Have you heard of this hidden Zodiac-themed cocktail bar in Seoul, Zoo Sindang? It's a popular bar in Seoul that serves cocktails based on the 12 Zodiac signs! It has been gaining a lot of attention in recent years, especially as the Sindang area, also called "Hipdang-dong", has been rising as a very trendy spot among young people. Zoo Sindang is so popular that most visitors will have to wait to get in, so we suggest getting there as soon as it opens to put your name down for a spot! We had to check it out ourselves to see if it was worth the hype. Keep reading to check out our review!
July Must-Do's
Information
Hours: Mon - Fri 18:00-02:00 / Sat-Sun 17:00-01:00
Address: 411 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 중구 퇴계로 411
Menu
Food Menu | |
Korean Potato Pancake (전) Thinly-sliced potatoes fried into a pancake and topped with honey butter. | 14,000 KRW |
Korean Meat Pancake (육전) A salty and savory meat pancake served with a fresh, spicy salad. | 22,000 KRW |
Pasta (파스타) A pasta dish with a handmade tofu cream and Korean vegetable sauce. | 17,000 KRW |
Tofu Kimchi (두부김치) Tofu fried with a house-made tomato sauce and served with tart kimchi. | 17,000 KRW |
Skewers (꼬치) Dried tomato, halloumi cheese, salami, and shishito pepper skewers. | 15,000 KRW |
Boneless Fried Chicken (강정) Crispy chicken served with a tomato-based chili sauce and dollops of sour cream. | 15,000 KRW |
Dagwasang (다과상) An assortment of traditional Korean cookies. | 15,000 KRW |
Tomato Hwachae (토마토화채) A tomato punch mixed with smooth, soft cheese. | 15,000 KRW |
Beets & Prosciutto (비트&프로슈토) Pickled beets and savory prosciutto served with basil pesto. | 16,000 KRW |
Cat Mousse Cake (고양이) A sweet black sesame cream cheese mousse cake filled with red bean & served with apricot sauce. | 13,000 KRW |
Drink Menu - Signature Cocktails |
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Rat (쥐) - 16,000 KRW Dark Rum, Bailey's, Pineapple, Cream Cheese |
Cow (소) - 18,000 KRW Dark Rum, Milk, Cinnamon, Black Tea Syrup |
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Tiger (호랑이) - 18,000 KRW Persimmon Spirit, Pear & Ginger Liquor, Lemon, Ginger |
Rabbit (토끼) - 17,000 KRW Tokki Soju, Malt Syrup |
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Dragon (용) - 18,000 KRW Gin, Herb Tea |
Snake (뱀) - 17,000 KRW Marigold Infused Gin, St-Germain, Lime Juice, Acacia Honey |
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Horse (말) - 18,000 KRW Shillye (Jeju Tangerine Liquor), Bergamot Liqueur |
Sheep (양) - 16,000 KRW White Rum, Cotton Candy |
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Monkey (원숭이) - 18,000 KRW Chusa (Apple Liquor), Banana, Cinnamon, Maple Syrup |
Rooster (닭) - 17,000 KRW Hibiscus Vodka, Egg White |
Other Drinks
Spirit
Classic Cocktails, Single Malt Whiskey
Our Visit
The entrance to Zoo Sindang is extremely unique so it's hard to miss! Located right in between Sindang Station Exit 1 and Exit 12, it's quite easy to get to. The exterior gives off haunted house vibes and sticks out among the rest of the shops in the area!
Don't be fooled, this is actually the door! We were a bit confused on how to get in but just push this and it'll open. Be careful not to hit your head on the way in!
We were amazed by the fancy interior. It has quite a contrast from the exterior, with plants and colored lights decorating the ceiling amongst a traditional Korean setting.
There is bar seating where smaller parties like couples can sit at.
Bigger parties can sit at the tables, which are available on both the first and second floor. Zoo Sindang only takes up to parties of five, so keep that in mind! We had a party of three, so we sat at a table on the first floor.
There's even a fish tank on the second floor, which can be seen from the tables below on the first floor as well!
It is quite dark inside, but there are decorative lights by the tables.
There is a separate food and drink menu, which are also in theme with the traditional Korean design.
The food menu spreads out like this! There are main menu items, sides or anju, and desserts.
We ordered three of the signature cocktails, a main menu item, and a dessert! They provide free dried fruit and veggie chips as 'anju' (안주), to snack on with your drinks.
The signature cocktails can be ordered according to the corresponding Zodiac sign for your birth year, but don't feel like you're limited to a specific zodiac sign. We actually recommend ordering a cocktail that you feel like you'd enjoy, even if it's not your Zodiac sign. That's what we did!
Rat Signature Cocktail (쥐) - 16,000 KRW
This cocktail represents the Year of the Rat and is a drink mixed with dark rum, Bailey's, pineapple, and topped with shredded cream cheese.
It might sound strange, but the cream cheese was mostly sweet and added a great touch to the drink! We loved this one; it was creamy and sweet, with a slight hint of fruitiness from the pineapple.
Sheep Signature Cocktail (양) - 16,000 KRW
This fancy-looking white rum cocktail represents the Year of the Sheep! It was fruity and tart, and even came topped with a bit of cotton candy. It was fun to drink this and eat bits of the cotton candy with it. It wasn't amazing, but not bad!
Cow Signature Cocktail (소) - 18,000 KRW
The Cow Signature Cocktail is visually amazing! It comes with a cute little cow ceramic that has a smoking piece of cinnamon in it. You can smell the cinnamon as soon as they bring the drink over!
This milky cocktail is a mix of dark rum, milk, cinnamon, and black tea syrup. The dark rum was quite strong, with hints of cinnamon and black tea. If you prefer stronger cocktails that aren't too sweet, you'll enjoy this one!
Boneless Fried Chicken (강정) - 15,000 KRW
This chicken dish was one of our favorites! The drinks were fun, but this dish was absolutely delicious and we were so glad we ordered it. The chili tomato sauce paired perfectly with the crispy chicken and was an explosion of flavor. It even had pieces of fried rice cake, fresh radish slices, and shredded cheese on top. We highly recommend this!
Cat Mousse Cake (고양이) - 13,000 KRW
This dessert is extremely visually impressive and is a dessert that we saw often on social media among those that visited Zoo Sindang. Do you recognize the cat? It's the same one that's at the entrance! The presentation of this dish was amazing, but we were a bit underwhelmed by the taste of it.
The black sesame flavor is quite strong, and it's filled with a sweet red bean paste, with apricot jam on the side and pieces of cake crumbs and sugar on the plate. Personally, I felt that the texture of the entire dessert was too jelly-like, so it didn't seem much like a cake. It was great to take photos and videos of though!
Overall, we really enjoyed our experience at Zoo Sindang! It had been on our list for a while, so it was great to be able to finally visit. The signature cocktails, which can be considered the highlight of Zoo Sindang, were not as great as we expected, especially for the price, but they were still fun to try. We loved the food and the overall atmosphere though! It's definitely worth a visit!
July Must-Do's
We hope you can make a visit to this unique bar in Sindang! If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below or send us an email at help@creatrip.com. You can follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook to stay updated on all things Korea!
