Euljiro rooftop bar under a cooled tent on rainy days: Another Level

The real heat of summer seems to be starting. Today's place is Another Level, a bar in Euljiro with a moody city rooftop you can enjoy even in a heatwave or the rainy season! I went with a friend I hadn't seen in ages, who happened to be near Jongno, to get that Euljiro outdoor-drinking vibe *.* No worrying about heat or rain, and we had a great time. Here's the story of Another Level, the rooftop bar near Euljiro 3-ga Station.

Where is Another Level and what are its hours?

Another Level is at 11 Euljiro 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (4th floor), open Monday to Saturday, 17:00–24:00. Last order is at 23:00, and it's closed on Sundays.

It's about 100 m from Euljiro 3-ga Station Exit 10, in the alleys known as Hipjiro, so it's great for pairing with a nearby bar for a first and second round.

How to find the entrance

The location can be a little confusing. Come from the station and turn left right away, and the entrance is right there. I went around the other way and got pretty lost, haha. If you see this standing sign, you're in the right place!

What is the 4th-floor interior like?

The 4th floor is a slightly dim indoor space with a wine-bar and cocktail-bar feel. The bar has two floors, 4 and 5, so we took the elevator straight up to the 4th first, and the wine-bar/cocktail-bar mood hit right away.

It's mostly comfortable chairs, so if you dislike outdoor drinking spots full of hard, uncomfortable seats, this is a nice place to relax indoors.

Blue-lit walls, unusual furniture and chandeliers came together into a unique, mysterious atmosphere you only get at this Euljiro 3-ga bar.

Can you use the Another Level rooftop on a rainy day?

Yes. When I visited on a rainy day, the rooftop was covered overhead like a tent and the air conditioning was working well. We were told to wait a little, then went up to the rooftop, which had finished cooling down and started full service after opening time.

I'd expected a completely open outdoor space, but maybe because it was raining, it was fully covered like a tent up top and well air-conditioned, so it felt not at all stuffy. It would be great even in midsummer!

Good to know before using the rooftop

You order with the Pay Here device at each table, and please note that ordering food is required to use the rooftop! It's also limited to 2.5 hours on weekdays when it's full, or on Fridays and Saturdays, so keep that in mind :)

Outdoor drinking spots usually have lots of downsides: they're bad in the heat, the seats are uncomfortable, bugs show up... Here all that is stripped away and you can enjoy it cool and comfortable, which I loved.

What we ordered at Another Level, with prices

• Grilled brie ₩19,000
• 4 highballs

We visited on a rainy day, so the sky was gray, but there was a nice breeze, the air conditioning worked well, and the tent kept out a fair amount of rain, so we got the best of both indoors and outdoors. Really nice, right?!

For the first round we each picked whatever highball we wanted. The range runs from sweet highballs to clean, original-style dry highballs, and I really liked that.

What the grilled brie includes, and how it tastes

The grilled brie we ordered as a snack arrives on a pretty plate with a gorgeous look. It's cute and the portion is generous, so my satisfaction was already going up and up..^^*

We'd already eaten a big first round, so I ordered it thinking it'd be a light second-round snack, but it came out so pretty and so generous.

Nuts like walnuts, cashews and cranberries, assorted toppings, a fig-like jam spread underneath, crackers to go with it, and even pineapple chips. Seriously well put together.

Honestly the crackers that come are already plenty, but you can order extra, so anyone who wants more can add as many as they like.

It's fun to pile things on and combine them, so even though it's a light, finger-food kind of snack, it almost feels like tasting a proper dish, haha

I think this was my first time having grilled brie served with dried pineapple. It's sweet, and that distinct dried-fruit texture goes really well with the crunchy nuts, the crackers and the savory, warm cheese!

What kinds of highballs does Another Level have?

I was so excited that I ordered extra, a Ballantine's highball plus a few more of some other highball, so I ended up having 3 in a row just at the second round, hahahaha

The potato snack that comes as the basic side, kind of like a cousin of Ogamja (a Korean potato snack), was on the verge of going soggy from the rain, but its savory, mild flavor meant I happily wolfed it down...^^

The easiest to drink at Another Level was the standard-style Golden Blue highball. Whether you like soda-based dry highballs like me, or sweet tonic-based ones that taste like juice with no booze flavor, there's a variety of drinks to satisfy everyone, which is great for a wine-bar-meets-cocktail-bar place.

Overall verdict: who is Another Level for?

It was a weekend, so the Another Level rooftop quickly filled with people! The indoor space seems nice too, cool and slightly dim, but the days are so long that by the time we finished and left it was still bright as midday, haha

I like daytime drinking and that outdoorsy feeling, so I had a great time with the rooftop outdoor-drinking vibe!

• Anyone looking for a good-value Euljiro bar
• Anyone looking for a clean outdoor-drinking spot that's good for dates
• Anyone looking for a spacious Euljiro second-round bar for group gatherings
• Anyone looking for a comfortable rooftop that works on rainy days and in the heat