Seoul is a city of coffee shops on every corner and bars that stay open until 2 a.m. Anthracite Coffee, Euljiro Brewing and SookHee come from my list of saved places. I added the rest on the advice of travel guides, 34travel and Asia's 50 Best Bars: the Fritz and Cafe Onion coffee shops, the Magpie brewery and the Zest and Charles H. cocktail bars, and later the Heon Cha Haus tea house by Bukchon and Bar Cham in Seochon. The descriptions are compiled from Google Maps reviews for now, and I'll add my own notes as I visit.
Prices are Google's average spend per person, valid as of 1 October 2026. Rate: 1,000 ₩ ≈ $0.74.
In short
- Coffee: Anthracite Coffee Seogyo with its indoor garden, Fritz Coffee Company near Gongdeok and Cafe Onion Anguk in a hanok.
- World-class cocktails: Zest (No. 2 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025) and the hidden Charles H. at the Four Seasons; for something simpler, SookHee.
- An evening in Euljiro: craft beer at Euljiro Brewing, then cocktails at SookHee; both are open until 2:00.
- Craft beer in Itaewon: Magpie ITW Brewshop with its terrace, Wednesday to Sunday only.
- Tea instead of coffee: Heon Cha Haus by Bukchon, with mugwort and omija lattes and rice cakes.
- Korea in a glass: Bar Cham in Seochon; the walk-in waitlist can run to three hours.
Coffee
Anthracite Coffee Seogyo
Seogyo-dong, near Hongdae · coffee house · 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15) · daily 9:00–22:00
Google Maps · website · 11 World Cup-ro 12-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 740+): a three-floor coffee house in stone and wood that feels like a quiet Japanese garden. Good pour-overs, and some rate the matcha latte above the ones they had in Japan. A good place to work or take a break; you order on the second floor and it's self-service. The downsides: it's tricky to find from the metro, and many find the staff cold towards tourists.
Fritz Coffee Company, Dohwa
Dohwa-dong, near Gongdeok · coffee roaster & bakery · up to 10,000 ₩ (≈$7) · Mon–Fri 8:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–22:00
Google Maps · website · 17 Saechang-ro 2-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 2,800+): a coffee house in a building with old Korean hanok features and a vintage feel, on a quiet street near Gongdeok station. Reviewers praise the single-origin filter coffee, the pastries, the terrace and the balcony, and the bags of house-roasted beans make a good gift. It's always busy, so grab a seat before you order. There are complaints about stale pastries. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Cafe Onion Anguk
Anguk, near Bukchon · bakery café in a hanok · 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15) · Mon–Fri 7:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 9:00–22:00
Google Maps · Instagram · 5 Gyedong-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.2 from 4,600+): a bakery café in a traditional hanok, one of the most photogenic spots in the area. A big choice of pastries: reviewers like the garlic cream bun and the buttery rice-cake pastry. The queue can be long, and in winter you wait in the cold; takeaway or a seat outside is usually quicker. Some think the pastries and drinks are average for the price and that you're paying for the setting.
Heon Cha Haus
Samcheong-dong, by Bukchon · tea house · 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15) · Mon–Thu 11:00–21:00, Fri–Sun 11:00–22:00
Google Maps · Instagram · 6 Samcheong-ro 4-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 940+): a traditional tea house that had to move after a dispute with its landlord; the founder's son now runs it, the interior is more modern, and the teas and homemade Korean sweets are the same as before. Reviewers love the mugwort and omija lattes, the red bean rice cake with butter and the candied orange, and the owner remembers returning guests and recommends what to order. It feels like being in someone's home. Expect a queue at weekends.
Bars
Euljiro Brewing
Euljiro · craft brewery · 10,000–20,000 ₩ (≈$7–15) · daily 15:30–2:00
Google Maps · Instagram · 48-16 Supyo-ro, Euljiro 3-ga
According to Google Maps reviews (4.1 from 790+): a small brewery in the back alleys of Euljiro with neon on the walls and an unpretentious, friendly feel; there's a second room across the alley. Reviewers like the beer, especially the sour IPA, and the food; you order from a screen at your table. There's no real bar counter, as is usual in Korea: you sit at tables. Pours are small, but prices are fair.
Magpie ITW Brewshop
Itaewon · craft brewery · up to 40,000 ₩ (≈$30) · Wed–Sun 17:00–23:00, closed Mon–Tue
Google Maps · website · 244-1 Noksapyeong-daero
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 760+): a simple pub from the Magpie brewery, which reviewers call a craft beer classic, with outdoor seating and a friendly crowd; lots of expats, and dogs are welcome. Reviewers recommend the IPA, the pale ale, the sour and the seasonals, and there are cans to take away. Note that the kitchen here has been cut back; for pizza, reviewers point to the Euljiro branch. 34travel recommends it too (article).
SookHee
Chungmuro · cocktail bar · 20,000–30,000 ₩ (≈$15–22) · daily 18:30–2:00
Google Maps · Instagram · 3 Toegye-ro 44-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 350): a speakeasy with signature cocktails that guests call some of the best they've ever had, plus a list of rare bourbons. People praise the atmosphere and the very friendly bartenders. The entrance is hard to find and prices are above average, but reviewers say they're worth it.
Zest
Sinsa-dong · cocktail bar · Mon–Fri 18:30–2:00, Sat–Sun 15:00–2:00
Google Maps · Instagram · 26 Dosan-daero 55-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.8 from 540+): a bar built on Korean flavours and local produce that came second in Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2025. Guests who have been to hundreds of bars around the world call the drinks some of the best they've had; they single out the Soy Caramel, the Glazed Manhattan and the cold perilla-oil noodles on the bar menu. A lively room, with bartenders who explain every drink in detail.
Charles H.
Gwanghwamun · hotel cocktail bar · daily 17:00–1:30
Google Maps · website · Four Seasons, 97 Saemunan-ro
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 610+): a hidden bar in the Four Seasons hotel, entered through a door that looks like part of the wall; it has appeared in several K-dramas. A big cocktail list plus plenty of spirits and wine, and reviewers praise the design, the music, the service and the fried chicken bar snack. It's expensive: according to one recent review, non-guests pay a 10,000 ₩ cover charge and a minimum spend of 80,000 ₩ per person.
Bar Cham
Seochon · cocktail bar · 20,000–70,000 ₩ (≈$15–50) · Wed–Mon 18:00–1:00, closed Tue
Google Maps · Instagram · 34 Jahamun-ro 7-gil
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 440+): a bar on the Asia's 50 Best Bars list whose menu splits Korea into six flavour regions and builds cocktails from each one's produce; one even smells of kimbap. The bartenders explain the idea in English, the mood is warm and the music lets you talk. Without a booking you take a number on the waitlist: on a weekday the wait can be three hours, and you have 15 minutes to come back once called. Not every combination works.
One last thing
Seoul's bars open late and close late: SookHee from 18:30, Zest from 18:30 on weekdays too, and both close at 2:00. Magpie is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Bar Cham on Tuesdays. The coffee shops stay open until 22:00, but at weekends Fritz and Cafe Onion start later, at 10:00 and 9:00.
More on Seoul: what to see, where to eat.