Karaoke bar in Inge-dong, Suwon with 1+1 soju and beer: Joco Noraetown

What is Joco Noraetown in Inge-dong, Suwon like?

Joco Noraetown Inge Branch (조코노래타운 인계점) is a private-room karaoke bar in Inge-dong, Suwon, where you can sing and drink in the same room. We'd done meat for round one and a bar for round two, then went looking for somewhere to sing and keep drinking for round three. Joco Noraetown was right in front of our bar, so in we went!

It's a room-style drinking spot, basically the same idea as Junko. You order food and drinks inside the room, so outside food and alcohol aren't allowed!

Inside Joco Noraetown Inge Branch

Just inside the entrance there's a waiting table and a Life Four Cuts (instant photo booth) camera. When you walk in, there's a table where you can wait and a camera for taking photo-booth shots, which felt like a nod to young people's taste these days!

Are the rooms roomy enough for a company dinner round two or three in Inge-dong?

The rooms are built around a big table you all sit around, which suits group get-togethers. We were shown straight to a room, and since everyone can sit around one big table, Joco Noraetown is a good pick if you're looking for a room bar in Inge-dong or a place for a round-two or round-three company outing.

There's also a good variety of food, and honestly, what's an Inge-dong group night without karaoke!? Karaoke is how a room-bar night out ends, so I don't think anywhere beats Joco Noraetown for that.

Broken elevator means no room fee and 999 minutes of karaoke

On the weekday we visited, the building's elevator was broken, so Joco Noraetown didn't charge a separate room fee. We came on a weekday and the elevator just wasn't running that day. We climbed the stairs to the 5th floor, and the owner told us that because of the broken elevator they weren't charging the room fee... ;; (I think the elevator was supposed to be fixed around mid-August?)

On top of that, the owner put 999 minutes on the karaoke machine. Coming for a room-bar group night in Inge-dong, you save on the room fee and can play as long as you like, which is about as good as it gets.

Food order rules and 1+1 drinks at Joco Noraetown

For food, you order to match your group size: 2 dishes for 4 people, 3 for 7, and 4 for 10. And one shocking fact: the drinks are 1+1! Hard to find a reason not to come here for a group dinner in Inge-dong.

The complimentary snacks were spicy instant noodles, patbingsu (shaved ice with red beans), corn cheese and assorted snacks, and we ordered one soju and one beer. With the 1+1 deal running, I wondered whether getting two bottles at once would leave the drinks lukewarm, and sure enough, they brought them in an ice basket. Soju and beer were ₩6,500!

Seeing that kind of thoughtfulness from the owner, there was no way we weren't getting hyped. Just looking at the setup, I had a feeling we were going to have a great time!

Are the karaoke machine and mics at Joco Noraetown any good?

The karaoke machine at Joco Noraetown Inge Branch is the latest model and the mics were good too. You can't just cheer for no room fee and 1+1 drinks, right? Sound quality matters, and so does whether the machine is up to date.

At this Inge-dong room bar, the machine is the newest model and the mics are good, so it feels just like going to a real karaoke room. That was a big plus!

A light ₩31,900 fruit platter for round three

The fruit platter we ordered at Joco Noraetown was ₩31,900. Since this was round three, we went for something light instead of a heavy dish.

It came with 7 kinds of fruit: apple, pineapple, watermelon, kiwi, cherry tomato, mandarin and banana. With the room fee waived, the fruit platter didn't feel pricey at all.

It was a weekday and the room was free, so we sat chatting away and suddenly 2 hours had flown by. With so much time on hand, we could hang out in the karaoke room without any pressure, which was great!

How long is the room fee free, and will the 1+1 drinks continue?

The elevator repairs in the Joco Noraetown building are said to run until August 13, so the free room fee probably lasts until then too. If you're looking for a room-bar spot for a group night in Inge-dong, Suwon, Joco Noraetown is worth a visit.

We got our money's worth in Inge-dong, Suwon this time. The 1+1 drinks deal is an ongoing one (though who knows when it'll change..!), so I think Joco Noraetown is well worth visiting even after the free room fee ends!