Unfortunately, the establishment has closed its doors in April 2021.
In the busy streets of Hongdae, there is Pyongyang Suljib. Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea and Suljib meaning tavern in English, we get the jist of what this bar entails. It might be a familiar look for those who watched Crash Landing on You.
This place is getting a lot of attention and controversy at the moment. Let's find out why.
Information
Address: 서울 마포구 와우산로19길 6
Hours: 17:00 - 02:00
Review
The artworks, writing style, colours and appearance, they all resemble North Korea very well.
The red neon sign above the entrance reading Pyongyang makes it look like the building was built 40 years ago. Giving it an authentic look to the place.
Like the outside, their colour theme of mint green is all over the place. The red-and-white slogan and mint green add nice contrasting effects to the space, and you really feel like your in a North Korean tavern. They were making people look up and down the place.
This tavern has 2 floors and is very spacious. The place opens at 5pm so it's a great place for dinner or evening drinks.
These little North Korean posters are everywhere and have funny messages written on them. Another funny thing is they play K-pop songs. I think they're playing K-pop songs to attract young adults who are in their early 20s. Making them feel like they're in a Crash Landing on You set.
There is a display room next to the checkout counter, which is filled with North Korean snacks, alcohol, clothes, cigarettes, cash and more. It's a good place to take pictures and observe what items are sold in North Korea.
But what exactly is a Pyongyang tavern? It is a place to eat and drink just like a restaurant. They have special dining atmosphere that cannot be found elsewhere.
They rent North Korean hanbok to experience here, but at present, it seems they only have female hanboks.
Although the menu was written in Korean and English, because it's written in North Korean, I couldn't understand the names of some of the dishes. So we ordered their signature dishes and some more.
Duck Hot Pot (볏짚에 훈연한 덕담골 오리 전골) ₩20,000
This is their signature dish. There is a lot of duck in this hot pot, and yes it smells good. It is worth mentioning that I have never eaten duck in South Korea and it seems North Koreans eat duck more often than South Koreans.
Sweet and Sour Rockfish with Malatang Seasoning (마라어탕수 우력) ₩17,000
Strange looking dish, right? A whole fish fried and served just like that. This fried fish is also their signature dish, and I thought this was delicious, but when it's hot, it's a bit oily, so I recommend you to cool it down first.
Beef Tripe Hot Pot (곱창전골) ₩21,000
This hot pot was spicier than duck hop pot. The ingredients were vibrant, and the combination of spicy soup with soju was just superb.
Pyongyang Bar House Fried Rice (평양 술집 하우스 볶음밥) ₩10,000
This is Pyongyang Suljib's fried rice. It was delicious, as saltiness and sweetness existed in your mouth. Who doesn’t like fried rice in Korea right?
Seasoned Rice with Soy Meat (Vegetarian) (인조 고기밥) ₩5,000
This is one of their side dishes. Because meat is rare in North Korea, they found a way to cook soybean to taste like meat. It's quite sad to hear how this menu was made. But the taste was just amazing! The red sauce on top was surprisingly delicious. I wanted to take the sauce home with me.
They offer you with a packet of soy meat as soon as you sit down. A bit like beef jerky.
Rice with Marinated Tofu (두부밥) ₩5,000
Rice with marinated tofu had rice mixed with kimchi and put on triangular tofu. The tofu itself has no taste, and the kimchi is not very spicy. I heard this dish was made for the North Koreans to supplement their protein (tofu).
But overall, the food in the Pyongyang Suljib was pretty good, especially with its North Korean atmosphere. Making people feel more like they are in a Korean drama shooting site.
As for the alcohol, although it says 'Pyongyang Soju' on the bottle, it is actually a South Korean soju. They just stuck their sticker over the original bottle, giving it the North Korean vibe.
I ordered a lot of alcohol. From Korea's go-to beer TERRA to plum blossom soju (매화수). But the most special alcohol of the bunch was Jindalai beer which is imported from North Korea! I had to try this, no matter what.
But to be honest ... the taste was very peculiar, it tasted different from ordinary beer so I asked the waiter and he confirmed that this was how it suppose to taste.
Schofferhofer Grapefruit Draft Beer ₩5,000
This beer is one of the signatures of Pyongyang Suljib. The bottle is very special, and the taste is very smooth, with a sweet grapefruit taste. We were told that it is girls' favourite drink here.
On the whole, the atmosphere of Hongdae’s Pyongyang Suljib was something new. For those who want to experience unique restaurants and alcohol, you must try this place. I had a blast in here and would recommend it to everyone.
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