Bitters menu

You order at Bitters through a kiosk. First they give you a menu, and the descriptions on it are really detailed.

I'd recommend reading through it once! I especially liked that they had non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu.

I ended up ordering Fox's Grapes. Last time I had the butter beer, but this time I was craving something a little sweeter and more refreshing.

My friend ordered the Aran 10 Year. The nice thing is you can have it straight or on the rocks — or even try both! My friend actually started with it straight and then switched to on the rocks.

Food at Bitters: pretzels, ragù pasta and eight pieces of bread

The basic snack at Bitters is a pretzel. We were feeling a bit peckish, so we also ordered the ragù pasta.

The ragù sauce was richer and nuttier than I expected, so it paired well with whisky or cocktails without feeling too heavy.

Just in case it wasn't enough lol, we also added bread — and suddenly ended up with eight pieces of bread lol. But it was tasty so we finished it all anyway. Since we were going to be sitting there a long time anyway, ordering it as a shared snack was great value.

What the non-alcoholic cocktail Fox's Grapes tastes like

This is Fox's Grapes. Even with no alcohol in it, the balance between sweetness and aroma was well done, so it worked well both on a night when I wasn't drinking and as a palate cleanser after tasting other drinks. The color also came out pretty, so it was great for photos too — I think anyone who likes sweet drinks would find this non-alcoholic option satisfying enough.

Tasting Aran 10 Year and Russell's Reserve Single Barrel bourbon

With the Aran 10 Year, a bright floral aroma hits you first, followed by a smooth sweetness, and then a refreshing hint of citrus passes through at the end.

Even if you don't know much about whisky, I think you'd enjoy it a lot more by asking the bartender about the characteristics as you taste.

They also give you chocolate with the whisky haha. It comes standard!

Next we had bourbon! Damon from Vampire Diaries, a show I used to watch a lot, always drank bourbon, so it felt oddly nostalgic seeing it here!

The bourbon was called Russell's Reserve Single Barrel — the moment I brought the glass to my nose, a spicy aroma hit right away. After that came a subtle, sweet grain scent that lingered, and it finished with a heavy, oaky note.

Is Bitters a good Hongdae date spot?

If you're looking for a quiet, upscale cocktail bar in Hongdae, this is a great place to come. From whisky tastings to non-alcoholic cocktails to snacks, there's a bit of everything, so it's a comfortable spot whether you drink or not. It's within walking distance of Hongik University Station, so it's easy to get to, and there are plenty of other bars and cafés nearby, making it a good spot to pair with a first or second round.