Guro bar with parking for kimchi cheese fried rice: Monthly Beer

A late-night drive from Nodeul Island to Monthly Beer in Guro

My husband and I happened to have the next day off together, so we took a rare drive into Seoul to Nodeul Island. The willow trees were so pretty at night. After our walk there, we thought about just heading home, but instead drove to Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch, a Guro bar my husband knows well.

Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch is at 7 Digital-ro 32na-gil, 1F Unit 101, Guro-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily from 14:00–02:00, with Fri–Sat hours until 04:00. Parking is also available.

This Guro bar is a great spot for a relaxed beer near Guro Digital Complex. It's right at the entrance of Kkalkkal-geori alley, so it was easy to find.

Does Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch have parking?

Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch has a spacious parking area right next to the store, so if you're driving there's not much to worry about. Parking is usually a hassle for drinking spots in busy downtown areas — I'd normally either walk or use a distant public parking lot — but at Monthly Beer it was easy.

And — for customers who visit before 7pm, they take a whopping ₩7,000 off the food bill (drinks excluded).

The vibe and seating at Monthly Beer's Guro branch

Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch has a clean, cozy interior with mostly 2- and 4-person tables. It felt like a comfortable place to gather with friends for a casual drink after work.

Even though we visited around midnight on a weekday Tuesday, the place was pretty busy since it stays open until 2am. It wasn't too loud or too quiet — the chatter sounded like gentle white noise, which made it easy to talk with my husband without any trouble.

Monthly Beer's menu board and signature prices

Monthly Beer has a menu board installed at every table, making ordering simple and convenient. The menu covers stews, chicken, fried dishes, cooked dishes, stir-fries, savory pancakes, pizza, dried snacks, dried seafood, fruit and bingsu (shaved ice dessert) — a huge variety. The signature items are below.

• Monthly Fried Special Platter ₩29,900
• Crispy Fried Chicken ₩21,900
• Charcoal BBQ Chicken ₩21,900
• Cream Cheese Persimmon Rolls ₩19,900
• Jjamppong Sundubu (spicy seafood soft tofu stew) ₩18,900
• Pork Dubu Kimchi ₩17,900
• Homemade Pepperoni Pizza ₩17,900
• Crispy Dried Pollack ₩16,900
• Oreo Choco Bingsu ₩13,900

My husband wanted the crispy fried chicken, and we also ordered the kimchi cheese fried rice — known as being in the style of Coda Chaya's kimbokkeumbap — plus a Tera Zero since we'd driven there. Crispy fried chicken ₩21,000, kimchi cheese fried rice ₩11,000, Tera Zero ₩4,000.

They're also running a no-lose lucky roulette event and a free corn cheese giveaway for anyone who leaves a Naver receipt review — worth joining in!

The basic snack that came out first was a mix of chicken-leg-shaped crackers, twist snacks and jjanggu (corn puff snacks). We mindlessly kept eating and finished it all before the main dishes even arrived, haha.

How was the crispy fried chicken — taste and portion?

Our crispy fried chicken, kimchi cheese fried rice and Tera Zero all arrived together, so I could get a nice photo of the spread. What surprised me right away was the visual quality for the price. Delicious and huge portions — this Guro bar really delivers.

First, my husband's crispy fried chicken (₩21,000). It was shockingly better than plenty of franchise fried chicken. It's listed as a best menu item, and one bite told me exactly why.

The fried chicken came with pickled radish, seasoning sauce and seasoned salt on the side, plus crispy giant fried onion rings and cabbage salad, which made it easy to eat like a chicken tender salad.

Crispy batter outside, moist and tender boneless chicken inside. It's already seasoned so it's tasty even plain, and dipping it in the sauce turns it into yangnyeom (sweet-spicy) chicken, so you get two flavors in one order. The portion was so huge we left with more than half uneaten — and now, writing this post, I keep picturing that leftover chicken, ugh.

Coda Chaya–style kimchi cheese fried rice

Monthly Beer's kimchi cheese fried rice (₩11,000) was the dish I ate at nearly midnight after skipping dinner. It was so good I gave my husband exactly one bite and finished the rest myself.

Fluffy kimchi fried rice topped with seaweed flakes, a layer of stretchy, savory pizza cheese, and a soft fried egg on top. It's a guaranteed-delicious combo that makes everyone smile. It reminded me of the nostalgic Coda Chaya kimbokkeumbap (kimchi fried rice) I used to eat with friends back in college — I should bring them to Monthly Beer for our next hangout.

Who should visit Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch

If you're looking for a Guro bar with great food for a drink after work, I'd recommend trying Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch. This month, a bottle of Hoegaarden is just ₩3,900 — there's really no reason not to go!