Yeouido wine bar near The Hyundai Seoul: ihgangju, Wine Joomak Chacha

Why skip The Hyundai crowds for this Yeouido Station wine bar?

It's been so hot and humid this summer... shopping indoors felt like the smartest route, so my friend and I made a rare trip out to The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido. We had a great time browsing pop-up stores and shopping, but as usual, The Hyundai was packed shoulder to shoulder with people, no room to even step...

While looking for somewhere to escape the crowds and relax, I happened to stumble onto this place. Wine Joomak Chacha Yeouido Station Branch is a corkage-free wine bar in Yeouido, closer to IFC Mall and located near Exit 3 of Yeouido Station.

First customer at 5:30pm: table spacing built for conversation

We arrived at Wine Joomak Chacha Yeouido Station Branch pretty early, around 5:30, and ended up being the first customers — the quiet, tidy atmosphere was great.

The interior is modern and clean, and the tables are spaced fairly far apart, so my friend and I could hear each other perfectly sitting across from one another.

The space is decorated with instruments and little props around it, and with plenty of room, there seems to be a bar-style seating area too.

Before you go: alcohol order required, glass wine from ₩16,000

Ihgangju instead of wine: the Korean distilled liquor on the menu

Since the menu here has a bit of a Korean-food feel, we decided to order a bottle of Korean liquor instead of wine. It's called ihgangju, a Korean liquor made with pear and ginger, at 19% ABV. Personally, I found it clean and dry with sweetness completely absent. For those of us who aren't great drinkers, think of it like a stiff shot of soju — that'll make sense right away. It carries the sharp, strong aroma typical of distilled soju, hitting heavy and pungent. Rather than sweet, light drinks, this one would appeal more to seasoned drinkers who enjoy that raw, intense punch.

The food came out really fast after ordering, which I appreciated since we didn't have to wait long.

Rosé tteokbokki at Wine Joomak Chacha: brothy and mild, not thick

The first dish to arrive was the rosé tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes)! Rather than a thick, rich sauce, it's a looser style with a light, watery broth. So I'd recommend using a spoon to scoop up the rice cakes and broth together.

The rice cakes taste like the usual wheat-flour tteok, and rather than a typical rosé sauce flavor, you get more of the savory depth of gochujang (red chili paste). The seasoning itself isn't sharp or salty — it's mild and clean, so it was easy on the stomach. The portion isn't heavy either, more like a tapas-sized bite that pairs nicely with wine.

Truffle Chapagetti: chewy noodles with a subtle truffle aroma

The second dish was the truffle Chapagetti (black bean noodles). The noodles had great chew, giving a nice texture with each bite. The strong truffle aroma hit as soon as it arrived, raising my expectations, but once in my mouth it came through fairly subtly. Like the rosé tteokbokki, this dish was also quite mild and not intense in flavor.

For anyone who usually prefers mild, clean seasoning, this would be a perfect pairing dish. After finishing our meal, we noticed a business-card review event notice at the counter.

If you're lucky, you could win a ₩50,000 voucher, so it might be fun to try just for kicks... For anyone visiting, I hope you don't miss the chance to grab the perk and enjoy an even fuller meal.

• Restroom is shared with the building
• Parking available / private room available / reservations via Naver Map