Boneless fried chicken and giant onion rings at Monthly Beer, Guro

I was trying to figure out where to go for dinner in Guro and ended up at Monthly Beer, a bar in the neighborhood! This was my first time going — I'd heard the side dishes were a solid brand, so I decided to check it out this time 😊

Sunday evening atmosphere and hours

I visited on a Sunday evening, and probably because it was a work night, a lot of people seemed to have started early. The vibe wasn't loud or chaotic — it felt like a great spot for a first round or a second round with friends, coworkers, or a boyfriend. The place is clean and pleasant, and I heard that around dawn on Fridays and Saturdays, customers coming from Byeolbam (a very hot spot nearby in Guro) often stop by Monthly Beer for round two! Usually they're open until 2am, but they stay open until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays, apparently with those late-night customers in mind.

How many side dishes? A look at the menu

The menu at Monthly Beer, this Guro bar! There's a huge variety of side dishes, and unlike other bar brands that use pre-made packs from headquarters, Monthly Beer has the head chef prep every ingredient by hand and cook everything from A to Z per order. Apparently the brand's pride is in taste and effort! On top of that, the prices are very reasonable, so it looked really easy to order a few things without worrying about the bill. With about 70 different house-made dishes, this place is perfect when you're not sure what you want in Guro, or when you want to order a variety of things! There's even a dessert menu, so when things feel a bit heavy and you want something light, the bingsu (shaved ice desserts) are a great option too 😆

Monthly import beer at ₩3,900, soju at ₩4,000

Monthly Beer sells a different imported beer each month at a lowest price of ₩3,900! There's something fun about wondering what next month's beer will be, haha. I don't think I've ever seen anywhere else sell imported Hoegaarden at this price..! I was genuinely touched by the owner's mindset — finding it rewarding to see customers leave smiling after enjoying cheap imported beer and house-made dishes even in a tough economy, haha. Plus, in an era where soju is often ₩5,000, it's a cheap ₩4,000 here!

For reference, they're also running various events, so it's worth checking and taking advantage of the perks.

Complimentary snacks and a beer-soju mix

The complimentary snack that comes out by default! It was a mix of things like Jjanggu crackers and chicken-leg-shaped snacks, which made it even better. The chicken-leg one is a bit spicy, and taking a bite of that followed by a bite of the sweet Jjanggu is amazing!! I was already so satisfied with just the free snack haha.

It was a day I wanted somaek (beer-soju mix), so I ordered draft beer and decided to pour in soju partway through! I only drank a little before adding the soju, and did the whole overflowing-pour performance for effect, hehe.

Boneless fried chicken — a mountain of it

Pickled radish, sauce, and seasoned salt that come with the boneless fried chicken order!

Honestly I wasn't expecting much in terms of portion size — I even wondered if ordering just one would be too little — but nope... the portion was seriously huge, and I was startled the moment I saw it haha, truly a mountain! And on top of the chicken, there were giant fried onion rings!! There's no way those could taste bad~! (Onion lover here)

The boneless fried chicken was fried really crispy! Tasty even plain, and just as good dipped in the sauce — it held its own against branded fried chicken chains.

And the onions were genuinely delicious haha, big enough that I kept eating them (?), and they were the perfect fried onion — all you tasted was sweetness.

On one side of the plate there was also cabbage salad, which paired perfectly for when the chicken got a bit greasy! I came straight here for a first round without eating dinner, and I left completely full off just one dish haha. Of course, that's partly because we each had two beers too, haha. If I hadn't been so full, I would've ordered the nabe (hot pot) too — the neighboring table was cooking one and the smell was aggressively delicious..! This place left such a good impression that I think I'll come back. Next time, nabe for sure!! Loaded with udon noodles 😆 The side dishes were great value and the atmosphere was nice too — I'd really recommend this Guro bar, Monthly Beer! With a wide range of drinks beyond just beer and plenty of side dishes to try, it's honestly one of the better spots I've been to 👍🏻

Blankets and restrooms — good to know

The weather's been getting cooler lately, so with the AC blasting indoors it felt too cold, and when I asked for a blanket they happily brought one out.

Also, I tend to use the restroom a lot when I drink, and I loved that the restrooms inside are separated by gender, with two stalls in the women's restroom, and everything was clean. One thing to note though — there's no tissue inside the women's restroom stalls, it's set up separately along the way there, so don't forget to grab some on your way!