Cocktail bar near Jonggak Station for a Korean melon highball: Hanuk

You know how it is — a proper night out needs a second round (right?). After a great first round at an outdoor pojangmacha (street tent bar) in the Insadong alleys, my friend and I went looking for somewhere easy for round two 😇..

We found a hidden bar called Hanuk in the basement near Jonggak Station and snuck in — and I genuinely couldn't believe a place like this existed in the Jongno I thought I knew 🫢 The whole vibe of reworking cocktails with a Korean sensibility was impressive, and everything from the menu names to the overall atmosphere felt both timeworn and hip — I was so glad we picked this for round two 💖 Not a single tacky note anywhere in Hanuk ✨

Where is Hanuk near Jonggak Station, and what are the hours and booking options?

• 📍Location: B1, 18 Samil-daero 19-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul / 2-minute walk from Exit 12, Jonggak Station, Line 1
• 📍Hours: 7 PM – 2 AM
• 📍Parking: no dedicated lot
• 📍Restroom: gender-separated restrooms just outside the entrance, on the right
• 📍Reservations via Catch Table or Instagram DM

Hanuk is a space where Western bar culture and old-fashioned Korean aesthetics coexist — weaving traditional Korean elements into both the cocktails and the interior gives it a standout identity even among Jongno's cocktail bars ✨ It's a place that shows foreign guests a bit of Korean beauty while giving locals like us a different kind of mood. And running with no separate cover charge while still giving every guest a welcome drink and snack as standard — that thoughtfulness really got me 🫢..

• Hondonju ₩25,000
• Chusu ₩23,000
• Whisky ₩15,000 – ₩50,000

Finding Hanuk's entrance, and where to park in Jongno

Tucked in a Jongno backstreet, this place has that old-fashioned atmosphere drifting out from the moment you start down the stairs to the basement. Hanuk really knows how to use lighting — even the exterior gives you a hint of the mood inside, and the interior is even more intense haha.. There's no dedicated parking, so if you're driving you'll need a nearby paid lot — but it's so close to the subway that I'd honestly recommend public transit..!

Inside Hanuk: toenmaru seating and low lighting

Push open the door and you step into a bar with a low, moody atmosphere..! Lights tucked into the walls, under the seoerae (traditional shelving), under the toenmaru (wooden porch-style seating), and beneath the bar counter cast a soft reflected glow — refined but hip, and honestly I'd rank this among the top Jongno bars 🤍

The gender-separated restrooms were spotless too, and the woodsy hand wash smell was exactly my type — I wanted one for home so I even took a photo of it ☺️

No cover charge: omija tea and mini yakgwa as a welcome set

Even the menu is pretty..? We'd already polished off three bottles of makgeolli with anju (drinking snacks) at round one, so we were extremely full — but we still ordered the snack plate, the chamoe highball, and the Mud Festival for round two!

They bring out a glass of water and a coin wet wipe, and the wipe has this soft lemongrass scent drifting off it 💛 What is this, are they trying to make everyone a regular haha..

And on top of no cover charge, they give you omija (schisandra berry) tea and mini yakgwa (honey cookie) as a welcome drink and snack, in a small, pretty glass. Little details like this really do make you feel taken care of..?

Hanuk's snack plate, 8,900 won

Look at that spotlight — they really know how to use lighting here 💖 The snack plate that came with it was a combo of sweet dried persimmon strips, nutty sesame gangjeong (crunchy candy), and honey-glazed walnuts — easy to pick at one by one, and absolutely perfect as anju for a round-two cocktail 💘

Hanuk's chamoe (Korean melon) highball, 20,000 won

My friend's pick, the chamoe (Korean melon) cocktail, was a highball based on munbaeju (a traditional Korean spirit) with chamoe syrup and dill ✨ The subtle pear notes plus the melon's sweetness plus the herbal edge made it perfect for washing away the greasy anju from round one.

Hanuk's Mud Festival cocktail, 23,000 won

My pick, the Mud Festival, was insane just to look at — the cocktail glass came slotted right into an adorable pink flamingo tube..? 🫢 It reinterprets a specialty and festival vibe from Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province as a cocktail — built on hansan sogokju, a famous Chungcheong-region liquor, with a nutty, subtle laver (dried seaweed) aroma mingling strangely well with a sweet-bitter chocolate flavor. That sweet-and-salty pull hits you deep down, and the more you drink it the more intriguing it gets — a real sweet-savory winner 🤎

Who should go to Hanuk for round two?

Hanuk nails the balance between traditional Korean beauty and cocktail craft. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone hunting for Jongno cocktails or wanting an unusual, atmospheric Jongno date spot..! It's the kind of place that'll make you look thoughtful if you bring a foreign friend along, so if you want a cozy drink near Jonggak, definitely give it a visit 🌝