Hapjeong bar for truffle jjapaguri and sugar tomatoes: Bako Jumak

Hi everyone! This time I was craving yukhoe (raw beef) / yuksashimi near my place, so I searched maps for a neighborhood bar and ended up at Bako Jumak, which turns out to be a well-known spot around Hapjeong/Sangsu 🙂↕️

So we walked in saying "let's get yukhoe!" and then... didn't order either yukhoe or yuksashimi haha. So I'll be going back soon to finally have both. Ah, it sounds so good already 🤤

Where is Bako Jumak, and what are its hours?

Bako Jumak is at 27 Dokmak-ro 7-gil, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, open daily 17:00 - 04:00 (last order 03:00). It's an easy walk from Hapjeong Station, so accessibility was great! It's a good casual spot for locals like me, but also works as a second-round stop after hanging out in Hongdae. Maybe that's why, even on a weekday evening, customers kept steadily coming in — clearly people already know it as a Hapjeong Station bar :)

A wood-toned Korean bar that stays quiet enough to talk

And honestly, the best part was the atmosphere! Trendy bars are great, but sometimes the loud, chaotic ones are hard to sit through for long.. 🥹 Bako Jumak's interior is styled like a proper Korean bar with wood-toned tables, giving it such a cozy vibe...🤍 I love Korean bars in general, and honestly a cozy place like this beats a noisy one any day!

So many dishes looked delicious that it took forever to choose haha. We said "let's keep it simple" and then immediately debated 3 menu items... that was us lol. So what did we order?! (drumroll)

How were the truffle jjapaguri and Korean beef tendon soup?

At Bako Jumak we ordered truffle jjapaguri and Korean beef tendon soup! We'd already eaten dinner before this, but we still cleaned our plates lol. The first bite of the truffle jjapaguri was legendary, though the one downside was there was no pa-kimchi (green onion kimchi) on the side, so it got a bit heavy after a while 🥹

We don't usually go for clear-broth soups at bars so I was a little worried, but the umami was way better than expected... I already love beef tendon (seuji) so I really enjoyed this one!⭐️

The Korean beef tendon soup had a more generous portion than I expected! The tendon was packed in generously, giving it great chew, and the broth was rich, making it a really solid drinking companion..? When a soup dish at a bar hits, that's a win, and this one totally delivered✨ I get why it's word-of-mouth famous around Hapjeong now!

Sugar tomatoes and injeolmi bingsu: a bar that does dessert too

We were seriously stuffed that day... we had both sugar tomatoes and injeolmi bingsu (sweet rice cake shaved ice), and the portions were way bigger than we expected — good value for a bar, honestly. Usually at a bar you just eat anju (drinking snacks) and leave, but here you can enjoy injeolmi bingsu too, so it works whether you're drinking or not! I get why it's a good pick for dates, friend gatherings, or a casual neighborhood meetup.

What to know before visiting Bako Jumak

❗️Takeout isn't available right now, but they said it's in preparation, so if you're visiting soon, keep in mind you can't get it to go💦

It had been a while since I properly enjoyed both a good atmosphere and great food at a bar in one go :)

⭐️For reference, these are the dishes from our recent return visit...🤍

If you're looking for a Hapjeong Station bar for quiet conversation, a good-vibe Hongdae bar, or somewhere with tasty anju, give Bako Jumak a try 🤍