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The Korea Times

By Jon Dunbar
Things happen fast these days in central Seoul’s multicultural neighbourhoods like Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan.
The past couple of years have seen many heartbreaking closures. Businesses there do not sink or swim based on profitability or customer demand, but on landlords’ whims. Some laws protect their right to do business in a space for 10 years, but in many cases, not a day longer.
At the same time, new establishments are opening up, sometimes right in the same spaces.
Here are some of the hottest to check out.
Perch
Perch opened in late 2023, in a space inside a corner of Sinheung-ro, across the street from the former location of Hair of the Dog. It is a cosy place, offering indoor and outdoor seating.
Although it specialises in cocktails and espresso drinks, it has also built a reputation around its exceptional pierogi plate. Yoon Soo-young, owner of Perch and a former bartender at Wolfhound in Itaewon, said she taught herself how to make the dish through YouTube.

“Things change fast [in central Seoul], and while that brings energy, it’s also a bit bittersweet – especially seeing long-time bars close down,” Yoon said.
“It makes me feel mixed about where the neighbourhood is headed, because I also really value the places and people who’ve been part of HBC [Haebangchon] for a long time. There’s still a strong local vibe, where bar and shop owners know and support each other.”
Dialogue

“HBC is a special place – a crossroads of so many layers of culture, history, class, race, language and more,” said Benjamin Spink, creator of Dialogue. “The fact that it served as a relocation zone long ago for those who had nothing serves as a backdrop for a very intriguing, storied neighbourhood.
“The kimchi pots standing guard at the entrance [of the neighbourhood] with the abandoned American Army base in the background provide a crazy juxtaposition that speaks to the uniqueness of such a neighbourhood standing in the centre of such a layered active city like Seoul.
“I think the people of HBC reflect each of those layers as well.”
Dialogue is a new space opened last year in the large and beautifully retro basement of the building between Bonny’s Pizza and Phillies’ original location. It has been working to provide not just coffee and alcoholic drinks, but also experiences related to language and culture, like language exchange meet-ups, film nights, comedy, music, art exhibitions and more.
Spink said Dialogue focuses on ambience and experiences, setting the stage for the creative and curious to make personal connections.
“Seoul is super competitive, with Instagram-friendly and trendy spots popping up everywhere, and HBC at the moment is exploding, so sometimes it feels tough to compete in that environment,” Spink said.
“We want to be a place where people come to encounter something different, something perhaps challenging or stimulating, so the goal is not really to attract the influencers. We’ve asked people to put away their cameras on more than one occasion.”
Life

A couple of blocks uphill from Dialogue is a tiny tequila bar called Life, run by Nam Ye-ram. She wanted to get into the art world but ended up finding a comfortable place in the food and beverage industry.
“Actually, I studied art history, and then I used to work in an art museum and gallery,” she said. “But it’s really hard to make money from the art industry. So I’ve been always working, like, two or three jobs at the same time.”
Life opened last November in the building that used to house the Italian restaurant Al Matto. It opens right out onto the main street, giving passers-by a good view of what is going on inside.
“Mainly I serve tequila and mescal, and that’s the reason I opened this bar: I wanted to introduce a more varied world of tequila, because everyone has really bad trauma drinking tequila. So I wanted to make people have some good memories with tequila,” Nam said.
After the closure of Hair of the Dog earlier this year, many of the regulars, including some of the bartenders, have become loyal Life customers, earning the nickname “refugees from Hair of the Dog”. Her customer base is heavily local, although she added that more people are travelling farther to find her bar.
Before Life, she ran a Mexican restaurant in Itaewon called Hacienda. But circumstances pushed her to move on, and she decided to scale down. When looking for a new spot, she considered other areas like Namyeong-dong and Samgakji before deciding they were not the right vibe.
“HBC feels like sanctuary,” said Nam, who spent part of her youth abroad in Malaysia and the US. “Minority becomes a majority here, and majority has to become a minority. This neighbourhood, I think, is the only place you can be just yourself. No one judges you.”
Elves and Espresso

Another place that emphasises experience is Elves and Espresso, a game store and cafe focusing on card games like Magic: The Gathering, and board games and other tabletop games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
Sporting “cosy dungeon vibes”, it specialises in caffeinated drinks, but serves some alcoholic beverages and a few food items as well.
Customers can pick from any of the 100 games at the store and play for free as long as they buy something to drink.
“It’s a game-store-slash-cafe-slash-bar, but it’s more of a community centre,” said owner Alan Saied.
Saied had planned to open in HBC, but ended up choosing a location across the street in Gyeongnidan because prices have “skyrocketed” in Haebangchon.
“Both places were very special. I think it’s changing. I think you’re seeing a lot of lifers move away. Even our regulars, I wouldn’t say a good portion, but a decent portion, have left. And so we get new people, so it refills, but not as fast as you would expect,” he said.
“A lot of what made Haebangchon Haebangchon is going away. Gyeongnidan already, that kind of already did go away. But I think it’s coming back a little bit.”
Uplift

Uplift is a new event space with a stage and a bar that opened in the former location of KYLDN Social Club, upstairs from Sauce. It offers a wide variety of events, from drag and burlesque to live music of all kinds.
“We are a space that aims to provide inclusivity and a stage for creative self-expression,” said Nell Fox, one of the owners of Uplift. “Our goal is to have anyone who walks through those doors – regardless of their walks of life – to feel welcome and happy in our bar. We want to support local communities by providing a space for them to host their events.”
She said that the biggest surprise they had when opening was how many customers wanted non-alcoholic drinks.
“We’ve decided to lean into being more inclusive of non-drinkers, expanding our mocktails and making sure it’s comfortable for non-drinkers to enjoy as well.”
She said that in some ways she misses when the area was more expat-based like when she first arrived, but she is interested in seeing where it is heading.
“At times, I feel like the expat support here has increased now compared to how it was when I first moved here; it might be smaller, but with more resources for expats in need of help. Those who are here are able and willing to offer help to each other and it’s created a good camaraderie and a feeling of support.”
Read the full story at The Korea Times


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Nell Fox plays with fire at Uplift in central Seoul’s Gyeongnidan neighborhood. Courtesy of Uplift

A nighttime view of the multicultural Haebangchon neighbourhood in Seoul, South Korea. New bars and cafes in the area offer everything from D&D gaming to burlesque nights. Photo: The Korea Times, Jon Dunbar

Perch offers both indoor and outdoor seating. Photo: The Korea Times, Jon Dunbar

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From a drag venue to a tequila bar to a cafe where you can play card games and D&D, there’s plenty to do in these multicultural areas


From a drag venue to a tequila bar to a cafe where you can play card games and D&D, there’s plenty to do in these multicultural areas.


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5 hot new bars and cafes in Seoul’s trendy Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan neighbourhoods

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From a drag venue to a tequila bar to a cafe where you can play card games and D&D, there’s plenty to do in these multicultural areas

Perch

From a drag venue to a tequila bar to a cafe where you can play card games and D&D, there’s plenty to do in these multicultural areas