Honey watermelon hwachae as a late-night round two in Daegu: Room

I don't usually drink late into the night these days, but not long ago I was chatting with a friend and suddenly it was dawn... I quickly searched for a good-vibes bar in Daegu's Dongseong-ro that stays open late, and found this Dongseong-ro spot, 'Room Pojangmacha.' The side dishes were varied and the indoor pojangmacha (street-cart-style) vibe made it feel really private — I loved it.

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 17:00-06:00
• 🅿️ Parking: Not available
• ✔️ Group reservations available
• ✔️ Birthday perks

Where is it? Across from Yeokjeon Halmoni Beer on Dongseong-ro's bar street

This Daegu bar, 'Room Pojangmacha,' sits right across from Yeokjeon Halmoni Beer on Dongseong-ro's bar street. I hadn't been to Dongseong-ro in a while, so I didn't realize there were so many good, hot spots there now. This place stays open late into the night, making it perfect for a second round.

Inside — a row of red pojangmacha-style rooms

Even on a weekday, late at night, there were a lot of customers — no surprise for such a hot Dongseong-ro bar. The interior had a totally retro vibe, with red pojangmacha carts lined up in a row, the kind you rarely see outside anymore! So romantic...

With these private, pojangmacha-style rooms, it seemed perfect for a low-key chat with a group or a date with your partner. There was also an open-air-style hall in the middle of the store, which looked great for bigger group gatherings or company dinners. You can just pick whichever seating suits your mood.

What's on the menu? Tablet ordering, from full meals to bingsu

You order using the tablet at each table. The menu was way more varied than I expected — from meal-type dishes like dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken), smoked kimchi samgyeopsal, tteokbokki, and jeyuk bokkeum, to side items like toast and bingsu (shaved ice dessert). It seemed like a great place whether you come for round one or round two.

They even had the currently trendy yukhoe bomdong bibimbap (raw beef and young cabbage rice bowl) and matcha makgeolli... some really trendy items, so definitely try them! We'd already overeaten during round one and were way too full, so we ordered honey watermelon hwachae for ₩21,000, Chamisul soju for ₩5,500, and tonic water for ₩3,000. Hwachae pairs so well with soju.

Basic side dish

The basic side dish that comes out is macaroni crackers. It's nice to have something like this to pick at bit by bit, right? A side dish would feel incomplete without it — macaroni crackers~

Honey watermelon hwachae for round two — how was it?

They set us up neatly with soju, tonic water, and a cup of ice. The container the ice came in was so charming haha.

And then the honey watermelon hwachae arrived. This was genuinely, genuinely delicious! The watermelon itself was incredibly sweet — the best watermelon I'd had in a while...

Maybe it was the honey they added, but it was so refreshing, sweet, and delicious. An unexpected hwachae gem... They packed the bowl full of fresh watermelon, and even though we were full, we devoured it in a storm. There's always room for fruit, after all~

And of course, hwachae should be swirled with strawberry milk, not plain milk — that's just the rule. They made it with strawberry milk perfectly, and it was such a sweet, delicious hwachae. Sweet, cool side dishes like this really do go well with soju.

The combo of honey watermelon hwachae and Chamisul... so good! My friend and I kept saying how insanely good the hwachae was, chatting away and sipping soju bit by bit—

—and the soju just kept going down smoothly ^^ If you're coming for a second round, I highly recommend the honey watermelon hwachae.

Events

I noticed they're running a bunch of different events too — from Instagram and Naver review events to a weekday buy-one-get-one-free deal on the entire menu. There are so many great-looking side dishes, so make sure to take advantage of these events haha. If you're looking for a good-vibes, romantic late-night bar near Dongseong-ro in Daegu, definitely check out this Dongseong-ro favorite, 'Room Pojangmacha'!