New generation of Haebangchon, Gyeongnidan: 5 great new places to eat, drink, play

The moon rises over central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon neighborhood, March 14, 2024. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Jon Dunbar

• Published Aug 29, 2025 7:00 AM KST

Things happen fast these days in central Seoul's multicultural neighborhoods like Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan. The past couple years have seen many heartbreaking business closures.

Businesses there don't sink or swim based on profitability or customer demand, but landlords' whims. There are laws that protect their right to do business in a space for 10 years, but in many cases, not a day longer.

At the same time, new establishments are opening up, sometimes right in the same spaces.

Perch

“Things change fast, and while that brings energy, it’s also a bit bittersweet — especially seeing long-time bars close down,” said Yoon Soo-young, owner of Perch. “It makes me feel mixed about where the neighborhood is headed, because I also really value the places and people who’ve been part of HBC for a long time. There’s still a strong local vibe, where bar and shop owners know and support each other.”

Perch opened in late 2023, in a space inside a corner of Sinheung-ro, across the street from the former location of Hair of the Dog. It is a cozy place, offering indoor and outdoor seating. Although it specializes in cocktails and espresso drinks, it has also built a reputation around its exceptional pierogi plate. Yoon, a former bartender at Wolfhound in Itaewon, said she taught herself how to make the dish through YouTube.

Dialogue

“HBC is a special place,” said Benjamin Spink, creator of Dialogue. “A crossroads of so many layers of culture, history, class, race, language and more. The fact that it served as a relocation zone long ago for those who had nothing serves as backdrop for a very intriguing, storied neighborhood. The kimchi pots standing guard at the entrance with the abandoned American Army base in the background provides a crazy juxtaposition that speaks to the uniqueness of such a neighborhood standing in the center of such a layered active city like Seoul. I think the people of HBC reflect each of those layers as well.”

Dialogue is a new space opened last year in the large and beautifully retro basement of the building between Bonny’s Pizza and Phillies’ original location. It has been working to provide not just coffee and alcoholic drinks, but also experiences related to language and culture, like language exchange meetups, film nights, comedy, music, art exhibitions and more. Spink said Dialogue focuses on ambience and experiences, setting the stage for the creative and curious to make personal connections.

“Seoul is super competitive with Instagram-friendly and trendy spots popping up everywhere, and HBC at the moment is exploding, so sometimes it feels tough to compete in that environment,” Spink said. “We want to be a place where people come to encounter something different, something perhaps challenging or stimulating, so the goal is not really to attract the influencers. We've asked people to put away their cameras on more than one occasion.”

Life

A couple blocks uphill from Dialogue, there's a tiny tequila bar called Life run by Nam Ye-ram, who wanted to get into the art world but ended up finding a comfortable place in the food & beverage industry.

"Actually, I studied art history, and then I used to work in an art museum and gallery," she said. "But, you know, it's really hard to make money from the art industry. So I've been always working, like, two or three jobs at the same time."

Life opened last November in the building that used to house Al Matto. It opens right out onto the main street, giving passersby a good view of what's going on inside.

"Mainly I serve tequila and mezcal, and that's the purpose I opened this bar: I wanted to introduce more various world of tequila, because everyone has really bad trauma drinking tequila. So I wanted to make people have some good memories with tequila," Nam said.

After the closure of Hair of the Dog earlier this year, many of the regulars, including some of the bartenders, have become loyal Life customers, earning the nickname "refugees from Hair of the Dog." Her customer base is heavily local, although she added that more people are traveling farther to find her bar.

She also relocated recently; before Life, she ran a Mexican restaurant in Itaewon called Hacienda. But life circumstances pushed her to move on, and she decided to scale down. When looking for a new spot, she considered other areas like Namyeong-dong and Samgakji before deciding they weren't the right vibe.

"HBC feels like sanctuary," said Nam, who spent part of her youth abroad in Malaysia and the U.S. "Minority becomes a majority here, and majority has to become a minority. This neighborhood I think is the only place you can be just yourself. No one judges you."

Elves and Espresso

Another place that emphasizes experience is Elves and Espresso, a game store and cafe focusing on card games like Magic: The Gathering, as well as board games and other tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons. Sporting “cozy dungeon vibes,” it specializes in caffeinated drinks, but serves some alcoholic beverages and a few food items as well. Customers can pick from any of the 100 games at the store, and play for free as long as they buy something to drink.

“It's a game-store-slash-cafe-slash-bar, but it's more of like a community center,” said Alan Saied, owner.

Saied had planned to open in HBC, but ended up choosing a location across the street in Gyeongnidan.

“Originally, it was supposed to be in Haebangchon, but obviously prices have skyrocketed here, so I picked Gyeongnidan instead,” he said. “Both places were very special. I think it's changing. I think you're seeing a lot of lifers move away. Even our regulars, I wouldn't say a good portion, but a decent portion have left. And so we get new people, so it refills, but not as fast as you would expect. A lot of what made Haebangchon Haebangchon is going away. Gyeongnidan already, that kind of already did go away. But I think it's coming back a little bit.”

Uplift

"In some ways, I miss when (the area) was more foreigner-based like it was when I first got here, but I am interested in seeing where it’s heading. At times I feel like the expat support here has increased now compared to how it was when I first moved here; it might be smaller, but with more resources for expats in need of help; those who are here are able and willing to offer help to each other and it’s created a good camaraderie and a feeling of support," said Nell Fox, one of the owners of Uplift.

Uplift is a new event space with a stage and a bar that opened in the former location of KYLDN Social Club, upstairs from Sauce. It offers a wide variety of events, from drag and burlesque to live music of all kinds.

"We are a space that aims to provide inclusivity and a stage for creative self-expression. Our goal is to have anyone who walks through those doors — regardless of their walks of life — to feel welcome and happy in our bar. We want to support local communities by providing a space for them to host their events," Fox said.

She said that the biggest surprise they had was what many of their customers wanted to drink.

"Oddly enough, I think the biggest surprise we had in opening the bar was having as many non-drinking customers as we do," she said. "We’ve decided to lean into being more inclusive of non-drinkers, expanding our mocktails and making sure it’s comfortable for non-drinkers to enjoy as well."