Restaurants, Bars, Clubs and Nightlife in Seoul, Korea

I visited several “best” bars in Seoul and lounges and had yet to be satisfied.  Even hotel lounges that charge 25 dollars a drink had nothing more special than a skilled bartender strictly adhering to cocktail recipe list.

This weekend, I found the place that offers the best selection and quality of all drinks.

The place is Coffee Bar K in Cheongdam-dong.

Read more after the jump.

I had heard about this bar for more than a year.  I never got around to checking it out, and every time I visited the bar it was closed (they close at 2am).  With some of my dearest friends I finally got a chance to check it out.

A few posts back I wrote about my mission to find the best Mojitos in Seoul.  I concluded by saying 74 in Cheongdam-dong by far served the best mojitos in Seoul (out of dozens of bars I visited).

Well scratch that.  Coffee Bar K, hands down, is the the best bar in Seoul.  I rarely use such strong words but you really have to try their cocktails.  Their mojito was the best I had so far.  I remember 74 and Lound were slightly weak with alcohol but Coffee Bar K had it right on the mark.  Presentation was also excellent.

Another drink that I always get to rank bars… is dry Martini.  It was perfectly mixed, though I wish they served with more olives (74 and Woobar are very generous with their olive servings).  Also I had Red Eye, which is an interesting concoction of beer and V8 tomato juice.

Coffee Bar K holds the largest selection of single malt whisky in Korea.  Several bottles are only for SMWS (Single Malt Whisky Society) members, but I had the chance of trying some of their selections as my friends were members.

I tried Longmorn 40 years for the second time, and it was… one of the best single malt I ever tasted… First of all, the drink is more than a decade older than I am.  If I had to describe it I would call it liquified sherry… The scent is so strong that even Ardbeg, peatiness at its best, was nothing compared to the forty-year-old.

One of the bartenders, JJ Lim, at Coffee Bar K recently won 1st place in bartending competition in Korea with his innovative concoction, “Walking in Space”  (the competition was held in Woobar, W Hotel).  He will now represent Korea in Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year.  If you get the chance to go, make sure to get one of your cocktails made by him!

Quality comes with a price, however.  It is probably one of the more expensive bars you can find in Seoul.  This is definitely not the bar to drink your typical bottle of Black Label or a Beer.  Come here if you have some cash to burn, and you want to impress your special others.

Location: right across from Goshen.  Walk up the hill across from Rodeo street entrance (Designer Club side), and make a right at the top of the hill.  It’s immediately to your left.