Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK It's always Beer O'Clock in this Sinchon pub
Some of the food at Beer O'Clock in western Seoul's Sinchon neighborhood / Courtesy of Shuttle Delivery
By Jon Dunbar
One of the consistently best things about Sinchon for the last 15 years is Beer O'Clock, a foreign-owned sports pub that opened in 2009.
It specializes in pub food, mainly pizza, wings and — as it has been mostly owned by Canadians — poutine. The pizzas are good, with no surprises in the ingredients, but don't miss out on the garlic fingers. Or if you need protein, you can try the bacon garlic fingers. You can order any of three dipping sauces as well — donair, ranch or blue cheese.
As Beer O'Clock is a sports pub, with screens showing whatever the latest international sporting event is, and surrounded by dart boards, it also specializes in drinks. In the old days, it was one of the few places in Korea serving Alley Kat, a micro-brewed beer from Edmonton, the Canadian city that came close to winning the Stanley Cup earlier this year. Alley Kat is no longer available here, but back in those days, it was one of the few craft beers available in Korea, and because of that, it holds a special place in Korean craft brewing history. It is no longer available here, although they still have a beer on tap called Classy Kat — a mix of OB and a domestic APA from Kabrew, which doesn't taste quite like anything from Alley Kat but is a respectful salute to the beer's legacy. Fortunately, these days there are enough great local beers to choose from, including offerings from the likes of Jeju Beer Company, Kabrew and The Ranch.
Although it seems like the focus would be on beers, Beer O'Clock also offers other types of drinks. Of particular note is the 10 Shot Challenge, in which customers pay 45,000 won for 10 shots. It isn't as daunting as one might think because not all the shots are high in alcohol. Completing the challenge lets you add one point to the score for your country on a big blackboard over the bar. Typically, the United States and Canada are the top two, and sometimes some countries have had negative scores if the challenge isn't completed properly — a country loses 5 points "for any mess," according to what one person working there said. There are also top scores for the fastest downing of 10 shots, with the current record for 2024 being 15.54 seconds.
A list of countries completing Beer O'Clock's 10-shot challenge, Thursday / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
It is open every day of the week except Monday. On weekdays, it opens at 6 p.m. and on weekends it starts at 5 p.m. Closing times vary from midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays. Beer O'Clock is available through Coupang Eats and Shuttle Delivery, but it's also a great place to visit, and the in-restaurant menu is much more thorough, with a good selection of chicken sandwiches, salads and more sides, including beer-battered mushrooms.
Visit linktr.ee/beeroclockkorea for more information, or follow @beeroclockkorea on Instagram.