Social solo bar in Samgakji, Seoul: games and new friends at Yusagil

What kind of place is Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan?

Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan (유사길 혼술바 용산) is a solo-drinking bar at 164 Hangang-daero, 3rd floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, near Samgakji Station. When I visited it was only in its 2nd month, a brand-new Yongsan bar. It is open Tue–Sun 19:00–01:00 and closed every Monday.

There were lots of return-visit reviews, so I gathered my courage and went. This is my review of visiting alone as a woman.

How to get to Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan

Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan is a bar where everyone hangs out together even if you come alone, and it's on the 3rd floor of a building.

Follow the stairs up to the 3rd floor.

So the walk isn't boring, cute messages welcome you along the way: "A place where you become friends even if you come alone" and "People who can't decide whether to come in are welcome."

How do you book Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan?

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays it runs from 7 pm with no reservation; Thursday to Sunday it is reservation-only from 7 pm. Fridays and Saturdays are busy, so bookings are split into a 1st session (19:00–22:00) and a 2nd session (22:00–01:00).

If you see this sign, you've arrived. I was so excited that I got there too early and it hadn't opened yet, haha.

• Tue–Wed: from 19:00, no reservation needed
• Thu–Sun: from 19:00, reservation only
• Fri–Sat: busy, so two reserved sessions
• 1st session 19:00–22:00
• 2nd session 22:00–01:00

Inside Samgakji's Yusagil bar and its seating layout

Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan has a unique layout: the seats are packed snugly in a U (ㄷ) shape so that as many people as possible can face each other and talk.

Hang your coat on the hanger, put your belongings in the white basket, and sit where the staff direct you. If you come with friends, you may end up sitting apart. Why? Because that's how you meet new people, and that's more fun, right?

It's a Yongsan solo bar with a soft, mellow mood, great for a glass of cocktail.

The staff make cocktails in the center, and watching them is part of the fun.

I watched the cocktail-making intently, and, by the way, the staff member was so good-looking 😜 A reason (?) to visit Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan.

Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan menu and free snack

The free snack at Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan is pretzel snacks, and they are seriously delicious. They taste like Cheetos and you just keep eating them.

There's no printed menu; the menu is on the Yusagil Yongsan Instagram!! The person next to you will show you how to read it (?). There's a wide range of cocktails, highballs and whisky, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

How do you get friendly at a solo bar? Self-introductions and team games

At Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan, everyone orders a drink and then spends time getting to know the people next to them, and the ones next to them. While you sip and chat, a staff member shows up like a host and does their best to melt the awkwardness.

Everyone does a quick self-introduction (sitting down, of course). This matters a lot to a capital-I introvert like me. You just say your name and what you do, then move on.

Then you team up with the people sitting beside you and play a game to get to know each other!! It's silly, but I still took it so seriously.

We didn't win, but the winning team gets an off-menu drink as a treat, plus a fire show 🔥

Round two: the seat-swap draw

Once the mood is warmed up, you should talk to other people too, right? So there's a draw. Time to swap seats!

Then you change seats and start round two with new people. Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan isn't a place for blind dates or picking people up; think of it as a relaxed place to meet new friends and chat. Of course, some people get close and head off to a second round together afterward!

Near the end, I joined a review event and got a free drink, hehe. No reason not to 💚

Is Yusagil Honsul Bar Yongsan okay for women alone and introverts?

It's a solo bar, but some people came with friends and many came alone. Chatting, I found lots of super-introverts who came solo too (me included). Everyone there had gathered the courage to come to a Yongsan solo bar!

When I booked, I wondered what I'd do for 3 hours, but no worries. The jobs were really varied, and talking quietly with people I'd never normally meet made the 3 hours fly by. If anything, it was too short 🤣 The staff's hosting was so smooth and they were totally kind!!

I could see why there are so many return-visit reviews for this Samgakji solo bar. If you're in your 20s or 30s, don't overthink it, just go and enjoy.