By Agnes Yu
A renaissance of sorts is transforming the quaint, expat friendly neighborhood of Haebangchon. What was once a quiet “suburb” of the Itaewon foreign district has now become a destination unto itself, with new restaurants and bars opening up seemingly every month. The main street is currently teeming with coffee shops, “galbi” (Korean rib) restaurants, brunch spots and cozy new watering holes. In the middle of all of this excitement is Phillies Pub.
Since its opening in 1998, Phillies has had six different owners and a handful of slight name changes. Throughout good times and bad, it has consistently been a reliable venue and conveniently located at the center of the neighborhood. The latest revamping aims to outdo them all, at least that is the goal of new owner Scott Mayoh. Renovations began in early March and will culminate with a grand “re-opening” of Phillies this Saturday evening, April 2.
With the upstairs completely redone, the steady regulars will be unable to recognize it and a peek into the basement, now named Phillies Den, will unveil a polished up version of the old underground hangout. The upstairs will be a non-smoking environment, a welcome change for many patrons, while the downstairs will cater to those that need their nicotine fix.
Sports is part of the action at Phillies, already a proud sponsor of two expat football teams as well as host to two teams in each the Itaewon darts and pool league. Phillies plans to jump right in with a full menu of sports viewing including the college basketball Final Four, UFC, Top Rank Boxing, Formula One, NHL, MLB and Premier League matches.
For customers who wish to challenge their brains as well, Phillies won’t disappoint. While home to the original HBC trivia night, it has been quiet on the quiz front as of late. But starting in April, Phillies quiz participants will be challenging their counterparts at Beer O’Clock in Sinchon, in Seoul’s first multi-venue quiz night that they will boldly attempt to host over Skype.
In the first couple of weeks, food menu items will be gradually introduced. The menu will be a mix of familiar pub grub with a few homegrown recipes that will impress even the most discerning of taste buds. Homemade perogies along with homemade sausages and fried onions are sure to be favorites.
The grand opening will start this Saturday at 6 p.m. featuring live music by Ben Akers and local expat trio, the Sejong Boys. Music starts at 8 p.m. Drink specials will run all evening and a few tasters from the food menu will be offered for everyone to sample.
People are already talking about the weekend and looking forward to seeing an old friend; having a pint at a cozy little place where you can chat with mates, watch the game and talk about the first time you ever walked in the door. There is a buzz in Haebangchon these days you won’t want to ignore.
Haebangchon is the neighborhood that begins with a wall of kimchi pots along the U.S. army base, across from Gyeongnidan and next to Namsan tunnel No. 3. Take subway line 6 to Noksapyeong Station and from Exit 2, walk straight until the kimchi pots and take a left. For more information check out the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phillies-pub.