Burger restaurant for a couple's date near City Hall: Bas Burger

I went to Bas Burger, the one burger brand my picky boyfriend genuinely loves, the guy who shakes his head at most handmade burgers. Even within one franchise, quality varies a little from branch to branch, and the one that won us both over is Bas Burger Gwanghwamun, famous as a City Hall Station favorite. It was a perfect date course: fill up on a quality burger, then have a sweet dessert at the nearby Godiva afterward.

Where is Bas Burger Gwanghwamun, and what are its hours?

Bas Burger Gwanghwamun is at 5 Dadong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Gwangil Building, basement level 1), open Monday to Saturday from 10:30 to 20:45. Break time is 15:00–16:30, and it's closed every Sunday.

It's 364 m from Exit 1-1 of Euljiro 1-ga Station, about a 5-minute walk, and the route isn't a complicated zigzag, so it was easy to find. We came from Euljiro 1-ga, but the shop sits in the central district linking City Hall and Gwanghwamun, which makes it a great fit both for office workers grabbing a craft beer after work and for couples looking for a weekend burger date.

Is Bas Burger Gwanghwamun good for a date?

Step inside Bas Burger Gwanghwamun and the soft, hip lighting and stylish interior catch your eye. The lights aren't too bright, so the cheerful feel of a burger joint gets a cozy pub vibe on top, a nice space for chatting over a meal. If you're hunting for a City Hall Station restaurant with good atmosphere for a date, this is it.

A poster of the latest new menu items hangs on the wall, and the full menu sits in front of the counter.

What we ordered as a couple

At Bas Burger Gwanghwamun you sit down and order on an electronic menu. After studying it carefully, we each picked to our own taste: the wasabi mayo shrimp burger set for my boyfriend, the mozzarella chicken burger combo for me, plus the Smoky Bacon Grills you can only get in the shop and Bas Burger's bestselling chicken wings! We chose our sides well.

Are the James Gum chips at the self-serve bar unlimited?

Bas Burger's pride: crispy potato chips, James Gum!

We ordered and paid at the table, and while waiting for the food I went to grab some James Gum from the self-serve bar. It's the reason nobody orders fries as a set at Bas Burger Gwanghwamun, and it boosts how satisfied you feel with the service, James Gum~

James Gum is potato fried to a crisp, with an addictive flavor. When you eat in, you can help yourself as much as you like, with no limit.

• Wasabi mayo shrimp burger set ₩14,800
• Mozzarella chicken burger combo ₩11,100
• Smoky Bacon Grills ₩6,400
• Chicken wings (6 pieces) ₩8,400

While we were munching on James Gum, a big tray packed with appetizing dishes soon arrived.

Glossy burger buns and fresh fillings practically spilling out made it hugely satisfying to look at before we even took a bite.

How does the new mozzarella chicken burger taste?

New menu item: the mozzarella chicken burger

The mozzarella chicken burger combo is ₩11,100, and that's with the combo; the burger on its own is under ₩10,000. I tried my pick, the new mozzarella chicken burger, first, and the quality was so good it made the low price feel almost unreal. I kept exclaiming all the way through.

Two whole mozzarella bites sit between the buns for a hefty, filling bite, and inside the freshly fried, piping-hot coating, savory mozzarella cheese came flooding out.

Cheese plus fried food could get greasy, but the spicy sriracha mayo sauce and sweet honey mustard delivered the perfect kick and cut right through it. With crunchy butterhead lettuce and the juice of fresh tomato, the flavors balanced perfectly, quality worthy of a City Hall Station favorite.

My picky boyfriend's top pick: the wasabi mayo shrimp burger

Wasabi mayo shrimp burger

The wasabi mayo shrimp burger set (₩14,800) is my boyfriend's unchanging number one. He won't even glance at other handmade burger places, and the reason he raves about Bas Burger is its signature light, fresh taste.

Open the soft, fluffy bun with its faint buttery aroma and you'll find plenty of plump whole shrimp, whose pop in your mouth is superb.

The real kick of this burger is the sauce combination: a sharp wasabi sauce that pleasantly tingles your nose, a sweet teriyaki sauce that adds savoriness, and a smooth wholegrain mayo sauce, which together pushed the flavor of the whole shrimp to the max.

Smoky Bacon Grills, available only when dining in

Smoky Bacon Grills

Smoky Bacon Grills (₩6,400) can never be had by delivery or takeout; it's a new dine-in-only item you have to visit the shop to order. The burgers are excellent, but the sides that back up the mains show this City Hall Station favorite's true worth too. If you usually enjoy broccoli or grilled vegetables, put this in your order without question, it's a strongly recommended dish.

Bite-sized broccoli is stir-fried with salty bacon over a strong flame, and the faint smoky aroma really stimulated my sense of smell. Take a bite and the broccoli keeps its crunch while the bacon's deep savoriness soaks all the way through, making it a flavor you keep reaching for.

Chicken wings (6 pieces), our order every visit

Chicken wings

The chicken wings (6 pieces, ₩8,400) are the regular side I order every single time I come to Bas Burger. Thick, meaty wings are fried plain and crisp, with no sogginess at all.

They're the textbook case of crispy outside, juicy inside, and the surface is coated with a slightly spicy, appetite-stirring special sauce that perfectly cuts the oiliness. Even though I was already full, these bewitching wings made me pick every last bone clean.

Bas Burger Gwanghwamun for a date: final verdict

At Bas Burger Gwanghwamun every menu item and ingredient worked in harmony, and above all I was reminded once more that it keeps faithfully to the basic of a handmade burger: freshness. After a high-quality meal we followed our pre-planned date course to the nearby Godiva Gwanghwamun shop for sweet ice cream and dessert, which made for a perfect weekend outing.

If you're looking for a City Hall Station favorite that delivers on taste, hip atmosphere and great access, give Bas Burger Gwanghwamun a visit!