Jonggak Sunday-night bar: amber ale and 500g pork ribs at Sudowonui

I visited Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo (수도원의 비밀 저장고, "the monastery's secret cellar"), a bar with a totally different vibe on Jonggak Station's Youth Street. The medieval look makes you feel like you've stepped into a video game. A great Jonggak find!

Where is Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo? Location, parking and hours

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo is at 47-1 Samil-daero 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, basement level 1, and is open daily 17:00 to 24:00 (last order 23:00). There's no parking, but it has group seating, rooms and group tables, and corkage is allowed.

• Corkage 750ml: wine, traditional liquor or sake ₩30,000, whisky ₩50,000
• Corkage 1L: wine, traditional liquor or sake ₩50,000, whisky ₩70,000

You can drop in while walking along Cheonggyecheon near Jonggak Station. The entrance already feels like the door of a building in Europe. If you're looking for a date spot with a different atmosphere, I recommend it.

What's the atmosphere like at Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo?

The interior is medieval-themed, with brick, candle-shaped lights and walls that look carved from stone. The seating is roomy enough for groups, and there's a small room table at the back.

The entrance looks like you're heading into a wine cellar! The interior is amazing right from the stairs down. Inside it's just as medieval: brick, candle lighting and wall designs that feel like an old manor house.

The seating is pretty spacious, so a group visit is fine, and the atmosphere is genuinely different and pretty. I really recommend it as a Jonggak date spot!

Late on a Sunday evening there were quite a few groups of friends! A recommended bar near Jonggak Station!

The table setting is amazing too, haha. I don't know how they made the walls, but they look like real carved stone, like being inside a cave.

There's a small room table at the back too, so it would work for a private get-together. It looks like a pretty good spot for a wedding invitation gathering near Jonggak Station as well.

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo menu and prices

Even the menu names follow the monastery and fantasy concept, and the signature seems to be the barbecue platter. The ribs I ordered were priced slightly differently on the entrance menu and the kiosk, so just note they're in the ₩30,000 range.

Even the menu names are special! Haha. It really was a bar that felt like a game world. Like being in Lord of the Rings, haha. The signature seems to be the barbecue platter, and this time I tried the ribs!

Goose Island and Hand and Malt craft beers, plus monastery liqueurs

And here's why I recommend it as a Jonggak bar! Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo serves Goose Island and Hand and Malt craft beers. I ordered two glasses, a pale ale and an amber ale~

Browsing the menu, I found they carry herbal liqueur made in French monasteries in Europe. I'd never seen it, so I got curious and looked it up: it's called Bénédictine DOM, a slightly sweet liqueur with a devoted fan base, it seems? I'll try it if I get the chance later!

How do the pale ale and amber ale taste?

That day I ordered Ribs Allowed After Confession, Saint's Garden Ale (pale ale) and Sacred Fire Amber (amber ale). One rib plate and two craft beers, and the pale ale and amber ale came out first!

What I really liked was how ice-cold it was! The craft beer aroma was strong, but above all the chill was so good~~ After a long time without craft beer, it was so refreshing!

It seems to be from a brewery called Hand and Malt, and it was totally my taste, so I'll probably come back for it. Especially this Saint's Garden Ale, the pale ale, was so fragrant and delicious!

Ribs Allowed After Confession: how big and how good are the 500g pork ribs?

Sudowonui's "Ribs Allowed After Confession" comes with about 500g of ribs, fries and 2 sauces, a good amount for two people to share. Made with Hanwoo pork, the meat was tender and moist all the way through.

Then the ribs came out~ They look so appetizing, haha!

I heard the bar was planned by a chef from the Hilton in New Zealand who was inspired by monasteries, and maybe that's why these sauces were so good. They were better than Outback's ribs.

I cut them with scissors to make them easy to eat~

Wow, the meat was so tender the moment I bit in that I looked it up, and they're made with Hanwoo pork!! No wonder they were so good! How about a date with these delicious ribs, haha!

The inside of the ribs is really pink and totally moist. The quality of the meat is on another level.

Dip the pork ribs in the garlic sauce

This sauce is the real kick. The garlic sauce on its own feels a bit lacking, but dip the ribs in it and it's the best ever! The way it comes together with the rib sauce, wow, so good. I guess it's the chef's touch..!

You have to try the ribs dipped in this sauce.

Dip the fries that come with it in the sauce too.

How do the ribs compare with Outback's baby back ribs?

The kind of taste you keep eating! They weigh the same as Outback's ribs, but the quality is way better. Compared with Outback's Spanish pork, Hanwoo wins, haha. A really good Jonggak bar for when you're craving ribs! Perfect as a date spot.

Is Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo a good date bar near Jonggak Station?

Sudowonui Bimil Jeojanggo was a satisfying, unusual date bar near Jonggak Station, thanks to the combo of cold craft beer and Hanwoo ribs. The ribs went so well with the cold beer, and the beer aroma was great too. Having tasty food with cold beer after so long really felt like a date. Both the food and the craft beer were so good! If you're in the area, I recommend it!