Yeonnam-dong rooftop bar where you drink with strangers: Tipsy Couch

I was just planning to grab a simple drink with a friend, but I thought — wouldn't it be nice if the place also let us talk to other people? With that in mind, my friend and I headed to Tipsy Couch, a solo drinking bar in Yeonnam-dong.

The moment I walked in, the big lights hanging from the high ceiling caught my eye first. I could tell the place would look even prettier as the sun went down.

How big is Tipsy Couch inside?

Tipsy Couch Yeonnam Branch is a cozy bar on the 4th floor of a building on Yeonhui-ro 1-gil, but the high ceilings give it a real sense of openness. The venue itself isn't that large. At first I was a little thrown by how small the space was haha... but the high ceiling and the big windows meant it never felt cramped.

The round lights hanging in tiers like this looked like they'd be pretty both day and night. Even though the space is narrow, there are quite a lot of seats — it looked like it could comfortably fit around 30 people.

A house-party concept, right down to the bed

Apparently Tipsy Couch designed its space, mood, and music to evoke a house party. That's why there are tables and chairs and sofas — and even a bed haha. It's meant to recall the vibe of a house party, where you can sit comfortably anywhere and chat with people.

Menu and how to order at Tipsy Couch

Check out the menu here! There's a huge variety of drinks, so it's easy to pick whatever you're in the mood for. The first page sorts the cocktails by flavor — sour, sweet, and so on — and guides you to the right page. It's much easier to browse that way! There are only 3 snack items, so I'd recommend eating elsewhere before you come...! Looking at the menu, it also seemed like you could bring in outside food (for a ₩3,000 fee).

Ordering is conveniently done via tablet. There's a physical menu, but you order by browsing the tablet at your seat. Nice that you don't have to get up and flag down a staff member.

The rooftop that makes Tipsy Couch special

Next to the main bar area, there's a separate rooftop (terrace) space. You get a surprisingly wide-open view of the Yeonnam-dong sky haha.

Music loud enough to talk over, not shout

It wasn't so quiet that it felt awkward, and not too loud either. It made it easy to enjoy the music, and the song selection was good too — lots of variety.

The self-bar has water, paper cups, tissues, and pretzels as a simple snack. There were even chairs with backrests haha.

What we ordered: cocktails, Cajun fries and prices

At Tipsy Couch we ordered a Daiquiri (₩13,000) and a Piña Colada (₩13,000). The colors of the cocktails alone were so pretty I was busy taking photos. One sip in, the taste was clean and good too.

The snack we ordered alongside was Cajun Fries (₩13,000), the perfect thing to pick at one by one while chatting.

They gave us some tomato on the house haha.

Can you really talk to strangers at Tipsy Couch?

What impressed me most about Tipsy Couch was how naturally the staff seated people together, regardless of gender. Thanks to that, even though I came with a friend, we ended up chatting naturally with several other people.

Talking with people, we ended up ordering another round haha. New people kept arriving, so it was hard to leave our seats, ha. The cocktails in the photo are Malibu Paradise (₩12,000) and Baileys Milk (₩12,000). With Malibu Paradise, you pick a base drink you like and they make the cocktail with it; Baileys Milk tasted kind of like coffee milk.

Getting to Tipsy Couch in Yeonnam-dong, and opening hours

289m from Exit 3, Hongik University Station

Business hours are Wed–Sun 20:00 to 03:00 the next day (Sat, Sun until 04:00).

If you want to meet new people and chat comfortably, or hear different people's stories, give Tipsy Couch in Yeonnam-dong a try!